Virginia Gray's Blog, page 3
December 21, 2015
The Twelve Blogs of Xmas - Heather Haley
Nine Ladies Dancing! 
FIRST CAME MARY
Before hate. In spite of war. A few years back I was fortunate to visit the Yucatan, now referred to as the Mayan Riviera. An anthropology buff, I was thrilled to tour the ruins of Tulum and Chichen Itza . It was Christmas and I was astonished by the degree of Maryolotry, the inspiration for this poem from my collection Three Blocks West of Wonderland .
It bears repeating, especially…
Read on http://heatherhaley.com/hh2/?p=4244
Trailblazing poet, author and media artist Heather Haley pushes boundaries by creatively integrating disciplines, genres and media. Her writing appears in numerous journals and anthologies including the Antigonish Review, Geist and The Verse Map of Vancouver. Haley was an editor for the LA Weekly and publisher of the Edgewise Cafe, one of Canada’s first electronic literary magazines. She is the author of poetry collections Sideways , Three Blocks West of Wonderland , and debut novel, The Town Slut’s Daughter . Haley’s videopoems are official selections at dozens of international film festivals and she’s toured Canada, the U.S. and Europe in support of two critically acclaimed AURAL Heather CDs of spoken word song.
Find Heather’s blog, One Life at:
www.heatherhaley.com
Follow Heather:
Twitter: @heatherhaley
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeatherSusanHaley
Amazon.com/author/heatherhaley
FIRST CAME MARYBefore hate. In spite of war. A few years back I was fortunate to visit the Yucatan, now referred to as the Mayan Riviera. An anthropology buff, I was thrilled to tour the ruins of Tulum and Chichen Itza . It was Christmas and I was astonished by the degree of Maryolotry, the inspiration for this poem from my collection Three Blocks West of Wonderland .
It bears repeating, especially…
Read on http://heatherhaley.com/hh2/?p=4244
Trailblazing poet, author and media artist Heather Haley pushes boundaries by creatively integrating disciplines, genres and media. Her writing appears in numerous journals and anthologies including the Antigonish Review, Geist and The Verse Map of Vancouver. Haley was an editor for the LA Weekly and publisher of the Edgewise Cafe, one of Canada’s first electronic literary magazines. She is the author of poetry collections Sideways , Three Blocks West of Wonderland , and debut novel, The Town Slut’s Daughter . Haley’s videopoems are official selections at dozens of international film festivals and she’s toured Canada, the U.S. and Europe in support of two critically acclaimed AURAL Heather CDs of spoken word song.
Find Heather’s blog, One Life at:
www.heatherhaley.com
Follow Heather:
Twitter: @heatherhaley
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HeatherSusanHaley
Amazon.com/author/heatherhaley
December 20, 2015
Twelve Blogs of Xmas - Laurie Boris
Eight Maids A Milking... 
How Mrs. Claus Got Her Groove Back
Emma Claus looked from the crackling log in the fireplace to the cheerful cards on the mantel and the string of twinkling lights she’d woven among them. But the yuletide trappings still left her cold. She’d tried everything to awaken her Christmas spirit: hitting the Black Friday sales online, reading letters from the children, baking tray after tray of cookies. Even the sappiest of holiday movies failed to lift her mood. Even the ones with Colin Firth.
Just to make sure she’d given Hollywood a fair shake, she clicked the remote to the Hallmark Channel, which was showing the same snowed-in romance brewing at the same over-decorated country inn. Emma merely clucked her tongue. “Fools,” she said. “Do those innkeepers ever sleep? All that work! Cooking and cleaning! Sweeping up pine needles, drizzling everything with tinsel just so, tending the fires in every room and dusting twice a day from all the ash…what kind of life is that?”
Please read on http://laurieboris.com/2015/12/20/mrs_claus/
Laurie Boris
Writer, editor, and proofreader
Bio:
Laurie Boris is a freelance writer and copyeditor. At one time, she was a magician’s assistant, although she was very bad at it. She has been writing fiction for over twenty-five years and is the award-winning author of six novels including her latest, A Sudden Gust of Gravity. When not hanging out with the universe of imaginary people in her head, she enjoys baseball, reading, and avoiding housework.
Website: http://laurieboris.com/2015/12/20/mrs...
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laurie.boris.author
Connect with Laurie
http://www.facebook.com/laurie.boris.author
http://www.twitter.com/LaurieBoris
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4824645.Laurie_Boris
http://www.amazon.com/author/laurieboris
Would you like to sign up for my newsletter?
http://laurieboris.com/mailing-list/
How Mrs. Claus Got Her Groove BackEmma Claus looked from the crackling log in the fireplace to the cheerful cards on the mantel and the string of twinkling lights she’d woven among them. But the yuletide trappings still left her cold. She’d tried everything to awaken her Christmas spirit: hitting the Black Friday sales online, reading letters from the children, baking tray after tray of cookies. Even the sappiest of holiday movies failed to lift her mood. Even the ones with Colin Firth.
