Katherine Reay's Blog, page 5
June 28, 2015
A Lizzy & Jane Giveaway!
Costco has some new books on sale! Lizzy and Jane among them!
If you see or purchase a Lizzy & Jane at your local Costco, post a picture on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to enter in a Giveaway for one of twenty Lizzy & Jane Tumblers.
Please add #Costco, #Lizzy&Jane so I’ll find it and can enter you in the giveaway. Or add @katherine_reay and I’ll find it and enter you that way too.
I’ll enter all pics and purchases until August 15th in the Giveaway.
Thank you so much!
Here are the addresses of the Costco stores presently selling the books. There may be more stores added and I’ll keep you posted…
251 FRONT ROYAL PIKE
WINCHESTER
VA
22602
3050 ASHLEY TOWN CENTER DRIVE
CHARLESTON
SC
29414
1021 WOODRUFF ROAD
GREENVILLE
SC
29607
741 ORANGE AVENUE
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS
FL
32714
2900 CUMBERLAND MALL SE
ATLANTA
GA
30339
98 SEABOARD LANE
BRENTWOOD
TN
37027
10088 GULF CENTER DRIVE
FORT MEYERS
FL
33913
1800 WEST SAMPLE ROAD
POMPANO BEACH
FL
33064
500 TYVOLA ROAD
CHARLOTTE
NC
28217
12121 JEFFERSON AVENUE
NEWPORT NEWS
VA
23602
500 BROOKHAVEN AVE.
ATLANTA
GA
30319
2838 WAKE FOREST ROAD
RALEIGH
NC
27609
3775 HACKS CROSS ROAD
MEMPHIS
TN
38125
5020 NORTON HEALTHCARE BLVD
LOUISVILLE
KY
40241
9650 WEST BROAD
GLEN ALLEN
VA
23060
2125 MATTHEWS TOWNSHIP PARKWAY
MATTHEWS
NC
28105
6350 PEACHTREE DUNWOODY ROAD NE
ATLANTA
GA
30328
1205 N MEMORIAL PARKWAY
HUNTSVILLE
AL
35801
2431 NORTH GERMANTOWN PARKWAY
CORDOVA
TN
38016
1830 RESERVOIR ROAD
HARRISONBURG
VA
22801
6670 CHARLOTTE PIKE
NASHVILLE
TN
37209
15915 PINES BLVD
PEMBROKE PINES
FL
33027
211 W BLACKSTOCK ROAD
SPARTANBURG
SC
29301
5351 GINGERWOOD DRIVE
WILMINGTON
NC
28405
8251 EASTCHASE PARKWAY
MONTGOMERY
AL
36117
June 25, 2015
Summer is here!
And while the garden goes crazy, the kids go crazier, and the sun shines – I hope you are having a wonderful time.
I’m researching my next book this summer and it’s proving great fun. This next story takes place in the US and Italy and involves a little travel, a lot of food, some great art, a few good books and many other elements of, I hope, a good story.
But in the meantime, I’d love to share with you a tidbit of my next novel…
The Bronte Plot will release 11/3/15! Soon galleys will be available – and that means a few giveaways.
And here’s a peek at the back cover copy:
When Lucy’s secret is unearthed, her world begins to crumble. But it may be the best thing that has ever happened to her.
Lucy Alling makes a living selling rare books, often taking suspicious measures to reach her goals. When her unorthodox methods are discovered, Lucy’s secret ruins her relationship with her boss and her boyfriend James—leaving Lucy in a heap of hurt, and trouble. Something has to change; she has to change.
In a sudden turn of events, James’s wealthy grandmother Helen hires Lucy as a consultant for a London literary and antiques excursion. Lucy reluctantly agrees and soon discovers Helen holds secrets of her own. In fact, Helen understands Lucy’s predicament better than anyone else.
As the two travel across England, Lucy benefits from Helen’s wisdom, as Helen confronts the ghosts of her own past. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, where Lucy is reminded of the sisters’ beloved heroines, who, with tenacity and resolution, endured—even in the midst of change.
Now Lucy must go back into her past in order to move forward. And while it may hold mistakes and regrets, she will prevail—if only she can step into the life that’s been waiting for her all along.
I’ll keep you posted as fall approaches.
Have a wonderful summer and keep in touch!
May 22, 2015
And the Winner of the Giveaway Is . . . .
And thank you all so much for participating in my give-away! I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Weekend. If you’ve got any great plans, let me know. I’m home writing while my husband is off running a marathon.But my garden is finally blooming — so that’ll be fun.
Talk soon, Katherine
May 11, 2015
Join me for a Giveaway at the RT Booklover’s Convention!
Today I’m heading to Austin, Texas to chat about Lizzy & Jane and then on to Dallas for the RT Booklover’s Convention.
