Winded Words

Perfect Pitch Entry

2012-01-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I just found out about Brenda Lee's great Perfect Pitch Contest and had to enter. Namely because the agent is one of the coolest agents from one of the coolest agencies. Go check out all the great entries! (And if you are here for more Baby Steps of Writing, there will be more of those the end of the week! <3)

Title. Jedda Hitler: Traitor to the Party

Genre. YA Historical Adventure

Word Count: 65,000 words

Pitch. Raised, groomed, and kept apart, JeddaHitler was her grandfather’s personal project to prove that even a small girlcould be turned into a killing machine.

Excerpt:

Grandfather would never have allowedsuch incompetence in his army. That is all I have to say about him. He is nolonger my concern.

Right now I have only to save myself.

Sagging belly and paunchy eyes, myjailer leans carelessly against the bathroom wall. He is a Brown Shirt, Naziparamilitary. But where discipline was once religion, it is replaced by indolence.He disgusts me.

He would not be so at ease if he knewhow loose his men tied my wrists.

I could kill him now if I wished.

But I want information.

“Give me your name.” His voice echoes. Weare underground, in a tunnel. He believes he is the one interrogating.

“Your name!”

“I think you already know,” I say.

A self-satisfied tightness crosses hislips. He has his prize.

“Where are we?” I ask, doing my best toappear dazed.

“North of Mosbach.”

The Baby Steps of Writing #5: Telescoping Your Plot

2012-01-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Startinga novel can be intimidating. Finishing even more so. It is my hope that thisseries will help other soon-to-be or wanna-be writers find a place to begin anovel and better yet, empower them to finish. Here you will find all the adviceI wish someone would have given me when I first started writing fiction.

The next baby step we are discussing is how tolook at the big picture of your plot and then shorten your scope until you get to the details. Now, if youknow outlining story details sucks the joyout of writing for you, don’t follow along these exercises. Read along and think about what each of these highlights is in your own story without delving too deep.If you don’t know if plotting will help or hinder your writing, I plead withyou to try. Plotting can do for writer’s block what splashing cold water onyour face does to sleep. It will pull you out of the slogging, foggy mind ofSTUCK.

First thing to do is pull out your banner and reread it. Doyou feel that stirring of excitement you originally felt when the Shiny NewIdea came to you? Do you remember the vision you have for the story? Have you adirection to move the idea forward into STORY? If not, here’s a neat littletrick I learned from Janette Rallison at a writing conference recently (though sheattributed to Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Author). It’s kind oflike a Mad Lib, but with an important purpose:

When _______ (insert Main Character’s name) finds herself in_______ (insert Situation here) she ______ (insert Goal here) but will__________ (insert antagonist or obstacle to goal here) make her ______________(insert consequence of goal failure here)?

CHARACTER + SITUATION + GOAL + OBSTACLE + DISASTER = A READYTO ROLL STORY!

So did that come easily for you, even if it wasn’t prettyenough to put in a query letter?

If yes, then you are ready to think about the storyframework, the structure that holds the words together to make a greatexperience for the reader. Generally learned like this in grade school:

Have you figured this out for your story too? If not, thentime to stew over it, to discover where each major acceleration in the plotshould be and where things should slow down a bit. Think about that escalationthis week and then next week we will telescope in further with the following structure.

Inciting incident (storyhook, attention-getter, or a problem eruption)

Plot Point 1 (character’sworld turned upside down, their choice to move forward is made)
Plot Point 2 (first big obstacle)
Middle Point (the gear upfor serious obstacle confrontation also the joint to hinge on the beginningwith the end)
Plot Point 3 (all-is-lost obstacle)
Climax A (lighting the fuse)
Climax B (watching it burn)
Climax C (kaboom!)
Denouement (wind down)
Resolution (satisfying end)

Next up, we will dive into more detail of each item on thelist! Happy new (writing) year to all!

The Baby Steps of Writing #4: Opening with a Line in the Sand

2011-12-15T10:10:00.004-07:00

Starting a novel can be intimidating. Finishing even more so. It is my hope that this series will help other soon-to-be or wanna-be writers find a place to begin a novel and better yet, empower them to finish. Here you will find all the advice I wish someone would have given me when I first started writing fiction.

Photo credit.

Oh, man! I’ve been gone from my blog for so long. I’m sorry!Life gets crazy for us all and mine is no exception. But continuing on with myBaby Steps of Writing, I’m discussing elements of openings.

Openings must set the mood, introduce a dynamic character, andcompel the reader forward with tension. Most of all, the opening of a bookshould force the reader to care. Emotional investment is the reason to keepreading, to buy the book, to tell your friends they just have to read this one. It can also be called the so-what of the story.

My favorite way to do this (and the technique I stronglyrecommend using) is The Line in the Sand

The line in the sand is when we as writers state the book’spurpose which will be established through out the tale. This is either an ideathat will be overturned or the driving force where the character’s actions arefostered. A line in the sand is different from the theme because the line is a beliefstatement. It can be the theme, but more like the expectation we try to set forthe reader in a flashing neon sign. Often it carries an undertone just like atheme would, though. We smell and taste trouble. We flat-out tell the reader whatthey’ve gotten themselves into and then set up the rest of the story to eitherrefute or reinforce the statement we’ve made.

Here’s an example of an opening line from The Help: “Takingcare of white babies, that’s what I do, along with all the cooking and thecleaning. I done raised seventeen kids in my lifetime.” Abileen is going todecide if taking care of white ladies’ households is what she can or willcontinue to do once things get out of hand.

The famous lines from Pride and Prejudice: “It is atruth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a goodfortune, must be in want of a wife.” We automatically ask, “Is this true inRegency England?” And the characters are going to prove or disprove thisstatement about single, wealthy men.

Moby Dick: “Call me Ishmael.” That name has so much baggage!We automatically know the character likely will too. In The Bible, Ishmael wascast out of his father’s landholdings once the favored son, Isaac, was born.Ishmael is telling us he is a castaway, a nomad, and we can safely bet he seeshimself as second best. He might even have a cheeky chip on his shoulder.

Here’s one frommy own work in progress: “Rightnow I have only to save myself.” The main character is going to have to decideif that is true, if she can live with herself by only saving her own skin andno one else’s.

Anyway, that is the Line in the Sand. What do you think?

Could you workone into your own story?

Do you want to?

So what are everyone’s plans for the holidays? I’m hoping minewill be quiet enough to let me work on my blog, my writing, and my Super-SecretProject. *grins*

Have a wonderful holiday season, my friends!

The Baby Steps of Writing #3: Telling Titles

2011-10-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

Starting a novel can be intimidating. Finishing even more so. It is my hope that this series will help other soon-to-be or wanna-be writers find a place to begin a novel and better yet, empower them to finish. Basically, this is all the advice I wish someone would have given me when I first started writing fiction.

Ifeyes are the windows to the soul, then titles are windows into a book’scontent. (Well, maybe that and the cover. But the title is usually what we seefirst….)

Atitle is the flashing light that arrests the reader and says, “Check me out!”You want it to be good. But you also don’t want to be so attached to it thatyou’d change your firstborn’s name to the same set of words.

Here are some tricks to come up with a workingtitle:

Includeirony! Just like the conceptual hook, a title with irony or a double meaningpacks a punch. Make that title a loaded gun. (Think of The Lovely Bones byAlice Sebold—the title itself is eerie and incongruous, just what we expectof the novel when we start to read.)
Makea list of all title options, even if you feel they aren’t very good. Send themin an email to a trusted friend or spouse and see what they say. Who knows?They may send back an email with their own list to help you brainstorm better.(It worked for Shannon Hale and a title for one of her Bayern books was born.)
KISSthat title! Keep It Simple, Stupid. The simpler the title, the easier it is forreaders to remember it. Thus easier for them to pass a referral along when theylike it.
Makea list of keywords that describe the tone and/or the theme of your book. Then makea list of keywords that make your story unique. (A good thesaurus and www.wordspy.com are great resources here.) Somewherein these lists there might be a word or combined words intriguing or catchyenough to use as a title.
Writedown the setting of your book. Is it important enough to be included in thetitle?
Thinkof applicable quotes and proverbs. Do they fit as a possible title in some fashion?What about a play on words? (For example, my book about a high school Senior onan all-things Beatle’s tour has a working title of Her Ticket to Ride. So itreferences a song by the band central to the story.)
Whatabout your main character? If the book is about a single character’s emotionalor physical (or both) journey, consider indulging them by having their names inthe title.
Arethere any significant lines in your book that express the gist of the book?Margaret Mitchell didn’t call her book Scarlett or Tarabut “Gone with the Wind”—a nod to the line Scarlett says in a poignant part ofthe book.

Thingsyou might now know about titles:

Titlescannot be copyrighted. Content can, however, so make sure your vampire novel calledTwilight is very different fromanything Stephenie Meyer wrote.
Titlesare great at inspiring more story ideas. Sit down and write 2 to 3 word phrasesthat roll off the tongue. If you did this a few minutes everyday, you’d besurprised how flooded with story ideas you’d become. (Same goes with chaptertitles when you are stuck plotting.)

Moreadvice:

Considerall titles as working titles because if the book gets published at aleading house, your editor and the editorial committee have a huge say in whatthe book’s name should be.
Sayyour proposed titles out loud. Which ones roll off the tongue? Which portraywhat it’s about the best? Rank all the ones that you like, from the most lovedto the most pathetic.
Makesure your title is pronounceable and doesn’t have words so uncommon they areeasily forgettable.

Justlike reading people through eye-contact, titles can be mysterious orstraightforward. Intriguing or familiar. Open-hearted or dark. Sensitive andquiet or loud and garish. Whichever approach you choose, make that title a partof your voice as a writer. It’s your baby, after all, no matter how many peoplehave a say in what you name it.

Q4U:How do titles come to you?

The Baby Steps of Writing #2: Having the Courage

2011-10-18T09:10:00.001-07:00

Startinga novel can be intimidating. Finishing even more so. It is my hope that thisseries will help other soon-to-be or wanna-be writers find a place to begin anovel and better yet, empower them to finish. Basically, this is all the adviceI wish someone would have given me when I first started writing fiction.

Continuing on with our baby steps of writing, today I’mtalking about solidifying your concept. (If you missed Step #1, go here to the previous post about creative banners.)

So we’ve made our creative banner (i.e. the essence of thejoy we’ve found in the initial story idea, the thing(s) that we most love aboutit). Now we need to mold the idea further into a tangible concept.

What a concept is NOT:

A theme, which gives mood and meaning to your story
Your banner. It’s a refined version and presentable versionof your banner.
Your idea. I’s more expanded than that idea was initially.
Your plot. The concept is only an ignition coil while yourplot is going to be your V8 engine.

What a concept IS:

The irony that makes your story different. (For example, inmy book Courtesy and Patience, themain irony is a group of backwoods orphans, who never have anything unusualhappen to them, have a never-seen before flying machine fall on their heads.What’s more, the balloon is full of sorcerer’s stones. Unusual and unexpected.)
Your banner duded up then married off to an interesting maincharacter, a conflict, and a setting all in one “I do”.
Your hook. You have only two or three sentences to spew thisinformation in a compelling way.
Your expanded idea. It’s about (insert character here)in (insert setting here) who wants (insert motivation here) but (insertconflict and/or antagonist here) gets in his/her way. Not really that simplebut kind of is.

Larry Brooks, in his book Story Engineering, says to run a list of “What if?” questions to find your concept. I’ve never tried this,but I think it could really help boil your story down to what is the most compelling.(Just make sure you don’t include the questions in your query. Most agents haterhetorical questions in query letters.) Another trick is to write down all thechoices you don’t want in your story until you find what you do (i.e. you wantto write a spy book but you know you don’t want a Bond character and you don’twant it set during the Cold War. So how about a New York nanny in a contemporary world? Spinthe idea on its head until it looks like you’ve put your touch on a normalstory idea.) Pretty soon by process of elimination, you’ll have come up withthe beginnings of a concept. What I do is try and write a compelling conceptseveral different ways, evaluate what I like and don’t like about each one andthen mesh together the good stuff. I share it with my writing friends on paperand verbally pitch it to my non-writing friends. My writing friends give mehonest feedback and my non-writing friends have tells in their body languagethat let me know what they really think of the idea. If that’s not enough (andeven if it is), I fill out this form:

Genre:

What it is in a nutshell: (1 to 2 sentences)

It’s like __________, but different because it ___________.

The Irony: (Theappealing dichotomy or dichotomies in the story)

Hook: (The irony andthe conflict in as few words as possible)

Who would my PERFECT audience be? (Twelve year old boys into baseball or purple-haired elderly ladies ata tea party?)

ATMOSPHERE of the Book: (Thetone or the mood of the book.)

Locations and Time Periods:

Notice a lot of the info in my list could potentially beredundant. (About like washing a car in the rain.) No sweat. Thinking abouteach element in different ways helps our brains catch the strengthsand weaknesses of our concept.

Whatever exercise you do to find your concept, make sure youwrite down everything and keep it with the rest of your files for that specificstory. I cut and tape them in a notebook specific to this shiny new idea. And Idon’t throw away any drafts or ideas. Some little piece might later be thespark I need to fix a problem or change a concept all together.

Anyway, that’s concept. I would be happy to help anyonestruggling with this, there's no sense in being discouraged on your own! Just email me @ jackee(dot)alston(at)gmail(dot)com.

Best of luck, my friends! Next post: Title Ideas.

The Baby Steps of Writing #1: Starting Smart, Starting Centered

2011-09-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit

Thispost is for anyone who is thinking of starting a novel.
This post is forwriters who are setting those first exciting words to page.
This post is forthose who are ready to write a second, third, or fourth book.
This post is foranyone who wishes they could minimize the amount of rewriting they have to doon their novels.
This post is for people who prefer to tackle huge projectswith baby steps.
In other words, this post is for everyone. (Provided they are open to my opinion I'm giving here.)

Fictionwriting is hard yet rewarding emotionally. Most of my “writing block” comesfrom, “What do I do next?” Because of this, sometimes I balk at it being theonly discipline I know of that does not need a blueprint, a formula, a recipe,a protocol, or a sketch to begin. Sure, I’m a huge outliner, but often myoutlines are haphazard and unfocused. This can work—and there is no one rightway—but you have to be willing to accept that the less you plan up front, themore time you will spend rewriting. At least in my experience, it’s been thatway.

Afterexperimenting with different methods of plotting (and reading several writingbooks), I’m going to share with you what works the best for me in the next fewblog posts. (All in portioned out baby steps.) My hope is that it might helpsome of you out there who have asked for my advice:

BabyStep #1

First,we start with an IDEA.
Theidea is a lovely place to be. It’s so shiny and exciting—perfect in its veryuntainted form. For J. K. Rowling, the idea was the character Harry Potter, fullyformed in her head on a delayed train. For Neil Gaiman, an image set a book inmotion (I think maybe he said this about either Coraline or The Graveyard Book?).For Stephanie Meyer, it was a picnic scene she had had in a dream. For somepeople it’s a title with a dim idea as to why it should be titled so. Inwhatever form the idea comes to you, write it down. That’s the first step andone most of us writers can’t bear to not do. Write all you know about it,especially what excites you about it. It could come out as dialogue, narrative,a list, or whatever. Maybe all the above. It doesn’t matter; just write it down however the wordscome. Go ahead—get it out of your system. You deserve to not have it buzzaround in your head forever. Be aware, though, that much of what you are goingto write here won’t make it into your final draft.

Nowreread your idea. Underline what is your favorite part about this idea. Youwill use that to make your IDEA BANNER. This banner is going to wave aboveeverything else you do with this book. This is going to hold you firm to whatthe story is supposed to be about. Your Idea Banner isn’t the hook, thelog-line, the concept, premise, or anything else. It’s the essence of idea and the purepassion you have for it. And it’s meant only for you.

Ifyou are ahead of me (as in already writing the book) and don’t see the point inthis first exercise, I urge you try it anyway. It will ground your novel. Thinkof this as the center stake in the huge circus tent you are erecting. You canlean on this banner as the ideas flow into your work. It will help you keepperspective on what really mattered to you about the story. Go ahead and try it,I challenge you. :o)

Sothere you have it: Baby Step 1. Write the initial shiny stuff. Then siftthrough the shinies until you find its essence, what you love most aboutit. Make that the flag under which you march AND set up camp. Good luck! (Andplease let me know how it goes for you, if you decide to take the baby stepchallenge.)

Hugs,

Jackee

IN THE SIMPLICITY OF BEAUTY

2011-09-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

I am really good at over-complicating things. (Don’t ask me how to run my own Blu-ray player even—I have to know what every button on the remote is for or I won’t use it. And I don’t. Because I lost the manual and there are too many options.)

But when life is simple—or rather when I take time to rejoice in simple things—I forget why I usually over-complicate my life. Dieter Uchtdorf, a man I admire, said, “There is beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.”

Creative people love beauty but can get lost when they weave too many strands into a masterpiece. The beauty of simplicity is lost. I’ve found this out the hard way lately when deeply searching if a plot to a book is over-complicated. Pretty soon I see where I’ve dropped other threads because I was too busy weaving in another and things have become muddled, the colors unblended. (This is why I’m such an outliner usually. I don’t like to find these sections in my writing after I’ve written it so I combat it with plotting.) Now to blend the colors I’m doing a lot of frustrating rewriting. On the bright side, I’m learning a lot. They are such good lessons that perhaps some of them I’ll share on future posts. Perhaps….

But there are many simple things I’ve been able to rejoice in lately. I have also had a wonderful few months:

Planting a seed and watching it grow into a beautiful plant.
Watching thin, spindly growth sprout from a tree cutting, soon on its way to becoming taller than my house. (Imagine—something so fragile and small to something so huge!)
Watching how a simple loaf of bread can bring a smile to a friend’s face.
Discovering people I know helping other people with a humble meal when they hadn’t the physical means to feed their family that day.
Canning an over-abundance of produce to store for another day. (A new skill for Steve and me!)
Learning new skills.
Sharing a book I love with a friend I love.
Writing a new story.
Listening to my kids play uninterrupted.
Basking in the presence of women (like my mother) who know so much more than me.

And just to add another beautiful thought, I’ll include a piece that’s usually included in the Navajo (Dineh) Blessingway ceremony. (I found it researching for a novel. I love beauty of new research too!)