Just to make sure she’d given Hollywood a fair shake, she clicked the remote to the Hallmark Channel, which was showing the same snowed-in romance brewing at the same over-decorated country inn. Emma merely clucked her tongue. “Fools,” she said. “Do those innkeepers ever sleep? All that work! Cooking and cleaning! Sweeping up pine needles, drizzling everything with tinsel just so, tending the fires in every room and dusting twice a day from all the ash…what kind of life is that?”
Please read on http://laurieboris.com/2015/12/20/mrs_claus/
Laurie Boris
Writer, editor, and proofreader
Bio:
Laurie Boris is a freelance writer and copyeditor. At one time, she was a magician’s assistant, although she was very bad at it. She has been writing fiction for over twenty-five years and is the award-winning author of six novels including her latest, A Sudden Gust of Gravity. When not hanging out with the universe of imaginary people in her head, she enjoys baseball, reading, and avoiding housework.
Website: http://laurieboris.com/2015/12/20/mrs...
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laurie.boris.author
Connect with Laurie
http://www.facebook.com/laurie.boris.author
http://www.twitter.com/LaurieBoris
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4824645.Laurie_Boris
http://www.amazon.com/author/laurieboris
Would you like to sign up for my newsletter?
http://laurieboris.com/mailing-list/
December 19, 2015
Twelve Blogs of Xmas - Jennifer Ellis
Seven Swans A Swimming 
I’m once again participating in the 12 Blogs of Christmas with eleven other writers, organized by Martin Crosbie . As part of the event, we are to write about—not surprisingly—Christmas. Many of the other eleven bloggers have written about fond or funny memories of Christmas. Last year, I wrote about my fraught relationship with Christmas—acknowledging the magic of Christmas but also the busy-ness, commercial aspects, and guilt associated with Christmas (we have so much, and so many people have so little). So I can’t do that again. Most of my stories about Christmas go something like… we got too much, ate too much, spent too much (even though we don’t spend that much), stressed about a turkey, and were really happy to be able to go skiing and eat leftovers on Boxing Day.
I exaggerate. I’m sure I’ve had some nice Christmases, but since I’m often up to my elbows in a turkey, and have not had any famous disasters, they are not the stuff of stories. Then again, my memory is famously poor—all that living half the time in another world. This year I’ll be sure to burn the turkey, so I have something to tell you about next year (Hmm, I’m getting a strong turkey vibe here. It might be time to start serving Christmas steak).
To me, Christmas is about gratitude and reflection on a year gone by. In an effort to dredge up some Christmas spirit (and not seem like cross between Eeyore and the Grinch—I promise I’m actually not—Christmas commercials make me cry), I decided to do a post on the 12 writing things I’m most grateful for this Christmas. That’s not to imply that there are not a lot of non-writing things I am grateful for (there are so many of those things), but this is a writing blog (and I think this sentence is a triple-negative) so…
Keep Reading
Jennifer lives in the mountains of British Columbia where she can be found writing, hiking, skiing, borrowing dogs, and evading bears. She also works as a climate change researcher, evaluator and strategic planner. She has wanted to be a writer since she first read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and didn’t want to come out of the wardrobe.
Jennifer writes science fiction, romance and dystopian fiction for children and adults, including In the Shadows of the Mosquito Constellation and A Pair of Docks , which was a bestseller in children's time travel fiction. She has also contributed to several anthologies, most notably Synchronic: 13 Tales of Time Travel , which hit #16 in the Kindle Store.
You can subscribe to her blog for writing tips, industry insights, and two free short stories at www.jenniferellis.ca, and check out her writing on Amazon at: http://bit.ly/jenniferellis. She tweets about writing, cats, and teenagers at @jenniferlellis.
Next Up: Laurie Boris
I’m once again participating in the 12 Blogs of Christmas with eleven other writers, organized by Martin Crosbie . As part of the event, we are to write about—not surprisingly—Christmas. Many of the other eleven bloggers have written about fond or funny memories of Christmas. Last year, I wrote about my fraught relationship with Christmas—acknowledging the magic of Christmas but also the busy-ness, commercial aspects, and guilt associated with Christmas (we have so much, and so many people have so little). So I can’t do that again. Most of my stories about Christmas go something like… we got too much, ate too much, spent too much (even though we don’t spend that much), stressed about a turkey, and were really happy to be able to go skiing and eat leftovers on Boxing Day.
I exaggerate. I’m sure I’ve had some nice Christmases, but since I’m often up to my elbows in a turkey, and have not had any famous disasters, they are not the stuff of stories. Then again, my memory is famously poor—all that living half the time in another world. This year I’ll be sure to burn the turkey, so I have something to tell you about next year (Hmm, I’m getting a strong turkey vibe here. It might be time to start serving Christmas steak).
