Mary Newman's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"

This has been a less than typical spring in Northeast Oklahoma. We're used to rain here in the spring, but not quite like this. Some of our lakes are well above their normal levels and locally, there's still quite a bit of flooding.

Which is why I'm sitting on my little hilltop instead of traveling like I normally would by this time of year. Well, that and the fact poor Myrtle has probably traveled her last. I had such high hopes for her, but living and traveling in an almost 30 year old RV when you're not mechanically inclined is a bit of pipe dream.

The good news is all the rain and lack of traveling means I've sat at my laptop and written, and written, and written. I've published a new book a couple of days ago - Following Fael, Book 2 in The Hashani series - and written two others that still need to go through the editing/beta reading process.

Hopefully, the wet will eventually die down or out, but the writing will continue since I've got a couple of other ideas that will need to come to life.

I live in Oklahoma - well, that's where I'm currently parked - and they're currently experiencing some very hot temps. We're talking high 90s with a heat index in the 100s. It's been a weird year with a wetter than normal spring and a hotter than normal summer, and the forecast is for a wetter and cooler than normal fall. Go figure.

But back to the current heat wave. I live in an RV - her name's Myrtle - and over that wetter than normal spring she developed some leaks that nearly drowned me, so I got the bright idea of putting a tarp over her. Now tarps come in many sizes and colors and mils (that's thickness) and costs. With my budget I got one that is medium thickness and was probably a little bigger than I needed, but better safe than sorry. Right?

The problem? It's dark green. Now anyone who's been paying attention in science class can tell you that dark colors absorb heat. Yes, they really do. Myrtle is an oven. With the tarp over her the AC is out of commission because it's a roof unit. Even with the fans going and every window as well as the door open, I average in the low 100s inside.

Honest. I checked the thermometer just to make sure. With the wetter than normal fall predicted I don't dare take the tarp off or I'll drown again. So I sit here, writing my little stories... and I sweat. Buckets. Not a good picture, huh? Sorry, I passed glistening about 30 degrees ago.

But, help is on the way. I finally broke down and ordered a portable AC unit that can be hooked into a window via a cool dryer vent looking thing. It should be here in about a week. In the meantime, I may go sit in my car, which does have AC, and chill.

And what does this have to do with your writing? Good question. I decided to share the wealth with my characters and keep giving them desert planets to land on so they can swelter along with me. Yeah, I'm evil, but at least I share.

So, where do I get my ideas from? Good question and there's not a simple answer. My first romance was a conglomeration of ideas gleaned from years of being a romance reader. I'd read a book - particularly a fantasy or scifi romance - and think: Wow! I wonder what would have happened if...

Eventually, they all came together and I started putting them on paper. From there it just kind of morphed into an actual book that set on my shelf for about ten years before I finally decided to publish it myself.

Each following book, after the first one, was a side character which would start whispering. I'd get a little tableau in my head and make notes, before finally trying to turn them into a story.

The first two books were hard to write. I would get stumped or go off on some tangent and have to go back and find my way. But, by the third book, it was like a light bulb went off. While writing the end of the Love Trilogy, Love Awakened, another character caught my attention and I had to start a fourth before I'd even finished the third.

Which is what happened when I started the current series. Mango was a side character that caught at my heart because of his solemn, almost sad, demeanor. From his book, His Warrior's Heart (and Following Fael) Bostel popped out and he was so damned irritating I just had to give him his own story. Initially, I was going to give him his comeuppance, but that didn't work out after I got to know him. There are now three books in The Brethren series, with the first published, and two waiting in the wings to complete the process. A fourth is currently being written.

I've got this entire world living in my head and I'm still getting ideas. They come from family and friends, a particular scene in another book I've read that I think "what if", standing in line at the grocery store and overhearing a conversation, or even seeing some commercial on TV. They come from just about any place, at any time.

From reading posts from other writers and interviews on blogs, I don't think I'm alone in this. I guess the simplest answer of where we get our ideas from is "everywhere". So if you're reading a book sometime and something sounds kind of familiar, it probably is. More than likely, you saw the same commercial, photo, drawing, cartoon, etc. the author did, but he/she took off with it and made it a story.

You're welcome.

The title says it all for me this past week. I've had my head elsewhere and there has been hardly a word written.

I've been a grandma for several years now, twelve to be exact. I have two more on the way, and I do mean on the way right now. The newest granddaughter will be born sometime tonight or in the morning. And that's exactly where my head is right now - with my youngest daughter as this is her first child. I figured since I had a few minutes I'd get a blog post in and let you all know what's going on with me and why I've been basically incognito for the past week.

I am working on the third and fourth books in The Brethren series. The third book, A Warrior's Strength, (an M/M/M romance) is still in the editing phase and soon to head off to the beta readers. The fourth, and probably final book of the series, His Broken Warrior, (an M/M romance) is currently being written; somewhere around the halfway mark. Both books are in the fantasy romance genre, same as all of my other books.

Happy Monday, everyone, and hope your week is going great!

