CURRENT PROJECT - #amwriting

Writing is pretty much all I can accomplish these days, though even long periods at the keyboard are a struggle at the moment.

This was supposed to be last week's post but I've been down with my back for over a week. Before that I managed to drop a battery operated chain saw on my right foot plus torqued my back taking out the trash. That was the beginning of this more than a week-long aggravation.

While the swelling has subsided in my foot and most of the lovely purple tones are gone, the back is still being a pain - literally.  So bear with me, please as being at the desk isn't the most comfortable right now.

At the moment, I'm working to get back into my story. I'm making notes as things come to me and I've been taking the free webinars on Scrivener. Every time I watch one of Joseph's webinars I learn something different - like watching a movie over and over and noticing something you may have missed the first five times you saw the same movie. 

This week, as time allows, I want to move all of my research links into the Scrivener file.
If you don't know, the program allows you to save links under research and open them up RIGHT IN THE PROGRAM... not as a separate browser window.  The feature will also help me to better organize the links as opposed to the way I have them now - all in one multi-page word doc.

Moving the links is going to be quite a task but something I can work on little by little between naps, thanks to the pain meds I'm on until this nerve finally decides to lighten up and let me get back to my regular routine.

If you don't have Scrivener, I recommend at least taking Joseph's webinars to get a feel for the program to see if it's something you'd like. L&L often offers the program up at a discount for those who finish NanoWrimo as well as a 30-day Free Trial, so you're able to play with it during Nano before making a committed purchase.

If you'd like to join Joseph's email list so you'll know when new webinars are coming up, shoot him an email - joseph@scrivenercoach.com

More to get done today if I'm to spend TWO DEDICATED HOURS each evening to working on my book. I'm anxious to see this one in print, as well as three & four, which I already have outlined.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Have you used Scrivener? Please share your feedback about the program.

~Angela

CURRENT PROJECT - delayed

Yeah, that seems to be the norm for Book 2.

I'm also still dealing with the identity theft, which as apparently the Unemployment Office in four states. If you've worked in Colorado, Illinois, Arkansas or Kentucky, you may want to keep a close eye on your credit and look into freezing your credit for the time being. Why can't people use their talents for good. I swear, all of our problems would be solved and World Peace would truly be possible.

Now, it's not about struggling with the book (okay, maybe a little) but it's more about getting my office to a state where I actually want to work in there.

My living room STILL looks like a Uhaul unloaded in there but I'm taking things little by little.

Sadly, little by little is coming to an end. I have a deadline I HAVE TO MEET! I Promised!

With that in mind, there probably won't be a lot of posts this week - at least not on a routine, but please check back. You never know.

Bob will be home on June 10th. I'd like to be done on June 9th so I can just tidy up and have a meal ready when he walks in the door after that long eight-hour drive from Chicago to here.

The other thing is I've not pressed about this book because with this whole Shelter In Place thing, I can't get with my book editor to help me with the formatting. She is teaching me how to do this so we don't always have to get together - though I'd still take her out for Sushi when I'm in town just cause she's my friend.

JANO 2016

That's me on the far right(second row) On my right is Tiereny James then My book editor, Sharon Holmes with PaperBack press (Just over Tierney's right shoulder)

I could have finished the book, sent it to Skizz to format and paid it for the process but that wouldn't teach me anything.

So.. with all that,  the room will be done and I'm back to writing two weeks from today. I won't write the first weekend Bob is home, nor the last weekend before he goes back. Everything in between is up for grabs for me to schedule things as I need to.

I can't wait to hide on my sofa in the office and get back to my characters. I know once I do, their story will  pour out of me. That's usually how I write.

Are you a writer? If so, feel free to share your process below and inspire others.
If you're a reader, let us know what you are reading during this Shelter In Place time.

Blessings
~Angela

BACK TO BUSINESS

Well, sort of.

The office still isn't done. While the cleaning part got done, one project towards moving back in took much longer than I'd planned.  For one, I've had two rolls of beautiful fabric since before the studio was built. I found the fabric at Tuesday Mornings and knew the soft chocolate brown would be perfect for a sofa cover. The rolls stood in the corner all this time. Bob asked one morning what I was going to do with the fabric.