To me, Christmas is about gratitude and reflection on a year gone by. In an effort to dredge up some Christmas spirit (and not seem like cross between Eeyore and the Grinch—I promise I’m actually not—Christmas commercials make me cry), I decided to do a post on the 12 writing things I’m most grateful for this Christmas. That’s not to imply that there are not a lot of non-writing things I am grateful for (there are so many of those things), but this is a writing blog (and I think this sentence is a triple-negative) so…
Keep Reading
Jennifer lives in the mountains of British Columbia where she can be found writing, hiking, skiing, borrowing dogs, and evading bears. She also works as a climate change researcher, evaluator and strategic planner. She has wanted to be a writer since she first read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and didn’t want to come out of the wardrobe.
Jennifer writes science fiction, romance and dystopian fiction for children and adults, including In the Shadows of the Mosquito Constellation and A Pair of Docks , which was a bestseller in children's time travel fiction. She has also contributed to several anthologies, most notably Synchronic: 13 Tales of Time Travel , which hit #16 in the Kindle Store.
You can subscribe to her blog for writing tips, industry insights, and two free short stories at www.jenniferellis.ca, and check out her writing on Amazon at: http://bit.ly/jenniferellis. She tweets about writing, cats, and teenagers at @jenniferlellis.
Next Up: Laurie Boris
December 17, 2015
Twelve Blogs of Xmas - RJ CLayton
Six Geese A Laying 
The Place for Humbug During the Holiday Season
By RJ Crayton
Bah, humbug! There, I said it.
I know. It’s the Christmas season. Everything is warm and fuzzy like in greeting cards, sappy viral videos and TV movies. Only, it’s not all warm and fuzzy all the time, because greeting cards and video specials aren’t real life. Everyone feels like saying, “Bah, humbug,” at least once during the holiday season. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s not that the season isn’t full of joy. It’s just that the season is also full of commitments — clashing office holiday parties, school parties, recitals, plays, church performances, family gatherings, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes you just want to shout, “Bah, humbug,” hop into bed, and huddle under the covers with a flashlight and your favorite book. (Those old enough to remember, may even want to hop into a tub, and shout, “Calgone, take me away.”*)
So, this is just a little post to remind you that you get to have a “Bah, humbug” moment or two this holiday season. Not everything will go the way you want it to. There’s someone you’ll want to see, who you can’t see. You’ll have family you don’t want to see, who you have to see.
… Read the rest of this article here.
BIO
RJ Crayton is a little young lady who writes fiction when she’s not parenting her two children or wifing her one husband. She writes about characters in peril, who sometimes find a moment for romance. Crayton is occasionally humorous, often right, and always curious. She loves the Christmas season and baking. Due to her severe cupcake addiction, Crayton tries to avoid baking cupcakes, except during the holidays. (As an aside, for the perfect mesh of holiday cheer and cupcakes, check out this recipe .) Crayton has published a three-book dystopian series (Life First), a book on self publishing and a short story collection about motherhood. She also is a contributor at Indies Unlimited, a site for independent publishers. In 2016, Crayton plans to release a novel about a deadly virus and a humorous book on motherhood. You can learn more about her at http://www.rjcrayton.com.
The Place for Humbug During the Holiday SeasonBy RJ Crayton
Bah, humbug! There, I said it.
I know. It’s the Christmas season. Everything is warm and fuzzy like in greeting cards, sappy viral videos and TV movies. Only, it’s not all warm and fuzzy all the time, because greeting cards and video specials aren’t real life. Everyone feels like saying, “Bah, humbug,” at least once during the holiday season. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s not that the season isn’t full of joy. It’s just that the season is also full of commitments — clashing office holiday parties, school parties, recitals, plays, church performances, family gatherings, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes you just want to shout, “Bah, humbug,” hop into bed, and huddle under the covers with a flashlight and your favorite book. (Those old enough to remember, may even want to hop into a tub, and shout, “Calgone, take me away.”*)
So, this is just a little post to remind you that you get to have a “Bah, humbug” moment or two this holiday season. Not everything will go the way you want it to. There’s someone you’ll want to see, who you can’t see. You’ll have family you don’t want to see, who you have to see.
… Read the rest of this article here.
BIO
RJ Crayton is a little young lady who writes fiction when she’s not parenting her two children or wifing her one husband. She writes about characters in peril, who sometimes find a moment for romance. Crayton is occasionally humorous, often right, and always curious. She loves the Christmas season and baking. Due to her severe cupcake addiction, Crayton tries to avoid baking cupcakes, except during the holidays. (As an aside, for the perfect mesh of holiday cheer and cupcakes, check out this recipe .) Crayton has published a three-book dystopian series (Life First), a book on self publishing and a short story collection about motherhood. She also is a contributor at Indies Unlimited, a site for independent publishers. In 2016, Crayton plans to release a novel about a deadly virus and a humorous book on motherhood. You can learn more about her at http://www.rjcrayton.com.