If any of you are attending the conference, please drop by either the “Saddle Up and Draw” event Thursday morning or the “How Sweet it is, Y’all” breakfast and author signing on Friday. Both events will be packed full of authors, readers, prizes, food and fun.
… And after growing up in GA and years of living in TX, I’ll get to say “y’all” for days without having anyone raise an eyebrow. J
At the convention, I’m giving-away a basket of goodies. And since that’s hardly fair to y’all, I’m offering a basket here too. Just join in on the fun below. And, if you could help spread the word, I’d appreciate that too.
And in forward-looking news – The Bronte Plot is fast becoming a real book – to launch on 11/3/15! Edits are done and fabrication of the ARC begins. I’m terribly excited about Lucy’s and Helen’s journey of self-discovery and friendship to London, Yorkshire and beyond and will keep you posted.
Please keep in touch and thanks so much for all y’all’s support.
Here is a picture of the garden we planted last week. Without a fence, I’m waiting for rabbits to come nibbling! Happy May!
All the best,
Katherine
April 21, 2015
The Craft of Writing: Finding the Ideas
Sometimes the ideas don’t come easily. You can be at the beginning of a story, deep into a second draft, a fifth draft, or far into final edits and you may still find you need new ideas, new avenues to add that last bit of sparkle. I’m what one would call and “organic writer” and I need new ideas at every pass through a story – which means I need them almost every moment, within every page, even if it’s only a different perspective on a moment.
Where can we find the big game changers or little sighs that make a story come alive? While the answer is as unique as our writing, I think there are some exercises that can help on a broad level.
I will often sit and simply ask questions:
What’s in the news?
What concerns my family? My friends? Me?
What questions do I hear people asking?
What books are people talking about? Engaged in?
What does the economy look like? The housing market? The college market?
These general questions often help me find contemporary relevance or character motivation. I also find layers developing as I follow the threads further and deeper down the line of thought.
Then more questions come – ones specific to the story:
What’s my character’s core need?
What deep questions is she asking? Why is she asking?
Can answers be found? Can I find them? Can she? Should she?
What are some sensorial ways to allude to these? Smells? Weather? Clothing? Scene? Texture?
Who has the answers? How can I show that?
What is she doing at a particular moment? And why?
I ask general questions and I ask very specific ones – for every detail matters as big aspects of plot and character become richer and more significant if illustrated through the minute. I also find that this kind of “conversation” gets the story moving faster and in new directions.
Let me know what you do to get the ideas flowing – I’m always ready to try something new. Thanks for visiting!
March 26, 2015
The Bronte Plot has a cover!
February 23, 2015
The Craft of Writing: Beta Readers
It took me the LONGEST time to learn what a Beta Reader was. In fact, I had to look up the term after I’d heard so many writers extol the praises of their own Beta Readers.
A Beta Readers is anyone who will read your manuscript and give you substantive, thoughtful, honest opinions. Their input can help you find holes in your plot, weaknesses in your characters, flaws in your timeline, cracks in your story’s foundation. One can be a friend, but isn’t necessarily one – maybe it’s best if they aren’t; but it is a person who is going to be honest, push your story, push you and, if you’re blessed, fuel your fire and stimulate you to new twists and turns before any agent or editor sees the manuscript.
This is a tough one for me. I hang on to stories until the 11th hour – basically my deadline. This is probably why I LOVE the edit process – it was my first crack at a Beta Reader and the new ideas that come to the table from that reading. But with Lizzy & Jane and The Bronte Plot, I’ve asked others to read the story earlier and, with their help, I was able to push story aspects deeper and in different ways than I imagined.
So this is a short, but important idea – Beta Readers.
Thanks for visiting and please let me know what you think. If you write, how hard or easy is it for you let your manuscript go and have someone weigh in?
February 14, 2015
Dear Mr. Knightley and Love
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I know it’s the day to celebrate romantic love, unrequited love, undying love and all things chocolate. But I thought I’d share some thoughts on other kinds of love: familial love, parental love, and sibling love, love of adorable pets… There’s tons of it out there and it all forms our reality has humans. Love is complex, powerful, fascination, and an inexhaustible as source of motivation and fulfillment both in fiction and in life.
In my novel, Dear Mr. Knightley, I adored creating the friendship, tension and attraction between Samantha and Alex. But that wasn’t the only love story in which I invested my time and interest. Sam’s relationships with the Muirs and with Kyle – the love that grew in those interactions – captured me as much, if not more than did her romance with Alex.
The Muirs provide Sam with familial love, parental love and, I hope, a glimpse of that unconditional love we all seek. They, in effect, woo her into their family – only giving as much as she can handle when she’s ready, but always present, faithful and available.
Two of my favorite lines come at the end of the book. The first comes after Sam has received an emotional blow and feels both betrayed and alone. The professor’s reassurance still makes me teary.
