Brenda Corey Dunne's Blog, page 8
July 17, 2014
Countdown is ON!
On the shores of the Strait of GeorgiaSo we are now in the Comox area, living in a hotel as our house renos are finished. It's beautiful here...and we've already dunked our feet in Pacific waters to make it official.But DEPENDENT releases in TWELVE DAYS! And my release party is booked!
Are you in Victoria on August 2nd? Mark your calendar and come to Chapters on Douglas! More details about this and other signings coming up as they are finalized.
And if you are a blogger and want to feature DEPENDENT on your blog...sign up HERE.
If you haven't pre-ordered DEPENDENT, and you would like to, you can find it on any major internet book sales platform. Check out the links to the left, or go into your local bookstore and request it!
Thank you so much for your support in this wonderful adventure. You are all amazing!
Brenda
July 14, 2014
Writing Process Blog Tour
Fifteen days to DEPENDENT's release day! Today I'm participating in a writing process blog tour, after being invited by my friend and agent mate Yelena Casale. You can find out more about Yelena on her blog, www.yelenacasale.com. You can also find her on twitter as @Yelena_Casale.
The tour consists of four basic questions about my writing process. Enjoy!
* * *
What am I working on?
Right now? Not much. As this blog goes live my family and I have (hopefully) driven about 4000km across the country and have about 1000 left to go. But when I get a chance, I’m working on two different projects. The first is a sequel to my self-published YA historical fiction (TREASURE IN THE FLAME) now being called TREASURE 2. The second story I’m working on is a new adult/adult fiction about a college student whose military family are posted to Europe. It centers around the meaning of ‘Home’, which is something that military families often have difficulty defining with their frequent moves. I can personally attest to this, as we work our way to 'home' number 10...
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hard question! When I write, I work hard to convey the emotional responses my characters have, not just the physical. DEPENDENT especially. I started writing it as a way to process my own fears, using Ellen’s (the MC’s) emotions to work through my own. It’s very raw, and I don’t hide behind muted language.
I also have a very Canadian bent to my writing and I draw from my eight years as an Air Force officer and my seventeen years as a military spouse when writing. I am a huge supporter of our armed services. And
Why do I write what I do?
I love to create my own worlds and rules when writing fantasy, so it’s ironic that my first traditionally published work has a more literary bent. DEPENDENT was written because it needed to be written. It was forty pages that wouldn’t shut up in my head…and eventually became a novel. I wrote it because I wanted others to see what military spouses deal with every single day, without fanfare. Military spouses do it because they love their husbands and wives. But sometimes they forget to protect the spark that makes them individuals. It’s really easy to do in a military relationship, when your spouse’s career HAS to come first. But it’s possible. And I think it’s essential.
How does my writing process work?
I usually start with a setting. I have no idea why it works that way, but I write from a picture in my head, and that picture grows from a place. Then I add characters, and a situation. But I rarely outline anything. I just start to write, and see where it takes me. My self published novel (a historical fiction) emerged from a walk through a historical village in eastern Canada—the scent of wood-smoke and fresh mown hay. It’s a very strong image in my mind. From that I added a local legend and worked from there. A month later I had a finished draft.
Other than that...I'm a complete pantser! I don't outline unless it's to keep dates and people straight in my head. I have at least three notebooks on the go at once, and I write little points down here and there, but it's more to remind myself of things I want to revisit later on. It works. But some people would shake their head at my apparent disorganization!
* * *
So next week, I pass the torch to Vicki Morrison, my BFF and writer extraordinaire! Vicki is working diligently on editing her completed manuscript NINE LADIES DANCING, an arson crime story which I hope to get a chance to beta read very soon. Hint, hint, Vicki...
Check her out here: http://vickilmorrison.wordpress.com
...And by the way... DEPENDENT RELEASES IN
FIFTEEN DAYS!
The tour consists of four basic questions about my writing process. Enjoy!
* * *
What am I working on?
Right now? Not much. As this blog goes live my family and I have (hopefully) driven about 4000km across the country and have about 1000 left to go. But when I get a chance, I’m working on two different projects. The first is a sequel to my self-published YA historical fiction (TREASURE IN THE FLAME) now being called TREASURE 2. The second story I’m working on is a new adult/adult fiction about a college student whose military family are posted to Europe. It centers around the meaning of ‘Home’, which is something that military families often have difficulty defining with their frequent moves. I can personally attest to this, as we work our way to 'home' number 10...