The Twelve Blogs of Xmas - Gordon Long
Five Golden Rings 
Day 5 Brings us a cold and Snowy story from Gordon Long
A Cold Canadian Christmas
My transportation for the Christmas of 1967 was Dad’s 1958 Mercury pickup. It was one of the first “full box” pickups, instead of the old “step sides,” and I thought it was pretty classy. Think of the picture above with a front bumper and a two-tone paint job: white above, teal below. I was home from university, and Dad was out of the bush because it was too cold to work, so I was pretty well free to drive it around. Loggers can’t work below about -30 because metal gets so brittle that equipment breaks. It’s rather hard on people, too.
Yes, the Christmas of 1967 was rather cold. I came home from visiting friends on Boxing Day, and the weather report said it was going to be -60F that night (That’s -51 for you Celsius types). I plugged in the block heater of the pickup and waited for that reassuring gurgle that told me it was working.
No gurgle...
Read More
Author Bio:
Brought up in a logging camp with no electricity, Gordon Long learned his storytelling in the traditional way: at his father’s knee. He spends his time editing, publishing, travelling, sailboat racing and writing fantasy and social commentary, although sometimes the boundaries blur.
Gordon lives in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, with his wife, Linda, and their Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Josh. When he isn’t publishing, he works on projects with the Surrey Seniors’ Planning Table.
He has published two books this Christmas:
“Mountains of Mischief” Book 3 in the World of Change series,
“Storm over Savournon” a novel of the French Revolution
Next Up: R J Clayton!
Have a wonderful, book-a-ful Holiday!
If you've missed a blog, click here: Links to Twelve blogs
Day 5 Brings us a cold and Snowy story from Gordon LongA Cold Canadian Christmas
My transportation for the Christmas of 1967 was Dad’s 1958 Mercury pickup. It was one of the first “full box” pickups, instead of the old “step sides,” and I thought it was pretty classy. Think of the picture above with a front bumper and a two-tone paint job: white above, teal below. I was home from university, and Dad was out of the bush because it was too cold to work, so I was pretty well free to drive it around. Loggers can’t work below about -30 because metal gets so brittle that equipment breaks. It’s rather hard on people, too.
Yes, the Christmas of 1967 was rather cold. I came home from visiting friends on Boxing Day, and the weather report said it was going to be -60F that night (That’s -51 for you Celsius types). I plugged in the block heater of the pickup and waited for that reassuring gurgle that told me it was working.
No gurgle...
Read More
Author Bio:
Brought up in a logging camp with no electricity, Gordon Long learned his storytelling in the traditional way: at his father’s knee. He spends his time editing, publishing, travelling, sailboat racing and writing fantasy and social commentary, although sometimes the boundaries blur.
Gordon lives in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, with his wife, Linda, and their Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Josh. When he isn’t publishing, he works on projects with the Surrey Seniors’ Planning Table.
He has published two books this Christmas:
“Mountains of Mischief” Book 3 in the World of Change series,
“Storm over Savournon” a novel of the French Revolution
Next Up: R J Clayton!
Have a wonderful, book-a-ful Holiday!
If you've missed a blog, click here: Links to Twelve blogs
December 15, 2015
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (The Twelve Blogs of Christmas 2015)
Four Calling Birds... 
Yes Virginia!
I wasn’t always so sure. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to believe in that mystical Santa—very badly, in fact. I also wanted to believe in the stories I read. I wanted to believe there was a Middle Earth, where hobbits and wizards and dragons ran amuck. I prayed that Narnia existed, and that I might be lucky enough to discover one of its secret passages—they’re everywhere, you know. I truly hoped there was a wrinkle in time, and that I might be called upon to save our very universe. I wanted to believe in that kind of magic!
Now, as an adult with two children—one, a teen very much in the “wink-wink” stage, and the other in danger of stumbling off that narrow precipice of “I must believe, I must believe” and landing in the valley of “Seriously, Mom, Santa’s signature looks exactly like yours”, I walk a fine line between what is real and what is believable. Lucky for me, I’m a writer, and writers, much like Santa, are in the magic business.
Authors create believable worlds and conjure entities that walk and talk and do amazing and ridiculous things. We've been graced with the ability to fashion stories that ignite your imagination, and in some cases, spark again from time to time.
The magical embers of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle still smolder in my mind. Every now and then, I think of Aslan or Bilbo or Meg Murray and wonder if there could be portals through which my children might step to meet the childhood literary friends I made—or even better, to make their own. I hope they believe in that magic as strongly as I did. The reality: those doors do exist. But they're not made of iron or rock, and they're probably not nestled behind fur coats in old, forgotten wardrobes. The passages I speak of are framed in paper.