With beauty may I walk.
With beauty before me, may I walk.
With beauty behind me, may I walk.
With beauty above me, may I walk.
With beauty below me, may I walk.
With beauty all around me, may I walk.

What an awesome prayer. I wish this for all of you!

Q4U: What simple things bring beauty to your life?

What Blogging Has Given Me

2011-09-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Blogging has given me...

An outlet to discover my writing voice.
Friends to meet, some to treasure forever (click on the sidebar links under betas, you’ll be glad you did).
A place to soul search. (Between this and my private, family blog, this will be my 424th post.)
A professional connection arena, since those are limited in my small town.
Courage to declare myself a writer (and to show what it is I write).
A world outside of raising young children when needed.
A vast amount of people who motivate me to be more, to do more, learn more.
Greater knowledge about many topics, but especially on writing craft.
People I wouldn’t normally get to interact with, but a place where geographic boundaries no longer matter.
A greater understanding of myself and my passions.
Empty space to brag about my kids.
Better editing skills… okay, maybe not that….

From this list you can see blogging has been about building relationships for me. After a summer of deep evalution on if I want to conintue blogging or not, I’m here to stay. I love the relationships I’ve gained here and have missed posting and visiting. No more once a month jaunts. I’m back, baby!

Q4U: What has blogging given you?

Summer Whiplash: an update

2011-08-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I stink at blogging these days. Sorry. I really do love to blog, love visiting new blogs, love meeting new people through blogging, and… well… I pretty much love everything about blogging. It just seems to take too low a priority in my day right now. No excuse other than that.

But school is about to start and time will open up a little! And since I’ve been absent, I thought I’d share what has been up in my world:
1. I spent last week with my in-laws in San Diego: all 14 of us crammed into a little beach house and we survived! Actually, everyone got along great and the truth be told, I really do love them as my own. Especially my husband’s siblings (all 4 of them). We’ve been married long enough that I’ve been lucky to have watched the younger two grow up into the amazing adults that they are today.

Photo courtesy Stephanie Alston

2. Besides CA, I’ve spent a lot of time traveling to CO and NM visiting my family. (Have I mentioned how much I love acronyms?)

3. Thanks to my dear friends and associates, we have about 40 humanitarian aid school kits together! Almost all the bags are sewn, we are collecting school supplies now. With school supplies on sale, I’m sure we’re going to get the bulk of them filled this month.
4. Our yard is coming together this year! We’ve planted dozens of new trees and have an amazing herb and vegetable garden going. I never would have believed we could grow anything out here where the wind, rocks, frosts, insects, rabbits, and etcetera are against us. Even the chickens have left it alone. Next on my list is to make my own cheeses. I’m going to live off the land, baby! (Ha! Yeah, right.)
5. This is the sad news: after being in remission for a little while, my mom’s cancer is back. I mention this because some of you have been there for me as my mom has fought this off and on for the last four years. This will be her third fight and I couldn’t be prouder of her. Cancer is a ravaging demon and chemo not much better.
6. I’ve been plotting, plotting, and REplotting! No, I’m not planning to take over the world, I’ve just been trying out exercises to revamp the plots of two books. It’s been great: these new tricks have helped me see glaring holes in both my story and character development. Now to implement them into the actual drafts… that will take awhile.
7. It seems like I’ve spent most of my summer entertaining kids. Taking them here, doing this there. Am I the only one that over did it on the fun wagon? Please don’t let me be the only one who fell into that trap….

So... how is everyone? Having a good summer? What’s new?????!

Alcoholics Anonymous, Holy Grails, and Control Freaks

2011-07-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

I talk a lot about prioritizing time here, especially writing time. Sometimes I practice what I preach, sometimes I don’t. The truth is, I’m a control freak. I’m getting better the older I get, but I’m still looking for the ever-illusive way to manage and balance my time, money, and weight/fitness. To me, being able to control these three aspects of my life is like the Holy Grail of a balanced life. And being as it is a Holy Grail, I’ll probably never achieve it. But if it exists, I think maybe… a huge MAYBE… the Grail is kept at Alcoholics Anonymous.

Though, I’ve never been a drinker—as in I don’t drink—I admire their philosophies. They apply well to managing time (especially writing time), weight control, exercise, and money.

Modifying some of their steps, I’ve come up with a few of my own…
1. Admit there’s room for improvement.
Books (and any large projects, for that matter) are created in those stolen moments of time. Sure we wish we all had big blocks of time, but the surprising progress is made in the 15-30 minutes we chisel away at the rough-cut stone. The same thing could be applied for finding time to exercise. Spend sometime evaluating where in your life you can spare fifteen to twenty-five minutes, with five more left for mental preparation to move on to the next thing in your day. (Another tip: As you list how you spend your days, especially identify the areas you consider time wasters. These are golden opportunities for carving out time for more important things.)
2. Write an inventory of the reasons why you are tempted to “waste” time/not write/not exercise/eat too much or unhealthily/spend too much money. These reasons may seem big or trivial.
3. Open your heart. Be ready to improve.
4. Make a list or a chart of accountability. How much time are you really spending on writing? Exercising? Shopping? How many calories are you eating? How much money are you spending? There is great power in a written report of our doings.
5. Practice self-control. Then give yourself little rewards for the restraint and courage you’ve showed.
6. The above all said, if being too regimented is sucking the fun out of you, then don’t it. There is a happy medium for every person and if looking back and seeing how much you’ve accomplished doesn’t outweigh the drudgery of accounting for your time, then something must change. Account for activities weekly instead of daily. Or if nothing else, run through a mental check of your doings at the end of the day. Doing some accounting will improve your productivity better than doing none.

As I have said, I’m no expert at managing time for writing/exercise/blogging. (Obviously—I’ve neglected blogging most of the summer!) For sure I can’t balance a budget to save my over-indulgent life. But I’m trying! And if you’re too, I hope my take on AA has given you some ideas of your own to help you.

P. S. Notice I’m only to Step 6… haven’t made it any farther in my own program… lol.

Q4U: Anyone have great time or money management techniques they’d like to share? I would love to hear your ideas!

In a perfect world

2011-06-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

photo credit

In a perfect world…

Every person is of value, has something to offer.
Every person has something to say and it is okay if others don't agree, the opinion is still valid.
Every person is able to portray themselves looking or doing anything they wish. That is the only visual others have to go by.
Every person is judged only by what one says and does. Not by what one looks like.
Every person helps one another along the pathway of life, career, and family without expecting any compensation in return.

So… yeah, blogging = A Nearly Perfect World.

*sigh*

(Thanks for being there for me, all my sweet bloggy friends. Sorry I took an impromptu blogging break. Will be around to your places ASAP.)

Lenny Lee Fest

2011-06-03T00:06:00.002-07:00

Hello, friends! Today is a special day on my blog: I get to tell you about an amazing kid I “met” blogging a couple of years ago. Lenny Lee is eleven but it only takes a few conversations with him before you know he is no ordinary eleven year old. Lenny is special and one of those rare individuals who can light up your life with sunshine even on the darkest days. There is a reason his blog avatar is a sun. Even the wild forest animals that live near his house know he is special. (He can hand feed raccoons!) So today’s post is dedicated to him. It’s a book I wrote just for him, to hopefully brighten his day as much as he brightens mine. This is just the first chapter, but the rest will be soon in coming to blog posts for him to find.

And for those of you who don’t want to read a kid’s Wild West yarn about lawmen sheep chasing flea-bitten outlaw goats, feel free to go to Lenny’s blog instead. You have an amazing friend to make. :o)

Still here? Then please enjoy my humble contribution to the Cheer-on-Lenny-Fest:

Title: Sheep Go to Heaven (A Middle-grade Tall Tale)

Chapter 1: The Woolly West

Ike followed Barney’s hoof tracks right to the edge of the cliff. There were other tracks too, but Barney’s didn’t leave that rim. If Barney had fallen down into the gully, Ike didn’t have time to search the sparsely treed patches lining the mesa top for whatever trouble had happened here. He had to find his friend. He leaned over the edge. He hated heights, which is not something you admit when you are a sheep. He would get a reputation for being yellow instead of the handsomest cowpoke in Tin Can County.
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He drew in a shuddering breath, inhaling the dry desert air, and looked down. There was Barney, hanging onto the ledge by his teeth. Literally. He had a scrubby old bush between his lips, his body hanging free but about to plummet a hundred feet to the bottom of the gorge. His eyes were wild with fear.

“Barney,” Ike called, “hold on! I’m getting a rope.”

He adjusted his gun holster and untied the lasso hanging on his left flank. With his hooves full of rope, he frantically scanned the cliff’s edge for something to tie off on.

That’s when he came eye to eye with Bull, the biggest, meanest goat that ever walked on two legs. He and his boys already had their shooters poised on Ike’s heart.

Ike raised his hands slowly, away from his own weapons.

“Well, well, boys,” Bull said gleefully to his men, “looks like we caught ourselves the Sherriff AND the Deputy.”

“Not a good day for the Tin County law,” said one of Bull’s men. Ike thought maybe it was Jaws, the ugliest one.

Ike’s deputy badge suddenly felt heavy on his chest, like a bright red target instead of the shiny gold thing he used to get girls’ attention. He’d only ever agreed to be deputized to help Barney out, his best friend who happened to be the Sherriff because no one else wanted the job. Barney was easily convinced of things, especially when he was so forgetful. The Hazee townsfolk could convince him to do anything just by telling him he agreed to do the task already and must have forgotten. He’d go along with anything because of that. Ike figured being deputized was a good way to watch out for Barney, to make sure he didn’t get taken advantage of anymore. Attracting the single ewes with his brave, deputy status was an added bonus. He just hadn’t counted on how much time being deputy would take. Watching out for Barney while he played Sherriff was a big job and he knew Barney would end up in serious trouble someday. Like hanging off a cliff by his teeth. Ike smiled wryly.

“What’s so funny?” asked Bull, cocking his gun. “Want something to laugh at?”

The deafening crack of gunshot echoed through the desert, bullets spraying the dirt at Ike’s feet. His hooves danced back and forth to avoid the hard earth spitting and stinging on his flesh.

Bull and his posse guffawed heartily. They took a step closer.

“I’m taking you in, Bull. All of you put down yer weapons,” demanded Ike.

The goats laughed all the harder.

“We’re the ones who’re calling the shots here, pretty-boy.”

With that they resumed firing at Ike’s feet, forcing him to back up against the cliff until his hooves slipped over the edge.

With a sickening lurch in his stomach, Ike fell backwards, sliding down the rocks and scraping his body as he tried to find anything to hold on to. He came to a sudden stop when his knees smacked the ledge where Barney was. He was eye-level with Barney now, where his friend still clutched the branch in his teeth. Bull and his goats leaned over the edge. Ike could do nothing more than glare at them while he clung to the cliff.

“Why don’t you two just hang out for awhile?” gloated Bull, “We’ve got us a bank to rob.”

The goats disappeared, the pounding of their hooves above reverberated in the gorge below.

“Barney,” Ike said, trying to keep the dizzy sensation from overwhelming him. “Can you swing yourself up onto that side of the ledge?’

“Mmrph,” answered Barney through bits of brush.

Slowly, he began to swing his body backwards and forwards, moving like a pendulum until with a loud thump his back hooves landed on the wider portion of the ledge. Barney backed himself onto the ledge until his whole body was secure. With his front knees folded on the thinner section of the ledge, Ike scooted towards the wider spot where Barney was then hefted himself up. Breathing hard, they both leaned their backs against the cliff.

“That was none too fun,” said Barney.

“Yeah,” agreed Ike. “Why in the blazes are you out here, Barney?”

“Tracked Bull here. I left you a note back at the jailhouse, asked you to follow me.”

“You mean the scrap of paper on my desk with your bad cowboy poetry on it?”

Barney stared blankly then slipped a hand into his shirt sleeve. He reddened when he pulled out a piece of paper. "Dear Ike,” he read, “I received a tip off that Bull and his gang would be at the gorge. Going to investigate. Come when you can.”

Ike groaned. “Durn fool. Obviously Bull lured you here.”

“Oh.”

Barney appeared so dejected Ike didn’t dare chastise him more. Instead he said, “Well I reckon it’s a hundred feet up and a hundred feet down, so my vote is down.”

“Mine too,” said Barney, nodding.

They picked their way down to the bottom of the narrow gorge carefully, sometimes jumping from ledge to ledge, sometimes sliding down on their backsides.

At the bottom, Barney clapped his friend on the back, his earlier shame forgotten. “Right, now let’s go stop Buck from robbing the bank.”

“Bull.”

“Bull? No bull. I’m sayin’ the truth. It’s our duty to stop them.”

“No,” sighed Ike, “Bull. His name is Bull, not Buck.”

“Oh, yeah,” laughed Barney, nervously.

Ike elbowed him with a smile. “But you’re right. His name should be Buck. Or Billy. He’s goat, after all. His momma must have been none too smart.”

Barney smiled back broadly. Best to let him think he’d made a joke instead of a mistake again.

Together they hoofed it out of the canyon.

To Be Continued... Next up: The Good, The Baaaaad, and The Mugly

Why I hate zombies, vampires and the like.

2011-05-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, it’s true. My secret is out; I’m sharing too much of the truth. I write for young adults, but there are few half-human creatures I can stand. Throw stones if you will, but it’s my own personal taste. I’ll not judge you if you DO like them. I will, however, give you some of my reasons for hating their resurgence into pop culture:

First and second graders now talk about vamps like it’s cool to date one. (I wonder what sort of fantasies are being discussed at home, hmmm?)
I’ve spent time explaining why biologically none of these creatures can exist to children, specifically my own children. Specifically in the middle of the night when I’d rather be sleeping.
I’ve also had the long philosophical question whether vampires are good or bad. To both my kids and adults. More Stoker-style or Meyer-style, is generally where the adult conversation turns.
If I tell anyone I write for teens and tweens the first comment is, “oh so, like vampires and stuff?” No, that’s not what everyone writes… at least not me and not many of you.
The forbidden love of a man-beast (like Edward) has ruined good women I know for real men. (I swear loving a book character really is their problem. In some cases of people I'm close to.)
Is it just me or are the quiet, sweet middle grade books not getting the attention they deserve more and more? For argument’s sake, I’ll blame vamps, werewolves, and zombies. They are just too attractive for their own good.
And lastly, I saw these at the store while picking out an 8 year old birthday gift. Yeah, zombie barbies. Hot stuff, I tell you.

NOTE: This post was not meant to offend anyone who does like urban and paranormal fantasy genres. Sorry if it did. It was only intended to be a tongue-in-cheek laugh for your long weekend.

Friday Vignettes: Resurrectionist

2011-05-20T12:23:00.001-07:00

My accusers say I would have dug up my own mother. Little do they know I kept flour sacks on hand to cover up the faces. I did not want or need to know the identity of my subjects. In all likelihood I would not have recognized my mother besides. No, I did it not for the grim satisfaction of disturbing the dead. It was all for the living. My interest was only in the corpse itself and what I could find within it. All my efforts were in the name of science. In the name of a cure. ~ Dr. Thomas Sewell, Journal Entry, 1819

I’m teaching myself how to pique interest in the shortest possible writing. So Friday’s new feature is going to be reoccurring posts of flash fiction. Please feel free to come up with your own for each picture I post. (And let me know if the story has sparked even the tiniest interest in you.) Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

What I know about character building I learned from an Anne Geddes photo

2011-05-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think Anne Geddes photography is inventive, sometimes I think it’s creepy. She takes a newborn and makes it look like flower. She wraps a peanut-sized baby into an afghan and makes it look like… well… a peanut. We look at her pictures and know we are looking at a baby, but we also see how it reflects a flowering pot (or whatever they are dressed up as). In writing fiction characters, we also give the illusion that the person we’ve created is more than it appears. We dress it up until the smoke of our imagination resembles a real person. Then we take that smoke and blow it in the direction of our readers, hoping they’ll see through the dress-up, but mostly hope they’ll see themselves in what we’ve created enough to relate to the book.

So to all you writers out there who are struggling as much as I am with good characterizations, good luck with dressing up your smoke. That flower pot hat is worth the beautiful snap shot you’ll get. :o)

P.S. I thought this blog post by Shannon Hale about rating books on Goodreads and Amazon before they are published is hilarious. Check it out!

LIFE: Check!

2011-05-04T20:39:00.001-07:00

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Some days I fly by the seat of my pants, some days I stick to a checklist. Most days I wonder where the day went. Anybody else feel that way?
Today is a checklist day. But I’m breaking free of it to stop in and say hi. I needed friends today. I needed to take a deep breath and remember life is good, especially because of the people in my life. (Meaning: YOU!)
And in case you are wondering what’s been on my checklists, here are some fun facts:
1. My friends and I are up to 47 (count them!) school bags for the Humanitarian Aid project. Hopefully by September 1st I’ll reach my 127 goal.
2. I’ve been a single mom a lot lately. In the last four months my poor husband has been to 6 countries and about 6 states. I can count on my hand how many nights he’s been home, bless his hard-working heart. Thankfully the travel is ending for awhile. (Added bonus: my writing time won’t suffer as much!)
3. Speaking of writing, I have a hope-story for those out in Queryland. Sometimes submissions you think have grown cold, aren’t. This business is very, VERY slow. For example, I had an agent request a full thirteen months ago and have just now heard from her that she’s reading it. Moral of the story: remember to exercise patience when subbing. (And never give up.)
4. My oldest baby just turned 8 yesterday! I went through all her old pictures to make a presentation for her big party this weekend and got a little sad how fast she's growing up. (My youngest will be 2 in a few months, which astounds me as well.)
5. Spring cleaning. Boy has the house needed a deep clean!
6. Gardening. Still working on getting a big garden in this year….
7. Revising (read: rewriting) three books and writing a new book. All are clamoring for attention. All have very loud voices. A big thank you to my critique partners who are so patient with me.

So that’s it for me. What have you all been up to? Checklists, pantsy-activities, or something entirely different?

