R.M. Webb's Blog, page 3

No, William is not Bill. But Bill is William.

Facade’s dedication page.
Aha! Bill! William! I get it!

I’ve gotten a few emails from readers who’ve noticed the dedication page in the front of both Facade and Unleashed. 

For Bill.

These readers also noticed that my books have a pretty dang important male character named William. At which point they had one of those awesome “AHA!” moments.

Bill…!

William…!

Clearly this R. M. Webb character named the main love interest in her books after her main love interest!

And I get how you’d think that. ‘Cause it seems pretty cut and dry. Nothing left to the imagination there, right?

Well, actually…

William is not Bill.

I started writing Facade many years ago, before Bill — otherwise known as Mr. Wonderful — came into my life. I chose the name William because it happens to be one of my favorite male names.

I didn’t finish the book all those years ago. I put it away and I’d like to say that I forgot about it, but I didn’t. ‘Cause, you know, life-long dreams that you start and never finish aren’t that easy to forget. They just kinda hang around your mental space, making you itch and sneer as you try to shrug off the bitterness.

And then I met Bill.

And my life got flip-turned upside down.

*Smiles sweetly, eyebrow arched, and waits to see who gets the reference.*

He entered my life with the force of gale winds and hurricanes and I’ve never been the same since. Bill has brought me happiness and shown me joy and he plucked me out of a life that was spiraling out of control and plopped me into a Happily Ever After. Sometimes I still find myself staring at the landscape of my life, dazed, blinking rapidly, afraid that if I move too quickly, I’ll chase all this away.

I think I loved Bill before I actually met him.

You see, before him, I’d always felt like something was missing. There was just this nagging, almost-but-not-quite feeling attached to each and every one of my days. I’d actually started to think there was something deeply flawed about me, that I was some self-sabotaging mess of a woman who was too difficult to please and was somehow unable to accept happiness.

When Bill and I started dating, it was like suddenly I was taking full breaths after decades of not enough air, and the light was so bright but didn’t hurt my eyes, it was just warm on my skin, and my own laughter surprised me because it showed up on its own and not because I made myself laugh when it felt appropriate.

I’ll be honest, it’s still like that. I love this man and somehow that makes everything in my life make sense. The things about me that I used to hate, he loves. The things about me I thought were flaws, he sees as strengths. And through his eyes, I’m learning to accept that I’m not flawed. I’m intelligent and hard-working and quick-witted and certain to break into dance in the middle of the grocery if I like the song playing over the speakers.

And that’s OK.

In fact, it just might be awesome.

Early in our relationship, during one of our many conversations that lasted well through the night and into the next morning, I mentioned that I’d started writing a book. I was also quick to disparage the book and myself. The book was dumb and I was dumb for writing it and dumb for not publishing it.

Finish it.

That’s what Bill said.

Finish it and publish it.

I scoffed. Nah. That ship has sailed. The book is dumb and I’m dumb and no one will want to read it.

And then he filled my head with the most amazing nonsense. He called me beautiful. He called me captivating. He called me wonderful.

And I started to believe him.

So I finished the damn book.

And then I finished the second one.

And now I’ve started a third.

When I started writing Facade all those years ago, I was captivated by the idea of a love so strong that it would survive for the rest of forever. So I set out to write about it.

Now…? I get to live it. There’s no doubt in my mind that I was designed to love this man and that he was designed to love me. He’s the answer to questions I didn’t know I was asking.

So, for those of you who’ve asked:

No, William isn’t Bill. But Bill sure is my William.

The post No, William is not Bill. But Bill is William. appeared first on R. M. Webb Fiction.

Lady Chatterbox is growing up

Yesterday was the first day of spring break here in Webb-land. I’ve got all three munchkins at home and Master Moose and Lady Chatterbox  have their annual check-ups in about an hour. (Sir Brown Eyes had his last week. He’s healthy and strong and growing! What more can you ask for?)

Lady Chatterbox turned eleven in February. She’s got one round of vaccines today and she’s a bit nervous. Me? I’m feeling a little…I’m not sure there’s a word that means all the things I’m feeling about this appointment.

Is it goofy that I’m feeling sentimental about taking my girl to the doctor?

Ya.

Probably.

I’ll admit it. I can be strange sometimes.

But it feels like this appointment with this particular vaccine symbolizes another bit of childhood she’s shed and left behind. In one of the very first artist interviews I did, Greg Tremblay said he felt ‘achingly bad’ for his eleven year old daughter and I can only nod my head in understanding of that statement. In the same instant, Lady Chatterbox is both child and young woman, eager to play with her dolls and quick to fight tears if a boy mentions her (wonderfully) long and skinny legs.

For my entire career as a mother, I’ve tried not to wish away whatever current phase of growth my kids are in. I’ve not always been successful. I was certainly pleased when Master Moose finally outgrew his Death Sauce phase. (You know, the phase where he went from zero to wailing  like a tornado siren at the drop of a Cheerio…? Especially if we were in public…?) But all things considered, I realize that I only get the honor of having these little people featured as a major part of my life for a relatively short time.

I’m essentially borrowing them.

They’re mine.

I made them.

But I don’t get to keep them.

They will grow and they will develop and my main job as a mother is to make them strong enough to leave the safety of my arms. And so, even during the most difficult of phases, I try to cherish the times they still want to cuddle up close and snuggle in.

