Sandy Huth's Blog, page 5

Taking a mental break…

I love summertime.  No, let me re-phrase.  I live for summertime.  I spent the first part of my childhood in the south before my parents packed up the station wagon and moved us to Cincinnati.  Summer is short and precious in the Queen City.  After publishing my latest book, The Ghosts of Wolf Island Creek, I made a decision.  I am taking a mental break.  I’m putting down my pen for the next two months.  I’m going to jog through the woods, I’m going to take weekend jaunts, and I’m going to read.  That’s right, I’m going to do the thing that I love most, the thing that made me want to become a writer.  I’m going to put down my Kindle (sorry Amazon) visit my old friend, the library, and I’m going to read late into the night, early in the morning, and on my lunch break.  Don’t get me wrong, my fingers are itching to start my next book.  I already have the setting in my head, I already know the conflict, and the characters are already introducing themselves to me.  What I need, though, is some time to just be.  I’m going to people watch and explore new towns and–oh, did I mention that I’m going to read?  Being a writer takes discipline.  You have to be committed to research, word count per day goals, and editing (blah!)  This summer, I’m going to find the discipline to NOT write.  It’s time to replenish my life experiences and seek inspiration.  Let the summer begin!

The Ghosts of Wolf Island Creek

My newest book, The Ghosts of Wolf Island Creek, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com.  This book was a unique experience in a few ways. First, the cover art was created by my talented husband, Mike.  I gave him a short synopsis of my book, which was barely in skeletal form at the time, and he spent the afternoon taking pictures and trying to capture the setting that existed only in my imagination.  Secondly, this is the first book that I’ve written that came almost exclusively from my own family history.  Although all of my historical books contain some element of my ancestors (who I obviously find fascinating!), in The Ghosts of Wolf Island Creek most of the characters were real people.  The Cantrell family (who I first mention in  Saved by Grace) really did have twenty-three children, all but two of them sons.  Little records exist of Gabriel Cantrell, so he seemed like a logical pick for my main character.  I was able to develop him into a fictional character without stepping on any toes of historical accuracy.  Finally, this book is different from my others in the characters themselves.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love flawed characters.  There’s nothing worth reading in perfection.  However, I have never developed a female character with as little gumption as Charlotte.  I have never developed a male character who was as much of an oddity as Gabriel.  I like them, though.  They are like those slightly off-beat friends that you don’t quite understand but you enjoy your time with them anyway.  Besides, they are perfect for each other.  I love a little literary match-making even if I have to bring two people from different centuries together.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Wolf-Island-Creek-ebook/dp/B00L03Z7IQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402836374&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ghosts+of+wolf+island+creek[/embed]

Parting is such sweet sorrow…

It happens every time.  As I am writing the final scenes of my book, I feel the melancholy rolling in. I know that I must say good-bye to my characters and it’s always a bittersweet parting.  Anyone who writes knows that you don’t just think of your characters when you’re actually writing.  You think of them while you drift off to sleep, while you’re supposed to be working at your day job, and while your husband is telling you that the grout on the bathroom floor is cracking.  Your characters are talking to you all of the time; you created them, now you can’t shut them up.  They are your friends, your enemies, your lovers.  Then comes the moment when you must end the story and say good-bye.  I’ve said before that I often pull one of my books off of a shelf just for a visit.  There are characters I like more than others, but they are all my babies.  As I put the finishing touches on my newest novel, I must take a deep breath and prepare myself for the inevitable good-byes.

When real life invades….

If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans–Woody Allen

A week ago, I had reached character nirvana.  I couldn’t write quickly enough.  The path of my newest book was laid out in front of me like a literary smorgasbord.  Less than 24 hours after my last post, I took a tumble down a flight of steps.  Not on purpose, of course; the steps just got in my way of safely making it from the second floor to the ground level of my home.  I spent the next several days in pain and misery, covered in bruises and skin tears and, in general, hating life.  I didn’t touch my computer once.  My characters languished, stranded in the creek in which I had left them, waiting for direction.  As I returned to my book for the first time in days, I was irritated and frustrated that I needed to find that sweet spot in my writing again.  I know I’ll get back there but I hate losing control over my life and my writing.  We like to define ourselves as writers, but sometimes we are reminded that we are above all humans; clumsy, easily-bruised humans.

Achieving character nirvana….

One of the best moments when writing a novel is when you achieve character nirvana.  It’s that moment when you really tap into your main character’s psyche and understand his or her motivation and eventual path.  In the beginning of a new book, you’re just getting to know your characters.  Some days are harder than others–you can’t figure out what they would say next or how they would react in certain situations.  Some of the words seemed forced and the flow of the novel seems compromised.  Then, something magical happens.  Somewhere, in the middle of a sentence, the characters become real.  They take on shape and substance.  You’re no longer searching for the right words; you’re just writing down what they’re saying.  They have become real people finally.  It’s a beautiful moment in the life of a writer.

Courage….