So out came the fabric and the sewing machine. I had a clear workspace of the sofa and a clean carpet to work on. The timing was perfect. I didn't realize I would spend an entire day measuring, sewing the sofa cover AND the valances for the five windows. The curtain rods had stood at the end of the sofa, still in their walmart bag, for at least two years.

I now have a sofa cover and valances. Then Bob came home. The following day his best friend from grade school arrived and my time became about cooking meals, keeping dishes washed up and getting Bob's laundry done in prep for his next trip out - which is tomorrow.

Then on Monday afternoon - when I thought I could get back in the office..

courtesy of Pixabay

Not one but two HUGE storm waves moved through. Hail and wind like I've never seen. The Wall of Wind took out over 150 power poles in our area, including the main one going to our house. We were without power for 52 hours (for those of you not doing math, we didn't get power back until early Wednesday evening) While they did not classify the storm as a tornado, they did refer to the damage as being caused by a wall of wind.

I was raised to 'survive the storm' (to coin a phrase from our local weather channel) I had a supply of both drinking water and water for cooking/ flushing/ washing up. We have a gas stove so eating real food was still an option.

That also meant extra work and no lights to clean by in the studio. By the time we had power back, I just wanted to do nothing whenever possible.

Kevin left on Friday and I've spent all of the past full week doing things with Bob before he goes back out.  We didn't realize until the house was quiet how much we really enjoy our 'just the two of us' time out here in the middle of no where.

FYI, I'm finally able to sit and write blog posts today - Thursday 5/14/20. I am back to work and hope to get regular posts flowing again.

I have conference news coming on Wednesday. 

For those of you waiting, Book 2 will be slightly delayed in release. Between all that's been going on here and not being able to get with the lovely lady who is teaching me book formatting, this one could not be helped. I will say, if this is the only hiccup I have due to this stupid lack of normality in our life then I can live with this.

~Angela

CURRENT PROJECT - Timeline & Playlist

from popsugar.com

There are days when I feel like I'm barely treading water. I have all kinds of stuff in my head but when I sit down to type, nothing makes sense.

Then there's the AhHa moment... that blink when you realize why things aren't working.

I had two of those over the weekend.

1 - I've always written to a playlist that fit the story. I hadn't put one together for this book. There was no emotion behind anything I typed. My characters were flat, lifeless things with stories they weren't sharing.

In acting, (as I understand this) you are taught to connect with something in your past to build the emotion you are trying to portray.

Well, let's see. I've lost people in my life but I don't get emotional that way. I always see it as part of the circle of life. I grieve then I move on.
I love to bake but have never owned a bakery.
I've known two very special military people in my life. Neither of them died in battle. In fact, one still lives and serves 36 years after we first met. 

Where would I pull those emotions from?

I spent yesterday, Easter, putting together my playlist on YouTube. Then I watched several soldier homecoming videos and spent the next hour in tears. If you need a good cry and the tears won't come, watch some of those. The ones where service men/ women surprise their families during special occasions like weddings, graduations, or something as simple as Valentine's Day.

Here's a link to my playlist for An Ozarks Soldiers' Homecoming.

#amwriting

I'll leave you with some Reunion stories via a YouTube compilation:

CURRENT PROJECT & Barbie Day

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Today is National Barbie Day. 

How many of you ladies reading this played with Barbie dolls? How many of you wanted to be Barbie - or at the very least look like her? Be pretty? Be popular? Have cool friends?

I know I did. I am happy to see Mattel stepping up their game over the past few years and bringing Barbie into the 21st cenutry. 

So tell me, share your favorite Barbie memory.

My current project is slow going. I've been really focused on trying to find the studio. Then last night I managed to flood the basement. Adding that to my schedule today, writing time tonight may be only a thought in passing. 

I'm still finding out things about my heroine. During a writing session over the weekend she experienced a devastating blow. .. the dark moment in the story. I just need the part leading up to that so I can bring you along for the battle. 