Confidently Stuck: A lament on writer's block

2011-04-26T10:07:00.001-07:00

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When I have writer’s block, it generally is one of two things: a) my writing confidence is lacking or b) I’m stuck, I don’t know what precisely is going to happen next. Sometimes it’s a combination of both. Here are some tips I use to get through it:

A. Confidence
• I remember I’m as poor a writer as I’ll ever be. If I work hard, the only direction is up.
• I’m the best writer I can be. Right here, in this moment, I am perfect.
• I staple Jane Yolen’s quote to my forehead: "Just write. If you have to make a choice, if you say, 'Oh well, I'm going to put the writing away until my children are grown,' then you don't really want to be a writer. If you want to be a writer, you do your writing. . . if you don't do it, you probably don't want to be a writer, you just want to have written and be famous -- which is very different."
• If Jane Yolen’s advice doesn’t work, I remind myself I can’t stop writing even if I want to, so I might as well embrace this part of me, judgment on my own talent set aside.
• I review this interview by Neil Gaiman on how he felt he wasn’t a good enough writer to write The Graveyard Book for many years. (He had the idea in 1985.) I have stories I feel that way about too. Boy, do I ever.

B. Stuck in the story.
• I skip the scene I’m stuck on and move to another, one I see clearly in my head.
• If I can’t skip ahead, I use Kevin Henke’s advice, and draw out the scene in illustration (or if you are drawing impaired like me, find pictures in magazines or online that inspire you to write on).
• I go back to my outline pages and rewrite them a third or fourth time. (Sometimes this is a list, sometimes this is a visual diagram of plots, characters, and subplots).
• I treat the book like I would the reorganization of a house: one piece of furniture, one pile of papers at a time. Baby steps, I remind myself, can lead to a finish line too.

So my Q4U: What creates your writer’s block? Or if you are not a writer, what stops you from accomplishing something you really want to finish?

How do YOU do it?

2011-04-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

I don’t seem able to write my posts out early. I can count on my hand how many times I have, at least. I try to write them in advance, but the words don’t come until I’m in the passion of the moment. Yet I want to be more organized (hang passion… it’s overrated). I’m ready to commit to change. So my questions to all you bloggers are:

How do you do it? (How do you write posts early, if you do at all?)

Do you write them, edit them, and then schedule the posts all at once?
Do you write a draft then modify it before posting that day or the day before?
Do you write what you feel in the moment and post it immediately? Or do you wait until after you’ve thought more on it?

PHOTO CREDIT

I am ready to learn new tips and tricks because I seem to be stuck in a blogging rut with no schedule I can stick to. And I love blogging too much to keep in the rut.

Thanks in advance for the advice, friends! XO

A Life Unsung

2011-04-12T07:21:00.002-07:00

As a kid I never wanted to be a mom.
I never even wanted to get married.
Instead I saw the greatest fulfillment in my life coming from traveling about, studying animals and writing for a magazine like National Geographic or Smithsonian.
This shocked other girls I knew. Their life’s dream was to find a husband, have kids, and be a housewife.
And I belittled that. (Shame on me.)

Now I’m where I never thought I’d be: three kids, a husband, and a stay-at-home life. I’ve given up (for now) the days when I traveled all over studying animals and I’ve given up the acclaim I used to get from peers. Some days that is hard to not have, especially living in a world that puts so much emphasis on careers and very little emphasis on children. I fall too often into the trap of feeling like I don’t contribute enough. There are days when my life feels unsung.

Yet I know my life is fuller, richer, and happier now having a family. The joy of motherhood and a happy marriage isn’t something you can explain unless you experience it yourself. People would tell me that, but I couldn’t believe them until now. Sad… I’m a writer with no words to convey that joy.

Last weekend, I listened to a man named Richard Scott give a talk on how much he loved his wife (now passed on) and how much happiness he gets from thinking of the future days when he can be with her and their kids in the next life. His tender words gave voice to my feelings of how invaluable the love of a family is. They were words I needed to hear. He gave a few examples and ideas to help me remember the joy more often:
1. Play with them. Some of us work. Even if we don’t, all moms need activities that are ours alone. Hopefully these things require creativity, a chance to use our brains. I still write and will always write because I need to do this for myself. But when it’s time to be with the kids or the spouse, it’s time to be with them. To focus on them. To give them our quality attention. Scott told a story about how he’d been gone on a business trip and instead of coming home and fixing the washing machine, he played with his kids. Later, in the middle of the night, he felt a tiny hand slip into his. He heard, “Dad, I love you. You are my best friend”. Those are the moments that are remembered and cherished when you are Scott’s age.
2. Tell them. I’m so quick to admonish and “teach” more often than praise. Rather, I need to look for more moments to tell my family I love them and express gratitude for them. Scott talked about how his wife would leave him notes in his briefcase to find when he had a presentation. He kept those and he treasures them now that she’s gone.
3. Little things matter. Scott talked about how he took the circles from a hole punch and how, as a joke, he wrote a note to his wife, one word per circle. He numbered them and put them in an envelope for her to unscramble and read the note. This little laugh ended up being a tender expression she cherished. When she died, he found them, all taped together and preserved in plastic in a private place where she kept her most important things. He also shared a story about how one Valentine’s Day he didn’t have money for a gift for her so decided to create a watercolor picture for her on the refrigerator. Only he used enamel paint instead of watercolor. She wouldn’t let him try and take it off because it meant something to her.
4. Serve together and for each other. As Scott says, self-centeredness and selfishness goes out the window when we serve in families and serve each other. I’ve seen this happen in my own family. My tendency to be selfish is lost when I’m serving and my kids get to see that everyday.

(He had other beautiful things to say, but these were a few that stayed with me. You can read the whole talk HERE at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint’s website.)

I know this wasn’t a writing post like I usually have, but families and being a mom has been weighing heavily on my mind. Maybe it’s because I had a birthday last Sunday and am feeling like I’m “getting up there” with not enough to show for it. Maybe it’s because my husband is traveling a lot this month. But Scott’s words cut to my soul and were answers to my prayers. You don’t have to agree with my very serious post today, but I just needed to give voice to those destructive feelings I get that tell me I don’t do enough. That being a mom and wife isn’t enough. Well, it is enough.

I won’t dismiss my mixed emotions, but rather accept them then also accept that it isn’t true. And when they come, I can do those things above to remember why I chose the life I did and feel the joy I feel that surpasses the days of unsung glory that sometimes come with being a mom. I will remember the greatest good I’ll do is what I do for my children. As Scott says, as a mother I’ve “been given divine instincts to help me sense my child’s special talents and unique capacities”. Only I can raise them the way I want them raised. My kids won’t always be little and there will be a time I can contribute to the world ina different way someday. Right now I’m here for them when they need me the most. I will stop discrediting my contribution to society by “just” raising these kids, these little people who will take it by storm someday. My contribution is not a meager one. They are magnificent.

Believe me, I should know. I’m raising them. :o)

NOTE: This post is part of a Mormon Blogfest going on. Go to Krista's blog for the full list of bloggers sharing their deeper thoughts on talks they've heard at an LDS Conference recently held.

EATING AN ELEPHANT

2011-04-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

If you’ve publicly declared yourself a writer, you might have experienced a conversation with someone where they’ve confessed to you they a) want to write a book but haven’t because it takes a lot of time, b) want you to take their “best-selling” idea and write it because they haven’t the time, or c) both. I claim c.

Every time someone brings this discussion up, I try to sound supportive and listen. They don’t understand (yet!) what a daunting task writing a book is. It takes time—they get it—but they don’t realize how much until they actually write it. Then rewrite it. Then rewrite it again. It takes soooo much time. And blood. Sweat. (You guessed, it: tears too.)

I love writing. Writing has a reward in and of itself; it’s therapeutic to many of us. But to write a book-length work takes a deep commitment. It would be like eating an elephant*. Every page is a bite of tough, old meat chewed one morsel at time. You would have to make most of the meat into jerky just to make it last until you can get around to swallowing it! You can’t tackle it all at once. In the last few months I’ve started a few huge, new tasks. Two of those being revising a hot mess of a draft and another would be writing a very research-intensive new book. When I start getting overwhelmed, I calm my breathing and ask myself, “How do I eat an elephant?” And then myself answers in a not-so-chipper voice, “One bite at a time.” I grumble that it’s taking so long. But often the admission that is does take one bite at a time helps. (And I’m telling you this in hopes that it helps you too. Because it is hard to stick with it and I know it!)

So to all of you starting, finishing, revising, or thinking about writing a book or two, here is my advice: start with one mouthful at a time and work your way in. It’s too easy to overwhelm yourself, but anything worth doing is worth your best effort. (Not your best writing, mind you, but your best focus of energy.)

YOU CAN DO IT!

Finishing up my author interview series, Kate Scott is the winner of Prisoners in the Palace. Congrats, Kate! Please email me (@ jackeeDOTalstonATgmailDOTcom) your snail mail address and I’ll get the book sent out to you. Thanks to all those who commented and participated!

* Even though I compare it to eating an elephant, in Shel Silverstein’s poem, Melinda Mae, the girl thought she could eat a whale, said she could and then “started right at the tail”. She ignored the nay-sayers and in eighty-nine years, she ate the whole whale because she said she would. You choose the animal you like best for the analogy, but I’ve no physical concept of how big a right or blue or humpback whale is, so I’ll stick with an elephant. :o)

Interview and book win with Michaela MacColl

2011-03-25T05:40:00.002-07:00

Last but far from least, we have Michaela McColl, author of the YA historical fiction, Prisoners in the Palace: How Princess Victoria became Queen with the Help of Her Maid, a Reporter, and a Scoundrel. Her book (as my best friend put it), “is one of the most intriguing books I’ve read in a long time”. Set in London, 1838, it’s about Liza and her dreams of a society debut becoming dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady's maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant's world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. I asked Michaela the same questions as the other interviewees and here is what she had to say:

Q1. First off, my burning question to everyone published is at what point in the long road to publication did you actually think you could succeed, that you could make it into print?   
A1. I think we all have to begin assuming that we can make it into print. Otherwise I don’t know how we would even begin. Happily I knew nothing about the process when I started and I didn’t know how difficult it would be. However, early on, I found a mentor, Patricia Reilly Giff. She assured me (and many other new writers) that writing is a craft. It can be learned. Persevere and you will get published!

Q2. Was there ever a point when it was the opposite, where you thought you couldn’t succeed in getting published? Dare to share the story?   
A2. About year before I eventually sold Prisoners in the Palace, I had a serious nibble from a wonderful publisher. My agent told me that they were talking a “contract by the end of the week!” I was over the moon. But then the deal fell through (because the publisher had a strong affiliate with a UK operation and they dissed the idea of an American writing about their Queen Victoria – really, it’s true!) I was absolutely crushed – I don’t think I’ve ever been so depressed. Thankfully my agent didn’t give up on me – so neither did I. When I finally sold Prisoners in the Palace, my father chuckled and said “You are a stubborn one!”

Q3. I recently found your very cool blog. Has blogging helped you in your path to becoming an author? If so, in what ways?   
A3. I only started blogging after Prisoners in the Palace was sold. I found that I wasn’t terribly comfortable sharing personal information on a day to day basis. So I decided early on that blogging for me was going to be a way to keep my website current. I’ve never tried to build up a following–there are so many other people who do that better than I could.

Q4. I loved the rich detail of Prisoners in the Palace! What was your inspiration for such a unique, historical setting?
A4. I wish I could take credit for the rich detail, but I’m just trying to recreate the past. All the details happened–just as our own lives are filled with smells, tastes and textures. Trying to recreate Kensington Palace was difficult because there wasn’t a lot of information about furnishings. However, the Victorian era is well-documented so the details are out there.

Q5. Any new, exciting writing projects you can share with us?
A5. I just finished revising my copy-edited manuscript called Promise the Night (Chronicle Fall 2011). It’s about Beryl Markham, a famous lady-aviator in the 1930’s. She grew up on an isolated ranch in the highlands above Nairobi. Beryl’s exciting childhood—with natives, lions, sadistic governesses and warthogs, gave her a taste for adventure that she never lost.

Q6. And final question (a writerly one): long-winded first drafter or a skeleton sketcher?
A6. I’m a planner. Even when I’m writing my first chapters, I’m mapping out future scenes, themes to explore, and if I’m lucky, the ending. I admire those people who just write and let their characters decide the story for them… but the idea terrifies me!

Thank you, Michaela! Your answers were just what I needed to hear. To learn more about Michaela, visit her blog or webpage—they are certainly worth your time. In the interim, I won a copy of this book on Caroline Rose’s blog and the publisher (Chronicle Books) sent me an extra copy (along with a few bookmarks). Please leave a comment for Michaela and me, be a follower, and I’ll enter you in to win the book and bookmarks.

Last week’s winner is… Jemi Fraser! Congratulations, Jemi. Go ahead and email me that Canada address of yours and I’ll send you a copy of Tortilla Sun.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by (and contributed!) to my author interview series. I will be back to a regular posting schedule next Friday when I announce the Prisoner winner. (Ha, ha. Love the way that sounds….) Happy weekend everyone! Big hugs from Arizona!

Interview and book win with Jennifer Cervantes

2011-03-18T05:22:00.001-07:00

We’re going to finish out March with two more great interviews. Our second to last is the wonderful JENNIFER CERVANTES, debut author of Tortilla Sun. TS is the story of “12 year old Izzy Roybal who is sent to spend the summer in her nana's New Mexico village where she is soon caught up in the foreign world of her own culture, from patron saints and soulful food to the curious and magical blessings Nana gives her tortillas”.

Q1: First off, my burning question to everyone published is at what point in the long road to publication did you actually think you could succeed, that you could make it into print?
A1: That’s a great question and one that is sometimes hard for me to answer since my journey felt so sequential and even serendipitous. But here goes. When I began to write TORTILLA SUN, my only goal was to finish it; I had to see what happened to the characters. And then when I did finish it, I celebrated and felt like I’d accomplished something that felt so big. And anyone who writes an entire ms knows what I’m talking about. It is a true labor love. Then after I finished the manuscript, some crit partners encouraged me to really try to get it published. So I went the long route of finding an agent and when I did, I think that was the point when I thought, Wow, this could really happen.

Q2: Was there ever a point when it was the opposite, where you thought you couldn’t succeed in getting published? Dare to share the story?
A2: I think I was such a neophyte, and so amazingly naïve about the publishing world, that I didn’t know to even think about not getting it published. Sometimes I wish I could go back there.

Q3: Now for the hardest question yet: many of my blog readers are moms or are working full-time outside of writing. Can you give us some advice on how you manage to keep up this writing gig and mother kids to boot?
A3: I think all women have to deal with this idea of balance. For me, I succeed on most days and fail on others. There is never enough time in the day to do everything I want to do and to do it well. But, I have learned to be kinder to myself on those days that I don’t quite balance all the components of my life as well as I’d like to. Keeping a schedule and lists really helps. But carving out time for your writing is critical. Sometimes you have to shut the door and post a “keep out” sign.

Q4. How has an online presence helped you become published or promote your book?
A4: For me, I don’t think it helped me get published since I didn’t even have an active presence at the time TS was sold. Now I use my website to connect with readers which is so important to me. Also, visiting with bloggers has been a wonderful way to reach out to potential readers and let them know about TS and my journey as a writer. And I love Twitter and Facebook to stay connected to my writer friends, readers, and the publishing industry as a whole.

Q5. Having been born in a small New Mexico town myself, I’m hungry to see more books about this area. Have any others in the works? If not, care to share any new projects you are working on?
A5: Yeah for a native of the Land of Enchantment! I don’t have any works in progress that are set in NM, but you never know. I just finished an MG manuscript titled MAX OF THIEVES which is about a boy named Max, (who is born to a long line of thieves) the Day of the Dead, a curse, magic, and family. And am now working simultaneously on two projects—one light and fun; the other is creepy and cool.

Q6: And final question (a writerly one): long-winded first drafter or a skeleton sketcher?
A6: In the beginning of a project-skeleton sketcher! And then I can definitely get long-winded.

Thank you so much, Jennifer! Max of Thieves sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to hear more about this one. In the meantime, to learn about Jen and Tortilla Sun, check out her adorable website.

For a chance to win a copy of Tortilla Sun, just leave a comment and be a follower. The chance to win will be open until Thursday, March 24th @ 8 pm MST. The winner will be announced Friday, March 25th, when we’ll have our LAST author interview and giveaway. Then I’ll be back to a regular blogging schedule. :o)

And as for last week’s winner….

The Liar Society goes to: Myrna Foster. Congratulations, Myrna! Please email me your snail mail address and I’ll get the book to you.

Interview and book win with Lisa and Laura Roecker

2011-03-10T03:57:00.001-07:00

What a blast of fun I have for you today, my friends! We’re continuing on with the “return to blogging” celebration with a warm welcome to the Roecker sisters, Lisa and Laura, debut authors of the amazing teen book, The Liar Society. Here’s what they have to say to us:

Q1. First off, my burning question to everyone published is at what point in the long road to publication did you actually think you could succeed, that you could make it into print?
A1. After signing with Catherine, we had the opportunity to meet with her in person to review the manuscript. It was a humbling experience. Despite being overwhelmed at first, we dove into edits and worked pretty much around the clock to complete them. After Catherine had a chance to read our revision, she said it was go time. It was this moment that we felt like we could actually do this. We had so much hope for the book and our career. It was a really exciting time.

Q2. Was there ever a point when it was the opposite, where you thought you couldn’t succeed in getting published? Dare to share the story?
A2. Being on submission was also a humbling experience. We had a whole lot of close calls, but as you know, they really don't mean all that much. We were waiting for the real deal! There were definitely moments while on sub when our hope tank was on empty and we wanted to give up. Luckily there are two of us and usually one can pull the other sister out of a funk.

Q3. You two are world-class bloggers! Has blogging helped you in your path to becoming an author? If so, in what ways?
A3. Blogging has helped in countless ways. First of all, it forces us to write every single day and through the blog we've practiced finding a unified voice. And the people! The people! We've met true friends, beta readers and have hopefully helped other aspiring authors with our experiences. We seriously would not be where we are without the blog.

Q4. I love the addition of pink hair to Kate. Can you tell us a) a little inspiration for the book as a whole and b) what transpired the pink hair?

A4. The book was inspired by someone Lisa lost a few years ago. She would email him from time to time and then got to wondering what would happen if he ever wrote back. The Liar Society tells that story. Now...when we originally wrote TLS, Kate did not have pink hair. But, as you know, authors do not have a whole lot of control over the cover process (in fact, we had more input than most!), but when it came down to it, we were told that Kate would have pink hair on the cover. We were pretty much shocked. Once we came to terms with Kate's transformation, we begged to get our hands back on the manuscript to at least have the book accurately reflect the cover. Sourcebooks was nice enough to let us make a few minor changes. So, Kate with pink hair was born. Honestly, we've never looked back.