I was reminded of something I learned 20 years ago that I had honestly forgotten. I am a writer. I have been one since I was a teenager. My original genre was children's stories, which I wrote for extra credit in an English class, and later for my own children. I didn't begin writing romance until 17 years ago, and only published in that genre three years ago.

A little more than twenty years ago I belonged to a writing group in Wyoming. We met about once a month to critique each other and share what we had written. It was a wonderful group made up of published and unpublished writers. What I remember most is that we always supported each other. Each success was a victory for all. We celebrated unpaid articles the same as a new book deal. At one time, a well known author came to one of our meetings and spoke to us. During a Q&A session one of our group made a comment about wishing she were a "real" writer. His response is what I remembered today. He asked her if she wrote and she said of course, but she'd never been published. He replied that if she wrote, she was a writer. Being discovered and published was not what made her a writer. She was a writer because she wrote.

I've been questioning myself as to whether I wanted to continue being a writer since my last few books have had so few sales. That was when I remembered what that author told our group and I was reminded that I am a writer. Regardless of whether I ever sell another story, I am still a writer. Even if no one else ever reads what I've written, I am a writer. Publishing, sales, reviews, etc., do not make me a writer. As long as I write, I am a writer.

Have you ever had that dream where you can see the freight train speeding down the track towards the bridge over the gorge? You know, the one where the bridge is washed out or blown up and no matter how much you scream and wave your arms the train just keeps barreling forward? You can see the tragedy waiting to happen and nothing you can do can stop it.

That’s what I see every time I get on Facebook. I see the train of outrage headed for disaster and feel like there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

Writers have a lot of power. We write and the world reads it. We influence moods, lives, news – just about anything – by simply writing about it. How we react with our writing is how the public is going to perceive what happened. We see it every day in the news. Reporters scream disaster and mayhem and we react with outrage and sorrow, or they stay silent and we know nothing about it. That’s a huge responsibility we carry, and we should be aware of it each and every day. It’s actually a part of our trade, writing in such a way that our readers can feel our story.

So, back to the train wreck.

Plagiarism is as old as writing. Someone is always going to claim someone else’s work for their own. How we react to accusations, especially now that we have the internet, is incredibly influential on those around us. We live in the information age. News travels fast and furious. I am witnessing those who have set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner and spreading hate, vitriol and anger with such a broad brush stroke it is encompassing everyone – even those who have no reasonable connection. And it makes me sick to my stomach – I mean physically ill – to open my computer and be bombarded with such negativity.

Plagiarism has happened to me. As a student I would write stories for extra credit in my English class. This was before computers and the internet, so my stories were hand written or typed and I’d turned in the only copies I had. When I requested the stories be returned to me, my teacher informed me they’d been thrown them away. Imagine my shock and hurt when a few years later I saw them published under someone else's name. Of course it was painful. The betrayal sucked. But, I lived through it. I’m still here. The sky did not fall and the world did not come to an end. Had there been an internet at the time, I doubt I would have blasted it for all to see. I’m just not that kind of person. I’m still not going to give you a name or tell you what the stories were about. It’s honestly none of your business.

I’m not going to point fingers, name names, or in any way contribute to this train wreck, either. I am, however, going to beg for it to stop. I’m pleading with those who just have to put in their two cents worth to look at yourselves first. Is this how you want the community to see you? Is this the face we want to present to our readers? Is it really necessary that you jump on the bandwagon and scream from the rooftops how evil and horrid and deserving of punishment someone is? Have you never made a bad decision in your life? Have you never fucked up to the point you practically ruined your own life?

I have. I’ve lived for more than half a century, and I’ve made mistakes I really hope no one remembers. My own glass house is not begging for stones to be thrown at it nor do I want to get caught in the ricochet as I toss them at someone else. Let the authors involved and their lawyers sort this out and live your own life.

I've decided to run sales and freebies on Amazon for all of my M/F e-book titles throughout November. Right now it's Love's Slave, book two of the Love Trilogy. I posted a schedule on my Facebook page for which books would be on sale and when, but I'll repost it here:

Nov 3 thru 10 - Love's Slave on sale for .99
Nov 10 thru 17 - Love Awakened on sale for .99
Nov. 17 thru 24 - Following Fael on sale for .99
Nov. 26 & 27 - Love's Mistress and Love Unleashed are free

Of course, all of my books are available on Kindle Unlimited, so if you have it, you don't have to wait to read any of my stories.

I am writing again, working on the fourth and final book in The Brethren series, which is Bliss' story. The working title is His Broken Warrior and it's an M/M romance. I'm Hoping for a December/January release date, so I've got my work cut out for me.

What's in store for the future? Well, I'll tell you. I have a semi-fleshed out idea to do a third book in The Hashani series, and maybe a fourth since there are a couple of characters that are asking for their own stories. I also have an idea for a book that may or may not turn into a series. At this point it's just copious notes and scrawls trying to build it into something. If it happens, it will be an entirely new idea, leaving the world of the Love Trilogy, Hashani and Brethren behind. My end of 2015 should be busy.

What else is going on in my life? I'm due to be a grandmother again this month. The newest granddaughter is due this week, but you know how babies are - they have their own schedule regardless of what the doctor says. This will be my thirteenth grandchild, and it's just as exciting and joyful as the first. I've got this grandmother thing down.