I'm currently reading The Little Teashop On Main by  Jodi Thomas. Great read!

Jodi will be kicking off our Writer's Nest series on March 27th. I hope you'll come back and say hello for that!

Happy Reading!

CURRENT PROJECT - Returning Characters

The thing about writing a series is you often have characters that at least make an appearance in subsequent books.

Stephanie Douglas Keane was the heroine in An Ozarks Christmas. She and her business, Planned to Perfection, play key rolls in each of the three remaining books in the series. While we won't see much of her dashing musical husband (Brendan) her oldest daughter, Kimberly, is a solid character. 

Photo Courtesy of PixaBay

In An Ozark Soldier's Homecoming, Kim is fourteen. That makes her old enough to work as a bus person at Myrtie May's. She also has an interest in baking, helping Katie in the kitchen on occasion. Could we see her in Katie's bakery in a future book as a full employee? Maybe. We'll see how she does.

I've also been researching death benefits to see what Miss Edna would have received when the Army declared him deceased. The amount wasn't much. From what I've read, she would have received a one-time death benefit of around $700 and roughly $18.80 per month from social security. Using the Inflation Calculator, that comes out to about $192.68 today.  Not a lot for someone to live on, let alone raise a child. You'll learn more about Miss Edna and how she managed her finances over the years...

... just as soon as I finish the book ;-)

Do you know what your parents would have made in 1950? How does that compare to today and could you raise your family on that amount?  I'd love to hear.

Happy Reading!

CURRENT PROJECT - Decision

I hate decisions. Who doesn't. Going through the process of making them can have serious repercussions. Then there's the whole final decision that can still leave you with questions.

As you know, I've been fighting with trying to get to know my characters. I can SEE them in my mind, but they just were not telling me anything about themselves... until about a week ago. Since then, I've been piecing their history together and I'll be sharing their backgrounds in future posts.

For instance, did you know that Italians are typically blonde and blue-eyed. NOT the dark hair'd folks portrayed in television?  The coloring comes from immigration of Central European descent. Why is that important?

I KNEW my heroine, Katie, had blonde hair and blue eyes. That she always wears her hair in a high pony tail (think Sandy from Grease). From that, I had to look at the immigration of ethnicity into the NW Arkansas area in the late 1800's- early 1900's. Mostly Central European.

See, even when writing contemporary fiction, we have to know WHERE our characters came from. Even if we don't tell the reader everything, knowing their background is important in knowing their strengths, weaknesses, basic characteristics as well as things from their heritage that might influence their inner conflicts.

Through research and a long chat with my friend (author) Tara Manderino, I got a handle on Katie. I found out why she has this sense of people walking out on her. I'll explain more of that to you tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a clip from Dharma and Greg. Dharma's dad is a good portrayal physically of Katie's dad.

CURRENT PROJECT - Update

As readers we think (or at least I've heard) that writing a book is easy. For those authors who are pumping out 4-6 books a year I just can't imagine. Do they not do anything but write? No other interests?

I have to be honest with you, dear readers. I am really struggling with Book 2. I have always had some experience, feeling, something to draw from and to add a dimension to my stories. With Book 2, I am starting with a clean slate. The closest I have to experience with this book is 1) my passion for all things Eureka Springs and 2) my desire to in some way, pay my respects to Corporal Donald Matney, the Korean War Veteran who inspired the secondary story line.

For those of you who are authors, you'll understand what I'm about to say next. The Hero, Marc, informed me last night that his last name can NOT be the same as the Veteran, because his mother (the daughter of the late Cpl. Sterling) married. Marc's name would be that of his parents... not his mother's maiden name.

So here I sit... twenty-two days from my self-imposed deadline to have the rough draft finished and I'm needing to fix this. I'm just glad Marc caught it and not one of you after the fact.

My strongest desires for Book 2 are to do justice to Cpl, Matney and his family and to put out the very best book I can.