Q5. Any new, exciting writing projects you can share with us?
A5. We're very excited for the second book in The Liar Society series. Kate is going to be digging much deeper into the Farrow family legacy. We're having lots of fun with it. We also have a couple other series ideas brewing and once we have direction from Catherine, will dive headfirst into one.

Q6. And now for the hardest question yet: many of my readers are moms or are working full-time outside of writing. Can you give us some advice on how you manage to keep up this writing gig and mother kids to boot?
A6. Oh gosh, we are definitely not doing a very good job balancing it all right now. Our biggest challenge is the lack of childcare. Daycare is expensive. Writing is time-consuming. We basically do all of our writing during naptime (if we get it) and into the night. We're not gonna lie. We're pretty cranky and distracted during the day. But we've talked about balancing better, especially over the summer. We have a really hard time saying NO and we want to do everything!

Q7. And a final question (a writerly one): long-winded first drafter or a skeleton sketcher?
A7. Hmm...we fall somewhere in the middle. But we're notorious for adding lots of words during revisions. Our editor wants to kill us.

Thank you so much, ladies! To learn more about Lisa and Laura, The Liar Society, and their books in progress, check out their fun website and blog.

Now for a chance to win an ARC of The Liar Society—SIGNED BTW—just leave a comment and be a follower. A chance to win will be open until Thursday, March 17th @ 8 pm MST. The winner will be announced Friday, March 18th, when we’ll have another author interview and giveaway.

LAST WEEK’S WINNER OF SCONES AND SENSIBILITY BY LINDSAY ELAND IS… Catherine Denton. Congratulations, Catherine! Please email me your snail mail address and I’ll get the book to you.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Interview and book win with Lindsay Eland

2011-03-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today I have a treat for you all: an interview with Lindsay Eland, author of the middle grade novel, Scones and Sensibility. Take it away, Lindsay!

Q1. First off, my burning question to everyone published is at what point in the long road to publication did you actually think you could succeed, that you could make it into print?
A1. At the time, I had been writing for about four years, focusing mostly on writing picture book manuscripts and dabbling for the first time in a middle grade novel (and obviously I never looked back from that first dabble, though thankfully that manuscript is tucked safely in a drawer!). For my birthday that year my husband gave me a framed piece of paper that he had typed up for me. On it were statistics. Statistics like: "Dr. Seuss's first children's book, "And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street," was rejected by 27 publishers. The 28th publisher, Vanguard Press, sold 6 million copies of the book." It was having this next to me at my desk and reading and rereading and rerereading all the statistics that led me to believe that, "I know for a fact that I WILL get published someday. Why? Because I refuse to give up." And as my editor says, "Publishing is about persistence."

Q2. Was there ever a point when it was the opposite, where you thought you couldn’t succeed in getting published? Dare to share the story?
A2. Umm, that pretty much happened daily until I actually saw the book with my own eyes and held it in my hand--and that was a month before the official release date! I still wrestle with that self-doubt every single day, as I think most authors do, wondering if we'll ever have another book come out into the world.

Q3. You have an amazing blog. I love to lurk around there and glean from your wisdom. Do you feel that blogging has helped you in your path to becoming an author? If so, in what ways?
A3. Thank you so much for "lurking" on my blog! :) Blogging is a ton of fun and though I didn't actually start writing a blog until my agent had already sold Scones and Sensibility, it has been extremely helpful as an author...if for no other reason than to get my thoughts out into the world and express myself creatively. Blogging also curbs my baking habit...you can only have so many dozens of cookies and loaves of pumpkin bread at one time.

Q4. And now for the hardest question yet: many of my readers are moms or are working full-time outside of writing. Can you give us some advice on how you manage to keep up this writing gig and mother kids to boot?
A4. I'm a pretty disciplined person, which pretty much means that I need to keep myself on a schedule or I'll wind up eating bon bons and watching poorly written Soap Opera's all day long :). So, in response to that horrifying image, I keep to a pretty basic writing schedule every day that my kids just accept as being a part of life. They don't question it, they just go off together and play and hopefully not kill themselves in the process. I think that moms need to change how they look at their writing. They are not bad moms for getting away for an hour a day by themselves! Actually, they are: 1. Doing something they love, which rejuvenates the spirit and enables you to LOVE your family better 2. They are pursuing their dreams And 3. They are teaching their kids to do the very same thing--to do something they love and pursue their own dreams! What could be better than that?!

Q5. As a kid, I went through a phase much like Polly’s where I wanted to be and live Anne Shirley’s life. I also had a match-making phase! Do have any thoughts or plans on making a sequel where we can hope to see Polly morph into another phase? If not, anything new in the works you can share?
A5. I have brainstormed a sequel to Scones and Sensibility, though nothing is written yet except a basic outline and a horribly written synopsis. But don't worry, I have not been bon bon eating nor Soap Opera watching! Instead, this past year I have written and completed two other contemporary middle grade novels, and I am currently working on an upper middle grade fairy-tale-esque (YAY for made-up-words!) type of book that has been a LOT of fun to write! (Fun being relative since I have not started revising it yet.)

Q6. Final question (a writerly one): long-winded first drafter or a skeleton sketcher?
A6. Definitely skeleton sketcher...I ALWAYS have to go back and add to my stories, which I am thankful for because it is MUCH harder for me to get rid of things...just look at my closet :)
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!

And thank you, Lindsay! I ADORED your answers. :o) To learn more about Lindsay and her writing, check out her beautiful website and blog.

Now for a chance to win Scones and Sensibility… Just leave a comment and be a follower. A chance to win will be open until Thursday, March 10th @ 8 pm MST. The winner will be announced Friday, March 11th, when we’ll have another author interview and giveaway.

Have a lovely weekend!

I’m Backkkk!!!

2011-03-01T00:27:00.001-07:00

Hello, everyone! After over a month’s hiatus, I think I’ve pulled my head back together enough to return to blogging. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll never get it together enough to satisfy myself, but I just missed you all too much! So I’m back.
Here are a few things I’ve been up to:
~ My little boy’s birthday was Valentine’s Day. He turned four. Between school parties and birthday/V-day celebrations, what a sugar coma that day was.

~ My friends and I have put together half a dozen school kits (see this post) and have three dozen more in the works right now, ready to sew and fill. It feels so good to know I’m getting somewhere with my 127-kit-goal. Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this project.

~ I started writing a new book and am very excited though still too nervous to talk much about it. Soon, I promise. I’m horrible with secrets.

~ I started rereading my critique buddy Susan Field’s wonderful Killing Kessler. How I love her writing. (Yay for Susan!)
~ Edited my Jedda Hitler book enough to get it into my first reader’s hands (aka The Husband). We’ll see what he says then it’s off to a few of you who have asked for it.
~ Organized my exciting return to blogging party—complete with author interviews and book giveaways. (Come back Friday for the first one. Then return for four more Friday interview/giveaways after that. A couple hints about who you might meet… March 1st is…

Happy birthday to Lindsay Eland!
Happy book birthday to Lisa and Laura Roecker!

How was your February? What is new? Did anyone get a book deal or a new agent? Any great new blogfests going on? I need details, people, details! :o)

Happy March Day to all!

Big Hugs,
Jackee

An apology, a repost, and a break.

2011-01-24T02:51:00.003-07:00

Wow, I am so behind on life! I’ve been writing a little, critiquing a lot, and volunteering even more. I've learned to really admire you who work full time, raise kids, and still manage to write and beta read. You're all amazing!

Right now my life doesn’t seem any where close to slowing down. One of things I feel the worst about getting behind on is visiting my blogging friends. If I haven’t been to see you in awhile, I’m sorry! I am working on that and promise I'll be around. And in the meantime, I’m going to take a posting break here at Winded Words.

But for your reading pleasure (or torture, depending on who you are), I’m including a repost from Dec 2nd, 2009 on time management and balancing life (since this one is timely for me obviously):
Here are some tips I’ve picked up over the years for making the time in your day balanced. Now a huge caveat, these are things I’ve LEARNED from other people, not necessarily things I PRACTICE:

1. Get up early.
Try for a decent amount of sleep, but get up for those people-free, productive hours of the morning. My mother is a pro at this. (Then again, I think she's half-robot and doesn't need as much sleep as the rest of us. Even while fighting cancer.) I get more done in the wee hours of the morning rather than those sleepy afternoons after lunch. If you're a night owl reverse this routine and use the time when everyone else is in bed to get some things done. Don't be tempted to turn on those great late night shows and waste valuable productive time.

And if you have trouble getting up in the morning at your established time, try these suggestions:

Don't lay around in bed and smash the alarm for awhile. One trick is to set an alarm on a coffee pot. Since I don't drink coffee, I learned from someone (forget who) to first thing when you wake up, think about something (anything!) you are excited about that day. It perks you right up. I often think about where I am in a story I'm writing. I get so excited that my brain wakes up. If all else fails, hide your alarm. Or ask your bedmate to kick you out. With a metal bat. (Kidding!)

2. Get ready for the day all at once.
Shower and dress all the way down to your shoes. You are ready for anything then and that is an energizing feeling. (Plus it really does save time not having to make several trips to the bathroom mirror or your dresser.)

3. Take projects with you everywhere.
We spend a lot of time in our lives waiting. Take your work with you—the hairdresser, the bus stop, the Doctor’s office, etc. Having said that though, don’t neglect others with you at the expense of reading/writing just one more scene. Whatever you are doing, be in the moment. If you are reading to your child, enjoy the moment, don’t think about the dishes. It’s one of the many things I love about yoga—it teaches you to be "present". (Unfortunately, I'm still working at this one, though. I automatically go down my mental to-do list at the expense of the now.)

4. Make dinners easy on yourself.
I’m an admitted food snob, so I’ll not tell you order McDonald’s every night. Instead, pull out that crockpot or roaster and modify your favorite recipes. Great meals can be set in a slow cooker earlier in the day. Not only do you have a meal ready when you’re ready, but the clean up is easier. One pot! You can also make extra and freeze half for really busy days.

5. Exercise and Eat Right
Anyone who exercises will tell you that they have more energy, get more done, and feel better when they squeeze in exercise. It’s not easy to do, most days I fail, but even 20 minutes every other day can make a difference. Also eating right helps. We’re only beginning to understand how much diet affects us, regarding how we feel. Listen to your body, it will help you make wise choices in eating. (And no, I didn’t say listen to your CHOCOLATE voice. That one always talks.)

6. Don’t be afraid to throw out the time wasters.
Track your activities for a week and see what you spend most of your time doing. Be prepared to trim the fat in your life and take out what is not important to you (say, too much Facebook/blogging time. Hee, hee!) and put in what is, like writing or playing checkers with your child. Time is more precious than money and oddly enough, we are all given the same amount in a day. Make the most of yours.

7. Think about tomorrow today.
It helps me to sleep better when I’ve written down the game plan for the next day. That way I’m not up at night trying to remember what it was that was too important to forget. Keep a notebook by your bed. Make your list (I’m a HUGE lister!), write it down, and then let it go.

8. Along with letting go, let go of the day while you are at it.
Take a moment each night before bed to breathe, relax, and let go. Yoga and Tai Chi are great for this, but there are other ways. I use this time to recharge my spiritual battery. Again, I don’t always have time to do this extensively, but I DO have 60 seconds to breathe. I make the most of those 60 seconds.

9. Set achievable goals and work towards them.
Challenge yourself, but be realistic. Then once you reach your goal, reward yourself fittingly. You know the saying, let the punishment fit the crime? Well also let the reward fit the achievement. An added benefit of goal-setting is that your children see you doing this and nothing teaches better than example.

10. Take baby steps.
Sometimes you can’t clean the house, write a chapter, go to the gym, paint the house, work at a job, help with the homework, make a gourmet meal, and whatever-else-I-forgot-to-mention all in a day. But you can do a little of a lot of them. Pick and choose what you can and save the rest for another day.

What I haven't said here is that what should impact balance more than anything is priority. In the end, what is really important? I may not remember the days my house was clean (or not) or that the seven-year old's hair was perfect for picture day, but I DO want to remember how it felt to kiss that squishy baby's cheek, hug a child's tears away, let someone I know I care by stopping by for a visit, or write a scene that makes my adrenaline pump. Those are the things that are important to me and if I wish to achieve the proper balance, they will be foremost in my time use.

Other places to look for time managements helps: www.flylady.com; mindtools.com; and getmoredone.com

Being a Follower

2011-01-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

As a blogger, have you ever felt the hurt of someone unfollowing your blog? If you’re like me, you felt rejected, unliked, and then guilty for feeling that way over something as “trivial” as a loss of a follower. Or at least I know many of my friends have felt this way of late. (I even see it on facebook statuses.) And I know I feel that way. I admit it.

Though it doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t have something interesting to say, I take it as such anyway. I automatically think it was something I said or didn’t do. I feel like I’ve let them down.

Though some people only follow blogs when they want to be notified of every new post, following a blog means something different to me.

When I click on that follow button it means, “I support you. I support this little space of internet you’ve made for yourself. It doesn’t mean I’ll get to reading you all the time, or comment all the time. Or that I expect you to be able to do the same for me either. But if time allows, I like to read what you have to say.”

Now I can’t get to all 483 blogs I follow, but that doesn’t mean I don’t support them. Just like I can’t talk to all my friends and acquaintances in a calendar year, I still care about them. Blogging friends are priceless. And it does hurt to lose one. I accept that. I wish I could visit and leave comments all the time, but I can’t and neither can any of us. But we support each other, are here for each other.

We need each other. We need to see the words “I support you” in action. Really, following in real life is not much different than following in the blog world.

Writing, trying to get published, and putting yourself out there is hard enough, blogging shouldn’t add to our wilting morale … but that’s just my opinion….

Q4U: What does following mean to you? (Feel free to disagree with me.)

Looking Back, Moving Forward

2010-12-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

What a ride 2010 has been! Some of the wonderful things that happened to me this year are:

* I met all of you, so many amazing, new blogging friends. Many of you chose to follow my little Winded Words, bringing my list from twenty-something to almost 350. Thank you! But most of all, thank you for your friendships! I’m a better person for having met so many of you.

* I finished another novel. (Go, Jedda, go!)

* I had many requests for Courtesy and Patience. Though none of them panned out, I’ve learned invaluable things about the business.

* Because of blogging, I have FOUR new incredible critique partners. (You are stellar, ladies!!)

* My mother beat cancer for a second time! It took 10 months of chemo, two clinical trials, monthly trips to Albuquerque, and hundreds of prayers, but she’s healing well. Here’s to years of remission!

* I have the most beautiful and bright family who continue to amaze me as they grow into people that leave me in awe every day. (I might be biased, though….)

I have so many things to be thankful for this year, but those are the few I want to sing about. And as 2011 approaches, I’m curious to see what will happen. For me, there’s something about the double years……..

1977 The year I was born
1988 The year I wrote my first novel (A trite story about a tom-girl named Gem Shoe.)
1999 I married my husband
2011 ?????

Happy New Year, everyone!

Project Give a Book, Give the World Redux (and Winner Announced!)

2010-12-27T05:51:00.002-07:00

Sorry I’m just now posting the winner of the Project Give a Book, Give the World, but life got crazy there for awhile. In fact, it still is. (I can’t wait until I have time to return to the blogging world!)

And the winner is… Susan Kaye Quinn! Congratulations, Sue! Send me your snail mail address and expect a package next week. (Also, please note that Amy Allgeyer Cook offered a signed book plate for The Iron Bodkin. Awesome, eh? If you want it, please let us know.)

Really, though, you are all winners. Thank you so much for participating and thank you even more for giving children books this holiday season. We had a total of 127 books given away. That means I have 127 school humanitarian aid kits to make in 2011. (I know, I had better get busy!)

My heart is full of gratitude to everyone that helped make that number possible. Most especially I’m grateful to my wonderful friend, Sharon Mayhew, who amid the holiday rush managed to get a box of school supplies together (and money for more!) to send to me. She is a treasure! (Susan Fields too, who is sending a package of supplies as well. I have the best critique partners EVER!)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! God bless you all this coming New Year!

My Virtual Christmas Gift

2010-12-24T20:29:00.002-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS! My gift to you.....
1. Virtual Cookies

2. A folk tale to go with them.

The Amaretti: An Adaptation to an Italian Legend
by Jackee Alston (c) 2010

The winter’s night air pricked at Lina’s nose like the powdered cinnamon from the spice vendor’s cask. She burrowed her face farther into her scarf. Snow fell in light flakes, muting the murmurs of passersby. Such were the nights in Saronno, cold enough for discomfort but no more. She would not be forced indoors. Besides, Giuseppe was waiting. Her steps quickened and she weaved between the crowds jostling each other.

“Osolina,” called Giuseppe, waving his arms, “here!”

He was perched at the base of a statue, balancing himself with one hand on the muzzle of Caesar Augustus’s horse.

Lina giggled and ran to him.

“There you are,” he said. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you through this mob.”

“So you found a horse to see better.”

Giuseppe swung his free arm and bowed dramatically. “A horse and a knight at your service, milady.”

She giggled again. “Come down from there, my gallant knight.”

In three great leaps he bounded to her side. He was fit and agile for a baker, but what Lina loved most about him was his smile. It was impish and crooked, with one corner curling slightly higher than the other when he was up to something. He gave her that smile now.

“Have you heard the news?”

“There are too many people,” she answered, shaking her head, “I could not see well enough to read the notice.”

“Leave it to me, then.”

With that he seized her hand and dove into the throng. Lina in his wake, he plowed through the townspeople. At last they reached the wall where a small sign had been posted. Giuseppe planted her in front of it; apologizing insincerely to the people he had crowded out.

“Now tell me what it says.”

Lina read, squinting in concentration. Giuseppe was a marvelous baker, but had never been taught to read. Her skills were proficient and she vowed once she and Giuseppe were wed in the spring she would teach him as well.

“It says,” she told him, “that they will be at this square to preach. Midday on the morrow.”

The crowd behind her murmured mixtures of approvals and dismay.

“They will be hanged,” one said.

“The soldiers will imprison them for sure,” said another.

Giuseppe nodded. “And yet that will not stop them.”

He leaned forward and took Lina’s hand again.

“Come, we haven’t much to time to prepare, then.”

She waited to ask him what he was up to until they were away from the townspeople.