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hard question! When I write, I work hard to convey the emotional responses my characters have, not just the physical. DEPENDENT especially. I started writing it as a way to process my own fears, using Ellen’s (the MC’s) emotions to work through my own. It’s very raw, and I don’t hide behind muted language.
I also have a very Canadian bent to my writing and I draw from my eight years as an Air Force officer and my seventeen years as a military spouse when writing. I am a huge supporter of our armed services. And
Why do I write what I do?
I love to create my own worlds and rules when writing fantasy, so it’s ironic that my first traditionally published work has a more literary bent. DEPENDENT was written because it needed to be written. It was forty pages that wouldn’t shut up in my head…and eventually became a novel. I wrote it because I wanted others to see what military spouses deal with every single day, without fanfare. Military spouses do it because they love their husbands and wives. But sometimes they forget to protect the spark that makes them individuals. It’s really easy to do in a military relationship, when your spouse’s career HAS to come first. But it’s possible. And I think it’s essential.
How does my writing process work?
I usually start with a setting. I have no idea why it works that way, but I write from a picture in my head, and that picture grows from a place. Then I add characters, and a situation. But I rarely outline anything. I just start to write, and see where it takes me. My self published novel (a historical fiction) emerged from a walk through a historical village in eastern Canada—the scent of wood-smoke and fresh mown hay. It’s a very strong image in my mind. From that I added a local legend and worked from there. A month later I had a finished draft.
Other than that...I'm a complete pantser! I don't outline unless it's to keep dates and people straight in my head. I have at least three notebooks on the go at once, and I write little points down here and there, but it's more to remind myself of things I want to revisit later on. It works. But some people would shake their head at my apparent disorganization!
* * *So next week, I pass the torch to Vicki Morrison, my BFF and writer extraordinaire! Vicki is working diligently on editing her completed manuscript NINE LADIES DANCING, an arson crime story which I hope to get a chance to beta read very soon. Hint, hint, Vicki...
Check her out here: http://vickilmorrison.wordpress.com
...And by the way... DEPENDENT RELEASES IN
FIFTEEN DAYS!
Fifteen days to DEPENDENT's release day! Today I'm partic...
Fifteen days to DEPENDENT's release day! Today I'm participating in a writing process blog tour, after being invited by my friend and agent mate Yelena Casale. You can find out more about Yelena on her blog, www.yelenacasale.com. You can also find her on twitter as @Yelena_Casale.
The tour consists of four basic questions about my writing process. Enjoy!
* * *
What am I working on?
Right now? Not much. As this blog goes live my family and I have (hopefully) driven about 4000km across the country and have about 1000 left to go. But when I get a chance, I’m working on two different projects. The first is a sequel to my self-published YA historical fiction (TREASURE IN THE FLAME) now being called TREASURE 2. The second story I’m working on is a new adult/adult fiction about a college student whose military family are posted to Europe. It centers around the meaning of ‘Home’, which is something that military families often have difficulty defining with their frequent moves. I can personally attest to this, as we work our way to 'home' number 10...
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hard question! When I write, I work hard to convey the emotional responses my characters have, not just the physical. DEPENDENT especially. I started writing it as a way to process my own fears, using Ellen’s (the MC’s) emotions to work through my own. It’s very raw, and I don’t hide behind muted language.
I also have a very Canadian bent to my writing and I draw from my eight years as an Air Force officer and my seventeen years as a military spouse when writing. I am a huge supporter of our armed services. And
Why do I write what I do?
I love to create my own worlds and rules when writing fantasy, so it’s ironic that my first traditionally published work has a more literary bent. DEPENDENT was written because it needed to be written. It was forty pages that wouldn’t shut up in my head…and eventually became a novel. I wrote it because I wanted others to see what military spouses deal with every single day, without fanfare. Military spouses do it because they love their husbands and wives. But sometimes they forget to protect the spark that makes them individuals. It’s really easy to do in a military relationship, when your spouse’s career HAS to come first. But it’s possible. And I think it’s essential.
How does my writing process work?
I usually start with a setting. I have no idea why it works that way, but I write from a picture in my head, and that picture grows from a place. Then I add characters, and a situation. But I rarely outline anything. I just start to write, and see where it takes me. My self published novel (a historical fiction) emerged from a walk through a historical village in eastern Canada—the scent of wood-smoke and fresh mown hay. It’s a very strong image in my mind. From that I added a local legend and worked from there. A month later I had a finished draft.
