Emilie Richards's Blog, page 63
January 3, 2017
Resolution or Revolution: An Oldie But Goodie
Before I even stepped on board I promised myself I wouldn’t work, and I stuck to it. Now I’m home with some of my family visiting. So instead of an “original” blog I’m sharing my New Year’s blog from 2009, and let’s face it, I bet you don’t remember it.
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December 31, 2016
Sunday Inspiration: A Fresh Start
“A New Year. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand.
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December 27, 2016
Gone Fishing!
With my book finally finished I’m taking a blog break this week, to smell the flowers–I do live in Florida, don’t forget. I hope you have and continue to have a wonderful holiday season, too, and enjoy the final days of 2016. Next time you hear from me, it will be 2017.
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December 24, 2016
Sunday Inspiration: The Spirit of Christmas
“The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of love and of generosity and of goodness. It illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than in things.” -Thomas S. Monson
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you, including your four-legged friends.
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December 20, 2016
Booklover Carols Revisited: A Tradition Gone Awry
That’s what I thought. It’s December 20th as I write this, and I haven’t decorated my house. I haven’t sent Christmas cards. I haven’t baked a single thing. But I did just, and I do mean just, send the manuscript for The Swallow’s Nest to my editor.
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December 17, 2016
Sunday Inspiration: Lasting Memories
“It’s true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back at all the Christmases in your life, you’ll find you’ve created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good or bad, are really what help keep a family together over the long haul.” -Caroline Kennedy
I can testify that as a mother of four children — and the wife of a minister — Christmas was never an easy time.
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December 14, 2016
When An Author/Spouse Is At the End of A Book
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December 10, 2016
Sunday Inspiration: A loving family
“Always reward your long hours of labor surrounded by family.
Nurture their love carefully, remembering that your children need models, not critics.
And even if you have failed at all else in the eyes of the world, if you have a loving family, you are a success.” -Og Mandino
It’s only two weeks until Christmas — and we can subtract one of those days for Hanukkah.
Do you have a million things that need to be done between now and then? Decorating, gifts, cooking, hosting? I sure do, although I’m ignoring a lot of it this year as my deadline for The Swallow’s Nest approaches.
So, in the rush and the frantic race to completion, what do you say we not forget what really matters: our families. It’s far too easy to forget the true purpose of the holiday and shove them aside in the chaos and confusion.
‘Tis the season for extra hugs and kisses and the most appreciated three words in the universe: “I love you!”
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December 5, 2016
2016 and Me: A Year’s Worth of Posts
No? Okay, then this week, the tradition begins. Here’s my second recap of a year’s worth of posts on Southern Exposure. It’s always fun to look back, especially when originality has to await my complete recovery from whatever bug grabbed me and wouldn’t let go this week. (I’m almost there.)
Did you miss some of these? It’s not too late to catch up.
So now, let me tell you about 2016.
In January I was clearly stewing about the editing process, my private dark moment of the soul with each of my books. I explained a bit about how I write and what the word “stet” means. Little did I know my fabulous and tolerant editor, Leslie Wainger, would soon be gone from my life, moving on to a new one of her own.
In February I told you all about the way we novelists turn our outdated backlist into charming new ebooks. I even promised you would see one of my own favorites, Dragonslayer, in February. I am sad to say I was wrong, but only because I didn’t realize how all-consuming The Swallow’s Nest would be and how little extra time I would have to get Dragonslayer in place. The good news? I will be putting it out in 2017. And this time I’ll keep that promise.
, the many things that determine each one, and my search for a name for an important, though minor, character in The Swallow’s Nest. You gave me great suggestions. I chose one, got a third of the way through the book, and realized that I had to change the character himself in very important ways. And guess what also had to change? “Boyd” became “Blake” because, well, he was no longer the same guy. I couldn’t think of him as Boyd and still change his story. Writers are, if nothing else, weird.
In April I took you behind the scenes for a cover shoot for When We Were Sisters. In this post I showed you the photo I loved most. While it ended up on the back, the fact that they put it on either side meant they cared what I thought. And who can argue with the whole beautiful cover, front or back?
In May? Well, in May, I debuted the playlist for When We Were Sisters. This was a brand new way to promote the book. Cecilia, one of two major characters, is a wildly popular singer-songwriter, and of course, we needed songs she might sing, songs about her life, songs about the book. Right? So I put together a playlist for you to enjoy on Youtube, and it’s still there if you’re so inclined. If you don’t like a song, skip ahead. But every selection has meaning for the story. And this was probably my favorite way ever to celebrate a book’s publication. Will I do it for The Swallow’s Nest? No, this time I’m doing something else that relates directly to Lilia, the major character. You’ll see.
In June I talked about resurrecting the past. My characters in When We Were Sisters, out that month, were forced to resurrect their own. In an odd moment of real life mirroring fiction I found old baby books and other memorabilia of my own life. I said: “In the rush of days it’s sometimes easy to forget that we weren’t always the people we are now. We’re made up of memories and feelings about them. Sometimes looking back is the right way to move forward.” Do you agree?
In July I asked and answered ten questions about myself. Did you know my oldest son appeared on the cover of All Those Years Ago, one of my Special Edition romances? Well, he did.
In August I visited my publisher, watched a brass band parade for literacy and suffered hideous attacks of writing anxiety while working on The Swallow’s Nest. I’ll admit to many more of those attacks, and every time I read through what I’ve written, I wonder why. Including this week. I like it. I think you’ll like it. Time to finish and move on. But it was interesting to see that back in August I was worried enough to write this post.
In September I ran a “mini-series” of posts about Publishing Today. My favorite is the quiz and a list of strange publishing facts that I ended with. But if you’re interested in the ways publishing is changing, you can find more about that, too. (On my blog at the end of the column on the right, you’ll see “Archives” then “Select Month.” Select September. All those posts are easily accessible.
In October I did one more post on Publishing Today, and another about the way I conduct research. But my favorite was about the election, one I debated writing. I didn’t tell you how to vote, I gave some ideas on how to stay calm and focused. They still apply.
In November I asked if readers want facts or a fabulous story and used my favorite new TV program, This Is Us, as an example. Some of you still wonder what I alluded to as a problem with “facts” in the pilot. Here’s a hint. I’m an adoptive parent. I know how adoption worked during the time frame of this show. Enough said? Do we care?
And now, December. Since so far there’s only a Sunday Inspiration in place, so let’s talk about Sunday Inspiration in general. We (my husband and/or I) put up one inspirational thought each Sunday. Sometimes it’s a quote, sometimes it’s more. The messages we choose span religions and are really meant to help you think about your life, or our crazy world, or the best way to move forward. Not to change your minds, or set you on a different path. I know from feedback that you read and enjoy them. Thank you for your gracious, insightful comments this year, not just on Sunday Inspirations, but on all my posts.
I love my readers. I really do. Thank you not only for commenting, but for just reading along this year. I blog because it’s a joy to do so and to share thoughts with you. I am so glad you’re part of this two-way process.
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December 3, 2016
Sunday Inspiration: “Do all the good you can”
“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” – John WesleyI like this quote, and I want to remember it as I go through the holiday season. It’s a nice gift to bring with us to the beginning of a new year, isn’t it?
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