“All right,” she said when they were in a narrow alley, “tell me what this is about.”

He stopped, taking both hands in his. “Lina, the disciples of the Son of God are coming.”

“Yes, I know. I read the notice,” she laughed at his seriousness. He was rarely serious.

“So,” he said, walking again. “We must have a gift to give them.”

It was her turn to stop. Her stomach fell as a leaden hammer on an anvil.

“But, my love, we have nothing to give.”

It was true. They’d been carefully saving to be married, but even this was a great sacrifice. Already they were reduced to eating the stale or blackened loaves they could not sell and hadn’t been able to afford even a single tomato for weeks. Things were especially worse now that the townspeople had learned they were Christian. Long time customers had ceased coming. One man shouted all sorts of obscenities at Giuseppe. Lina hadn’t stayed to hear the insults but she caught the meaning: he thought them delusional. A little old lady whom Lina had always liked spat in Giuseppe’s face. Lina bit her lip at the memory.

“We’ll make do,” Giuseppe said, softly.

She hugged him. He was ever hopeful, she ever rational.

When they reached the bakery, he unlocked the door and together they climbed the stairs to his tiny apartment above it. Lighting a lamp, Lina raised it to search the kitchen cupboards. A handful of empty spice jars and an old loaf of bread was all there was to see. Giuseppe’s shining face fell.

“Don’t despair yet. What do you have downstairs in the bakery?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Flour, eggs. A handful of nuts.”

Patting his shoulder, she led the way down to the bakery’s kitchen.

Lina set a hand on the sack of flour. It felt cold and supple with the fine powder within.

“Is this all that’s left? For the morning bread?”

He nodded.

“Well,” she said, dusting off her hands, “as you said, we’ll have to make do.”

Grinning, some of the light returned to his face. His passion for the project was hard not to catch. Lina smiled back.

“You’ll just have to invent something new. Something with few ingredients.”

“And very little flour,” he agreed.

“Right. We can’t use much of what is meant for the morning sale.”

Rubbing his hands together, he said, “We’ll whip the eggs, that way the confection will be airy and need less flour.”

While Giuseppe collected the eggs, Lina opened the barrel of sugar. She frowned.

“We only have a handful of sugar, my love,” she told him.

He paused from beating the eggs. Then he said, “Try the wooden box over there.”

Lina opened the box he indicated. There was sugar true enough, but it was turbinado, the coarse, poor kind that did not cook well in confections.

“It is only turbinado,” she said.

“Go ahead and add the good sugar to the eggs here,” Giuseppe said, unhappy, “and I suppose we’ll sprinkle the turbinado on top.”

Lina sighed. “I hope that will be enough.”

“I hope so too.”

“And what of flavoring?”

Giuseppe tapped his lips in thought. Lina waited patiently for his answer, but she could not see a solution for this one. The spice jars were empty.

“What if we crush the almonds and then mix them into the batter?”

“That would be better than nothing,” she said, losing hope their experiment would turn out well.

Through the remainder of the night they worked. And as the smell of baking sugar and almonds filled the room, a glimmer of hope began to fill them. Perhaps this gift would be one worthy of God’s messengers after all.

Lina removed the crisp, brown confection from the oven. Giuseppe plucked one from the tray and blew on it. When it was cool, he put it to Lina’s lips.

“Tell me what you think.”

She took the smallest bite and chewed. Her eyes flew wide.

“It’s perfection,” she declared.

He turned the cookie around and tasted it himself. Smiling, he nodded. Then he laughed. Lina laughed too, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing it. They stayed that way but for a moment.

Dusting off her apron, she said, “Come, we still have bread to make.”

The dark sky lightened into grey as they hurriedly prepared bread for the morning sale. But not before Giuseppe first tucked the cookies away into the now empty sugar box. Gently he shut the lid and they set to their daily task.

The rest of the day felt like a burden while they waited for midday to come. Just before the sun reached the middle of the sky, Lina pulled their precious gift from the shelf. Though the cookies still smelled delicious, they looked dull sitting in the box by themselves. She felt they needed something more, something to offset the dull brown of the box and the cookies themselves. She spied the brightly colored paper Giuseppe used to wrap the loaves in. Ripping off a little piece, she placed a cookie in the middle and twisted the ends closed.

“What are you doing?” asked Giuseppe, coming into the kitchen from the front of the bakery.

“They looked so lonely there in the box. I decided the least I could do is give them wrappings.”

“There is my angel, even worried about the comfort of a cookie,” he teased. Slipping his hands over hers he added, “If they are lonely then they need each other.”

Nimbly he packaged each cookie with another until they were twisted up in a pair. In no time there were a dozen pairs of cookies, all snuggled up back in the box.

“Better?” he asked.

She smiled. “Much.”

“It is still such a small gift for His disciples,” he said, frowning.

“You may be right,” she said, touching his arm. “Their service is the greater gift. More still, what of Jesus’ own gift?”

Giuseppe linked his hands around her shoulders. “His was the first and greatest gift, to be sure.”

“Indeed.”

Lina tucked the box under her arm and Giuseppe locked the bakery door. The few straggling customers were not worth waiting for. There was food for the spirit to be had this day.

When they reached the square, Lina’s heart sank. The crowd was larger than it had been the night before. The square and the alleys were filled with both believers and nonbelievers. There would be no way to reach the disciples at the heart of the square to bestow their gift. Hearing their message would be beyond them as well. Giuseppe tried pushing, but the crowd was too thick even for his determined shoving.

While he tried, Lina sat down on the stone steps, exhausted. She clutched the wooden box with the gift to her heart. They had worked so very hard, dissuaded by nothing. Now only to be defeated by their late arrival.

A hand, warm and strong, dropped on Lina’s shoulder. Surprised, she looked up. Bright eyes contrasted the weather-hardened face of a man she’d never seen before. A youth whom Lina also did not know stood behind him.

“Good day to you,” the first man said. “Are you here to hear the word of God?”

“Yes,” she said, “only we arrived too late. The crowd is more than we expected.”

“We?” he asked.

She pointed to Giuseppe, vainly trying to get through the throng. “My betrothed and I. We made a gift for the disciples. But we’ll never get close enough to give it to them.”

“May I see the gift?” asked the man, hand outstretched.

Lina hesitated, reluctant to share what they had sacrificed so much for to a stranger. At last, she slowly passed the box to him.

He opened it, raising one eyebrow. “You made these?”

“Yes.” She blushed. Now the gift truly seemed too trivial to show this great man. How worse would it be to give such a gift to Jesus’ disciples?

Tears sprang into the bright eyes of the man. He leaned back to show its contents to the youth behind him.

“Thank you,” he said. “We receive so few sweet things in our travels, save seeing souls come unto the Christ.”

“You are Paul?” she asked, amazed.

The man nodded. At that moment Giuseppe walked back. He looked utterly defeated until he heard Lina’s words. His jaw dropped. Paul smiled at him.

“And this is Timothy,” he said, motioning to the youth behind him.

Timothy nodded a greeting. “What do you call these confections?”

Giuseppe and Lina looked to one another. They had not discussed a name while creating their experiment.

“Well,” answered Lina, “we had not thought of one.”

“Amaretti,” said Giuseppe, immediately blushing. “Little almond cookies.”

Lina smiled at him. He had been thinking on it after all and she thought the name fit perfectly. She turned back to the disciples.

“They are flavored with almonds,” then feeling self-conscious, she added, “it’s all we had.”

Peeling away one of the colored wrappings, Paul nibbled a cookie and his face lit up. He passed the other morsel to Timothy.

“They are delicious.”

Giuseppe and Lina beamed at each other.

Then Paul took them both by the hand. “I have nothing to give you in return save my blessing. I pray to God that your marriage will be blessed with bounty and happiness. May your life as a pair be as your cookies, sweet and always bound in unity.”

Tears trickled down Lina’s cheeks. There was nothing she would want more than that.

“Thank you,” she managed to choke out.

Paul squeezed their hands once and climbed the stairs. Here they would teach and today Lina would learn at their feet. Giuseppe by her side.

Tell the truth Tuesday

2010-12-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

1. Not a single thing is left to do on my Christmas preparation list. We’re ready!
2. I don’t have to cook a Christmas eve dinner, breakfast, or day meal. Don’t hate. I just have awesome friends.
3. I am horrible at making great characters. There, I admit it. I really am—it’s something I really struggle with. So I’m reading Creating Characters by Dwight Swain and he had some advice about giving your characters an affectation of empathy, making you feel them and their motivations: “The writer who’s unable to simulate [perceived empathy] faces an almost impossible task for certainly his characters ever and always will lack the breath of life. And there’s the heart of the matter. Consciously or unconsciously, by nature or by learning, the writer must have or acquire the ability to put himself in another, perhaps unlikely, person’s place. Sometimes empathy will come in a flash, through intuition or osmosis.” He’s so right. I must learn to not judge my character’s actions with my own morals! I must develop my characters better by using these helps I used to take the time to do!
4. The last day to participate in Project Give a Book, Give the World is Thursday. Please participate HERE. I’m up to committing to 107 school humanitarian aid kits. That makes me so happy and sooooooo scared at the same time. It’s a lot to do! I’m glad I have friends who are always there to help out.
5. I’ve been horrible about blogging lately. But I’m slowly making my way around and I can’t wait to see what you all have been up to.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. I can’t tell you how excited I am for Christmas. Oh, wait. I guess I kind of did….

A Bookstore Reborn

2010-12-16T00:36:00.008-07:00

Some of you will remember this post from January. I told you about our local bookstore’s roof collapsing due to a record-huge snowstorm. The entryway looked like this:

Well today, almost a year later, the store is reborn!

The shelves are full….

The crowds are back….

And that lovely store is now offering great deals on books while giving back to the community in its usual way. Click here for the article.

(Did I mention they have random drawings a day where two lucky customers go check out only to discover their books are complimentary?)

Welcome back, Bookmans. Flagstaff has missed you!

FRIDAY FIVE

2010-12-10T00:43:00.010-07:00

1. My wonderful blogging friend, Sherrie Peterson, just signed with agent Michelle Humphrey @ ICM. Please take the time to go over and congratulate Sherrie. She’s an amazing person, blogger, and writer. Her blog was one of the first I ever found and I was instantly hooked by her genuine heart. Then we also entered Authoress’ Secret Agent Contest the same time. To me, her entry was the best out of all 250 by far. I love her voice!

2. I’m so grateful for all the kind participation in my 200th post celebration, Project Give a Book, Give the World. I’m up to committing to 80… (Read: OVERWHELMINGLY EIGHTY!!!) ...school kits to make. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click HERE. I’m so happy about the response from you all, though, and I’ve my own army of superwomen here in Flagstaff who has offered to help assemble them. It makes the task not feel as daunting. Now if we could only get some school supplies donated….

3. Christmas preparations at the Alston home are almost complete. I’m very happy about that, I tell you.

4. Revising the two books I’m working on is NOT almost complete. Truthfully, I’ve been going through a slump the last few weeks. My craft is not up to the caliber I want it to be. So this week I had a long talk with my husband and his words rang true: you can’t stop yourself from writing, so just get better. Page by page. That’s what I’m going to do: focus on the baby steps of revising (Read: REWRITING!!) the darn books.

5. My baby is sixteen months old today. Man, time flies....

200th Post Celebration

2010-11-30T09:44:00.004-07:00

Last month a friend and I went to a talk given by a woman who had survived the Sierra Leone civil war caused by the black market diamond trade. (Think the movie Blood Diamond and that is exactly how it was for her.)

While she spoke of running for her life, of her parents being shot before her eyes, and of her brother and sister having their legs amputated by a rebel’s machete, I cried with her. While she spoke of how the simple gift of a bar of soap, a book, and a notebook changed her life and the life of her step-sister, I nodded with her. I will never live through what she had to live through (God willing), but I can comprehend the power of sharing what we have. One person at a time. She spoke of how her sister received a humanitarian kit with a notebook, pencils, and paper and how that whole kit blessed the lives of her sister’s entire class. They broke the pencils in half so they could share them, they each got a piece of paper to write on and then would erase everything the next day to use it again. These children valued their education, they risked their lives to walk to school every day and they used up everything they had to make it last. Because it was all they had. The woman talked about receiving a book and how it changed her life as well. Books have a way of doing that, as well all know.

Ever since I heard this woman speak, my mind has been mulling on what one person can do. Specifically, what can I do? I am just one person. I work hard to help one person at a time; I chalk up volunteer hours every week. But it isn’t enough. My heart yearns to do more and I know many of you feel the same way.

So in celebration of my 200th post, I’m offering up to you, my blog friends, a proposal. I need help motivating myself to do more. I need someone to be accountable to. You are who I’m going to be accountable to. Please help me with my Project Give a Book, Give the World.

Here’s the plan:

For every book you give to a child (any child!), I will assemble and send a humanitarian school kit out.

The kits look like this, with hand sewn bags and purchased school supplies. Why have you give books out? Because I want kids to have books this Christmas, and I don’t care who the kid is. It will help us motivate each other and give to children in two different ways, with books and with school supplies.

This contest is based entirely on the honor system. Tell me you gave a child a book, and I’ll give you extra points to enter….

A giveaway for this book:

And this one:

An eclectic mix of books all by our wonderful blog friends. (Though I wish I could give all my friend’s books this time around. Next run of the project, I guess.)

Other ways to win points?

2 points for following here
2 points for spreading the word about Project Give a Book, Give the World (facebook, blogs, Twitter, etc.)
5 points for each school kit you make yourself and donate here or at another non-profit philanthropy who distributes them (please send pictures to my email on the right—I’d love to post them on the blog)
5 points for each book given to a child, even your own (children 18 and under)
1 point for adding up your points in the comments below as you get them (frequent additions to your points and multiple comments are just fine)
___________

The amount of points to be earned is limitless!

Just please help me do more this holiday. And yes, I am begging. See? Rug burns on my knees.

Our hearts will be forever changed by the kindnesses we show.

This project will be open until December 23rd, 5 pm MST, and is of course open to international friends. As I get the donations, I’ll be assembling the kits and posting pictures and updates on the project’s progress. (If you join me in making kits, I would love to share your pictures as well!)

Now I’ll get off my knees and leave you with these:

"When you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue-you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night-there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book." ~ Christopher Morley

“Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” ~ Edward Everett

Chronicle Book's Happy Haulidays

2010-11-23T20:59:00.002-07:00

Have you ever read a Chronicle Book? If you haven’t, then here’s your chance! Chronicle is putting on their annual Happy Haulidays giveaway and one lucky blogger will win $500 worth of books. Even better than that, blog commenters also have a chance to win a $500 pile as well. For a full list of participating blogs (or to participate yourself), go HERE.

Still here? Then let me share other reasons why I love Chronicle, because it’s a publishing house I have always admired. Not only are they constantly giving back to communities, but they pride themselves on publishing really distinctive books. When I see their little glasses on a book binding, I know the book is quality. In fact my favorite research book for Her Ticket to Ride was none other than….

The Beatles Anthology

Then I won Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl on Caroline Rose’s blog. Not only did Chronicle send me my winning copy, they sent me TWO! (You’ll be seeing more about this soon. And by that I mean getting the other copy.)

I love Chronicle! Needless to say I have a wish list of Chronicle Books besides these. A few are:
The Space Between Trees By Katie Williams
Tortilla Sun By Jennifer Cervantes
Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration
Vincent's Colors
How I Stole Johnny Depp’s Alien Girlfriend By Gary Ghislain

Ivy and Bean Boxed Set 2: Books 4, 5, and 6 Boxed set By Annie Barrows, Sophie Blackal

Simple Steps Toward a Healthier Earth By Molly Smith, Tad Carpenter

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder By Mark Cassino, Jon Nelson, Ph.D.

Animals Charles Darwin Saw: An Around-the-World Adventure By Sandra Markle, Zina Saunders

Charlotte in London By Joan MacPhail Knight, Melissa Sweet

Spot 7 Toys By KidsLabel

Escape Under the Forever Sky By Eve Yohalem

The Story of the Treasure Seekers By E. Nesbit, Paul O. Zelinsky, H.R. Millar

The Whitby Witches By Robin Jarvis

The Kid Who Named Pluto: And the Stories of Other Extraordinary Young People in Science By Marc McCutcheon, Jon Cannell

The Creative Collection of American Short Stories: Creative Editions By Yan Nascimbene

There you have it! Now… do you have your own Chronicle wish list? Get it posted by December 14th then let Chronicle know you have! Be sure to leave a comment here too, for another chance to win.

And to my US friends, have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Next post: My 200th Post Celebration!

The 7 Rules Part III: Rejection

2010-11-13T08:02:00.002-07:00

Everyone faces rejection. EVERYONE. The trick is learning how to deal with it. I’m going to put myself out there for censure and admit that I’ve been rejected on fulls nine times by agents this year. To some of you, that might not sound like a lot. To others, you’re likely appalled at the high number and will think there's something seriously wrong with me.

I can't tell you what to think of me, but I can share the seven rules of rejection I've gleaned from my experiences*.

1. Never send anything out until you receive that cue deep within your gut.
I’ve done it. Many of us have. But as your friend, I’m here to tell you DON’T be the one to do it. That’s right—I’m here to call a query intervention. Don’t submit until you are sure you are ready—not when a friend says it’s “good enough,” not when your mother tells you that it’s the editor’s job to fix it up for you. Listen to yourself and your book. You owe it to that book to make it the best it can be. And if you don’t know how to do that, then learn how. (These are all the tough words I tell myself when I’m in the ring—a.k.a. boxing it out with rejection.) Also, once you are ready to submit, research each house/editor/agent thoroughly to make sure your book could be a potential fit.

2. Recognize your writer’s weaknesses as well as your strengths.
Having said number one, I also want to point out you need to be positive. Pat yourself on the back for the things you know you’ve done well. Because you do have strong points whether it be great characterization, a beautiful platform, killer plot, or the perfect writing desk. There’s always something to be hopeful about!
3. You’re allowed one day to grieve the rejection then pick yourself up and work the next day.
Just like a bad break-up, rejection is a huge blow to your confidence. It’s okay that it hurts, but the next thing to do is pick yourself back up and get in the ring again. Before I married my husband, I allowed myself one day to mope over a boyfriend break-up. After that, I forced myself back to work and back to life. I do the same with rejection—I’m down for a day while I massage my hurt feelings with chocolate, long walks, and ice cream then it is back to the drawing board tomorrow.