Other than that...I'm a complete pantser! I don't outline unless it's to keep dates and people straight in my head. I have at least three notebooks on the go at once, and I write little points down here and there, but it's more to remind myself of things I want to revisit later on. It works. But some people would shake their head at my apparent disorganization!
* * *
So next week, I pass the torch to Vicki Morrison, my BFF and writer extraordinaire! Vicki is working diligently on editing her completed manuscript NINE LADIES DANCING, an arson crime story which I hope to get a chance to beta read very soon. Hint, hint, Vicki...
Check her out here: http://vickilmorrison.wordpress.com
...And by the way... DEPENDENT RELEASES IN
FIFTEEN DAYS!
The tour consists of four basic questions about my writing process. Enjoy!
* * *
What am I working on?
Right now? Not much. As this blog goes live my family and I have (hopefully) driven about 4000km across the country and have about 1000 left to go. But when I get a chance, I’m working on two different projects. The first is a sequel to my self-published YA historical fiction (TREASURE IN THE FLAME) now being called TREASURE 2. The second story I’m working on is a new adult/adult fiction about a college student whose military family are posted to Europe. It centers around the meaning of ‘Home’, which is something that military families often have difficulty defining with their frequent moves. I can personally attest to this, as we work our way to 'home' number 10...
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hard question! When I write, I work hard to convey the emotional responses my characters have, not just the physical. DEPENDENT especially. I started writing it as a way to process my own fears, using Ellen’s (the MC’s) emotions to work through my own. It’s very raw, and I don’t hide behind muted language.
I also have a very Canadian bent to my writing and I draw from my eight years as an Air Force officer and my seventeen years as a military spouse when writing. I am a huge supporter of our armed services. And
Why do I write what I do?
I love to create my own worlds and rules when writing fantasy, so it’s ironic that my first traditionally published work has a more literary bent. DEPENDENT was written because it needed to be written. It was forty pages that wouldn’t shut up in my head…and eventually became a novel. I wrote it because I wanted others to see what military spouses deal with every single day, without fanfare. Military spouses do it because they love their husbands and wives. But sometimes they forget to protect the spark that makes them individuals. It’s really easy to do in a military relationship, when your spouse’s career HAS to come first. But it’s possible. And I think it’s essential.
How does my writing process work?
I usually start with a setting. I have no idea why it works that way, but I write from a picture in my head, and that picture grows from a place. Then I add characters, and a situation. But I rarely outline anything. I just start to write, and see where it takes me. My self published novel (a historical fiction) emerged from a walk through a historical village in eastern Canada—the scent of wood-smoke and fresh mown hay. It’s a very strong image in my mind. From that I added a local legend and worked from there. A month later I had a finished draft.
Other than that...I'm a complete pantser! I don't outline unless it's to keep dates and people straight in my head. I have at least three notebooks on the go at once, and I write little points down here and there, but it's more to remind myself of things I want to revisit later on. It works. But some people would shake their head at my apparent disorganization!
* * *So next week, I pass the torch to Vicki Morrison, my BFF and writer extraordinaire! Vicki is working diligently on editing her completed manuscript NINE LADIES DANCING, an arson crime story which I hope to get a chance to beta read very soon. Hint, hint, Vicki...
Check her out here: http://vickilmorrison.wordpress.com
...And by the way... DEPENDENT RELEASES IN
FIFTEEN DAYS!
July 8, 2014
Cross Canada Adventure Update
So today my family arrived at our fourth stop on our cross-country trip to our new destination: Portage La Prairie. My husband did his pilot training her waaaay back when, and we were hoping to look around. Only one small problem with this. Portage is under a State of Emergency. They are threatened with huge flooding. The water is supposed to crest tomorrow at 30 cm (1.5 feet) higher than the devastating floods a few years ago.
And into this we drive...the five Dunnes, horse in tow.
We are currently safe and sound in our hotel, and the horse is safe in his stall at a local equestrian facility. There are construction vehicles and workers and sandbaggers everywhere. But the town is functioning pretty much normally other than that. I'm amazed at their resilience. We even tried to find out how we could help, with our limited time here, but it seems to be well under control. So we did what families do when they are driving across the country...we played in the pool and on the waterslide... while watching the dump trucks full of sandbags drive by. It was a bizarre evening. Tonight we will sleep lightly.