“I love him like he’s my own son.” He (the professor) paused and bumped her shoulder again. “But you are my daughter, dear Samantha, and I stand with you. I will do whatever is needed to protect you.”
Can you imagine, after years of neglect, abuse and abandonment, what Sam must have felt upon hearing and absorbing such words?
The professor, a few lines later, digs even deeper as he pulls her into his arms and says: “You’re known and loved, my dear girl. You always were.”
Okay… I’m getting weepy all over again.
Dear Mr. Knightley also features another love story – and this is just about my favorite. Kyle, a foster kid with a tragic past, offers Sam different view of love – and one that is revealed through sacrifice. At first meeting, he and Sam first loathe each other, but a close sibling-like friendship is forged through common ground (running) and past experiences, most of them painful. At one point in the novel, Samantha is defeated. Nothing she can do can save her and she begins to retreat once again. It is Kyle who steps in and sacrifices his own protections, offering his own vulnerability, to help free Sam from her fears and her past. Her recognition of Kyle’s love still catches my breath.
“The honesty he demanded scared me. I don’t know what drove him, but I think he did it for me. Maybe that’s what love is – sacrificing yourself to save another, taking the insult or taking the hit. Kyle did that.”
I think, when writing or reading about love, that it is this multidimensionality that makes it so fascinating, complex and rich. We don’t experience love in one form or from one direction – it is woven into our lives, our faith and our stories, in a complex and dynamic way. And when this full aspect of love – in all its many and varied forms – is brought to the page, we experience the most memorable and life changing stories.
So Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you LOVE it!
February 11, 2015
Join me for the Paper Hearts Blog Tour!
In preparation for Valentine’s Day, we turn our attention to candy, hearts, pink, red, unrequited love, true love… all fun things lovely.
And this year, Courtney Walsh invited me to participate in starting some new traditions. Paper Hearts! And my daughter loved making a few of her own!
Courtney has a delightful romantic book, Paper Hearts, launching this
week – and a fantastic Give Away pack to celebrate its launch!
I’m excited to participate in the #shareyourheart campaign and especially excited because you have a chance to WIN a pretty awesome prize! All you have to do is find Courtney on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/courtneywalshwrites), and SHARE the Paper Hearts Book Trailer with your friends…Then enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below! That’s it, easy as pie!
Be sure to watch this wonderful trailer Courtney made and stars in!
For bonus entries, create your own paper heart and share it on Courtney’s wall and tag your post with #shareyourheart .
a Rafflecopter giveaway
February 2, 2015
The Craft of Writing: Lessons Learned
I’ve been thinking a lot about the craft of writing lately – with the understanding that there is so much to learn. I thought I’d share here, over the next couple months, occasional thoughts – stuff I’ve learned, am working on or have yet to fully grasp.
Today – I’ll start at the beginning with what I think were my first lessons and ones I try to hang on to… Daily.
Accept help. I find this one very hard. For some odd reason I feel there is strength in self-sufficiency – and I know that’s wrong thinking. I learned this lesson, following an injury in 2009, but it’s amazing how quickly I forget it and try to grumble on alone. I have found my friends and family love to help me — editing, cooking, relaxing, cleaning (okay, no one is really jumping at that one), and brainstorming. In fact, I had a writing problem the other day and reached out to two friends on Facebook and the brainstorming session was extraordinary.
So here’s the thought: As a writer there are things you do alone – without doubt – but there are also things that benefit from the input of friends, family, critique partners and colleagues. So ask and accept the help!
Run. I am little biased on this one. I get my best ideas when running. But I think this really comes down to getting some exercise. It helps release frustration and untangles stymied characters if nothing else.
Write. Write. This hit me hard after Dear Mr. Knightley was contracted. There were no expectations and no deadline before that and now there are. But whether or not those exist, daily writing (or as often as you can) trains you in the craft. Writers write, whether they feel the muse or not.
Read. I write better when I stay close to good books and well-written ideas. Blogs, books, magazines, and newspapers – simply keep reading. And please, in the comments, share great books. I’m always looking for the next great read!
Study the Craft. I continually read articles about writing, characters, story construction, plot… and I always learn something new. There are so many blogs and books out there. Try checking out Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maass and Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell.
Enjoy yourself. Writing is tremendous fun and, while it is work too, I recommend striving to enjoy the journey.
Pray. It’s so easy to get caught up in our frenetic lives and the stories we want to write, but God put this desire and the ability to write within us. He’s the creator and author of it all – so go to him with all its concerns.
Thanks for reading. I don’t know if any of this was helpful, but getting such reminders helps me. I forget the importance stuff quite quickly when faced with the seemingly urgent. Please leave a comment and let me know what great tips on writing or life you’d like to share.
Enjoy the day!