Thing is, with Lady Chatterbox entering her pre-teen years, I realize I’m about to be dethroned. My time as the all knowing, super cool, hilarious, and wonderful mom that I am is ending. I’m about to become the woman who causes eye rolls and sighs of frustration. I’m about to become Officially Dumb. The things I do that are awesome and fun and cool now are going to earn me the status of Most Embarrassing Woman Ever in like…

*checks watch*

…any minute.

To some extent, I feel like I’m losing my Lady.

And just because I know that – in reality – I’m not really losing her, and that even if she does go away for a little while, she’ll be back…

And just because I know this is exactly how things are supposed to happen…

…well…

Knowing those things doesn’t make what’s heading my way any easier to swallow.

Sometimes I think parenthood is the sharpest of life’s cruelties. I love my children with a ferocity that makes me braver than I really am and a simplicity that strengthens me when I’m weak. I sacrifice for them, give up bits of my freedom for them, design my life around their wants and needs and lose time for myself in the process. I get up early to make sure they get to school with full bellies and stay up late worrying that I’ve somehow let them down.

And for all that, my job is to raise them and set them free.

I don’t know…maybe I’m strange. I can’t fathom a time when my children aren’t living in my home, under my roof, available for a quick hug when it’s needed.

And, as Lady Chatterbox enters these pre-teen years, I feel like the number of hugs heading my way are suddenly finite.

I know that’s silly. I know it ’cause I still end every phone call to my Mom and Dad with an “I love you,” and I know because I wouldn’t dare leave their house or let them leave mine without a hug. My children will do the same because…well…family. That’s why. I love them and they love me and that’s just a truth that IS.

And really, despite all the things that make me sad about my children growing up, there are countless things about the process that fill me with this honey colored, smile in my belly, pride filled wonder.

It’s warm and it’s good and I like it.

I watch their faces change and wonder what they’ll look like as teenagers and, later, adults. I see them interact with friends and glow with pride when they are the voices of kindness and reason among their peers. I study the unfinished sculpture of who they are and smile when I think I glimpse the finished product.

And so, I’ll grab all the hugs I can while they’re still young enough to want them and hope I can be the anchor the kids are going to need as they set sail on the waters of teenage-hood. They’re going to go out there, the waters are going to be rough, and they’re going to get wet.

Thing is, I’ll be here, watching from a safe distance, making sure they know I’ve got a warm towel waiting if they need it.

The post Lady Chatterbox is growing up appeared first on R. M. Webb Fiction.

An Interview with Jane Danger

Dominic by Jane Danger
If you’ve been following along, then you know I’ve been interviewing as many artists and parents and artists/parents as I can get my hands on.
There are equally as many challenges as moments of joy in making a living as an artist and I believe the same can be said of parenting. I’ve been curious to know how other artists and parents manage. So naturally, I found a bunch of them and asked a ton of questions! Since I’m a giver, I thought I’d share them with you.
I post the interviews each Friday. Did you miss a few? Catch up!

R. M. Webb – former ballerina turned teacher turned choreographer turned author and host of this blog. She wrote these books. And this post about raising kids. And this short story.

Greg Tremblay – voice actor and homesteader.

ML Larson – the awesome uncle who uses British spellings despite living his whole life in the States.

Christine Tate – the Navy wife and homeschool mom who’s published her own bible study series.

Did you read ‘em? Liked what you saw? Good! Now, let’s learn about Jane Danger!

R. M. Webb: Tell me about yourself.

I’m a novelist and a mom to four children.

R. M. Webb: Why do you create?

I have created stories in my head since childhood and have always needed to get those stories out. I wrote plays and skits as a child. Soon, that sparked a desire to write books.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Chocolate or chips?

Chocolate!

R. M. Webb: Is your art your business? Do you make money (or try to!) for the things you create? Do you have a day job?

I’m a full-time writer as of May 2014. Writing is my life!

R. M. Webb: When did you start writing seriously? When did you publish?

I started writing seriously during Camp Nanowrimo in April 2014. I published my first work in June of 2014 (under my own name)

R. M. Webb: Congratulations on transitioning to full time writer! What, if any, challenges did you encounter when you ‘quit the day job’?

My day job was also at home. I was a freelance proofreader/editor. The biggest challenge was creating a schedule that worked for my family. Not having a client’s deadline to adhere to required adjustments. I had to make my own work a priority.

R. M. Webb: What caused you to want to market your art? 2014 was a year of incredible changes for me personally and one of those was to finally let go of my fear and make this writing gig work.

R. M. Webb: Where/when does inspiration strike?

All the time. I find inspiration in the news, in my dreams, in my very vivid imagination. I carry notebooks and pens everywhere to jot down ideas as they come.

R. M. Webb: How do you react to negative feedback?

I take it with a grain of salt. No two people will ever feel the same way. If many people were to make the same comments, I would take heed, but luckily, I haven’t had that happen yet.

R. M. Webb: What’s your greatest obstacle as an artist?

The internet. I have to stay clear of the internet or I get absolutely nothing accomplished. I write on an Alphasmart for that reason.

R. M. Webb: Who’s your biggest champion?

My closest friend.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Red or blue?

Red.

R. M. Webb: Do you have kids? If not, do you want to have kids?

I have four between the ages of 23 and 9.

R. M. Webb: Do you find that you’re parenting your oldest differently than you parent your youngest? Why or why not?

I definitely parent differently with my youngest. I’d like to think that I’m older and wiser, but it probably has more to do with the fact that I realize just how quickly time goes by, so I cherish every moment with him a little more than I may have with the older three. Not that’s he’s loved more. I am just more cognizant of time now.