The greatest present a writer can give you this season, or any other, is the gift of our books. We offer you mystery and suspense, love and laughter, time travel and fantastical worlds, gripping biographies and memoirs. There is real magic lurking within the pages we have written. Magic you can believe in!
So, in the end, as long as you believe authors are real, the answer to that famous question is a resounding Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus .
Have a wonderful holiday season filled with literary magic!
Bio: Virginia Gray is a bestselling women’s fiction novelist. A former university professor, she stepped away from academics to pursue a writing career. She is a great lover of humor, music, and all things food, and is best known for The Susan Wade Saga .
~Virginia Gray
Please continue to enjoy the work of my colleagues during The Twelve Blogs of xmas!
Next up Gordon Long!
Yes Virginia!I wasn’t always so sure. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to believe in that mystical Santa—very badly, in fact. I also wanted to believe in the stories I read. I wanted to believe there was a Middle Earth, where hobbits and wizards and dragons ran amuck. I prayed that Narnia existed, and that I might be lucky enough to discover one of its secret passages—they’re everywhere, you know. I truly hoped there was a wrinkle in time, and that I might be called upon to save our very universe. I wanted to believe in that kind of magic!
Now, as an adult with two children—one, a teen very much in the “wink-wink” stage, and the other in danger of stumbling off that narrow precipice of “I must believe, I must believe” and landing in the valley of “Seriously, Mom, Santa’s signature looks exactly like yours”, I walk a fine line between what is real and what is believable. Lucky for me, I’m a writer, and writers, much like Santa, are in the magic business.
Authors create believable worlds and conjure entities that walk and talk and do amazing and ridiculous things. We've been graced with the ability to fashion stories that ignite your imagination, and in some cases, spark again from time to time.
The magical embers of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle still smolder in my mind. Every now and then, I think of Aslan or Bilbo or Meg Murray and wonder if there could be portals through which my children might step to meet the childhood literary friends I made—or even better, to make their own. I hope they believe in that magic as strongly as I did. The reality: those doors do exist. But they're not made of iron or rock, and they're probably not nestled behind fur coats in old, forgotten wardrobes. The passages I speak of are framed in paper.
The greatest present a writer can give you this season, or any other, is the gift of our books. We offer you mystery and suspense, love and laughter, time travel and fantastical worlds, gripping biographies and memoirs. There is real magic lurking within the pages we have written. Magic you can believe in!
So, in the end, as long as you believe authors are real, the answer to that famous question is a resounding Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus .
Have a wonderful holiday season filled with literary magic!
Bio: Virginia Gray is a bestselling women’s fiction novelist. A former university professor, she stepped away from academics to pursue a writing career. She is a great lover of humor, music, and all things food, and is best known for The Susan Wade Saga .
~Virginia Gray
Please continue to enjoy the work of my colleagues during The Twelve Blogs of xmas!
Next up Gordon Long!
Twelve Blogs of Xmas - Keith Baker
Three French Hens... 
A Wonderful story of home and family...
The big man’s boot carefully kicked aside a remaining hunk of what appeared to be a roof rafter. Burnt nearly to ash, it had almost no weight to it. Still, it was best to be careful. Any of the smoldering pile of debris that had been their family home could yet be white-hot. He didn’t need a burnt foot; he had enough trouble already.
Rob Finn’s young family had few enough possessions before the fire. Now, it seemed, they had none. Farming their tiny acreage had barely provided enough food in the good times. Along with everything else they’d lost, even their supply of necessary food stuffs were gone. What would they do?
Click here to read more…
Bio: In addition to being an avid history and genealogy buff, Keith has been an avid outdoorsman his entire life. He has a variety of hats in the business world after completing two periods of duty with the US Navy. His hobbies apart from reading and research include shooting, teaching others the basics of gun safety & handling. Until recently he took an active role in local and regional politics as a public speaker and campaign consultant.
Keith and his wife Leni have enjoyed living several places in the US, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and Montana.They have two adult children, two adult foster children and nine grandchildren scattered around the country. www.keithrbaker.com
Read about Rob Finn and his family in the Longshot series, beginning with Longshot In Missouri , price reduced through Christmas, here.
Next Up...Wow, that's me! Virginia Gray
Merry Reading!
A Wonderful story of home and family...The big man’s boot carefully kicked aside a remaining hunk of what appeared to be a roof rafter. Burnt nearly to ash, it had almost no weight to it. Still, it was best to be careful. Any of the smoldering pile of debris that had been their family home could yet be white-hot. He didn’t need a burnt foot; he had enough trouble already.