This was a convoluted post, but there was news to share and I wanted to share it.

Time to do a blog post and seriously, I got nothing. Lots of issues swimming around out there and I have no desire to write about any of them. I'm all drama-ed out (I know that's not a word, but I write fantasy so I make them up all the time).

My latest story is kicking my butt, so I've been ignoring it. That or I run the risk of deleting the entire book and starting over. That thought sends me wailing to my corner to toss the covers over my head and shut the world out. It's a good thing I didn't sign up for NaNoWriMo or I'd feel a total failure.

Instead of writing, I've been reading. My justification is if I can't be one, at least for now, I can at least support one (or more). My latest finds are Ashley John's Shelter, Andrew Grey's Saving Faithless Creek, Kade Boehme's A Little Complicated, and Mercy Celeste's Out of the Blues. There are more, of course, since I tend to read a lot when my own words won't come, but those were the really good ones.

Now what? I have no idea. The book I'm writing is well past the half way point, and I eventually hope to finish it. Guess I'll take a look at it and see if I can't get a few more words down.

As most of my family and several of my friends know, I have fibromyalgia and lupus, along with the normal osteoarthritis many people my age start getting. Since it has been a wet, cold fall here in Northeast Oklahoma, I really hurt. I don't talk about this much, at least publicly, because I don't want to be seen as a whiner or someone who is trying to get sympathy. You see, when I was a kid, about the worst insult in the world was to call someone a cry baby or accuse them of being a whine ass. It's stuck with me all these years.

Trying to stay positive while dealing with the resulting pain and fatigue is becoming one of my greatest challenges. Illness is never easy, and long-term, invisible illnesses are even worse. I look fine so unless the pain is so bad I have to walk with my cane, no one has a clue that just standing in a line, sitting for a great length of time, or walking from the car to the store can be challenge.

I try very hard not to put my life on hold during the bad times, but that's not always possible. Last night I slept for twelve hours straight, although I hadn't done anything especially taxing the day before. My body was just exhausted, I guess.

For those of you who don't know, fibromyalgia causes you to feel pain in any part of your body, at any time, for no specific reason. It also causes you to be fatigued after doing simple day to day tasks. Sometimes it feels as if my arms and legs are so heavy I can't even lift them. Lupus, in layman's terms, means my body is fighting itself. Somewhere along the line the good guy antibodies didn't get the message that my body is mine and they fight as if I'm an intruder. Neither has a cure.

In my case, at least, I deal with my illness without the care of a doctor or medications, other than OTC painkillers. Why? Because I can't afford $200 a pop to see the doctor nor can I afford expensive medications that wouldn't cure, only mask or allow me to ignore what is happening. No, I don't have insurance, Obamacare not withstanding. Oklahoma opted out of the Medicaid expansion, and my income is a small VA widow's pension that barely covers living expenses.

My joy in life comes from my writing. I lose myself in my fantasy worlds where love is love, impossible things happen, and traveling out among the stars is as mundane as a trip to the corner market. Good always overcomes evil, my characters get their HEA, and life is filled with love and happiness. Someday, if I publish and sell enough stories, I'd love to walk away from the pension, buy a functioning RV, and travel the country once more. It's my dream, and I hold onto it with both hands as tightly as I can.

Being a writer is cathartic for me. It allows me to write down my challenges, thoughts, ideas, and dreams and turn them loose out among the universe. Sometimes, that means I can let a particular challenge go and other times it just feels good to put it out there so it doesn't feel as if I'm drowning.

This is my life. I don't ask for sympathy or desire someone to come in on their trusty steed and slay my dragon. These are my challenges, and I own them. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I laugh, but all the time I live as positively as I can.

I've been looking back at some of my posts on Facebook and realized that were I not a writer, I would definitely be seriously considered for medication. Really. There are voices in my head and they talk to me. I talk to them. We argue. They pout. They stop talking to me. I get mad and stop writing what they say and start listening to other voices in my head.

The upside is when I write down everything the voices in my head are saying, get it all polished, edited, and published with a pretty cover - you guys buy it and it's called a novel. Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, I'm being facetious. But only because I've been struggling for the past month or more with the fourth book in a series and can't seem to get it together to finish. It's well over half way there and it's stalled out big time. My solution was to finally put it aside. Just hit SAVE and file it away in a folder for later and begin something new. I've had several ideas running around in my head wanting their turn in the sun (or on my computer monitor as the case may be) and I'm letting one of them out. I've managed 5k words on my first day, and feeling as if I'm actually being productive. Finally.

I have no idea if this is normal for a writer, but it's my normal. I couldn't force it since everything I wrote seemed to be total crap. Letting the voices in my head out when they're ready seems to be a better fit for my writing style. Someone called it "pantsing" and I'm good with that. If it works, it works.

So the current WIP is coming along and I'm hoping to get it out sometime after the new year. Thinking it's going to be a novella of around 45k or 50k words. It's an M/M fantasy romance because I like HEAs and love writing fantasy. M/M because that's what the voices in my head told me.

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.