Diane Chamberlain's Blog, page 17

Story Weekend: Dance!

I sit all day long when I’m writing, which is not good for the old bod. I used to set my alarm for every thirty minutes and when it buzzed, I’d get up and walk around the house before returning to my chair and the computer screen. When the new Springsteen Wrecking Ball album came out, I changed the walking to dancing. Yes, I pick one of the songs from the CD and dance around my office before getting back to work. It’s much more fun and energizing than walking into my living room and back,  and the  dogs love it, too. So that’s my dancing story for today. I look forward to hearing yours.

If  you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:

▪   The story must be true

▪   Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.

Have fun!

Entering the Crazy Time

I’m in the final three-month stretch to my deadline, which means little sleep and an excuse to eat badly. I was one of those people who loved cramming for exams. So exciting! What makes it even crazier and more fun is having a new book, The Good Father, out at the same time. So I’m doing book signings and interviews and guest blog posts while I’m writing like mad and eating Milano cookies. (Have they taken the orange Milanos off the market? Can’t find them!)

We’re at the beach right now, where I love to write. So peaceful! In looking for an image for this post, I thought I’d share a beach related photo. This is a new one of John’s, taken of shells we found on “our” beach. I love this picture and think it’s going to be the next one to hang above our mantel.

Next week I’ll be on retreat with my writing buds and I know that, with Mary Kay Andrews there to crack the whip, I’ll get tons accomplished and many M&M peanuts ingested.

How about you? Are you ever on deadlines these days? How do you cope?

Story Weekend: Bridges

Driving onto Topsail Island yesterday, I was stuck in traffic because the old swing bridge was open to let boats pass through on the intracoastal waterway. It’s the one place I don’t mind being stuck. Sitting there, I could already feel my body shifting to island time, even though I was accompanied by my computer, my manuscript and hours and hours of work ahead of me. I never mind sitting in my car, watching that old bridge lazily swing open and the boats slowly sailing beneath. It reminds me of the bridge from my childhood in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, the one I wrote about in The Bay at Midnight. It reminds me to slow down. (The video is one John made of the swing bridge in the evening light).

Tell us about the bridges in your life. They can be literal or metaphorical. Whatever you like.

If  you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:

▪   The story must be true

▪   Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.

▪   Avoid offensive language.

Have fun!

 

Some Pictures from the Launch at Quail Ridge Books

Thanks to everyone who joined me last night at Quail Ridge Books! It was so much fun for me. Here are some of the pictures John took.

I’m in love with the cake!

 

 

 

The three women in the shot below are my neighbors, Amy, Kathy W. and Kathy C. (Kathy W. is also my new research assistant and she is amazing!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are Terri and Debra, two of my Facebook friends who’ve become real-life friends. They traveled from Charlotte to be there and I was so touched by that!

Last but definitely not least, that’s me with QRB owner Nancy Olson and QRB Jack of all trades, Tim. I owe so much to Nancy. She took me under her wing when I first moved to Raleigh and helped me become part of the most amazing and supportive writing community you could imagine.

 

 

Next stop is Wilmington at 6:30 Monday night, May 7th at the Mayfaire Barnes and Noble. I hope to see some of you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yikes, it’s Tuesday. . .

. . . and I still have Story Weekend up on the blog!

Bear with me. This is a busy week.

Wednesday is my book launch at Quail Ridge Books, so if you’re in the Raleigh area, please  join me to celebrate The Good Father‘s publication. I’ll be speaking and we’ll all eat cake and have a good time!

Meanwhile, what is this in the picture? It’s something that appears in The Good Father. Anybody know?

 

 

Story Weekend: Insomnia

The theme for this Story Weekend is driven by the fact that it’s 3:13 am and I am still awake. I can’t seem to turn off my mind. I’m thinking about my work in progress, a sick friend, how badly the house needs vacuuming, the video John and I are making tomorrow, etcetera etcetera. So I decided I might as well get up and do something productive, and since vacuuming has no appeal whatsoever, here I am.

What’s your sleep story?

If  you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:

▪   The story must be true

▪   Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.

▪   Avoid offensive language.

Pleasant dreams!

Publication Day: The Good Father is Here!

My favorite day of the year! After twelve months of plotting, writing, rewriting, and rewriting again, here it is: The Good Father! Usually I feel some anxiety along with excitement as I  wonder how my readers will respond to my new story, but the early reviews have been so enthusiastic that all I feel today is happy.

In The Good Father, a young single dad, Travis, loses his home and his job and takes desperate measures to provide for his four-year-old daughter, Bella. But it’s not only Travis and Bella’s story. Bella’s mother, Robin, is about to marry into a high profile family when her past suddenly catches up with her. And Erin, a young woman grieving the loss of her own child, is thrown into turmoil when Travis abruptly leaves Bella in her care. The Good Father is the story of these three lost souls and the little girl who brings them home.

I think The Good Father will make a great read for book clubs, and I’ll be happy to call your club by speakerphone if your schedule matches up with mine. There are discussion questions in the back of the book along with an interview with me. You can also find those questions and interview—plus an excerpt from the book—on my website right here.

I hope you’ll love this story and I can’t wait to hear what you think. (UK and AU readers, The Good Father is available for you now as an ebook, but unfortunately you’ll have one more month to wait for the print edition.)

I have two copies of The Good Father to give away and I’ll choose the winners randomly from everyone who leaves a comment to this post by Wednesday evening, 10pm EST. Open to everyone worldwide. Good luck!

Story Weekend: Jewelry

I don’t come from a big jewelry family. I own one diamond, and it’s in my mother’s engagement ring, which I treasure and wear on my right hand. Other than that, my jewelry is the fun variety—mostly cool earrings that I usually forget to wear. I come by this “whatever” attitude about jewelry honestly. My mother went through a phase of making necklaces and earrings by wrapping colored contact paper around paperclips and stringing them together. (Yes, this is the same mother who planted plastic flowers in our garden. She was one of a kind).

I bet all of you have jewelry stories, though, and I hope you’ll share them here.

If  you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:

▪   The story must be true

▪   Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.

▪   Avoid offensive language.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Who Wants Dinner?

Making Keeper dance for his supper. (Sorry I haven’t figured out how to properly hold my iPhone video camera yet!)

Let’s Have Some Gratitude

Today was one of those days where lots of little things went wrong. We’re at my beach condo where I’ve had to replace a bunch of appliances recently, including several parts of my air conditioning system. Today I learned the entire system needs replacing. In addition, my Rheumatoid Arthritis is flaring a bit and my hands and feet ache. Plus someone I hired to help get the word out about my soon-to-be released novel, The Good Father, just sent out a newsletter to a zillion people calling it “The Good Dad”. I mean, really??

Besides putting out fires all day, I’ve been trying to write and wasn’t quite able to make my word count. Late this afternoon, I finally decided to do a little yoga to de-stress and while I was  stretching, these two words came to me: Thank You. They’re the words I use as my mantra when I meditate and they put everything into perspective, don’t they? There’s always something to be grateful for. For Pete’s sake, I have a condo on the beach! I have a career doing what I love. I have a new book coming out. I live in a time when there’s treatment for RA. I’ve got a guy who puts up with me, warts and all.

So, after you read this, I hope you’ll close your eyes and let the stresses of today go as you say those two little words to yourself: thank you.

What is it you’re thankful for today?