We'll get up in the morning, and hopefully pull out before the water reaches it's peak. But the people here will have to keep going on. You can find out more about the floods HERE, and if the call arises, donate to the farmers and local families who will undoubtedly be hit hard.
Until next time...
Brenda
And into this we drive...the five Dunnes, horse in tow.
We are currently safe and sound in our hotel, and the horse is safe in his stall at a local equestrian facility. There are construction vehicles and workers and sandbaggers everywhere. But the town is functioning pretty much normally other than that. I'm amazed at their resilience. We even tried to find out how we could help, with our limited time here, but it seems to be well under control. So we did what families do when they are driving across the country...we played in the pool and on the waterslide... while watching the dump trucks full of sandbags drive by. It was a bizarre evening. Tonight we will sleep lightly.
We'll get up in the morning, and hopefully pull out before the water reaches it's peak. But the people here will have to keep going on. You can find out more about the floods HERE, and if the call arises, donate to the farmers and local families who will undoubtedly be hit hard.
Until next time...
Brenda
June 26, 2014
Blog Tour: Johnny Worthen
ELEANOR, the UNSEEN
I recently had the privilege of interviewing the fabulous Johnny Worthen about his new novel: Eleanor , book one of The Unseen. Johnny is a publisher-mate, and his story releases July1st. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC, and it's a great read!
On to the interview!
* * *
B: Welcome to my blog, Johnny and congratulations on your release of ELEANOR!
J: Thank you Brenda. I’m pretty excited to have Eleanor coming out. She means a lot to me.
B: So, questions. When did you start writing Eleanor ?
J: The idea for Eleanor the character came to me on a vacation to Taos New Mexico with my family. Driving along a lonely high desert road, I first saw my young vulnerable girl in a small western town hiding in plain sight. The idea stayed with me and grew. After months pondering and planning, I dropped my pen on February 20, 2012 and had a rough draft on March 28. It just flowed out my fingers.
B: Describe the process from start to finish. Are you an outliner or a pantser?
J: I know some people who’ll write a forty-thousand word outline for a sixty-thousand word novel. I’m not like that, but neither do I start out without a map. My prewriting stages are all about characters, setting, scenes and theme. Theme is the most important. I’m not talking about morals or lessens, I’m talking about central questions. In Eleanor’s case it was change the ideal metaphor for adolescence and the contradictions I foresaw in her. Using the theme as a beacon to navigate the characters through the scenes I planned, I wrote. The scenes are the way points, the theme a guiding light, my daily writing the progress.
B: Where did you get your inspiration for the character of Eleanor?
J: I envisioned an ultimate outsider, someone special but unnoticed, deliberately ordinary but truly extraordinary. I saw a powerless being with great power, but having to keep it quiet. I saw someone who’s lost much and about to lose more, struggling with the very notion of survival while trying to form a family. The inspiration for all this came from many places. My niece in particular was an inspiration. She was shy and yet had a noble strength. Native American legends played a big role, as did my grandmother who showed strength when she was weakest.
B: What is your favorite part about being an author?
J: The feelings of completion. There’s the completion of my daily word goal, the thrill of having completed a book – that’s a huge one. Then there’s completing a sale of a book, contacts and all that, and finally and ultimately the excitement of holding it in my hands and knowing other people will read it too.
B: Least favorite part?
J: Rejection. It’s part of the job, a big part – bigger than anyone outside this world can imagine. You never really get used to it and it happens. All. The. Time.
B: Totally agree. It's a very 'NO' world in publishing. Glad you could turn that into a 'YES' for Eleanor . In an ideal world, what would happen next for you in your writing career?
J: A movie deal for Eleanor, The Unseen, after it achieves best-seller status. Or before. I can go either way.
B: Wouldn't we all love that. Ah, a movie deal! Sigh. So...Dogs or cats?
J: Cats. My writing buddy is Junior. The kids named her. Her. She’s a she and she stays up with me when I need to the quiet of the small hours of the morning to work.
B: And lastly, the most important question of all…Coffee or Tea?
J: Coffee. My muse talks to me in hot cups of espresso. I’ve considered naming coffee on my dedication page before
Johnny in his signature tie dye shirt!