4. Find the silver lining in the big R.
Not only can rejections have positive things written in them, but rejections can be positive in and of themselves. Much like a marriage, you want to be hitched to the very best person for you and you want to present your very best craft to that person as well. For example, my latest rejection was one of the harshest I’ve yet received. However, it was the most helpful. It opened my eyes to what was specifically wrong with the book and areas I needed to improve as a writer overall. Now I’m working on improving my craft so that I can be the kind of writer I have the potential to be. So, see? That rejection is helping me be a better writer which softened the blow of the rejection. (I didn’t even mope for a day!) To some of you, that won’t sound like a positive thing, but I really do want to be the best I can be and I appreciated her pointing out my weaknesses to help me get to that level. No one had ever been that brave before.

5. Reevaluate the things that matter most.
Writing is very important to us. BUT! It’s not the end all of end all. We have other aspects of our lives—family, friends, jobs, hobbies, etc. Keeping rejection in perspective to the grand scheme of our lives can keep us from feeling the dire, hopelessness some feel with rejection.

6. Remember entertainment is one of the most subjective fields out there.
Just as not all taste buds are the same, so are people’s tastes in books (or any entertainment for that matter). You may like eggplant while another likes parsnips. When you go to the movies with a friend, they may love the movie while you hate it. The same goes for your book. Keep that in mind when you see those three little words, “not for me”. Because truly, the book is probably not something they could fall in love with as you have. (And you really need someone who can eat that eggplant with you every day.)

7. After the sting, comes the growth.
I mentioned I go right back to work, but if the sting on that same book is still too strong, I work on something else. It’s okay to let a book sit for awhile. In fact, the best medicine for a rejection is having another book to work on. If I’m fired up about another story, the rejection doesn’t hurt nearly as bad. The feeling is better than dating a rebound boyfriend. You’ve got other options—they’re good—and you know it! …Besides, time will heal the pain from the other book and you’ll be able to look at it again. It won’t abandon you like last month’s love affair and instead waits patiently on the shelf for its turn with you.

So… what helps you deal with rejection? How do you know when you’re ready or will be ready to submit?

*Disclaimer: These are rules for my own life. Feel free to take any you find useful, but I encourage you to come up with your own rules and stick to them.

AS A SIDE NOTE, THIS IS MY 198TH POST! WHICH MEANS POST AFTER NEXT I'LL BE DOING A HUGE GIVEAWAY. STAY TUNED FOR DEETS...

The 7 Rules Part II: Writing Time

2010-11-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted my seven rules of blogging. This week I want to share my seven rules of utilizing writing time. Though you writers reading this will not have the same rules I have, I challenge you to write your own out, to stand by them, and keep them close at hand. (If you haven’t already.) A major step in the world taking your writing seriously is for you to take it seriously first. What better way than to create your own guidelines?

1. Spend every day working on a project.
It may not be actual writing, but I work on a manuscript everyday except Sundays. Whether it’s research, outlining, revising, or drafting just get in there and do it. I admire those that can write every day but I can’t—generally that comes in chunks.

2. Schedule a time to write. And hold that time sacred.
People in my life know that I’ll rarely commit to something between 9-11 am. That’s nap time and it’s sacred for writing. Also, the wee hours in the morning (4:30!) are my special creative times and I really try to make that a moment for new words. Not always possible but…

3. Embrace that writing is important for your well-being.

I’ve learned that I need to write new words for my own mental health. If I give myself the space to write, I am a lot nicer person to be around the rest of the day. Many writers recognize this about themselves so they make sure they get writing time in.

4. Create a trigger exercise.
Many writers use a trigger to let their brain know it’s time to write for awhile. Some people have a cup of coffee, do yoga poses, read a few pages out of a favorite book, listen to an inspirational song, and the list goes on. I check my email and then jump into it. Only, this isn’t working so well for me because I get distracted by the internet too easily. So I’m trying to run through a Tai chi form before I sit to write. I’ll let you know how that goes, but my advice is to find something that you will associate with moving into that creative time—something you only relate with writing words.

5. If you’re struggling with making time for writing, design a time log.

You’ll be surprised how much either a) you are writing or b) you will feel accountable simply by writing it down. Here’s what the one I use looks like. (And yeah, I try to look for the good in my writing day too!)

6. Novels have been written in fifteen minute intervals.
Sometimes the only time available is a few minutes here and there. It may not be ideal, but it can be done and I’m always surprised how much I can write in those little minutes while dinner is cooking, kids are bathing, or I’m waiting for a meeting to start.

7. Recognize your time wasters and eliminate them.

Admit what takes time away from writing, evaluate if it’s worth it, and then make changes. For me, I blink and I’ve spent an hour of my writing time on the internet. So I have to force myself to unplug the modem sometimes. (Gasp!) It’s very hard to do! Keep a notebook next to your writing materials and jot down sites you want to visit or things you want to research. After your writing session, allow yourself to look up those sites.

If you have other rules or tips on how to utilize writing time, please share! I’ll end with one of my favorite writing time quotes: “Becoming a writer means being creative enough to find the time and the place in your life for writing.’ -- Heather Sellers

On Friday I’ll post Part III: The 7 Rules of Rejection.

Late for the Logline Fest!

2010-11-02T13:07:00.005-07:00

I almost forgot I signed up for Steena’s Logline Blogfest! Sorry to all those who have followed the rules and participated. Here are my late entries (though you can see them on the sidebar as well):

The Many Adventures of Courtesy and Patience (MG Tall-tale):

The year 1911 was a golden year for aeronautics. But living in Maine, twelve-year-old orphans Courtesy and Patience would never have known had not a hot air balloon fallen on their heads. Saving the English pilot, his son, and a curious cargo from two dandy-suited goons named Sneed and Bowser course the orphans on a caper even they could not have imagined.

Jedda Hitler: Traitor to the Party (YA Historical):

Raised, groomed, and set apart, Jedda Hitler was her Fuhrer grandfather’s personal project to prove that even a small girl could be turned into a killing machine. Now at seventeen the grandfather she despised is dead and she’s left with a name and a life she never chose.

Check out the other great entries at CHOCOLATE REALITY. (And for those of you waiting for my next 7 rules, I’m sorry! I’ll post it next week. Promise.)

VERSION 2: Edited 6:00 pm PST

Thanks for all the great advice! I'm going to run a couple new versions by ya'll--do you like them better? (It's okay to say no.... Really.)

Jedda Hitler: Traitor to the Party (YA Historical):

Raised, groomed, and set apart, Jedda Hitler was her Fuhrer grandfather’s personal project to prove that even a young girl could be turned into a killing machine. Now at seventeen, her despised Fuhrer is dead and she’s left with a family torn apart, a country in ruin, and a life she never chose.

The Many Adventures of Courtesy and Patience (MG Tall-tale):

The convoluted story of two passengers on an Orphan Train, a broken dirigible, an alchemist, a lumberjack with an affinity for jellyfish, and the spies in bowler hats who chase them.

VERSION 3: Edited 9:40 pm PST
(not much has changed, but I am listening to all the advice coming in! thank you so much!)

The Many Adventures of Courtesy and Patience (MG Tall-tale):

The year 1911 was a golden year for aeronautics. But living in Maine, twelve-year-old orphans Courtesy and Patience would never have known had not a hot air balloon fallen on their heads.

Jedda Hitler: Traitor to the Party (YA Historical):
Raised, groomed, and set apart, Jedda Hitler was her Fuhrer grandfather’s personal project to prove that even a small girl could be turned into a killing machine. Now at seventeen the grandfather she despised is dead and she’s left with a name and a life she never chose.

FINAL ANSWER (Ha, ha. Yeah, right!): Edited 11/4 1:00 pm PST

The Many Adventures of Courtesy and Patience (MG Tall-tale):
The year 1911 was a golden year for aeronautics. But living in Maine, twelve-year-old orphans Courtesy and Patience would never have known had not a hot air balloon fallen on their heads.

Jedda Hitler: Traitor to the Party (YA Historical):
Raised apart, Jedda Hitler was her Fuhrer grandfather’s personal project to prove that even a young girl could be turned into a killing machine. Now at seventeen the grandfather she despised is dead and she’s left with a name and a life she never chose.

The 7 Rules: Part I

2010-11-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

On August 2008 I started this blog. I didn’t have a clear idea what I wanted it to become, nor did I know how to reach out to others. Since then I’ve come up with rules/mission statements that have helped me keep my blogging time focused and meaningful. Now, everyone’s rules will not be the same, but as you read through mine, I challenge you to think of your own and to stand by them. It will help you from either a) being sucked in too much or b) so overwhelmed you quit.

1. Never spend more time blogging than you do talking to your significant other.
My family comes first. End of story. Specifically, I’ve noticed the more I date my husband, the stronger our relationship becomes. (We’ve been married for 11 years and yeah, I’m just now figuring that out.) Steve and I occasionally need to lavish undivided attention on each other and I don’t want blogging to take that time away.
2. Make every post have a clear purpose.
It may be that a post will only resonate with one person (even if that person is me), but I need to focus the post on the one message for the one who needs it.
3. Keep posts short.
At first I had a real problem with long-winded posts. (Get it? Winded Words?! So pun-ny!) Now I’ve seen the light and when it comes to blogging, less is more. Keep it focused, to the point, and others will be more apt to read it.
4. Participate in the blogging community with the goal of giving back.
Nothing about blogging brings me more joy than helping others. I post my email right up front so that readers know they can contact me anytime they wish. Then there are always the giveaways—(keep your eyes open for my 200th post giveaway, coming very soon)!
5. Writing comes before blogging.
If I let this outlet take the place of the stories in my head then the blog has failed me. I’m a writer reaching out to others interested in writing and reading. If I’m not writing then I’m no longer a writer—I’m a fraud who posts about the writing I’m not really doing.
6. A casual voice brings a friendly atmosphere.
One of the reasons I love LiLa and Elana Johnson’s blogs is because their friendly voices come out in their posts and you feel like you’re just a bunch of girls hanging at a party. I try to find my own brand of casual and convey it here. (At least I hope!)
7. Be yourself and be true to yourself.
At first I tried to make this blog funny, but sometimes my humor can come across as pretentious so I have to be careful. I love to laugh, but I’m not always so good at transferring the funny to paper. Now I simply post what is on my mind, what I’m about, and what I have a passion for. I write my essence here. If nothing else, my readers know my voice is authentic. (Along with this, I have to remind myself not everyone is going to come back again and again just like not everyone is going to become my BFF. We seek out those we resonate with and in some blogs that commonality is not as strong as in others. Besides, real life gets busy.)

So that’s it. The seven rules I repeat when blogging, the rules that keep me here for the long haul.

Q4U: Do YOU have any blogging rules of your own you’d like to share?

Next post: My 7 rules of writing time.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

So much for the blogging hiatus! I could not stay away. Missed you all too much.

So a couple of things:

1. If you're here of the first time, welcome! Have a seat, kick up your feet. Would you rather Pellegrino or Aqua Pana?

2. If you haven't already, you need to go over to Theresa's Blog. Not only are there cool bloggers to meet but signed books to win.

3. Susan Fields is giving away her favorite writing books. Go over and learn about these books from one very awesome person.

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

Another Non-blog

2010-10-24T06:07:00.004-07:00

I'm still not back until November 1st, but I AM over at Michele Emrath's Southern City Mysteries today. Come on over and see my very first vlog (i.e. video log).

And please go easy on me because it is, after all, my very first attempt at a video. :)

Retreating

2010-10-14T03:24:00.002-07:00

Thanks for all the input on my last post. The discussion was phenomenal! Now I’m retreating the rest of the month (first for a girl’s-only weekend with friends then with my manuscripts). So I won’t be blogging. However, if you leave a message after the beep… er… post… I will still be visiting your blogs.

And just because I hope every writer saw this, check out part of J. K. Rowling’s interview with Oprah. Please leave me a note about what you think of it!

(My opinion--because I always have one--I thought Rowling was open and down to earth while Oprah came across as cocky.)

Mormons in Fantasy

2010-10-12T09:00:00.001-07:00

Stephenie Meyer, Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson, Shannon Hale, Tracy Hickman, Janette Rallison, Brandon Mull, Jessica Day George, James Dashner, Mette Harrison, Lindsey Leavitt, and more that I’ve forgotten. It seems as if there are many Mormon (short for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Not an acronym, but a long story) SF/F YA authors.

First off let me be clear, I am not trying to convert or push specific beliefs on anyone. However, some of you know I’m Mormon. All of you know I write. A few of you know I like to write and read MG and YA fantasy, or at least ones with fantastical elements. And it’s curious to me that people of my faith choose to write in fantasy, specifically young adult fantasy.

My Tai chi teacher (not Mormon) teases me that it’s because we’re more open to believing in the extraordinary. He’s teasing that he thinks we’re easily deluded. While I laugh good-naturedly at the joke, I think he might have something there. We are encouraged to be a creative people and to develop our talents. We also DO believe in things fantastical. We believe the church was restored through God the Father and his son Jesus Christ to a boy prophet and that scripture of the ancient people on the North American continent was held in reserve to be translated by that boy. We believe in old and living prophets, miracles, priesthood ministry, and a pre-mortal life—all topics hard to fathom.

A year and a half ago, The Boston Globe wrote an article on what they called a “surge” of Mormons publishing in young adult literature. (You can read the article here.) The article mentions how many writers are drawn to writing books for younger audiences, especially fantasies. They speculate Mormons are attracted to younger books because they are generally cleaner. (If we’re talking MG I’d agree, but YA as a whole doesn’t really have any boundaries that coincide with mine.) Another reason they give is that we are a family and child-centered organization and want to create more books kids would read. (Maybe that has some weight… then again many religions feel the same.)

The truth is I’m not convinced there is a high trend of Mormons than there is of any other religion publishing right now. YA alone is seeing a surge of writers independent of an author’s profile. There are almost 14 million Mormons but I couldn’t tell you the percentage that write books no more than I know how many Lutherans or atheists do.

What I think prompts the appearance of a lot of Mormon authors in YA is the prominence of a few in the last decade (Ahem… Stephenie Meyer). And kind of like everyone making a big deal about JFK being Catholic when he was elected president, a religion different than what’s been seen in that profession in the past is one that will make the news. Then again, I could be wrong, I often am. :)

So…

I’d love to hear what you think, whether you agree with me or whether you have other thoughts concerning ANY spiritual persuasion creating a preference in writing genre. (NOTE: Please be respectful of every visitor’s feelings, though! We are talking religion here, something not discussed without deep emotions.)

Even natural disasters can't stop it

2010-10-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Today I helped out with a local relief effort to assist people in our community hit by a series of tornadoes. Poor Flagstaff. First huge snow storms,

then a forest fire,

next floods

and now tornadoes.

All in one year. What’s next, you say? Well there’s always the possibility of the two inactive volcanoes we live beneath blowing.

It’s been a crazy year. (No, I’m not ready to move. I’ll stick it out.)

But as I walked transects looking for people’s belongings the twister left strewn through the forest, I noticed how many children’s books were part of the occasional debris. It was sad to see them lost and ruined but it gave me strength to know books are still in homes. Children’s books are still part of a family’s life. The uncertainty of the economy or the digital age has not changed that. Apart from drywall and shingles, books were the pieces of debris I saw the most.

Books!

Fear not, writers, there will always be books and kids to read them.

The Courage to Listen

2010-10-05T13:10:00.002-07:00

When I finished editing my first book (now shelved) I hadn’t much of a clue how to go about getting it published. I finally decided to hire another writer in that genre to take a look at it and see what she thought. Just for fun, I pulled those notes out today and here’s what jumped out at me, “Maybe the story of the orphans is really a separate novel hiding in this one.”

Oh, how I laughed!

When I first contacted this author about critiquing my work, it was in hopes of having someone tell me if it was a novel I could get published or if I should move on from the years (!) I spent on it and try to get something else out there. The trouble is I already knew the answer to this question. Somewhere, deep inside of my being I knew that I could do better, that my writing had not become the caliber I would wish to sign my name to.

I just didn’t have the guts to call it a writing exercise and move on. Instead I kept revising, rewriting, reinventing. What I needed was to listen to myself. To hear myself say the vitality in the book was the obscure characters and their side stories. These were the gems in the mire of practice often necessary to gain knowledge of craft.

Now I’m learning (slowly) to trust myself when my inner voice tells me that a character doesn’t work or that a plot is too derivative. It’s taking time, but at least I’ve developed the courage to listen, to know I’m the one who knows what’s best for the book.

And do you know what? The author I hired was right. I had another story in there that wanted to burst forth. I knew it and she guessed it. No wonder the small secondary characters always threatened to take over. No wonder the main characters reacted rather than acted. They weren’t the story. The story was waiting for me to cowboy up and pluck it out.

That’s the book I’m writing today. That story was a seed inside the crap… er… fertilizer. I only needed the courage to dig it up and replant it.

Q4U: Is there anything you’ve needed the courage to do but couldn’t until someone helped you listen to yourself?

A Winner, A Bedtime Story, and Flash Back Friday

2010-10-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

I. Thanks for all the kind comments about my review of Starcrossed by Elizabeth Bunce. Seriously, if you like fantasy or YA or both you need to go out and get this book. For a lucky one of you, that won't be necessary because

MARGO BERENDSON,

you have won a free copy. Come on down to the Price Is Right! *cheers!* Please email me your shipping address, friend, and I'll mail the book out to you ASAP.

II. As a (pitiful) consolation prize for the rest of you, here is a bedtime story... a FLASH BACK FRIDAY edition!
Once upon a time there was a blog that didn’t know how to reach out to followers. Faithfully the posts came, but clueless was the author. It’s a good thing the author believes in recycling. Here is her virtual attempt at reusing garbage:

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON SEPT., 19th, 2008
“Good Beginnings or Best Beginnings”

I'm doing a crazy amount of rewriting right now. Sometimes it feels like time well spent, others... not so much. I know editing has a big learning curve, but sometimes I wish I was preprogrammed to know what effective rewriting was. And I suppose like 99.9% of us, the only way to know is to keep at it. Over and over again.

Anyway, with all the rewriting--especially working on the first few chapters--I've been thinking; what makes a great beginning?