I'm looking ahead now at two potential new release dates. Either around Memorial Day (buying me 2 extra weeks) or around the time that Cpl. Matney would have shipped out,being mid-June

To add to the timeline, we will have our granddaughters the last full week of March while they're on spring break then again from the end of May to mid-August for the summer. Their mom works from home and is pretty sure she won't be able to work with them home, so grandma gets to multi-task. Granted, my job does not have the stress level or the importance of hers. Besides, after missing out so much of their growing up in the past five years, I wouldn't miss this time with them for anything.

Summer will be a bit easier as Bob will be home for part of their visit, giving me a break to hide in the evenings and write. However, the way his schedule is in motion right now, he's probably going to be going back out about the time I drive down to pick them up

In the mean time, I'm still trying to line up guests. There doesn't seem to be a lot of releasing but tons of writing.

So tell me, are you are writer? a reader? both?

CURRENT PROJECT - Another Option?

One thing I've learned from author Velda Brotherton is to not put all of my eggs in one basket. Velda is published with Oghma Creative, Wild Rose Press, Indie published and was once published with big traditional publishers early in her career.

While I'm still wanting to publish some of my books as an Indie publisher, having different streams of income isn't a bad thing. I figure the Indie is a good place to kick in the cash flow while I work at other areas for some things. Like my western with Tiffany Schoefield (someday).

One of my strongest support systems is a group of gals I've been sprinting with for almost twelve years. J.D. Faver, Pam Labud and Tara Manderino are three with books to their names. While J.D. has been Indie-published for some time, she also holds a multi-book contract with Sourcebooks, with her first one releasing in September.  J.D. aka June is one of the most supportive people. She has her fingers on the pulse of what's going on and is always happy to share her finds with the rest of us.

Last week she pointed us to a Call for Submissions from Harlequin DARE. They are looking for New Authors and taking submissions through April 20th. We'll hear back by May 4th. That's quite a turn around time and a high-jump over the slush pile.

My challenge is that while I might have something in the tickler file, I'm not sure I can write that depth of 'naughty' I have story lines in my head, but I can't seem to put it on paper. I'm not a prude but I've never been able to talk dirty. Just let me enjoy the experience.  But with a chance like this, I have to at least see if I have something to submit. I've downloaded one of their books but have battled a sinus headache and then music stuff. Hopefully, this afternoon I can curl up with the book to see what they are looking for. From there I'll determine if my file drawer holds any possibilities.

The good thing is that on short notice, they only want a clean first chapter and a synopsis. Easy to pull off if I buckle down.

Oh, and Bob may be home on Wednesday. LOL Going to be a fun week!

As to A Christmas To Remember...  I finally made it through the first rough revision in Chapter 1. I started working on the keyboard again rather than writing longhanded and things seems to be moving at a more focused pace.

How did we write and revise before electronics?

Choose your path and write from your heart!
~Angela

CURRENT PROJECT - A Slow Week

I'm afraid I did very little on the revisions last week. I spent the first part of the week doing some deep cleaning - both in the laundry room and in my office. The laundry room got the deep clean because that was its week in my Fly Lady and the space really needed a clean out.

The office was for good reason. I was determined to find my sofa so that I could sit there and write in the evening. Not the prettiest thing but it's comfortable. I did get a couple hours in on Tuesday and Wednesday. I also discovered this isn't going to work writing by hand. Maybe as a first draft, but not with revisions. So the clearing of the sofa for the purpose of writing was for naught LOL

Tuesday afternoon, I realized Bear, my Great Pyreneese/ Chow mix wasn't feeling well. He had good and bad days all week. Friday I thought sure I was losing him so asked the vet to stop out Saturday morning. Guess who ate and was wagging his tail by the time Doc Mike showed up? Yep, that would be Bear.

He still isn't himself but he's almost 14 years old. Doc said he seems happy and that I should let him be happy as long as he has left. So every day I spoil him with wet food, warm milk and lots of lovin'.  While I was worrying about him, I just could not get my mind on the revisions. Nothing mattered except keeping my baby comfortable.

I hope to be back to working on the revisions again tonight with the new plan in place. I'll let you know my progress on Friday.