B: Yes! I knew you were a coffee person. Yay Coffee! Thank you so much for coming over to visit! And best of luck making that ideal world become reality.
J: Thanks!
Want to find out more about Eleanor ? Check out these links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Eleanor-The-Unseen-Johnny-Worthen/dp/1939967341/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400344815&sr=8-1&keywords=eleanor+by+johnny
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eleanor-johnny-worthen/1117389206?ean=9781939967343
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18754928-eleanor
You can find Johnny Worthen online here:
https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyWorthenBooks
https://twitter.com/JohnnyWorthen
http://www.johnnyworthen.blogspot.com/
Until next time!
Brenda
I recently had the privilege of interviewing the fabulous Johnny Worthen about his new novel: Eleanor , book one of The Unseen. Johnny is a publisher-mate, and his story releases July1st. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC, and it's a great read!
On to the interview!
* * *
B: Welcome to my blog, Johnny and congratulations on your release of ELEANOR!
J: Thank you Brenda. I’m pretty excited to have Eleanor coming out. She means a lot to me.
B: So, questions. When did you start writing Eleanor ?
J: The idea for Eleanor the character came to me on a vacation to Taos New Mexico with my family. Driving along a lonely high desert road, I first saw my young vulnerable girl in a small western town hiding in plain sight. The idea stayed with me and grew. After months pondering and planning, I dropped my pen on February 20, 2012 and had a rough draft on March 28. It just flowed out my fingers.
B: Describe the process from start to finish. Are you an outliner or a pantser?
J: I know some people who’ll write a forty-thousand word outline for a sixty-thousand word novel. I’m not like that, but neither do I start out without a map. My prewriting stages are all about characters, setting, scenes and theme. Theme is the most important. I’m not talking about morals or lessens, I’m talking about central questions. In Eleanor’s case it was change the ideal metaphor for adolescence and the contradictions I foresaw in her. Using the theme as a beacon to navigate the characters through the scenes I planned, I wrote. The scenes are the way points, the theme a guiding light, my daily writing the progress.
B: Where did you get your inspiration for the character of Eleanor?
J: I envisioned an ultimate outsider, someone special but unnoticed, deliberately ordinary but truly extraordinary. I saw a powerless being with great power, but having to keep it quiet. I saw someone who’s lost much and about to lose more, struggling with the very notion of survival while trying to form a family. The inspiration for all this came from many places. My niece in particular was an inspiration. She was shy and yet had a noble strength. Native American legends played a big role, as did my grandmother who showed strength when she was weakest.
B: What is your favorite part about being an author?
J: The feelings of completion. There’s the completion of my daily word goal, the thrill of having completed a book – that’s a huge one. Then there’s completing a sale of a book, contacts and all that, and finally and ultimately the excitement of holding it in my hands and knowing other people will read it too.
B: Least favorite part?
J: Rejection. It’s part of the job, a big part – bigger than anyone outside this world can imagine. You never really get used to it and it happens. All. The. Time.
B: Totally agree. It's a very 'NO' world in publishing. Glad you could turn that into a 'YES' for Eleanor . In an ideal world, what would happen next for you in your writing career?
J: A movie deal for Eleanor, The Unseen, after it achieves best-seller status. Or before. I can go either way.
B: Wouldn't we all love that. Ah, a movie deal! Sigh. So...Dogs or cats?
J: Cats. My writing buddy is Junior. The kids named her. Her. She’s a she and she stays up with me when I need to the quiet of the small hours of the morning to work.
B: And lastly, the most important question of all…Coffee or Tea?
J: Coffee. My muse talks to me in hot cups of espresso. I’ve considered naming coffee on my dedication page before
Johnny in his signature tie dye shirt!B: Yes! I knew you were a coffee person. Yay Coffee! Thank you so much for coming over to visit! And best of luck making that ideal world become reality.
J: Thanks!
Want to find out more about Eleanor ? Check out these links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Eleanor-The-Unseen-Johnny-Worthen/dp/1939967341/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400344815&sr=8-1&keywords=eleanor+by+johnny
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eleanor-johnny-worthen/1117389206?ean=9781939967343
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18754928-eleanor
You can find Johnny Worthen online here:
https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyWorthenBooks
https://twitter.com/JohnnyWorthen
http://www.johnnyworthen.blogspot.com/
Until next time!