R. M. Webb: If your child showed talent in an artistic endeavor, would you help her pursue a career in that field after having worked in a creative field yourself? Why or why not?

Yes, absolutely. Whatever their dreams are, I support them 100%. I wish I’d had that kind of support growing up.

R. M. Webb: How do you structure your day as an artist/entrepreneur/person/parent? How do you get it all done?

I used to be a pantser and wait for inspiration to strike but my production slowed down drastically. Now, I have created a detailed writing schedule and daily word count goal that I adhere to everyday. I outline now too. I don’t always follow that but it gives my writing some kind of basic structure. My nine-year-old is the only one at home now and we homeschool, so I wake up early, educate him, then, write throughout the evening.

R. M. Webb: What led you to homeschool? Do you create your own curriculum or do you use an online service? What advice would you give to someone considering homeschooling their child?

My older three children all went to public school in a small town. We now live in a large city and the school system, unfortunately, leaves a lot to be desired, so I chose to homeschool my youngest child. We use a hybrid approach for his schooling. He does public school online through a nationally accredited program. We love it. It suits his learning style and the flexibility with scheduling is fantastic for our family. I would tell anyone who is considering to do their homework, learn the ins and outs of various systems and programs, and figure in time for social interaction for yourself and your child.

 

R. M. Webb: Describe yourself as a parent.

I’m ridiculously silly most of the time and a staunch believer in letting kids be kids. That’s not to say my little one doesn’t have rules or chores. I just don’t expect adult behavior out of a nine year old.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about raising kids?

The time I get to spend with them has been the best time of my life. Not everyone chooses to be a parent and, in our case, one parent walked away. I cherish every single moment, good or bad, with my kids.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about raising kids?

The fear of making a mistake is the hardest part. I’ve made plenty, but I try to learn from them and make sure my kids know they are loved.

R. M. Webb: How do you manage that fear?

Fear is a double edged sword. I believe you need a healthy amount of fear to propel you forward. Balancing healthy versus stifling is a little trickier. I think my kids help me break past barriers. I don’t want them to live in fear and have regrets later in life, so I strive to do something out of my comfort zone all the time and, hopefully, inspire them to not be stifled by their fears.

 

R. M. Webb: Are your kids ever involved with your art? Do they inspire you? Work with you? Would you like to include them in your business as they grow?

My youngest tries to be very involved. He helps choose some characters names and loves it. My adult daughter makes my book covers and will throw ideas at me from time to time.

R. M. Webb: How cool to get to showcase your daughter’s work! Does she have a website for cover design you’d like to link to or does she only work for you?

Right now, my daughter is a college freshman and just does graphic design work for me. We are in the process of building connections to have her branch out and do cover designing for other authors as a part-time gig for her.

R. M. Webb: What advice would you give someone dreaming of making it in your field?

I would say, just write. Don’t let anything or anyone tell you that you can’t. Live your dream. Make it happen and write.

R. M. Webb: If you could pass one thing on to the next generation in general, what would it be?

Let go of fear.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about your life?

My kids are the best thing about my life.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Eat out or cook at home?

Cook at home.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about your craft?

The hardest thing is moving past your own insecurities.

R. M. Webb: I think insecurities plague artists. Do you have any advice on how you manage to move past your own?

To move past my own insecurities my life had to nearly come crashing down on me. My marriage ended abruptly in a way that may someday end up in a novel.  My life was completely turned upside down and, after I battled depression for six months, I slowly picked myself back up and decided enough was enough. It was my time. Everyday there is a tinge of self-doubt, but I have mantras to help me move past them and I let my own pain seep out in the pages that I write. Each new page motivates me to keep moving forward. I am in control and I have what it takes to succeed on my own.

I think we all need an outlet. For me, it was writing. For someone else it may be drawing or painting. Whatever it is that makes you happy, you must do. There’s healing in art. I wholeheartedly believe anyone can move past anything with self-love and a deep commitment to working toward a goal that matters.

R. M. Webb: Good for you! What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger… The harshest winds makes for the strongest roots… Calm seas don’t make good sailors… Favorite quotes of mine.  What’s the best thing about your craft?

The freedom I have as a writer is the best thing.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about the business side of your craft?

It takes up so much time!

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about the business side of your craft?

The best thing is all of the time it takes is worth it as soon as one person buys your work.

R. M. Webb: Right? Now…quick! Your peanut butter’s on your banana. What do you do?

Eat it!

Want to learn more about Jane Danger? Check the links below!

Amazon

Twitter

Facebook

Have a question for Jane? Leave a comment!

**Standard disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview don’t necessarily reflect the views of R. M. Webb.

The post An Interview with Jane Danger appeared first on R. M. Webb Fiction.

Unleashed is unleashed!

Unleashed – Book two in R. M. Webb’s Immortal Memory Series

Woo! I’m so excited!

Unleashed – book two in the Immortal Memories series – hit the virtual shelves yesterday. Because of the support of so many of you, it debuted as #24 on the Vampire Suspense Amazon Bestseller list.

That’s pretty stinkin’ cool. I totally happy danced everywhere all day!

If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, head over to my books page to find the links to your favorite site.

I’m ever so thankful for each and every one of you. I’m looking forward to reading all your reviews and hearing all your thoughts and reading all your emails.

Ok, well, the kids are home from school, dinner’s boiling, and I have another book to write!

Happy reading!

The post Unleashed is unleashed! appeared first on R. M. Webb Fiction.

Cover reveal!