Rob Finn’s young family had few enough possessions before the fire. Now, it seemed, they had none. Farming their tiny acreage had barely provided enough food in the good times. Along with everything else they’d lost, even their supply of necessary food stuffs were gone. What would they do?
Click here to read more…
Bio: In addition to being an avid history and genealogy buff, Keith has been an avid outdoorsman his entire life. He has a variety of hats in the business world after completing two periods of duty with the US Navy. His hobbies apart from reading and research include shooting, teaching others the basics of gun safety & handling. Until recently he took an active role in local and regional politics as a public speaker and campaign consultant.
Keith and his wife Leni have enjoyed living several places in the US, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and Montana.They have two adult children, two adult foster children and nine grandchildren scattered around the country. www.keithrbaker.com
Read about Rob Finn and his family in the Longshot series, beginning with Longshot In Missouri , price reduced through Christmas, here.
Next Up...Wow, that's me! Virginia Gray
Merry Reading!
December 13, 2015
The Twelve Blogs of xmas - Sarah Lane
Two Turtle Doves... 
Ho Ho Ho and Happy Monday! Day two of the 12 Blogs of Christmas Tour with author Sarah Lane.
Sarah disappeared this past year down the rabbit hole of writing a new book (an upcoming YA psychological novel) about a cerebral seventeen-year old who struggles to learn to salsa dance only to be shown up by her doppelgänger.
(To learn when the novel comes out, make sure to sign up to be notified of Ms. Lane’s new releases here).
Out of that writing wonderland, Ms. Lane has briefly resurfaced to participate in another countdown to Christmas with eleven other authors: Ellen Chauvet, Keith Baker, Virginia Gray, Gordon Long, RJ Crayton, Jennifer Ellis, Laurie Boris, Heather Haley, Jordan Buchanan, Cate Pedersen, and of course a big round of applause for Martin Crosbie for organizing this once again.
Each of the “Twelve Blogs of Christmas” will feature a post by a difference author every day until the 24th. Ms. Lane’s blog on the 14th will be a video recording of a reading she gave from her novel The God of My Art.
Make sure to check back daily to meet a wide array of authors, and happy holidays, whatever your traditions!
Ho Ho Ho and Happy Monday! Day two of the 12 Blogs of Christmas Tour with author Sarah Lane.Sarah disappeared this past year down the rabbit hole of writing a new book (an upcoming YA psychological novel) about a cerebral seventeen-year old who struggles to learn to salsa dance only to be shown up by her doppelgänger.
(To learn when the novel comes out, make sure to sign up to be notified of Ms. Lane’s new releases here).
Out of that writing wonderland, Ms. Lane has briefly resurfaced to participate in another countdown to Christmas with eleven other authors: Ellen Chauvet, Keith Baker, Virginia Gray, Gordon Long, RJ Crayton, Jennifer Ellis, Laurie Boris, Heather Haley, Jordan Buchanan, Cate Pedersen, and of course a big round of applause for Martin Crosbie for organizing this once again.
Each of the “Twelve Blogs of Christmas” will feature a post by a difference author every day until the 24th. Ms. Lane’s blog on the 14th will be a video recording of a reading she gave from her novel The God of My Art.
Make sure to check back daily to meet a wide array of authors, and happy holidays, whatever your traditions!
The Twelve Blogs of Xmas - Ellen Chauvet
A wonderful collection of Author contributions. Follow Along, and Happy Holidays! 
Happy Sunday! We’re kicking off our 12 Blogs of Christmas Tour with author Ellen Chauvet. Ellen lives in Vancouver, Canada, where long months of rain are particularly conducive to writing dark stories. You can learn more about her at her website.
Here's what she wrote:
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
Composed by Clement C. Moore
____________________________________________________
When Martin Crosbie invited me to participate in the 12 blogs of Christmas I immediately said yes. I’ve always treasured Christmas and the opportunity to share my love of Clement Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nick” poem appealed to me. After several hours of research, the following is what I gleaned...
(Up next: Sarah Lane)
Follow link: https://ellenchauvet.wordpress.com/20...
Happy Sunday! We’re kicking off our 12 Blogs of Christmas Tour with author Ellen Chauvet. Ellen lives in Vancouver, Canada, where long months of rain are particularly conducive to writing dark stories. You can learn more about her at her website.Here's what she wrote:
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
Composed by Clement C. Moore
____________________________________________________
When Martin Crosbie invited me to participate in the 12 blogs of Christmas I immediately said yes. I’ve always treasured Christmas and the opportunity to share my love of Clement Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nick” poem appealed to me. After several hours of research, the following is what I gleaned...
(Up next: Sarah Lane)
Follow link: https://ellenchauvet.wordpress.com/20...