Brenda
June 9, 2014
Military Monday: Posting Phase Seven
The HHT
Last week my husband and I flew across the country (without kids) to search for our new home.
Anyone who has ever had to find a new home in five days knows how stressful a House Hunting Trip (HHT) can be. It's not just about finding a house. It's about finding a home. A place where your kids will be happy and the schools will be good schools and there will be friends nearby and grocery stores and extracurricular activities and maybe even a decent place to lay your head. It's about taking the dollars you have available and maximizing their effect. And not only do you have to find this wondrous place, you have to buy it (or rent it), fill out reams of paperwork, set up postal services and register your kids (if you have any) for schools while suffering from mild jet-lag and hearing that clock tick off your limited time.
What's not to love about a place like this?Vancouver Island
It's a very delicate balance. And usually it's a very, very stressful five days.
Only this time...it wasn't.
Oh my goodness I'm in love with our new place! Seriously. And it's not about the house we decided
on (although it was a nice one). It's about the community and the setting. The people were friendly, the scenery was GORGEOUS and it just completely blew my mind that in a few short weeks we will be living there.
That, plus I got to spend a week together with my handsome husband in this little slice of paradise. When does that ever happen? No kids, nice restaurants and views to die for. Yes there were a few stressful moments. Yes we looked at 18 houses in two days, and toured three schools, and by the end my eyes were starting to cross. But the overall effect was more of a house hunting adventure.
The view from our hotel room.So lovely...
There are lots of HHT horror stories out there. If you've ever done this, I bet you've got a few nice ones to tell (feel free to share in the comments below) I've had a few doozies of my own. But a beautiful place and a positive outlook can make the world of difference.
Brenda
More Posting phases here: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six.
May 27, 2014
Posting Phase Six: Season of See You Later
Today I begin the long Season of See-You-Laters.
I say season, because goodbye doesn't happen all at once (as most frequent-movers know). It's a process. Sometimes painful (my twelve-year-old's bestest, bestest friends EVER), sometimes celebratory (the twit at the end of the road that tried to hit my dog every time he drove by--yeah, wasn't sad to say goodbye to him on that posting...), each goodbye has a story. Some people I'll remember. Some people I won't. Some friends will be life-long, and some I'll never hear from again.
The process starts long before I pull out of my driveway for the final time. We haven't even gone on a house hunting trip and it's already started here. Saying goodbye starts when I realize I'm not going to be in that part of town again, when I look at my calendar and do a double-take at the surprising lack of time before our drive-out date. I start cramming in coffee dates and dinner parties and last minute meet-ups--slowly at first... But each time I see a colleague, a co-worker, a friend... I recognize it might be your last.
Goodbye is hard.
Hence the See-You-Later.
You see, after twenty-plus years of military friendships, it becomes obvious that goodbye is rarely forever. And with today's social media, goodbye is becoming almost unnecessary. I can Facebook with friends I haven't seen in twenty years and tweet with people from ten different postings. And sooner or later, we'll be posted back together again, so why bother with goodbye?
I prefer 'see ya soon', or 'until next time'. Who knows what will happen?
But today is my last day of work at my day job as a physiotherapist at a long term care facility. A job I absolutely love. I've only been there four months, but I wish, for once, I could stay. It's a perfect complement to my writing career, it pays well, and I get to spend time with amazing people...some of whom are nearly a century old.
I hope 'see you later' will be the right call today, while I'm finishing up paperwork and tidying up my space, because I'd love to see some of these elderly ladies again. They have such wonderful stories. Such interesting histories. Sadly, they don't tweet, and they don't Facebook.
I've still got lots of time in this house/posting (thank goodness!) and I've got lots of time to finish my final coffee dates. I'll be back in this area again, so I'll say see-you-later, and I'll hope that our paths cross again.
Brenda
Like Posting Phases? More to come! Check out the first five here:
Posting Phase Five: The Long Wait
Posting Phase Four: The Stash and Dash
Posting Phase Three: Orders!
Posting Phase Two: Closet Clean-out
Posting Phase One: Real Estate Research
I say season, because goodbye doesn't happen all at once (as most frequent-movers know). It's a process. Sometimes painful (my twelve-year-old's bestest, bestest friends EVER), sometimes celebratory (the twit at the end of the road that tried to hit my dog every time he drove by--yeah, wasn't sad to say goodbye to him on that posting...), each goodbye has a story. Some people I'll remember. Some people I won't. Some friends will be life-long, and some I'll never hear from again.