Hello hello hello!

I’m very busy being late today, so this is just me taking a quick second to unveil the cover for Unleashed - book two in the Immortal Memories series.

I’M SO EXCITED!

Unleashed – Book two in R. M. Webb’s Immortal Memory Series

Isn’t it GORGEOUS??

 

The post Cover reveal! appeared first on R. M. Webb Fiction.

An Author Interview with Christine Tate

An interview with Christine Tate
If you’ve been following along, then you know I’ve been interviewing as many artists and parents and artists/parents as I can get my hands on.
There are equally as many challenges as moments of joy in making a living as an artist and I believe the same can be said of parenting. I’ve been curious to know how other artists and parents manage. So naturally, I found a bunch of them and asked a ton of questions! Since I’m a giver, I thought I’d share them with you.
I post the interviews each Friday. Did you miss a few? Catch up!

R. M. Webb – former ballerina turned teacher turned choreographer turned author and host of this blog. She wrote these books. And this post about raising kids. And this short story.

Greg Tremblay – voice actor and homesteader.

ML Larson – The awesome uncle who uses British spellings despite living his whole life in the States.

Go. Read them out. I’ll wait.

*Takes a drink of coffee.*

Ya back? All caught up? Awesome! Now let’s start talking to the fabulous Christine Tate!

R. M. Webb: Tell me about yourself.

I’m a Navy wife and homeschool mom.  We’re currently stationed in Virginia Beach, VA.

R. M. Webb:  Why do you create?

I see a need within the Christian community to renew fellowship bonds and have conversations that we, as a body of Christ, seem to be missing.  It gives me joy to bring people together in a way that stimulates their thought processes and helps them grow in their relationships both with each other and God.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Chocolate or chips?

Definitely Chips!

R. M. Webb: Is your art your business? Do you make money (or try to!) for the things you create? Do you have a day job?

Yes, I do make money from writing, but my “day job” is really functioning as a support role as both a wife and mother.  Much of my time is spent homeschooling my daughter and participating in all the peripheral activities that come with being a homeschooler.

R. M. Webb: I so respect homeschoolers. I homeschooled my daughter for one year when she was eight and for a number of reasons re-enrolled her in the public school system after that. Do you create your own curriculum or do you use an online program? What led you to choose that avenue? 

I prefer an eclectic curriculum.  Homeschooling is as much a personal experience as it is an educational one and in order to be successful, you have to find curriculum/material that matches who you are and how you function.  I’m very much an out-of-the-box person and just wasn’t drawn to the canned programs available.  It occurred to me that if I couldn’t get excited about the instruction manual style of most canned curriculums, I wouldn’t be able to expect my daughter to get excited about learning.  We’ve enjoyed using a variety of resources from American Specialty Publishing, Carson-Delosa, Evan Moore, Schoolzone and a host of others including educational programming, web resources, library programs and learning cd’s.

R. M. Webb: If you still have a day job, would you like to get to the point where you could give it up? 

Never!  Being a wife and mother is a wonderful experience for me and I feel very blessed that we are in a financial position that allows me to pursue this way of life.

R. M. Webb:  What caused you to want to market your art?

The original Group Hug book was written for a new Bible study that formed at our church.  We knew what we wanted, but couldn’t find the resource material that matched our needs.  So I wrote the first set of lessons for our group to get us going.  Everyone enjoyed the direction our group took and was very supportive.  However, I was with a great group of ladies and not sure if they were supportive because they really loved what I wrote or because they appreciated what I tried to do for our group.  We went on to do another study for another eight weeks.  At the end of the second eight weeks of doing another study, they turned to me and asked me to write them another study because they enjoyed the first one so much.  That’s when I knew their support was genuine and it occurred to me that if they benefitted from what I wrote, maybe other groups would too.  And so began my journey into the world of publishing women’s Bible studies.

R. M. Webb: Where/when does inspiration strike?

Anywhere and everywhere.  I always keep a pen and paper nearby to jot an idea or concept down when it comes to me.  I liken the process to an old-fashioned switchboard operator.  The operator plugs one wire in, then moves another wire to a different location on the board and so on.  When the operator is done, they have all the wires in the proper places and all the calls are connected as they should be.

R. M. Webb: How do you react to negative feedback?

I just let it roll off.  I know it’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time.  As long as I know I’m pleasing God, that’s all that really matters.

R. M. Webb: What’s your greatest obstacle as an artist?

Finding quiet, solitary time alone to work in extended writing sessions.  I have a very busy life and it can be a real challenge.

R. M. Webb: Who’s your biggest champion?

My mother.  She always has been and always will be.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Red or blue?

Red.

R. M. Webb:  Do you have kids? If not, do you want to have kids?

We have one daughter.

R. M. Webb: If your child showed talent in an artistic endeavor, would you help her pursue a career in that field after having worked in a creative field yourself? Why or why not?

I always try to help her explore any interest or aptitude she shows.  It’s important for parents to let children be who God made them to be without trying to control their interests.  I also believe if God calls a person to something, He’ll make a way for that person.  It’s not up to us to second guess Him.