In the mean time, I'm shining the Spotlight on author Kryssie Fortune. Stop by and say hello, won't you?

Creative Blessings
~Angela

CURRENT PROJECT - Camp Nano!

While the kiddos have to wait until mid-June for Camp, writers get an early start on the season. Camp Nano is an extension of the infamous National Novel Writing Month  aka NanoWrimo.

Camp Nano runs in April and in August, giving us the opportunity to finish up partial projects so we can start NanoWriMo in November with a shiny new project.

I joined Camp several years ago.. around 2011, but didn't enter a project until 2013, join a cabin until 2015, maybe (when I supposedly was going to work on the same project as this year ... hmmm.) In 2016 and 2017 I'd planned to work on contest entries.. but never made it back to my cabin after my first hike. I must have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

Getting lost is not my plan for this camp season. I started a cabin and have five incredibly talented sprinter buddies to keep me in check. I'm hoping if I plan 'fun' virtual things to bring to the cabin each week, at least that will keep me checking in.

GOAL
To complete about 85 percent of what I need of revisions to A Christmas To Remember.

While the meter bar on the sidebar looks full of progress, that is where the current manuscript sits in 'completion' before I begin the revisions. I'm figuring I need about 15,000 words in the revision process.

Personal Camp Location:
Sofa in my office. I can shut the animals out, turn on my pretty strobe light and music to write by.
I have a husband pillow as well as a softer pillow, depending on my back at the time, an ottoman for my feet and a couple of different weight throws - since Mother Nature can not decide what type of weather we need from day to day.

Camp Supplies:
leatherette legal pad folder
pencil pouch of multiple of all the same type of Pilot pens
notebook paper
cash and punch cards for when I go to the coffee shop
at least 2 chapters of the print out with my editing notes.

Are you at CampNano this month? If so, post your camp name and I'll pay you a visit. If not, why not? Come join the FUN!

I'm off to bake cookies for my campers!
Happy Writing!
Angela

THE WEEK AHEAD - And a Found Item

While working hard over the weekend to the studio in order, I found my missing flash drive!  I am so thankful.

I've heard over the years that often times if we have to rewrite something, the new version is usually better than the first. I did not find that the case with this JANO story.

While I did not like the direction HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW? was going in NaNo, there were a couple of scenes that I absolutely loved. No matter how hard I tried - and that might have been the culprit - those two scenes just did not turn out as well in the second pass. I am looking forward to diving back into the story and meshing those bits and pieces together.

We held the JANO Party on February 5th. There were sixteen of us in attendance for a wonderful meal, good conversation and fabulous prizes.

Here's a picture of the basket I contributed to the raffle table:

CELEBRATION!

The finished basket also had a Merlot colored belly band around the box and the neck of the bottle. There is a romantic suspense book tucked in the back, the bottle of Merlot, two wine glasses filled with Hershey Kisses, the bar of dark chocolate and two party horns.

My title, HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW? tied for First Place in the Best Title category. I was proud to share the award with my friend Tiereny James. 

Here's a shot of our fabulous group. Thanks to VJ Schultz's husband John as our SI official photographer and his patience.

I wound up finishing JANO2016 with 29,284. There is still a lot to be written. One of the things I'm delving into with this book is how things are handled when a soldier's remains are brought home. I found a book a couple of weeks ago by Meredtih Leyva.  Married to the Military - A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends and Women in Uniform. 

Even if what I need immediately is not in there, she is the founder of CinCHouse - the internet's largest community for military wives and women in uniform (This has now fallen under SpouseBuzz.com - part of Military.com)

I have also put feelers out on Twitter and FB looking for anyone who has knowledge of the protocol or of Ft. Campbell KY. If you have any information, I'd love to hear from you. 

I probably will not be writing much fiction in the next couple of weeks. I have two freelance projects due before March 1 and Bob comes home on Wednesday. We have some changes coming to our household, which requires multiple errands so I will be dividing my time between that and the day job.

However, I am getting things back on schedule with my blogs and will be adding posts on a more regular basis.