The process starts long before I pull out of my driveway for the final time. We haven't even gone on a house hunting trip and it's already started here. Saying goodbye starts when I realize I'm not going to be in that part of town again, when I look at my calendar and do a double-take at the surprising lack of time before our drive-out date. I start cramming in coffee dates and dinner parties and last minute meet-ups--slowly at first... But each time I see a colleague, a co-worker, a friend... I recognize it might be your last.
Goodbye is hard.
Hence the See-You-Later.
You see, after twenty-plus years of military friendships, it becomes obvious that goodbye is rarely forever. And with today's social media, goodbye is becoming almost unnecessary. I can Facebook with friends I haven't seen in twenty years and tweet with people from ten different postings. And sooner or later, we'll be posted back together again, so why bother with goodbye?
I prefer 'see ya soon', or 'until next time'. Who knows what will happen?
But today is my last day of work at my day job as a physiotherapist at a long term care facility. A job I absolutely love. I've only been there four months, but I wish, for once, I could stay. It's a perfect complement to my writing career, it pays well, and I get to spend time with amazing people...some of whom are nearly a century old.
I hope 'see you later' will be the right call today, while I'm finishing up paperwork and tidying up my space, because I'd love to see some of these elderly ladies again. They have such wonderful stories. Such interesting histories. Sadly, they don't tweet, and they don't Facebook.
I've still got lots of time in this house/posting (thank goodness!) and I've got lots of time to finish my final coffee dates. I'll be back in this area again, so I'll say see-you-later, and I'll hope that our paths cross again.
Brenda
Like Posting Phases? More to come! Check out the first five here:
Posting Phase Five: The Long Wait
Posting Phase Four: The Stash and Dash
Posting Phase Three: Orders!
Posting Phase Two: Closet Clean-out
Posting Phase One: Real Estate Research
May 21, 2014
On Living in the Moment
As I write this, I'm sitting here on my newly-installed porch swing, looking over my just-constructed flower garden underneath new hanging baskets and beside the veggie garden I planted last weekend. We had this farm (yes, farm) built (yes, built) two and a half years ago. We built a barn, fenced in four paddocks, did all of our own landscaping including raised bed vegetable gardens.
We will be moving across the continent in less than two months.
I can hear what you're thinking. Flower gardens? Veggies? Porch swings? With two months to go in your house? Why, on God's green earth, would you put yourself through that in a temporary home?
My friend may have brought up this very point a week or so ago when I was showing off my beautiful porch swing. Also a military spouse, she understands the tentative nature of our existence. She didn't quite imply that I was insane. Okay, maybe a little bit. But she stopped short of giving me the coo-coo swirly finger--hence why we're still friends.
Anyway, my reply to her was this:
Because it makes me happy.
Incredibly happy. I'm sitting here basking in sunshine and birdsong and writing to you and my heart may just explode from pure bliss. My dog is lying by my feet and I've got an iced coffee and the breeze is blowing the hanging baskets and this moment right now couldn't be more perfect.
I'm pretty much in heaven.
Yes, we live a chaotic life. Yes, it seems like a huge waste of energy for such a brief period of time. Yes, we'll have to take the bloody swing down in a month and a half and the veggies will more than likely go into someone else's mouth.
But as Shelby says in Steel Magnolias...I'd rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special. And in the big scheme of things often thirty minutes is all we have in a place like this. So if it takes busting my butt with a trailer load of dirt, or my amazing hubby spending a few hours with a screwdriver and a ladder peering through metal soffit with a flashlight... well, that's what we've got to do.
Enjoying what you have is up to you. No one else can create your happiness. And as my BFF and I discussed last week, it may take a little elbow grease and a little sweat, but it is sooooo worth it. I would not have it any other way.
Carpe Diem. Seize the day. Live in the moment.
You'll be happy you did.
Brenda
May 8, 2014
Guest Post: F.J.R. Titchenell
Greetings from House-Sale Land! No news on that front. There's no life like it!On a totally non-posting-related note, today I have the privilege of welcoming agent and publisher-mate F.J.R. Titchenell to the blog as she celebrates the release of her debut novel Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of)! One of the wonderful perks of being an author is having the occasional ARC come my way, and I have to say, I loved reading Fiona's book! CotVFZS(TIKo) is fun and fast-paced, and the characters are strong and quirky. If you like YA and you like Zombie books, you HAVE to check it out.