R. M. Webb: How do you structure your day as an artist/entrepreneur/person/parent? How do you get it all done?

Multi-tasking is key for me.  I work in small pieces whenever or wherever I can.  Being a homeschooler presents another level of challenge for me.   During the day, I can usually get short bursts of productivity done by giving my daughter an assignment to work on, then I work on my writing while she’s working on her assignment her 10-15 minutes.  Of course, there will be interruptions as she has questions, but it’s easy enough to manage.  It’s really a variation of the exercise principle.  If you can’t work in a dedicated exercise time of 30 minutes a day, then take the stairs for 10 minutes three times a day.  You would be amazed how productive you can be if you apply the same principle to writing.  If I need total focus for something, I try to work it in before she gets up or after she goes to bed.  Sometimes, when I’m in a publishing crunch, I’ll ask my husband to do something with my daughter on the weekend for awhile to give me the time I need.

R. M. Webb: Describe yourself as a parent. 

I have very high standards and sometimes my daughter doesn’t understand why other kids are allowed to do things she’s not allowed to do, but I also balance that with lots of love.  Even when she’s wishing she could watch “x” TV program or have a TV in her bedroom, she knows she’s loved.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about raising kids? 

It keeps you young at heart.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about raising kids?

The conflict.  I love being surrounded by peace and harmony, especially in my close, personal relationships.  Unfortunately, “no” doesn’t always go over well with kids and the drama begins.

R. M. Webb: Are your kids ever involved with your art? Do they inspire you? Work with you? Would you like to include them in your business as they grow? 

Absolutely!  My daughter is always looking over my shoulder and commenting on something I’m doing.  I have her participate in the process whenever possible.  All of my Bible studies begin with a fun ice-breaker to loosen people up and set the tone for the lesson.  For one of them, I needed an abstract drawing.  I set my daughter down in front of the computer, opened a program called Flame Painter and showed her what I wanted done.  She drew me some wonderful abstract artwork to use.  I’m also a big believer in project based learning, so for one of our homeschool projects, she’s writing her own book which we are going to publish when she’s finished.  It’s really more of a photojournalism book with a Christian perspective, but it’s who she is and I want to nurture her passions.

R. M. Webb:  What advice would you give someone dreaming of making it in your field? 

First, don’t do it for the money, which is really true of any discipline.  Whatever you do in life, in any field, it should always be because you are called to do it.  Once you are writing for the right reasons, the rest will fall into place.  Second, find your personal niche and really learn it well.  Third, market, market, market!  The “field of dreams” approach does not work.  If you write it, they will not come.  Like any other industry, people have to know you have written something before they can be interested in reading it.  All too often I see writers put their blood, sweat and tears into a massive project only to let it fail because they failed to continue marketing efforts.

R. M. Webb: If you could pass one thing on to the next generation in general, what would it be?

As a Christian, that one concept would be God first, everything else second.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about your life? 

Really?  I have to choose one thing?  I don’t know if I can.  I love everything about  my life!

R. M. Webb: Quick! Eat out or cook at home? 

Eat out.  Can’t beat not having to do dishes.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about your craft?

So many ideas, so little time.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about your craft? 

Knowing that I’ve touched people’s lives in a positive way.  Before I publish any of my material, I always run it through focus groups to see how well it plays out in the real world.  When I see the light go on in someone’s head or the discussion brings a smile to their face, I feel very fulfilled.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about the business side of your craft? 

Generating creative marketing ideas.  If you want to stand out from the pack, you have to do something different to be noticed.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about the business side of your craft? 

What I do is really a home-based business that allows me complete flexibility to work it around my life and family.  I love that.  I also love the portability of this business.  As long as I have a laptop and internet connection, I can take it anywhere.  We took a family cruise a few months ago and during the down-time in our cabin, I was able to check sales stats, work on marketing material and get some writing done.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Your peanut butter’s on your banana. What do you do?  Add more and eat it!

Want to learn more about Christine?

http://christinetate.webstarts.com/

http://christinetate.wordpress.com/

Join the Conversation and put the fun back in  your women’s small group Bible study today!

Find Christine on Amazon.

Have a question for Christine? Leave it as a comment! 

**Standard disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview don’t necessarily reflect the views of R. M. Webb.

The post An Author Interview with Christine Tate appeared first on R. M. Webb Fiction.

Don’t lean on your biscuit and other strange things I say to my kids

I have kids. Three of them. Ever since Lady Chatterbox entered this world, I’ve found myself saying the strangest things, having the most disgusting conversations without blinking an eye, and in general, doing things a younger me would have never thought I’d end up doing.

This morning I had to tell Master Moose not to lean on his biscuits. And when I say biscuits, I’m not using a cute euphemism for his rear end or anything along those lines. I seriously mean the biscuits I made him for breakfast. The kid was so tired, he put his head on his plate and started to doze off. So naturally I spout off:

“Dude! Don’t lean on your biscuits!”

Is that truly something I should ever have to say to another human being? When did that become the most natural sentence in the world to leave mouth?

He sat up, bleary eyed, crumbs strewn across his cheek and dangling from his eyebrows, and looked at me as if I were a total she-devil — the most heinous of maternal figures thumping her ladle on the counter and spewing the nastiest of obscenities in his direction.

I’ve run the gambit of motherly one liners.

“Get your finger out of your nose.”

“Stop playing in your soup.”

“Everybody poops.”

“Because I said so.”

“Don’t lick your brother.”

“WHO PEED ON THE WALL?!”

I still feel the shock of discovery on that one. This very minute, my fingers flying over the keyboard, I’m transported to the day where I stood in the bathroom, staring wide eyed and open mouthed at the urine streaking down the wall and pooling on the tile. Who pees on the wall? What kind of heathens am I raising?

And then there was the day, very early in spring, when the animals were very busy being twitterpated and quite diligently acting on said twitterpatification and I got into the car with my children.