Happy Reading!

Angela

CURRENT PROJECT - The Case of the Missing Flash Drive

Today is January 26th. Bob left about 11 a.m. for his 21 days. I've not written more than about 8k on my JANO project. My last opportunity to add words was last Thursday while Bob was at a lodge meeting.

And that is the last time I've seen the flash drive.

We have hunted the three main areas of the house the office stuff has been shifted to over the weekend... without any luck. I know the FD is in this house. I've not written away from home so that little piece with tons of info is here somewhere.

But I'm not going to stress.

I could waste the last six days of JANO2016 trying to find it and not getting any writing done. I don't see the point.

Instead, I am focusing on writing as much of that 50,000 words over the next 6 days. That's only about 8400 words per day.

Bob is gone, I have my own schedule and sleep is over-rated.


At the end of the week I will have earned the title of my book..

How Do You Like Me Now?

CURRENT PROJECT UPDATE - NanoWrimo

Week 1 is done and I am far short of where I wanted to be. The crazy thing is I can not seem to get a handle on this story. I know what the internal issues are for both of my characters but something just hasn't gelled yet. I know I'll get there. I usually do. And when the story clicks, the words pour.  

Normally I am a :

While I do not plan everything down to the minute detail I do have an idea of what is going to happen when in each chapter. My problem, is I've not taken time to do that this year. I'm afraid if I do take the time to plan, I will lose valuable writing time. 

So for now, I am a:

This form of writing drives me insane and is probably why I'm struggling with my word count so far.

There is one badge NanoWrimo does not provide... the Quilter:

While I am a planner, I do not usually write in chronological order. I write scenes as they grab me then piece everything together in the end.

How do you write? Planner? Pantser? A little bit of both? Or do you have your own style? What works for you?

Creative Blessings!

Angela

CURRENT PROJECT UPDATE! - Slow Progress

Though I'm not sure my progress is necessarily at a turtle's pace (though they can run pretty fast when the need arises. I've watched one run across my back yard after getting tapped with the lawn mower blade. Ouch!)

For those who think writing a book is easy, you are correct. Writing the story is easy. The real work begins when you switch to polishing mode. Correcting grammar and punctuation, staying in the proper Point of View, internalization, deep Point of View, etc. When you can resolve all of those issues in your manuscript, you've earned your paycheck.

I thought all of these things had been done years ago in Ozakr Angel.. now renamed A Christmas To Remember. The story went through a professional editor (yes, she is a professional. She edits for a big name in Inspirational Fiction), received favorable comments from two Sil. Special Edition editors and even got 'The Call' (though after unable to connect with the editor, I wound up with a form rejection letter six months later. Probably for the best). With all these positives, the story still does not score well in competitions where editors and agents are the final judges. Hmmm

Then I heard something from writer friend Jen Nipps last week. She said a friend of hers believes that if the story doesn't score well in competition then it is pretty much publishable. Interesting. As a judge I try to be honest. If  I see issues I leave comments as well as where they can go to learn how to fix the problem. I also praise the things they have done correctly and there have been several over the years when I tell them to let me know when the book is released. Their submission is that good!

So where does that leave me with 'Christmas'? Well, as I tried to prep Chapter 1 for competition I saw a lot of issues that were never caught in the beginning. So now my quandry is, do I play to the competition or go with what has been doing well the way the manuscript is and send it back out. My internal judge (Not the internal editor - but the person who would judge this for competition) tells me I have work to do. So Camp Nano has been put aside and in between work and a journaling class, I'm trying to see the clearing for the forest.

CURRENT PROJECT UPDATE!

I thought I'd get into the Christmas spirit a bit. With Hallmark Channel running their holiday romances and me working on edits for A Christmas To Remember, this picture just seemed appropriate.

I did not accomplish as much as I'd hoped in June. I had an unexpected death in my writing family the weekend the first round of family was to arrive so things got  off to a hectic start. I did make edit notations and hope to implement those today - once I find where the manuscript got put as the revolving door of family began. 