I featured the cover on the blog as it was revealed in November of 2013...and you can read more about the book HERE.
So the question I posed to Fiona was this: What was the process of writing your first book like? How did it feel to hold the ARC?
Here's her response:
Like many authors, I'd been writing a long time before I finished the manuscript that would be my debut novel. I'd been writing fiction my whole life, and with serious intent to publish for about five years before I started Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of).
I had some short stories published, and I had some earlier novels that I either decided weren't publication-worthy or couldn't get picked up at the level I was aiming for, so Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of) wasn't my first experience with completing a novel-length manuscript. It was the first time I was able to create something I was proud of without an insane number of drafts, though, the first time I started thinking, "I might actually be getting the hang of this," and, of course, that first amazing time I caught the interest of someone in the industry, the awesome Jennifer Mishler.
The process of writing the book itself was a whirlwind. I went from idea to query letter in seven months, and I wrote the first draft in an almost entirely linear fashion, which is rare for me. I usually can't resist jumping forward to my favorite parts, but Zombie Slayerkept dragging me straight ahead with it.
I had a lot of fun writing Cassie. It was great being in her irreverent but optimistic head, and I spent many a slow hour at my then day job vicariously indulging my wanderlust by tracking her progress on Google maps.
The path to publication from finishing the book was a lot longer. There was lots of celebration, the agent contract, the publishing contract, and lots of waiting (I finished the book back in July 2012, nearly two years ago), and in the meantime, learning the ropes of promotion.
Also like many authors who decide to go the traditional route with agents and traditional publishing houses, I had this fantasy for a long time that all that pesky marketing stuff would be taken care of for me once I had a legitimate contact, and I could carry on with writing my next book, perhaps occasionally sticking my head out to sign something.
This is where all the published authors reading this burst into laughter. I've had to come out of my shell a lot in the past couple years, get used to starting and encouraging conversation, doing interviews, writing about writing, and generally being an author in all the ways that aren't the book writing part I got into this for.
With a year and a half-ish of reality check and experience with the whole authorhood package under my belt, feeling curiously like a "real" author (and having already held short story anthologies I contributed to), I didn't expect a little thing like actually seeing the Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of) review copies in person to have too much of an effect on me anymore. Wrong. It really is that amazing, finally seeing the thing you put that much work into in physical form. It's everything you'd think it should be.
Thanks Fiona!
Curious? Want to read more? Here's Fiona's coordinates:
Website: www.fjrtitchenell.weebly.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FjrTitchenellTwitter: https://twitter.com/FJR_TitchenellGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4384865.F_J_R_Titchenell Amazon listing: http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Very-First-Zombie-Slayer/dp/1939967309/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1383006679&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=confessions+of+the+very+first+zombie+slayer
Brenda
May 5, 2014
Military Monday: Posting Phase Five
PHASE FIVE: THE LONG WAIT
Everything is ready. The house is clean. The plans are made. The signs are up and our stash and dash is perfected.
But the phone doesn't ring.
The housing market slumps.
And that highly anticipated rapid and insane house sale doesn't happen.
Still waiting...Sadly, not every house sale goes as planned. No matter how much time you spend thinking about your listing price, no matter how magazine-perfect your rooms are, no matter how many bells and whistles your feature sheet cites, sometimes the right buyer just doesn't materialize. We've been on both ends of the spectrum. We've had a week-long insane buyer's bonanza and we've had the six-month long haul--complete with hubby moving on ahead of us while I try to keep my brain from exploding in a spotless house with three kids and two pets.Sometimes there's no magic to it. You list aggressively, you clean like Cinderella, and you wait. You lower your price, offer incentives...and you wait.
Patience is a virtue I lack.
There are lots of tips out there for ensuring a quick house sale (like this one from HGTV). But once you've exhausted yourself cleaning out closets and mopping floors and folding your bathroom towels just so, all there is left to do is hang in there and hope and pray for the best. You still have to live in your house.
Unfortunately so does the rest of your family.
Ah, the joys of military posting-hood.
Brenda
Want to read more Posting Phases? Check them out!
Posting Phase Four: The Stash and Dash
Posting Phase Three: Orders!
Posting Phase Two: Closet Clean-out
Posting Phase One: Real Estate Research