“Look Mom,” squeals Master Moose. “That squirrel just jumped on that other squirrel’s back!”

Lady Chatterbox giggles in delight. “And now they’re stuck together!”

“Oh my.” I throw the car in gear and back out of the driveway. “So, what are you looking forward to at school today?” Redirect! Redirect! Please don’t make me have to explain what just happened! Not yet! They’re not ready! I’M NOT READY!

“Yes, that doggie IS a boy.”

“No, farts aren’t butt giggles.”

I mean, the list goes on and on, dragging you further and further down the rabbit hole. I didn’t envision myself growing up to be a ‘no’ machine.

No, you can’t have gum right after you brush your teeth.

No, you can’t jump on the couch.

No, you can’t throw big rocks at each other and see who can dodge them the fastest.

Nor did I envision myself growing up to bark orders at a small army of raving lunatics.

Why are your socks on your hands!? Get a move on! You’re gonna be late for school!

Finish your dinner!

Clean your room!

Shoving everything under your bed isn’t cleaning your room!

Don’t ride the dog!

Don’t kung fu your sister!

No!

Stop!

Don’t!

OW!

Sounds amazing, right?

If younger me ever read this post, she’d shake her head. “Nope. Not me. I’ll never say those things.”

Thing is, I don’t think you can make it through parenthood without your internal overseer standing with her hands on her hips shaking her head reproachfully as you say the things you either swore you’d never say or never, ever, EVER dreamed you’d have to say.

The other thing is, for every moment you feel like a raving lunatic spewing spittle encrusted orders from your reddened face, there’s another moment that warms you from the inside out with love or pride or joy or some unnamed combination of all three.

…Lady Chatterbox’s blonde pigtails bouncing behind her as she runs in the backyard, the summer sun casting her shadow long and linear behind her…

…Master Moose going on in great detail about the bridge prototype he’s building out of toothpicks and marshmallows…

…Sir Brown Eyes hugging me tight and telling me he loves me…

There’s silly songs and inside jokes and so many memories of so many moments all wrapped up inside my head, filling my joy bucket until it overflows.

I’m not just a ‘no’ machine, I’m a warm hug when the day is hard. I don’t just field strange questions and redirect traumatizing squirrel conversations, I mold these young creatures into the kind of people I’d like to see fill up the world.

“Be good,” I say as they walk out the door, dwarfed by book bags and lunch boxes and the immensity of what they might someday become. “Work hard. Be kind. Make me proud.”

What they don’t know is that I’m already proud of them. And I love them with a ferocity they won’t understand until they find themselves banging ladles on counters and reprimanding biscuit leaning offenders at the breakfast table.

 

**No ladles were banged on counters prior to or at any time after the writing of this post.**

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An Interview with ML Larson

R. M. Webb: Tell me about yourself.

This is always the hardest question for me for some reason.  Which may say more about me than I intend it to.  I live in Vegan Hipster Mecca, aka Portland, and like many Portlanders, I kind of live to the beat of my own drum.  I collect a massive amount of comics, play too much Minecraft, and am frequently buried in needle and yarn crafts.

R. M. Webb: You say you live in Portland, yet you use the British spelling for words. Were you born overseas? If so, when did you arrive in the States? How was the transition? If not, do you, like me, read a lot of British literature and just naturally go to those spellings?

I’ve been in Portland almost my entire life, except for the first few years of my life, and the six years I spent in Vegas. The spelling is an artefact from when I spent several years writing Sherlock Holmes pastiche, which never got published because I couldn’t figure out the legality of doing so and couldn’t afford any real legal help.  It’s still all on my hard drive though, so maybe one day it’ll see the light of day.

R. M. Webb: I read a lot of British authors when I was young and despite having lived in the States for all my life, find myself going to the British spellings first time and time again. Funny how the mind works! For the record, I fell in love with the BBC’s Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Just sayin’.  Now, onto my next question. Why do you create?

I could go with the usual answer and say it’s for the love of the craft.  Which is true; I love writing, and I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t.  But mostly, I write because the things I want to read aren’t out there.  Or occasionally, it is out there, but it’s not done how I would have liked to see it done.  I write Norse and Viking fiction, and the tendency these days seems to be to infuse that with a modern element.  There are a lot of high schooler heroes in this tiny genre right now, and my interest in high schoolers and what they get up to is in the negative numbers.  I want to read about the gods being assholes to one another, the way gods do, so that’s what I write.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Chocolate or chips?

Chips.  Either the sort that come out of a crinkly plastic bag, or that come out of the fryer/oven.  Occasionally, I’ll get a few bars of Cadbury Dark, and then take several months to eat them.  I’ve always preferred salty or savoury snacks.

R. M. Webb: Is your art your business? Do you make money (or try to!) for the things you create? Do you have a day job?

I do not have a day job, because they’ve only recently started to exist again and I’ve been too long without one to even get a call back on my applications.  I’m lucky enough that my husband has a good job that lets me focus on selling my fiction, which has only recently begun to “work” for me.  He’s been amazingly supportive, and now that we’ve finally started to see some return on investment, it’s become something he’s even trying to actively participate in, as much as one can.

R. M. Webb: What caused you to want to market your art?

Money.  I made some big mistakes with my first book though, but I expect it to finally pay for itself next month.

R. M. Webb: Where/when does inspiration strike?

Everywhere.  I have an iPad I keep with me in bed, and take with me everywhere in case I get an idea at an awkward moment.  The ideas I get when I’m trying to sleep are always the ones I’ll forget by morning, so I tap them out as soon as I have that eureka moment.