December 2, 2015
On the Road to Publication: Susan Wade Saga (part 1)
On Series Creation 
Please tap cover to purchase ;-) So an author has spent months—years, even—writing a book. Now what? Well, it’s time for her to go about the business of publishing it. I won’t lead you through the great expanse of discovery, as this is my second book, and that would take eons. Plus, it's been done. What I will instead do, is provide you a voyeuristic adventure, where you'll peek behind the curtain to watch a crazed author take a book to the shelves. Stay close beside me, it’s a little scary.
I'm at stage…oh, let’s call it J for simplicity’s sake. At stage J, I have already written said novel, fought with my proofreaders and content editor about this sentence and that coma, and how convoluted the flashback section seems, and the lost the battle commonly known as "How come I can't use semicolons anywhere I want? I like them, they're the eyes of the winky face emoticon for goodness sakes!" My critical readers have had their say, and corrections have been made accordingly. Now it's book cover time.
I should interject here that stages A through stage H are about the same for both traditionally published authors (the ones whose eBooks cost around $12.99) and independently published authors (the ones whose eBooks typically retail for $4.99 or less)—you’ll understand the pricing differences all too soon. I am the latter, by the way. We call ourselves Indies . Based on political affiliation, this is about the place where the two groups diverge.
At stage H, the traditionally published author is ushered offstage by her publishing people and locked back in her tower to write the next revenue-generating masterpiece. But what of the indie? The indie, having chosen to lop off all—and I do mean ALL—of the upper management, has got quite a bit left to do before returning to her tower.
So...back to stage J: The Cover. I use a wonderful designer, Ashley Fontaine, owner of One of a Kind Designs. She created the award-winning masterpiece that is The Carrot's cover, so, of course, I absolutely must have her on this project. (Note said masterpiece, combining the "real" human-type image used on so many women's fiction covers, and the cartoonish city backdrop seen in chick lit) My writing is a melding of these two genres. The city and briefcase indicate a serious business woman, and the legs crossed at the ankles behind the case, suggest the character's vulnerability. Brilliant!
Now before we plow on, I should also mention that my situation is somewhat unique: I’m moving backwards-- literally. I wrote The Carrot as a standalone novel with a clear beginning, middle, and end, wrapped up nice and tight with a pretty orange bow on top. Well, much to my surprise, my fans demanded more—harassed me on Facebook and here on the website in which I dwell. Authors are entertainers in their base form, and any entertainer with half an IQ point knows better than to deny fans. Okay people, more it is! A sequel, which I am now writing during thieved moments. But wait, something is missing...
Susan Wade, my twenty-nine year old heroine, is hell on wheels, which makes her entertaining to say the least, but some readers commented that it took them a while to warm up to her. I want them to know, love, and commiserate with her from page one. I pondered how to attack this conundrum and decided that readers might enjoy getting to know Susan before she becomes the somewhat vicious and altogether jaded business woman creature they meet at the beginning of The Carrot . A story about a younger Susan: a messy, hopeful college girl embarking on her search for the American dream, stardom, the moon! (Or, that job that will mold her into said fierce and battle-scarred almost thirty-something woman).
What I've described would be termed a "prequel". But what to do with such an animal? After conferring with some trusted colleagues (we indies do that--openly share and wholly support one another), it was suggested that this prequel spearhead a series, of which that beautiful, wayward vegetable novel would become a part. The series would need a name, of course. "The Carrot Series" would make no sense, because: one, The Carrot is now second in the series (I'm a chronological kind of girl), and two, a "carrot" is a business term that really only applies to that particular story.
I/We/I decided on the Susan Wade Saga —a tongue in cheek of sorts, as Susan's life truly is one gigantic saga. So, this fresh off the farm prequel, entitled, The Interview , becomes Susan Wade Saga: Book 1, and The Carrot becomes Susan Wade Saga: Book 2. It’s like giving birth to a baby, and then later adopting a child who is older than the baby. Tricky business, because the baby, who has been with you longest, is no longer your eldest. Still with me?
So, as just stated, my baby has now become Book 2. Well, there’s our next problem. Do you see it? The Carrot’s cover must be altered to reflect its new position in the family line. "Ashley, Oh Ashley…"
Voila, Ashley saves the day! With a nip here and a tuck there, I have the new and improved cover. It bears noting that this blog has just turned into its unveiling. So….Ta Da!
Subtly modified cover still clickable for purchase. Also it's hit #1 Bestseller on Amazon, so that is noted under name. Yea!! It might seem confusing to readers who wander by the electronic shelves and notice that there is no "Book 1" companion piece beside The Carrot, so I don’t plan to exchange covers until the eleventh hour—which is rapidly approaching, I might add.
We’ll save the The Interview: Susan Wade Saga Book 2 cover discussion for the next blog in this series/saga/series.
Until we meet again, please keep reading!!