The Ozarks Romance Authors writing competition - The Weta Nichols deadline is July 15th. Yeah.. not that far off. My beta reader is scheduled for a brief hospital visit on Wednesday so time is not really on my side at this moment but I'm pushing forward. I'm excited about the conference and competition this year because of who our two final round judges - Lousie Fury (Historical and YA? Middle Grade) from The Bent Agency and Candace Havens (Contemporary/ Paranormal/ Sci-Fi representing Entangled Publishing. 

Louise has been a supporter of ORA for several years. We are blessed to have her. I have been in Candace's YahooGroup for the past nine years. She and I have a lot of writing in common. We both write romance AND are entertainment writers. Though I have to tell you, while people think I am the energizer bunny, Candace is the super bunny. The woman never stops. She is my idol. 

So now that my desk is in its 'forever home' and the workspace is coming together, I hope to get back on a regular schedule. The cats already know that this is my new office and usually beat me to the door in the mornings. 

After all the company had left, Bob and I took three days in Branson. Bob knew up front this was part work and part pleasure (I really don't do a 'vacation' any other way LOL). While we took in shows and did some sightseeing, I was making notes and taking pictures for visual research for the Branson Series. I fell in love with Branson Landing. I'd never been before and now have an idea for Book 3. 

If you are in Branson, check out The Revolutionists. These guys are pretty amazing illusionists. Each of the five have their own area of expertise and they use audience participation. 

Off to start my week!

CURRENT PROJECT UPDATE!

Yesterday kicked off Book In A Month with The Writer's Zone... an on-line writing group I've overseen for at least fifteen years. While members have come and gone, our core has always been the same... WRITE! Whether we write for fifteen minutes a day or participate in an all-day sprint marathon, we dedicate time every month to just getting the story down. Some months are better than others as progress goes an whether or not we FOCUS on the project at hand is the key ingredient.

In January, when I kicked off the first one of 2015 both as a Zone leader and a member of the JANO group (led by Sleuth's Ink writing group from Springfield MO), I had a rocky beginning. But once I dove into Book 1 in the Branson series... and wrote every day... I found the story flowing. As is usual the case when I get into a project, I fell in love with my characters.

How Do You Like Me Now (Book 1) introduced me to Jennifer and Blake. Tragedy separated them at a young age and their story begins with a reuniting and a second chance to find happiness together. While I loved Jennifer and Blake, I was drawn to the secondary characters (which is usually my pitfall). Kim is a widow with two pre-teen girls. Her husband is a casualty of the Afghanistan war. All she's had time for in the year since his death is doing what he would have wanted her to do... carry on. When she meets country music heart-throb Trevor, she begins to take that step... steps toward her own second chance at happiness. 

While I don't have a title for Book 2 yet, I'm sure a song will pop into my head as I write.

I am also going to be working on edits from my first manuscript, A Christmas To Remember. I really want to see this book published - whether Indie or through traditional channels. I've believed in this story from day one and I feel after many close calls, the time has come for this book to shine. The first step is to polish the mechanics a bit more (I've learned a lot since the story's first rounds with editors) and hopefully pitch to an editor or agent during the Ozarks Romance Authors conference in September.

Mix in trying to strip furniture for the new office space, tidy the house in time for family guests next week and I have plenty to keep me busy this week. 

What are you working on?

CURRENT PROJECT - Branson Series Book 2

I'm going to pretend I haven't been here in what seems forever. Aside from scheduling the spotlight authors, life has been really crazy here. My last real post was back in January when I introduced you to the plans for my brand new studio - Creative Dreams. My husband worked his day job as a river boat Captain most of January so no progress on the studio. On February 13 he had carpal tunnel sugery on his predominate hand (right). For two and a half months he could not do much of anything. I crammed my day job into as few daylight hours as possible then spent my fiction writing time with him. Bottom line, my husband is more important to me than publishing books. I don't want to look back wishing 'if only'. Life is too short. 

