Thursday a cold front will hit the area where I spend my winters. That means the temperature is expected to drop from 80 degrees to the high 60s. Brrrrr. Right? Wrong, of course. So what am I doing tomorrow? I’m getting on a plane and heading north to Chicago where it truly will be cold. […] [ ... ]
This hasn’t been one of my better days. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. I know it’s not as cold here in Florida as it is up north, but the temperature still dropped to 45 degrees last night and my husband (who’s always complaining he’s too hot) left the bedroom window open. […] [ ... ]
I’m on a diet. I’ve simply gained too much weight for my legs, hips, and back to handle without complaining. Often, especially with a rough draft, the same could be said: “It’s carrying too much weight (“fat”).” With both my writing and me the remedy is to trim the fat. For me it’s get rid of […] [ ... ]
What are you doing the weekend of April 19th-21st? Need a place to go to stimulate your creative juices? Want to spend time with a terrific writer? How about a chance to mingle with lots of great writers? THEN DO I HAVE THE PLACE FOR YOU. This year’s RETREAT FROM HARSH REALITY will be held the […] [ ... ]
This month I’m reading two very different books for the book clubs I belong to. One is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, the other is How We Made Our First Million on Kindle. Actually, I haven’t started Hotel. That group meets at a later date than the one discussing How We Made […] [ ... ]
Sorry, no blog today. I’ve spent all day trying to figure out what I’ll need in Florida over the next 4 months. My bedroom is a mess. Clothes, computer files, art supplies, and suitcases all over the place. Tomorrow I need to make sure I have all the computer data I need saved on my […] [ ... ]
I’m down to the final rush; 5 days until Christmas. Gifts have been purchased and wrapped, cards sent, and now it’s just the parties and family gatherings to attend. However, because I’ve been busy getting ready for Christmas, I’ve had to ignore my writing: I haven’t had time to get AS THE CROW FLIES uploaded […] [ ... ]
Yesterday I met with the Second Tuesday group, and I asked one of the members what I should blog about today. (I’m always asking her, and she always comes up with great ideas.) Since the group had just talked about goals for 2013, she suggested that topic, but as I was driving home from the […] [ ... ]
My husband has been gone for 12 days. I have missed him, but I’ve also enjoyed being able to work any time I wanted, watch girlie movies, eat whenever and whatever I wanted, and make a mess of the condo. And boy, have I made a mess. The dining table is covered with my laptop, […] [ ... ]
My goal Tuesday was to get a book that was originally published by Bantam’s Loveswept up on Amazon as an e-book. This shouldn’t have been a difficult task. Last winter I’d retyped the story, following the formatting guidelines for the Kindle. Three weeks ago I created a cover for the book. I’d already created a […] [ ... ]
We’re leaving Zuri with our daughter and her husband over Thanksgiving. This morning I received a message from my son-in-law. Thought you’d like to see how my poor dog will be roughing it. *********************************************************************************** Hey kiddo. I know it’s late, but I was hoping I could get you to answer a few Zuri care related […] [ ... ]
This week a cousin called and asked some questions about her mother, my mother’s only sibling. We talked a bit about what I remembered, and then I recalled that my mother had written her memoirs back around 1990. I thought that might have some information of interest to my cousin, but I wasn’t sure where […] [ ... ]
Today I spent three hours at a friend’s house learning how to use Photoshop. Well, let’s be honest. He showed me how to use the program, but I’m still at the lowest level of the learning curve. Dave has had a book on photography published and has taught at the university level, whereas I took […] [ ... ]
Considering all of the changes that have occurred along our eastern seaboard, change seemed an appropriate topic today. Change is a problem writers of contemporary fiction must always consider. Of course you want your characters to change during the course of a story, and you want a change in the situation—villains caught, lovers united, and […] [ ... ]
Thursday night my presentation for the class I’m “teaching” on Publication will include promotion ideas. I’m listing the usual: a website, business cards, joining social groups, press releases, etc., but as I looked over the list, I started wondering how many are worth the time and effort. The website, yes. I believe every writer needs […] [ ... ]
This month I’m teaching a continuing education class for writers who want their work published. I say teach, but I’m really more of a guide. I see my job as two-fold: one part is to warn these writers of the ways they can be taken by unscrupulous agents and publishers; the other is to make […] [ ... ]
Saturday morning found us on the buses again at 7:30 a.m. We were told when we arrived at Guilford Technical Community College not to enter the building but to wait outside. As a group we were herded to a grassy knoll overlooking two parking lots which had been blocked off. The ATF officer then arrived […] [ ... ]
What a fantastic four days. The Writers’ Police Academy started Thursday afternoon with registration. At that time I picked up my official T-shirt. We looked like Castle with WRITER on our backs. At 5:30 p.m. those who were lucky enough to have had their names drawn from the lottery met for the orientation for the […] [ ... ]
I was going to write a long blog about my 4 days at Writers’ Police Academy, but it’s already past 9:00 p.m., so this will be short. I promise I’ll write more next week. I flew out of Grand Rapids Wednesday afternoon and after a plane change in Cincinnati, I arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina […] [ ... ]
Today I’m heading to Greensboro, North Carolina for the Writers’ Police Academy (http://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/) which starts Thursday afternoon. If you go to the web site and click on the schedule, you’ll see all the fantastic activities that I’m going to have to choose between. I am scheduled to participate in the simulated driving, but, alas, I […] [ ... ]