~Virginia Gray, Author of the Bestselling novel, The Carrot
Please tap cover to purchase ;-) So an author has spent months—years, even—writing a book. Now what? Well, it’s time for her to go about the business of publishing it. I won’t lead you through the great expanse of discovery, as this is my second book, and that would take eons. Plus, it's been done. What I will instead do, is provide you a voyeuristic adventure, where you'll peek behind the curtain to watch a crazed author take a book to the shelves. Stay close beside me, it’s a little scary.I'm at stage…oh, let’s call it J for simplicity’s sake. At stage J, I have already written said novel, fought with my proofreaders and content editor about this sentence and that coma, and how convoluted the flashback section seems, and the lost the battle commonly known as "How come I can't use semicolons anywhere I want? I like them, they're the eyes of the winky face emoticon for goodness sakes!" My critical readers have had their say, and corrections have been made accordingly. Now it's book cover time.
I should interject here that stages A through stage H are about the same for both traditionally published authors (the ones whose eBooks cost around $12.99) and independently published authors (the ones whose eBooks typically retail for $4.99 or less)—you’ll understand the pricing differences all too soon. I am the latter, by the way. We call ourselves Indies . Based on political affiliation, this is about the place where the two groups diverge.
At stage H, the traditionally published author is ushered offstage by her publishing people and locked back in her tower to write the next revenue-generating masterpiece. But what of the indie? The indie, having chosen to lop off all—and I do mean ALL—of the upper management, has got quite a bit left to do before returning to her tower.
So...back to stage J: The Cover. I use a wonderful designer, Ashley Fontaine, owner of One of a Kind Designs. She created the award-winning masterpiece that is The Carrot's cover, so, of course, I absolutely must have her on this project. (Note said masterpiece, combining the "real" human-type image used on so many women's fiction covers, and the cartoonish city backdrop seen in chick lit) My writing is a melding of these two genres. The city and briefcase indicate a serious business woman, and the legs crossed at the ankles behind the case, suggest the character's vulnerability. Brilliant!
Now before we plow on, I should also mention that my situation is somewhat unique: I’m moving backwards-- literally. I wrote The Carrot as a standalone novel with a clear beginning, middle, and end, wrapped up nice and tight with a pretty orange bow on top. Well, much to my surprise, my fans demanded more—harassed me on Facebook and here on the website in which I dwell. Authors are entertainers in their base form, and any entertainer with half an IQ point knows better than to deny fans. Okay people, more it is! A sequel, which I am now writing during thieved moments. But wait, something is missing...
Susan Wade, my twenty-nine year old heroine, is hell on wheels, which makes her entertaining to say the least, but some readers commented that it took them a while to warm up to her. I want them to know, love, and commiserate with her from page one. I pondered how to attack this conundrum and decided that readers might enjoy getting to know Susan before she becomes the somewhat vicious and altogether jaded business woman creature they meet at the beginning of The Carrot . A story about a younger Susan: a messy, hopeful college girl embarking on her search for the American dream, stardom, the moon! (Or, that job that will mold her into said fierce and battle-scarred almost thirty-something woman).
What I've described would be termed a "prequel". But what to do with such an animal? After conferring with some trusted colleagues (we indies do that--openly share and wholly support one another), it was suggested that this prequel spearhead a series, of which that beautiful, wayward vegetable novel would become a part. The series would need a name, of course. "The Carrot Series" would make no sense, because: one, The Carrot is now second in the series (I'm a chronological kind of girl), and two, a "carrot" is a business term that really only applies to that particular story.
I/We/I decided on the Susan Wade Saga —a tongue in cheek of sorts, as Susan's life truly is one gigantic saga. So, this fresh off the farm prequel, entitled, The Interview , becomes Susan Wade Saga: Book 1, and The Carrot becomes Susan Wade Saga: Book 2. It’s like giving birth to a baby, and then later adopting a child who is older than the baby. Tricky business, because the baby, who has been with you longest, is no longer your eldest. Still with me?
So, as just stated, my baby has now become Book 2. Well, there’s our next problem. Do you see it? The Carrot’s cover must be altered to reflect its new position in the family line. "Ashley, Oh Ashley…"
Voila, Ashley saves the day! With a nip here and a tuck there, I have the new and improved cover. It bears noting that this blog has just turned into its unveiling. So….Ta Da!
Subtly modified cover still clickable for purchase. Also it's hit #1 Bestseller on Amazon, so that is noted under name. Yea!! It might seem confusing to readers who wander by the electronic shelves and notice that there is no "Book 1" companion piece beside The Carrot, so I don’t plan to exchange covers until the eleventh hour—which is rapidly approaching, I might add.We’ll save the The Interview: Susan Wade Saga Book 2 cover discussion for the next blog in this series/saga/series.
Until we meet again, please keep reading!!
~Virginia Gray, Author of the Bestselling novel, The Carrot