The music business exploded for me and I'm struggling to keep up. But in January I did write the first in a trilogy during JANO, sponsored by my local Sleuth's Ink writer's group. I am pleased with the story, though like any first draft the story needs a lot of help. And like any first book in a series, I am anxious to breathe life into the next couple I introduced in Book 1. Kim is a military widow with two adorable little girls and Trevor is an Iraq vet turned country singer. When Trevor takes a spot on a USO tour, Kis is petrified she will become a widow again, before they are even man and wife. I promise there will be at least one kleenex moment in this book. I know, becuase I wrote the scene in book one then realized the impact would be greater in book 2. 

So while I have not been here much, my mind is always whirling with stories I want to share. 

I leave on Saturday for a 18 day trip through Texas. I will be spending the first week of my trip in the Hill Country networking with music artists and doing research for my western historical that kind of stalled out. The second week I will be at the Romantic Times Convention in Dallas. If you are attending, please look me up! I've scheduled to be in the FAN-tastic Party during the second half of the evening and I have SWAG! 

So here's a question begging for your input .... 'What is the best SWAG  you ever received? Tell me. I'll draw one name for a special prize pack.

Make sure to stop by tomorrow when my favorite Vamp author, Danielle Gianni Corrick will be here and she's giving away the complete Diary Trilogy to one lucky fan! Don't miss it. 

Happy Reading!

Angela!

CURRENT PROJECT - October 13- 19

Although this is a morgue file pic, you could just as easily be looking at my morning routine. However, today my desk location is the oversized lapboard with the built in mouse pad. I'm comfy on the couch with my feet up on the hassock and toes tucked into the fleece Pooh Bear blankie for warmth. But the laptop and the coffee mug are a matched set. Especially when I am behind on work as I am today. I doubt I'll catch up until hubby has gone back to work a week from today. I have two routines - one for when Bob is home and one for the twenty-one days he is gone.

Aside from him being home the past two weeks, I have been gone both of those weekends. The first for a ORA writer's meeting in Springfield then the OCW conference last weekend. This weekend Bob and I will scoot away for a couple days to celebrate our birthdays. He was gone for mine in September and will be gone for his next week.

After Bob leaves on Tuesday morning, my life will become 10-hr work days subsidized by 2-hr fiction shifts. At least until Nov. 1st. Then I strive to do a 6 and 6 shift on Fridays and full Nano days on the weekend.

While I had hoped for 1K per day, I fell horribly short. Between the travel schedule and a story that refused to move forward like a stubborn mule I just could not get a handle on four pages a day. There is hope for a fresh start on Nov. 1.

Are you Nanoing? Don't have any clue what I'm talking about? Check out NanoWriMo for a full 30 days of abandonment. A community where you are given license to spew a story that may or may not make sense. The point is to get the story out of your head and into a format that can be edited into a publishable story - like Somewhere Down the Line. Or L.A. Cinderella by Amanda Berry.

How is your week shaping up?

CURRENT PROJECT UPDATE - October 6 - 13

1,000

WORDS PER DAY

_________

4 

PAGES PER DAY

While in the grand scheme of things 4 pages per day does not seem like a lot, apparently they are for me. This is Day 6. By the time I take up the keystrokes towards Jayson's Range tonight I should have written 5,000 words aka 16 pages on the novel. 

I have written 

400 words and some editing.

SAD

But true. I had three days at a hotel without household interruptions. I had a meeting on Saturday  and did some clothes shopping for an upcoming conference. Normally, I HATE to clothes shop but I found myself enjoying the experience this time and even came away with some purchases I was pleased with. Trust me, on this body that is a difficult task. 

I THOUGHT I had energy when I got back to the hotel. Instead, I found myself dozing over the keyboard. Sunday morning I even put the laptop aside and slept for 2 more hours - at 9 a.m.! Blessed with a noon check-out, this was not a problem. Except for two wasted hours I could have been writing!

I have a 4-day workweek then I'm headed to Eureka Springs AR for the Ozarks Creative Writers conference. This will be my 18th year.

So between the day job and trying to make sure hubby doesn't feel neglected, I hope to pound out the words. 

Now... to make a fresh cup of coffee.