My mother called me yesterday to tell me that my dad had picked up my copy of Because of Dylan and had not put it down all day.  Why am I seeking courage this weekend?  1) My dad doesn’t typically read, and NEVER reads adult romance novels, so I’m not sure what his expectations are.  2) There’s sex in the book. 3) The character of Will Masters is quite obviously based on my father.  I guess it could be worse.  At least there’s no sex involving Will Masters.  Mom told me that he had made only one comment all day.  He said, “If she thinks I don’t know who this character is, she’s crazy.”  What is it about your parents that makes you want to please them, no matter how old you get?  I can read book critiques all day but one word from my mother or father has the ability to elate me or crush me.  When my mom read Wait for Me, she told me that it was “painful.”  Guess what, Mom?  Your critique is painful.  After I finished sulking, she explained that it was because she saw me in Amy and had trouble seeing her being abused.  Like Will Masters, I doubt that my father will ever say a word to me about the book.  I will forever be stuck in petrified limbo between being happy that he read something I wrote and being fearful that he hated it.  Aren’t parents grand?

Inspiration…

 I’m working on my newest book, “The Ghosts of Wolf Island Creek,” which is loosely based on the Cantrell family which I first mentioned in “Saved by Grace.”  My husband took this picture for the cover of my book and it’s like he could see the pictures in my head.  My main character, Charlotte, first sees this creek in a dream, led to it by a little girl.  In the creek, Charlotte finds a murdered Hannah Cantrell who desperately wants Charlotte’s help to bring her killer to justice.  When I write, I sometimes lose my way–I forget the main plot as I’m busy developing characters and sub-plots.  Having this picture helps bring me back to original idea–the reason why I started writing this book.  I’ve written before about finding inspiration in music and nature.  Can’t you look at this murky creek and thick foliage and just imagine your next storyline?  Find your inspiration and let it carry you away.

I’m just a word-nerd at heart….

I love words.  I love the shape of them, the feel of them, the sight of them.  I love hearing them in different accents and different languages.  In my real life, I’m a speech language pathologist.  I work with adults who have had their words taken away from them by strokes and tumors and brain injuries.  My mother asked me once if my job made me sad because I worked with people who were suffering and I told her that it’s hard to describe the joy of hearing an adult speak their first words again.  When I write, I love to play with words and see how they change the meaning of what I’m trying to convey.  Two nights ago, I wrote an entire scene in my new book using phrases like “His lips curved into a smile” and “His eyes lit with amusement.”  As I was documenting therapy sessions at work, it hit me (yes, I think about writing while I’m working) that I was writing that scene all wrong.  I came home and changed the phrases to “His mouth thinned in anger” and “His eyes darkened.”  Maybe I’m a word-nerd but it thrills me that you have the ability to change the whole tone, the whole direction of a scene by exchanging one word for another.  Words are simple yet powerful, there are an infinite supply of them, and they are free for the taking.  Is there anything better in this whole world?

A room of my own…

A woman must have money and a room of her own is she is to write fiction–Virginia Woolf

When my older son moved out and my younger son moved into what he had always perceived as the “better” room, we turned his room into a guest room, complete with twin beds and a small bookcase with young adult books.  At some point, though, we had to face the hard fact that there would be no more sleepovers.  My younger son was approaching high school graduation and, believe it or not, nearly-adult men don’t often indulge in sleepovers.  So we put the beds on Craig’s list and I fulfilled my dream of creating my own space in which to write.  I never knew what I was missing.  I have an over-sized chair and ottoman, a desk, music, and (most importantly) books.  Rows and rows of books.  At times, my husband will stick his head into the room and ask how the writing is going and is surprised to see me reading.  “Research,” I mumble and return to a particularly juicy love scene.  The point is, though, you have to have your own space, free of the distractions of being a parent, a spouse, a pet-owner, and an obsessive-compulsive house cleaner.  In my room, my characters are free to walk around and talk to each other while my fingers on the keyboard try to frantically keep up with them.  Find a space and make it yours; your characters will be waiting for you.

Falling in love…

Starting a new book is like falling in love all over again.  I mentioned before that I re-visit my characters from previous books occasionally, just to say “hi.”  After all, I was in love with them once.  It’s like running into your high-school boyfriend (unless he was a complete dog) and feeling that rush of affection for what once was.  They will always hold a special place in your heart.  You move on, though, and meet new characters (literary and real) and you fall in love again.  Recently, I had some time off and started a new book.  I had a beginning, a middle, and an end all queued in my mind.  I was developing the characters.  I had a purpose.  What I didn’t have was love.  Writing every day became a chore.  I dated a guy once who became a chore.  I had run out of things to say to him and even going to see a movie was painful.  I had thought that I would like being with him, but I was wrong.  There was just no connection.  So I moved on–from the guy and from my book.  As much as it pained me to give up on a book that I had dedicated so much time to, I set it aside.  Within 24 hours, new characters came knocking in my brain, and I can’t stop writing.  I wake up early, anxious to get back to the story.  When I’m not writing, I think about my characters and how long it will be before I can get back to them.  I’m falling in love all over again.