R. M. Webb: How do you react to negative feedback?

Mostly, I ignore it.  Unless it’s something that legitimately needs to be fixed or addressed, like a formatting issue or a massive continuity error or something that is actually my fault and not a matter of taste.  I did a lot of writing and posting it online for years, where flames and troll comments were expected.  I got to a point where I just didn’t have the energy to care about someone spending six hours to read something they hated, just so they could leave multiple paragraphs of hate in my comments.

R. M. Webb: What’s your greatest obstacle as an artist?

Keeping my deadlines.  I’m currently focusing on a short story series, and I’ve set a hard deadline for myself of a new release on the 1st of every month.  Ideally, I want to have a pre-release for all of them as well, but that’s not going to happen with the April release.  It’s going to come in just under the deadline.  I can feel it in my bones.

R. M. Webb: Who’s your biggest champion?

I’m not sure.  When I was younger, I probably would have said Stephen King, but that was before I realised he’s only written four stories with the same three characters.  I mean, they’re good stories, but how many writers and dead wives does he need?

I think right now, the answer to this question would be anybody who can keep a deadline.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Red or Blue?

Red.

R. M. Webb: Do you have kids? If not, do you want to have kids?

I don’t have children of my own, but it’s getting to that point in life where my siblings and cousins are all starting to have kids.  And since I am the “least employed” person in my family, I frequently find myself watching after young kids. But while I’m perfectly happy to watch their kids for a few hours a day, I have no intention of having any of my own.

R. M. Webb: If your child showed talent in an artistic endeavor, would you help her pursue a career in that field after having worked in a creative field yourself? Why or why not?

I’ve already told my brother that as soon as his daughter’s old enough to not just stick it in her mouth, I’m going to teach her how to smear paint on things.  He told me I was never watching her again, and then of course phoned the very next day to ask if I was available.  I also like to give big art kits to the older kids for Christmas/birthdays.  Not like, those cheap RoseArt kits with crayons that are like colouring with a candle, but kits I’ve built for them, with quality supplies.

R. M. Webb: How do you structure your day as an artist/entrepreneur/person/parent? How do you get it all done?

It depends on the kids I have.  The older ones can be trusted to watch TV or play with their phones (the fact that ten year olds have phones still blows my mind) while I’m upstairs, and they’re mostly over here just to make sure they get fed without burning the house down.  When it’s the younger ones, I don’t work.  Those days are a total write-off, even during nap time, because my work room is a tiny attic far away from where the babies sleep.

R. M. Webb: Describe yourself as a parent.

I’m the annoying uncle, actually.  The one who sees a toy bow and arrow and decides that would be a perfect gift for a five year old girl.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about raising kids?

That I can give them back at the end of the day!

R. M. Webb: What advice would you give someone dreaming of making it in your field?

I don’t know.  I’m still trying to figure that one out myself.

R. M. Webb: If you could pass one thing on to the next generation in general, what would it be?

Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Even if you’re joking.  I’ve been seeing a lot of young people lately calling themselves “trash,” like it’s meant to be funny.  But the thing about that is at some point, it stops being a joke, and becomes more damaging to your sense of self-worth than just about anything else.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about your life?

My husband.  While everyone else is busy resenting me for making money “having fun,” or convincing themselves that it’s not real money, he’s been supporting me in this since day one.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Eat out or cook at home?

Cook at home.  I’ll order something in from time to time, but I have so many food allergies that eating out becomes a chore.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about your craft?

The deadlines.  And ideas.  Even if I do decide to do a myth retelling, I don’t want to just retell the myth.  Coming up with a way to make it new sometimes feels impossible.  It’s part of what prompted me to get away from taking the literal approach, and treat everything like 1000-year-old rumours.  Every time they get told, something has become changed and exaggerated, when in “reality”, it was just a couple of people hitting one another with sticks.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about your craft?

I love working with the world I’ve created, and taking characters from the myths and turning them into their own, brand new people.  Even though I’m working in the fantasy genre, there are some things even I can’t buy.  Loki didn’t father a snake and a wolf.  But he did father two extremely powerful shapeshifters.

R. M. Webb: What’s the hardest thing about the business side of your craft?

Getting seen.  I’m writing in a tiny niche, within an overall genre that’s completely saturated.  It’s tough, and there are definitely easier genres I could be writing in, but this is where I want to be.  There’s a readership out there, and I see them every day on my Tumblr feed.  The tricky part is just convincing them to give my stories a try.

R. M. Webb: What’s the best thing about the business side of your craft?

I love watching my sales tick up.  It’s just such a sense of accomplishment.  Look, I did this.  I wrote words, and people want to read them so badly, they’re paying money to do so.

R. M. Webb: Do you get more satisfaction from finishing a novel or selling that novel, or do those two things satisfy you equally but in different ways?

The accomplishment from seeing sales and the accomplishment from finishing something are two totally different things for me.  Finishing something is exhausting, and I’m often glad to see the end of it because of how many drafts and revisions everything goes through. But seeing that people like what I write well enough to spend money on it, even if just a few dollars, makes those last few weeks of agony worth it.  And there’s also the element of having heard the word “can’t” so many times that the ten year old inside me just wants to stick my tongue out at everyone and prove that I don’t have to work a part time job I hate to make enough money to pay a few bills.

R. M. Webb: Quick! Your peanut butter’s on your banana. What do you do?

Run away.  The smell of peanut butter makes me vomit.