I was at my local Barnes and Noble buying a book for a friend when I began reading the design on the shopping bag. Now some of you will know that they are quotes from famous books, but for those of you that have never read them, this is what I saw:

"All children, except one, grow up."
"Call me Ishmael."
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
"Happy families are all alike."
"My purpose in going to Walden Pond was not to live cheaply nor to live dearly."
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

There are others printed on the bag and though not all these quotes are at the exact first of the book, they have something in common. They are the first statement that set up the reader expectation. Perhaps some people will not agree, but I think these sentences are the lights that direct the eye to the center stage. They let us know where the book is going and provide something to draw us into the main plot. And these sentences do it so well that it's hard to think of them being expressed any other way.

Now my problem: come up with my own stage spotlight in my rewrites. I have good ones now, but I'm looking for something unforgettable and inevitable, just as these are.

October 1st, 2010 Update: I’m still rewriting (a different book) and asking myself the same questions about beginnings. Perhaps that learning curve was even steeper than I anticipated back then... le sigh…. :)

Starcrossed: A Review and Book Drawing

2010-09-28T21:13:00.003-07:00

Some of you will remember back in May I shouted out my mad-passion for Elizabeth Bunce’s A Curse Dark as Gold. Since then her lovely publisher has sent me a copy of Bunce's latest book, Starcrossed.

Would you believe that I loved this one even more? Believe it!

This book had everything I love in a novel:
~ A fun and likeable main character
~ Exciting and unique plot
~ Fully realized world
~ Perfect pacing that kept me wanting to read well into the night
~ A twist at the end

It had Clue-like plot elements with a who-done-it mystery set in a fantastical world. But beyond that, the story was oh so much more. It was fast-paced and complex, while Digger was one of those rare characters you are sure you know in reality because they become so real to you. The only sad thing about this book? I have to wait for the sequel. Wah!

The skinny from Goodreads.com: Digger thrives as a spy and sneak-thief among the feuding religious factions of Gerse, dodging the Greenmen who have banned all magic. But when a routine job goes horribly wrong and her partner and lover Tegen is killed, she has to get out of the city, fast, and hides herself in a merry group of nobles to do so. Accepted as a lady's maid to shy young Merista Nemair, Digger finds new peace and friendship at the Nemair stronghold--as well as plenty of jewels for the taking. But after the devious Lord Daul catches her in the act of thievery, he blackmails her into becoming his personal spy in the castle, and Digger soon realizes that her noble hosts aren't as apolitical as she thought... that indeed, she may be at the heart of a magical rebellion.

Available October 1st, there are two ways you can get your hands on this book:
1. You can preorder it now. It comes out this week so you won’t have to wait long!*
2. Leave me a comment! I’ll draw one winner on Friday, the day of the release, and send you my copy of Starcrossed. (Yes, I’ll be sad to part with it, but since it was free, I wouldn’t feel right keeping it all to myself.) YOU HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY, 8 pm EST TO ENTER.

If you want a comment topic, I love children’s book recommendations (including Middle Grade and Young Adult). Please leave me one or a few.

As with all the rare reviews I give here, this book is one I truly love and wish into the hearts of all its readers. Even getting a free copy would not change my honesty about a book.**

* When you read Starcrossed, please drop me an email and let me know what you think of it.
** While Scholastic sent me a free copy, this review is my opinion and has not been swayed by their generosity nor have they even required me to review it. All was by my own volition.

Characters: The eHarmony Technique

2010-09-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

Blogger and author extraordinaire, Elana Johnson, had another amazing idea aptly-named The Great Blogging Experiment. Since Elana’s ideas are always “great,” I signed up. The idea is to see what each of us would come up with given the topic of characters.

I had a vague idea about what I wanted to write on and then Whammo! a conversation with a friend turned my post into something entirely different. You see, this wonderful friend had had a sticky divorce and for six years swore off dating. After some persuading from her teenage children, she decided to be EXTREMELY brave and put herself out there. She joined eHarmony.com. Now, before this conversation, I didn’t know anything about eHarmony, but apparently their philosophy is to use “scientific predictors of long-term relationship success”. They set people up by asking their clients hours and hours of questions to turn that person inside out—to get to know the individual first from within. Granted, there is one little profile picture, but really the dating service is looking to match people’s personalities and interests rather than their looks and dress. As I understand it, the client isn’t even allowed to converse with someone they are interested in until after the two people have answered more questions for each other via their online system. One of the most interesting things about my friend’s experience is that after all these hours and hours of questionnaires, she was asked to name one thing she wanted most in a relationship. For this question she had to search deep! After all, she could only say one thing and it was to go on her profile page. For me, I would have put something shallow like “must be outdoorsy” or the like. Instead, my friend once again thought from the inside out and recalled back to the point in her failed marriage when she knew it wasn’t going to work. She remembered when she was so sick that the only thing she could think to do was to pray. She asked her spouse if he would pray with her and he said no, he thought she should just sleep and then she’d feel better. But she wanted him to share that moment with her and he was unwilling. She answered that question “must be willing to pray with me”. Whether you believe in prayer or not isn’t the point, but I hope you saw how much my friend dug inside herself to find her essence and put it on paper. My writing brain was on fire after she told me that last bit.

So I came up with a list I now call The eHarmony Character Plan, things that will help develop characters into people readers want to know about:
1. Write a brainstorming web or list. Start from the inside of the character’s being and work out. Never focus on the outside alone. That is going to be left up to the reader’s imagination anyway.
2. State the one thing (The. Most. Important. Thing.) your character is looking for. What they want the most. State that at the top of the page. This is going to drive just about everything else in the story.
3. Dig deep inside your character’s head. When I’m planning/plotting a story, I also write 100 things about my characters. They don’t have to be things I’ll end up using, but I’m getting to know them and what they might be like. After this, I take a paper and just write as that character (in 1st person—even if the story is not) as if they have possessed me and they’re using my hands to scribble in their journal.
4. Give them a past, a present, and a future. Hopefully their present is the most exciting period of their lives, but make sure you know the other major moments as well. That’s where the 100 things and journaling for them come in handy.

Thankfully my friend found her happily ever after from the experience. She was building character by reaching out of her comfort zone, but we can take her experience and build characters from it as well. All without ever having to create our own eHarmony accounts!* (Ha, ha.)

What do you think? Did eHarmony/my friend’s experience teach us anything? (Ahem... It's okay to say no.)

~ Jackee

P.S. And as a teaser for my next post, the last time I signed up for a Blogfest ala Elana I sung my love for Elizabeth Bunce’s A Curse Dark as Gold. Well, Elizabeth and her wonderful publisher Scholastic sent me her latest book, Starcrossed, for review. Due out in October, I have in my hot little hands a copy before it’s released and I’d love to pass it on to you. Come on back next week for a chance to win it! (Oh, and to read my review because I LOVED Starcrossed even more than Curse!)

*DISCLAIMER: eHarmony.com has not paid me any sort of sum to advertise for them. Nor do I endorse them. However, if you work for eHarmony and would like to pay me, please feel free to do so!

The Axioms of Writing

2010-09-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

1. The more time you take to write, the more your commitment to the art of writing.

2. The more art you create, the more you crave to create.

3. Practice may not make perfect, but it develops craft.

4. Giving yourself physical space to write also gives your brain mental space (and permission) to create.

5. Giving yourself permission to write causes a balance in the soul of a writer.

Q4U: Does anyone else have any axioms of writing to share? Or being creative in general?

Wild Wednesday: Mammalian Reproduction (Delayed Implantation)

2010-09-16T13:30:00.002-07:00

Erm… I meant to post this yesterday. Sorry!

Anyhow… today (that should have been yesterday), I’ve a topic that has fascinated me as a biologist for many years: reproduction! Specifically, I’ll be discussing a cool reproductive mechanism occurring in some mammals. Now, should you not share my excitement about reproduction, you probably don’t want to read on. No hard feelings if you leave (and thanks for stopping by anyway)!

Still with me? Cool!

First of all, a definition: Diapause is a phenomenon in some plants and animals where a temporary halt in the growth of an embryo takes place. The most well known type of diapause is delayed implantation (DI). DI is found in mammals and much like a little alien lying in wait for the best moment to grow forth out of its host, these little wannabe babies wait for certain chemical cues to initiate growth. Over 100 species of mammals have this unique ability and include many rodents, weasels, skunks, pandas, nutrias, armadillos, badgers, bats, wild dogs, sea lions and other marine carnivores, bears, lions, and marsupials like wallabys. What happens is that instead of attaching to the uterine wall, the tiny ball of fertilized cells (called the blastocyst) free-floats. After a time, physiologic cues create one of the following scenarios: a) the blastocyst attaches and begins to grow or b) the mother’s body reabsorbs the cells because the conditions aren’t optimal for becoming pregnant.

Though we don’t know why this happens in some species and not in others similar in either form or habitat, scientists have a few theories as to why it is a good idea:
1. A female's body can allow fetus development in autumn, creating an early spring birth, which gives the newborn offspring a long summer to learn survival skills before the harsh tests of the next winter.
2. The mother can be lighter and swifter during the foraging seasons of summer and early autumn because she is carrying an embryo rather than a fetus.
3. Mating can occur in the fall when the males are in prime condition without the females becoming pregnant until it’s an optimal time for them too.
4. DI can prolong the separation time between the males and females in order to reduce the competition for food in a localized area.

Some mammals have a seasonal DI, where the fertilized cells are stored every year around the same time for about the same length of time. For example, a certain species of weasel will store the blastocyst around three months until it's time to hibernate. Storing times vary by species, but some sea lions can store the blastocysts as long as 10 months! (And here I thought Twinkies had a long shelf life.) In some species of rodents and marsupials, implanting the blastocyst doesn’t depend on the season, but rather when the female stops nursing the young already born. The female’s body cues to the cessation of suckling young and then the fertilized cells implant. This is why many rats can have multiple litters of young within a year and why kangaroos can produce a new joey almost immediately after the other jumps the pouch.

Are you fascinated yet? Glad humans don’t do this? I am on both accounts!

Other cool facts about DI:

I. Conservation: Species with delayed implantation may be more vulnerable to the effects of pollution through endocrine (hormone) disruption. For example, female polar bears are food deprived during pregnancy and their pollution loads increase because they use their fat stores, where pollutants are stored, for energy. Since the cubs are first grown in fetus during that time then nursed on fat-rich milk as well, the cubs are exposed to very high pollution loads from their mother.

II. Human Medical Research: If shutting off growth to a wannabe baby is possible, then it might be possible to shut off growth in other cells, such as cancer. Cancer cells are characterized by rapid growth as is fetus growth, so understanding the mechanisms that cease or retard cell division in DI could shed light on how to do the same with carcinomas. Something my mother and I would thank God for every day more we have together.

If you, my lovely readers, have nature-related questions you’d like me to answer, feel free to email them to jackee(dot)alston(at)gmail(dot)com. I’ll post them on Wednesdays (or Thursdays if I'm a slacker) as I get them.

Have a wild Wednesday... erm... Thursday!

Blogsplash and Life Paths

2010-09-12T20:23:00.002-07:00

It seems as though a lot of writers I cyber-know had books just debut or soon will this coming year. Those lovely copyright symbols will be followed by a 2010 or a 2011. I’m happy for them. Really! But for a milli-moment I admit it makes me… wistful. Honestly, I thought Courtesy and Patience would be with an agent by now. That hasn’t happened and after the momentary sigh, I suck up my selfishness and remember a very important thing about life:

Not one single person on this beautiful earth follows the same path. My life path is not your life path. My publishing path is not your path.

This is kind of an embarrassing and personal story, but I’m going to share it anyway:

You YA writers have probably heard of a book called The Duff by Kody Keplinger. I (anonymously) followed (Okay, fine. Cyber-stalked. Whatever. No need to split hairs.) Kody’s journey because we both submitted to her now agent the same day. While she signed with said agent over the weekend and then turned around to sell the book within DAYS (or something wonderful like that) of signing, I waited a few grueling months to hear from the agent. When she got back to me, it was a revision request. Great! I appreciated the opportunity to learn something. It still ended up a sweet and sincerely regretful no. Now, I don’t hold this experience against Kody or the agent at all. Instead I’m telling you this story to illustrate what a stupidhead I was to compare myself against another. (Yes, I occasionally call myself a stupidhead. Occasionally.) I’m not Kody and though I’m sure she’s amazing, I’m okay with not being her. I know she and the agent are destined for great things, but I should have never thought my success need parallel hers.

There are great things ahead in my life too and they’re there for my discovery. Mine alone.
Life doesn’t always happen the way we envision it, but once we look back we see that it has become much more than what we could comprehend at the time. We become who we are because of the experiences we have encountered along the way. At this point in my life I’m just grateful—if nothing else—to say that I at least got that funny, little book to the one (different than Kody’s) agent I thought was unattainable, one that only takes referrals. And I’m grateful to say that I know so many wonderful writers who are about to be published. Or already are. Step up and take the spotlight. Truly, with all my heart, I’m happy for you. You have each and everyone earned it. I’m waiting impatiently to read your lovely books!

And speaking of friend’s books I’m impatient for…
Talli Roland’s SPLASH into the rom-com world is soon at hand. Please help her prove that an Indie book can take over the jungle that is Amazon by clicking HERE. Good luck, Talli!

Real Characters

2010-09-08T05:17:00.003-07:00

Comments on Sunday’s post about how cool my husband is got me thinking… do you use people you know as characters in books? Steve is a very talented individual. He’s actually quite the Renaissance man… if Renaissance men dressed in tie-dye and Chacos. He’s very multi-faceted with a lot of likes, dislikes, and internal characteristics. Now, obviously he’s my ideal guy, so quite possibly all the love interests in my books have some part of him in them. But one, Tristan in my Beatles book (Her Ticket to Ride), I tried consciously to make a lot like him. In fact, some of the conversations he has with Leena are exact conversations we’ve had about John, Paul, George, and Ringo. The only problem is, I lost the feel for Tristan because I made him too much like Steve. What I think happened has a lot to do with translating real people to paper. Though we want dimensional characters, we don’t want them to come across as contradictory, with too many personalities. Often characters that come across as contradictory seem unable to stay IN character and pull us as readers away from them. There is also the problem of having only so many pages available to show their personalities in your book. To make my point on where I went wrong, I interviewed Steve. Here are his answers to a simple character worksheet:

__________________________
ME: What’s your profession?

STEVE: I am a product specialist for a medical device company. It's kind of like a project manager, but heavy on the clinical side. Right now I am working on research and development for some therapies to treat lower limb peripheral artery disease.

ME: What did you study in school?

STEVE: I studied chemical engineering as an undergrad. I studied biomedical engineering for my doctorate, but it was in the chemical engineering department, so my degree says chemical engineering.

ME: What are some of your hobbies?

STEVE: I have way too many hobbies. I'll try to list some of them in no particular order. Playing guitar, cooking, traveling, camping, hiking, backpacking, biking, running, hunting, fishing, reading, woodworking, and gardening. I know there are a lot more than these, but I can't think of any this close to my bed time.

ME: Describe your ideal friend and enemy.

When I read the question I told Jackee that I am like Red Forman from That 70's Show, "Kitty, I don't like people." If I have to choose an ideal friend it would be someone that can make me laugh. My ideal enemy, simply put, is someone I would have no problem killing with my bare hands.

ME: What is your idea of a fun day?

STEVE: Anything other than going to work (though I do like my job). The day would involve spending time with the family, working in the yard, going to a good restaurant, doing any one of my hobbies (see above), etc. Take your pick.

ME: What are your biggest pet peeves?

STEVE: I told Jackee that I don't have any pet peeves, but she didn't believe me. My biggest pet peeve is the word like, I can't stand it when people say like every other word. Personally I think it makes some one sound really dumb when they don't use the word correctly. For example, someone says, "I like went to the store". Well, did you "like" go to the store or did you go to the store? The other pet peeve would be the use or misuse of the word your and you're and there, their, and they're. It really gets on my nerves when people who have graduated college can't use them correctly.

ME: What are some of your favorite books?

STEVE: My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo. The story is great and the character development is incredible. Sadly, I don't think the book would sell today, people don't have the patience or attention span to read a book that long. Others include: Les Miserables, Dracula (the original by Bram Stoker, not those vampire atrocities people read today), The Jungle, Hunger Games (working on Mockingjay right now), Citizen Soldiers, The Demon in the Freezer, and The Terror. There are probably a lot more, but those are the ones that come to mind.

ME: What were some of your favorite books as a kid?

STEVE: I didn't really read many books as a kid, I spent more time outside. I loved Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attack. I enjoyed the book Hatchet as a kid too.

ME: Favorite music?

STEVE: All kinds of music. My favorite genre would have to be late '60s San Francisco psychedelic. Here's a list of some of the musicians/groups I like to listen to, in no particular order. The Grateful Dead, Moby Grape, The Beatles, Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, Phish, The Velvet Underground, Cream, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers, George Harrison, Mozart, Berlioz, U2, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Wilco, Tea Leaf Green, Jerry Garcia Band, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings. And that's just that start of a very long list. I like music.

ME: What do you think is the most contradictory thing about you?

STEVE: I think that I am one big contradiction. The one thing that comes to mind is that I am sort of a hippie, yet enjoy hunting and fishing.
_________________
From his answers you can see that he is all over the place. Many people are! Which is why I think it is very hard (if not impossible) to take a single person and put them on paper as they are. I believe certain characteristics of people we meet and know aid us in creating real and rounded characters in books, but obviously I couldn’t put a real person into a fictional story the one time I tried. What do you all think? Am I right? Or have you tried to take a person and made them the same on paper as they are in real life, whether memoir or fiction? I’m curious to know!

P.S. Sorry there’s no nature post today. I’ll get one up next Wednesday. If you have a burning question about plants or animals between now and then, feel free to ask it.

XOXO
Jackee

BLOG PARTY BARBECUE

2010-09-05T19:18:00.003-07:00

I'm always late to the blog parties. But I think I hit this one barely in time. Those of us hanging around our computers Labor Day Weekend should pay a visit to Karen Jones Gowen's Blog Party BBQ. Tell her what you'll bring and then meet a new friend or few. I'm going to!

And here's what I am bringing. My husband just made some Panna Cotta. Which was divine............ (The recipe.)

Then we mixed up some peach Pellegrino Italian sodas.............

Enjoy the virtual food, friends, and fun! (And if you're here for the first time, please do introduce yourself. I only bite family members.)