Want to learn more about ML Larson? Follow these links!

Find ML Larson on Amazon.

Website

Blog

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Have a question for ML Larson? Pop it into the comment box below!

**Standard disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview don’t necessarily reflect the views of R. M. Webb.

 

The post An Interview with ML Larson appeared first on R. M. Webb Fiction.

Feature and Follow

Feature and Follow!

Parajunkee and Alison Can Read are hosting Feature and Follow – an event that connects bloggers to other bloggers. I decided to participate this week as I’m always interested in meeting new people!

I don’t have time for a full on post. The kids are about to be up and moving and demanding I feed them. Just wanted to pop a quick post up so anyone participating in the wee early of the morning has a place to drop their comments. (Currently, I prefer email subscribers – although that might change here soon!)

Happy Friday!

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The river stole the gods – Flash Fiction

The River Stole the Gods
Flash fiction challenge

This post is in response to Chuck Wendig’s flash fiction challenge. Basically, he listed several sentences, suggested we pick one at random, and then write a short story around it – about 1000 words. He does this frequently and I’ve never participated. Today though, one sentence caught my attention and wouldn’t let it go. So no, I didn’t choose my sentence at random. It randomly chose me.

My sentence? The river stole the gods.

Without further ado, the story that wrote itself while I was editing my novel this morning:

Rain fell day after day until the ground could hold no more. Grasses bent into great puddles and the river crept up its banks. People scurried like ants around carrion, lining the surging water with bags of sand, bits of stone, any piece of debris they thought might keep the water at bay. They fell to their knees and, with arms outstretched, begged the sky for pardon.

“Forgive us!” they cried.

And still the rain fell. It pelted their upturned faces as if their words infuriated the sky and the clouds. “You are not forgiven,” said the rain. “You are not worthy of forgiveness.” Within a day, the river ate the barrier the people had built, a great gluttonous devouring of faith and safety.

And still the rain fell. It fell in hard diagonal lines and the people huddled inside their church, weeping near the altar. “Why are you so angry with us?” They sobbed between prayers, their keening voices filling the small building.

Thunder crashed and winds howled. Lightning struck the ground again and again, a tumultuous onslaught of power. Trees bent until they broke and the river carried them away, bobbing and twisting and catching on each other, excited for a change of scenery after a lifetime of stillness. And still the river swelled, each raindrop adding to its girth. It tiptoed out of its bed like a child sneaking out of his room, slinking ever closer to the village.

Everything it touched, it consumed. Bits and pieces of human life gobbled up and carried away, a gift for those downstream. Water stole down the paths normally trafficked by mortal feet and poured through doors into homes, chasing people upstairs and onto roofs as if it were a monster finally freed of the dark. Relentless. Uncaring.

Children plunged into the water’s icy depths and parents lamented. “Not my child! Take me instead! Why have the gods abandoned me?” Wails of grief drowned out by the rain and the wind, the thunder and the ever present roar of water. Payers falling on deaf ears.

And still the rain fell. It cascaded down, day after day and night after night. The river overpowered the village and nothing was sacred enough to withstand its wrath. Water flowed into their churches and swept over their altars. The river stole the gods, carrying their idols down the river, forever lost to the village.

Water filled the buildings from floor to ceiling, the remains of life captured between the walls and floating inside. A doll’s hair streaming outwards as it hung suspended over a child’s bed. A dress billowing out from a closet like some exotic sea creature hunkered in a cave. Fish swam through kitchens and pecked at the flesh of those claimed by the water, invited into the realm of the air-breathers like tourists on vacation, unaware their very presence was sacrilege. “Look, Martha.” Peck, peck. “What a delightful world filled with wonderful things!” Peck, peck. “I wish I could thank its inhabitants. How strange that they aren’t here.” Peck.

Day and night were interchangeable in this new wet existence. People shivered and shook while the sun and the stars and the moon hid behind the black clouds that commandeered the world from those who thought to make it their own. “You are powerless,” said the rain to the man. “I will take all you’ve made,” said the rain the woman.

And still the rain fell.

Many perished, gave up their lives, unwilling to last through the tumultuous downpour, the ever present winds, and the bone-chilling damp. Some plunged themselves into the river, crying out against their gods. Others simply lay down never to get up again.

But there were those whose strength would not be diminished. Could not be diminished. As the water swept by, they fished debris from the river and fashioned shelter atop the very roofs that’d once covered them. And when the water swept away the shelter, they climbed into the treetops and used the leaves and branches as refuge from the rain. They stopped lamenting the rain and began celebrating each day they woke to feel the water upon their face.

“If I can feel the wet, then the wet has yet to claim me,” they said. They raised their voices to the heavens in a resplendent offering of gratitude. They rose to the challenge of cold skin and damp fingers and rain and water and wet with the grace of strength housed deep within the soul.

“I will not bow my head and fling myself into the depths,” said one to the other. “And nor shall you. For when you feel like plunging head long into the water, giving up against the rain, take my hand and I will keep you.” One by one, bit by bit, the people adapted. They grew strong, hand in hand, day by day, unconquered by the river and the rain.

And then one day, as quickly as it started, the rain stopped. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds and the sky exploded, rays of light shooting down upon the water where it burst into sparkling ripples dappled in gold. The people squinted and covered their eyes. A silence as deep as the river stretched out amongst the trees. No more pattering of water against water. No more howling of wind in their ears. They sighed and stretched their arms wide, faces turned upwards collecting the warmth of the sun.

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