The When to Give up in Writing

2010-09-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

Ha! You thought I was going to tell you to quit writing, right? No! I would never be so presumptuous to tell someone to stop following their dreams. That’s not my place. Ever. No, really what I was thinking in the shower (I get all my best ideas in the shower) was what I’ve had to give up to take writing seriously.

There are the obvious things like:

~ Writing when I could be sleeping the same time the rest of the world is.
~ Trading in my biology PhD so I could write those fiction stories that wouldn’t let me be.
~ Still working and earning that unnecessary but ever-so-helpful second income.
~ Getting to bed at a decent hour, when I’m tired the first time.
~ Watching TV, actually enjoying the unproductive mindlessness of the activity.
~ Did I list sleep yet as some thing I miss?!

But really, I’m thinking of other things—every day things—that I give up so I can write:

~ A house as clean as I would like it to be.
~ Exercising enough to be that toned 125 lbs again.
~ Daily/weekly playgroups where I sit and visit with moms while our kids play without thinking how I should be writing rather than chatting away.
~ Always having permanent shadows under my eyes because often the stories at night won’t let me be.

Then I thought of all the things I get out of writing and the list far, far exceeded these lists combined. Writing makes me happy and in return I’m a better person (especially a mother!) when I can write. It invigorates me more than anything else, even when the writing becomes frustrating. I’m creating something only I can create. Only I can tell the stories in me. Either I have chosen a writing life or it has chosen me. Which ever way it is, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Q4U: What things have you had to give up for writing (or another passion, if you’re not a writer)? What rewards have come from writing or following that passion?

On Query Letters

2010-08-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking about query letters the last few days. Partly because I just read a couple lovely ones by two of my bloggy friends and partly because I’ve been thinking of one for my Jedda Hitler book. Call me a masochist, but I actually like queries. I write one for every book, whether I’m putting it out for submission or not.

I write queries to help keep a focus for a work in progress and to have a handle at all times to tell my friends what I’m working on. Lest you think I’m crazy, I’m not the only one who does this. I know my friend Shelley, The Storyqueen, does this too, among others. She has a wonderful, recent post about writing a query here.

To add to what she said, I have a few tips I hope help you as much as they help me.

1. Write ten queries for books you love before you start on your own. Try to keep each one to only one or two paragraphs. No more than about 250 words. You’ll find after the ten, your own attempt at the book you know best (your manuscript) will be a lot easier.

2. Be very careful what questions you raise in a query—there are good questions and bad questions. Causing a “I want to know more” is good, causing confusion is bad. Have someone read it and pay close attention if they have any questions. Likely, there’s an important, underlying reason for their confusion.

3. A good query hook should feel like there is simply no other way to put it. That that is the log line as it should be.

4. Having said number three, still try and write the query at least three different ways. After you do that, you’ll be able to glean the best from all three and make your hook and presentation a little stronger.

5. Rewrite your hook at multiple stages of the book. Write it during the idea stage, write after the first draft, write it while you’re letting it rest, and write it while you outline. Don’t peek and see what you’ve already written until you are done with edits. This can also help with gleaning the best and most concise version.

6. If you fail at all else in a query, make sure you’ve at least a) captured the tension and conflict in the story, and b) the essence of your characters.
A few months ago I won Agent Mary Kole’s grand prize for Courtesy and Patience’s query letter. If you read the query here, you’ll see that it wasn’t very orthodox, but it captures me and the tone of my book well enough. I’m telling you this not to brag, but because this opportunity, along with one on Authoress’ blog (Miss Snark's First Victim is great!) opened up a lot of doors for me.

And I’d like to pay that forward….

If you could use help with your query, please leave me a comment with your email below. The first ten requests I get, I’ll contact you and set up arrangements for you to email your query to me. Hopefully this will be useful to some of you!

Oh—and if you don’t want a query critique, you can still leave me a comment. Just tell me what you have planned for this wonderful, shiny new week!
Cheers,
Jackee

And Katpee was born.

2010-08-26T12:57:00.001-07:00

Photo credit here

My copy of Mockingjay didn’t get here fast enough. NOW I remember why I don’t preorder books! DOH!

Thanks to my merciful little sister, who granted me permission to use her Audible.com account, I listened to it on audio. What a ride! For those of you who read it, did you like it?

And for those of you who haven’t…
Did you know that Katniss was really pregnant after all? Baby KatPee was born fully formed, nearly killing her mother on entry into the world. Good thing Finnick O’Dair was standing right there to imprint on her. Their fates are now sealed forever.

Also, would you have guessed President Snow was really a wizard/vampire/zombie/muttation?! Hmm… no wonder he smelled of blood, oranges, rotten fish, and flowers. Kind of fruity-fishy to me. Oh well, it made it easier for little Prim to kill him dead with just one throw of that cat, who clawed his undead soul to smithereens. Fortunately Rue came back to life just in time to step in as president of all Panem.

Really, I’m relieved Katniss having to choose between Peeta and Gale became such a nonissue, since it turned out Johanna was a boy all along and the one Katniss really needed in her life. Whew! Here I was so worried I couldn’t go on with my own life if she chose Gale.
So what have you all been up to this week? With my ear stuck in a book, I’ve cleaned cupboards, folded laundry, and tiled more mosaics. Guess what I didn’t do? Writing… critiquing… blogging… Oi! (Huge apologies to all of you, both for my slacking off and for the spoilers I include here.)

P. S. My husband, who hasn’t had a chance to read it, does not think my spoilers are funny. Odd, he usually has a good barometer for humor.

Go on. Laugh at me.

2010-08-23T21:27:00.001-07:00

This week is getting busier by the minute. I’ve started about half a dozen different blog posts and not finished them. Also, a) Mockingjay comes in the mail tomorrow and b) my kids started school this week. There is ~~much fun to be had~~… er… serious stuff to work on. Serious stuff.

So…

I’m leaving you links to a couple oldie (but goodie) former posts. Please visit and enjoy! I’ll still see you over at your cyber places!

If you want a Wild Wednesday:
http://windedwords.blogspot.com/2009/03/species-of-concern-1-greater-sage.html

If you want a laugh at Jackee moment:
http://windedwords.blogspot.com/2009/04/old-school-and-out-of-cool.html

If you write and mother simultaneously:
http://windedwords.blogspot.com/2010/01/you-might-be-writer-mama-if.html

Wild Wednesday: The Nature of the Poppy

2010-08-18T23:35:00.006-07:00

Lydia asked: Can people use poppies that grow in their flower gardens as sedatives?

My answer is first of all a disclaimer: for anyone who reads this, please note that I am NOT telling you to go out and smoke your garden. Opium, which is really a combination of morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine and several others, is an addictive substance. Not to mention it’s illegal in the United States. Lydia is a physician (who by the way has a wonderful feature on her blog called Medical Mondays where you can ask medical questions for writing helps) is just curious, as am I.

So there’s my disclaimer. It’s illegal in many places to use opium.

However, yes it is possible to extract opium from common garden poppy seeds! IF you have the right species. The species, Papaver somniferum L. is an annual native to southeastern Europe and western Asia. It’s cultivated in Iran, Turkey, Holland, Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, India, Canada, and many Asian and Central and South American countries.

Opium comes from four varieties:

The pink“Giganteum”

The white“Hen and Chicken”

The purple “Persian”

And the “Danish flag” poppy.

The differences are their hardiness, color, harvest schedule, and the size of the seed pod produced. Other species of poppy are Papaver rhoeus L., known as corn or field poppy, is an annual herb native to Europe and Asia. Extracts of the plant are used in medicine and beverages. The alkaloids rhoeadine, morphine, and papaverine have been reported in this species. Papaver orientale L., formerly Papaver bracteatum Lindl., is a morphine-free alkaloid source used for medicinal purposes. Mexican or prickly poppy, Argemone mexicana L., has been reported to have toxicological properties but no substantial medicinal uses have been recorded. The California poppy (Eschscholzia spp.) is not in the same genus and does not have any sedative properties.

Historically, dry opium (extracted from the brown waxy substance in the seeds) was used as an astringent, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, expectorant, hypnotic, narcotic, and sedative. It has been used for toothaches, calming fussy children, hypnosis, coughs, diarrhea, seizures, and as an anti-inflammatory. I even knew a kid from Albania who swore his mother would buy it at the local drug store to give him and his siblings on long trips so they’d sleep!

So, for you writers, could you give your characters a poppy? Yes. As long as it’s the right species and you’ve dried the seeds. Be careful, though, if they grow too large of a plot, they might get addicted and you wouldn’t want that. (Or would you? I’m looking at you, evil writers who like to do mean things to characters.)

Have a Wild Wednesday! Don’t forget to check out Lydia’s Medical Mondays!

Saturday Six

2010-08-14T10:33:00.011-07:00

1. Sorry I disappeared all week. WritOnCon ended up so awesome, I spent all my free time over there. A HUGE thank you to all those who helped put it on, but especially Elana Johnson, Lisa & Laura Roecker, Jamie Harrington, Shannon Messenger, and Casey McCormick. If you missed out, the transcripts, forums, and chat rooms are still up. Check them out, you’ll learn so much!

2. I’ve been trying to catch-up on reading. Both friend’s manuscripts and books in print. Stay tuned for some great recommendations!

3. Today is my 11th wedding anniversary. Can’t tell you how excited I am for a night out of uninterrupted conversation without having to wipe someone’s mouth, nose, or other orifice.

4. I’m ready to return to my Jedda Hitler manuscript with fresh eyes. Almost. I need to work on fact checks and character sketches a little more.

5. Lydia Kang raised an interesting question in the last Wild Wednesdays (or The Nature Oracle Speaks, as my husband mockingly calls it). I’m not sure she meant for an answer, but I’m going to next week anyway! It’s that intriguing.

6. For those of you who know about my Mom’s fight with cancer, she’s had her (we hope!) last chemo. Depending on what the CT next week says, she might get a well-needed vacation from treatments for awhile. Hooray for the strongest woman I know!

That’s all I got. Oh… maybe one thing more…

:o)

Burning Questions Answered

2010-08-08T20:01:00.014-07:00

Golly! Everyone had great questions for me. In fact, I couldn’t have thought up better ones myself. Thank you so much, ladies!

Shelley (Storyqueen) asked: So, what's going on with Courtesy and Patience? Every time I read that one sentence description, I think, "Man, that is a great book!" (And I love the title, too!)
My answer: You are so sweet to me, Shelley, thanks for asking! C & P has been with half a dozen agents since March. I’ve heard from most of them recently. They are enjoying reading it, but will not be finished until the end of this month. So I should know something soon!

Susan Fields and Jacqueline asked: What's your all-time favorite book? Movie?
My answer: Great question, but hard for me to answer! I rarely have a favorite anything because I have such eclectic tastes. So here are my favorites in clumps:
Books: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein, Airman by Eoin Colfer, and The Queen’s Thief trilogy by Megan Whalen Turner. These are ones I can read over and over again.
Movies: The Lord of the Rings (extended versions), Fiddler on the Roof, Traitor, Amazing Grace, Miss Potter, The Importance of Being Ernest, Princess Bride, and Harry Potter 1 & 2.

Old Kitty asked: What is your favourite day of the week and er.. why?
My answer: Another good question, Jenn! I love Fridays because the weekend is so open to possibility (and I get to have my husband home more). Also, I love Mondays because I’m antsy to get things accomplished in the fresh, new week.

Aubrie asked: What's the best part about living in Northern Arizona?
My answer: I adore this question, Aubrie! Flagstaff is awesome because we’re high (7k feet), up in the mountains and pine trees, but yet so close to a variety of places to explore. I have the redrocks of Southern Utah at my finger tips, the Grand Canyon, the high mountain deserts, and the aspen groves of the peaks. All within four hours or less from my front door. Plus Flagstaff is a pretty fun town in its own right (though it’s a bit expensive to live here).

Lenny asked: What’s your most favorite food and what about hobbies you like to do?
My answer: I love you, Lenny, and I love your question too! First, I have many foods I like and spend a lot of time cooking (so add that to my hobby list as well). I definitely have a sweet tooth, though, and eat far too many cookies and cakes. I’ve never been known to turn down anything with coconut, crab, or pesto in it either. Generally I plan my weekly dinner menus with every night a different cultural influence: Thai, Indian, Southern US, Southwestern, Italian, Spanish, and Greek are my favorites. One day I hope to try Egyptian and Moroccan foods because they look delicious! As far as hobbies, I love anything where I get to be outdoors or get to create some thing with my hands. I go through spells where I do one or two hobbies more than others and then move on to another interest for a time. Right now (besides writing and reading) I’ve been canoeing, fishing, hiking, gardening, practicing Tai chi, and tiling mosaic tables a lot. It’s a joke around here that I’m a Jackee of all trades and a master of none. I showed this table before, but now I’ve picked up where I've left off years ago and am finishing it while I watch the kids play outside.

Mari asked: I know you have favorite M&M's. What kind was it and who in this small town of ours sells them?
My answer: I went through a HUGE coconut M&M phase. Although, since June when I went no sugar for the whole month, I don’t crave candy of any kind. (Cookies and cake are another story.) If you’re looking for them in Flag, you can find a bulk box of them at Sam’s Club (of course, where else do I shop?!) along with one of pretzel M&Ms.

Terri asked: How long have you been blogging and do you love it or not?
My answer: I love blogging! Most of all I love the dear friends I have made here. I have to be careful though, because I am prone to let it take over time with my kids and my writing. When I don’t visit every friend’s blog post I feel bad… but not as bad as I feel when I neglect my family! Originally I started blogging on a private, family blog to document what was going on with my kids. That was January 5th, 2008. Then I started this blog in August 2008 but was too shy to really reach out to others until this year. Now I’m not sure how I survived the writing journey before without this blog!

And just for fun, here are my kids posing on this weekend’s camping trip. The Boy is sporting his chocolate chip pancake face. Would you believe that baby—my baby!—is turning ONE on Tuesday? I can hardly believe it!

Go On and Ask

2010-08-07T20:13:00.004-07:00

Thanks to all who commented on and/or participated in my new feature, Wild Wednesdays. It was really fun to dig out old files and research topics I care about to help my writing buddies access information for their books. If any of you have other nature-related questions, please don’t hesitate to email them to me. I’d love to help.

As far as non-research-related questions, I thought I’d open up the comment floor to an “ask about me” session. Keep them G-rated, but please, ask anything you’ve wanted to know about me.

(And yeah, this post is a total cop out from writing a real one because my brain is mush from a very exhausting camping trip. Feel free to take advantage of my obvious lack of conversation skills!)

Wild Wednesdays (New Feature!)

2010-08-04T08:01:00.018-07:00

Today I’m answering my first nature question. This one comes from Jen Daiker and is actually a few questions rolled into one:

Q: In my novel there are fairies that have the power of healing. I was wondering if there were any plants that helped with that. Also I'd love to know some of the brightest colored flowers around. And lastly, what plants make wonderful soothing ingredients in teas?

A: First, if you haven’t already, you should choose an Earth biome in particular to model your imaginary world after. That way, you will be focused on your world building, with plants, animals, landscape, and weather. Websites like Blue Planet Biomes and World Biomes will help you choose. They also have general plants and animals listed by specific area. The beauty of fantasy is once you’ve established certain characteristics of your world you can add bits of both your imaginary plant/animal creations as well as real plants and animals.

As to bright flowers, again it is specific to location and biome (then there’s the option of creating imaginary ones too). The Flower Expert has a great encyclopedia of wildflowers with pictures right there. Gardening Launch Pad has a list of site-specific wildflower encyclopedias. If your world is more a North American, wooded landscape, my favorites are lady’s slipper (pictured here), bleeding hearts, wild roses, columbines, penstemons, buttercups, marsh marigold, bistort, rock jasmine, potentillas, crocus, iris, bluebell, California poppy, and star of Bethlehem.

To answer your last question, I DO know of some plants that can be turned into calming (also called nervine) teas! In fact, the lady’s slipper (Cypridedium spp.) pictured is one, and a strong one at that. Here’s a great article on it. The majority of nervine herbs are good tranquilizers, with a neural vasodilator effect, but their strength depends on the dosage of course. Some of the stronger ones besides lady's slipper include St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia & L. officinalis), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), catnip (Nepeta cataria), valerian root (Valeriana officinalis), motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Roman chamomile flowers (Chamaemelum nobile) and ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). Any number of these plants can be dried and used in teas.

Some nervines are less tranquilizing and give only a slight calming effect. These include rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), maidenhair tree leaves (Ginkgo biloba), white pine needles (Pinus strobus), northern prickly ash berries (Zanthoxylum americanum) and clove buds (Syzygium aromaticum).

Mild tranquilizers (more in the middle of the nervines) are spearmint (Mentha spicata), wild mint (Mentha arvensis), peppermint (Mentha piperita), hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), wild oat (Avena sativa), kava roots or rhizomes (Piper methysticum), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). Some mushrooms can have a calming effect too. The only two I know of are Reishi (Ganoderma spp.) and Maitake (Grifola frondosa), both from China, but there might be more out there.

An interesting thing about all of these herbs is that they can have an opposite effect on some people (or fairies, in your case). Kind of like how with some people Benadryl can make them hyper? The same is true for nervines—they can have a stimulating effect instead! Besides calming plants, you might want to look for ones that make you soporific, or sleepy, since they sometimes are used for both calming and sleep. Annie’s Remedies has a great list of these (though the list is very similar to the one I just gave). Again, you can always make up your own plants here as well! The sky’s the limit.

I hope that helps, Jen, and good luck with your wonderful story!

If you, my lovely readers, have any other nature-related questions you’d like me to answer, feel free to email them to jackee(dot)alston(at)gmail(dot)com. I’ll post them on Wednesdays as I get them.
Have a wild Wednesday!

In which Jackee answers Sharon's questions

2010-08-02T15:23:00.009-07:00

As promised, here are my answers to Sharon’s Really Random Questions for the giveaway. But first I need to give you a couple links to check out:

#1) Abby Annis' blog. I won her two hundred follower contest. I admit I feel guilty winning another person’s 200 follower fest, but check out the prizes I won and you’ll know why I’m smiling. While you’re there get to know Abby. She’s amazing! And one of my oldest blogging friends. Thank you again, Abby!

#2) Candyland has interviewed Lenny. If you haven't seen comments from Lenny around the blogosphere, you will soon and they'll make you smile. Guarantee it. He is an adorable kid with a heart of gold! Please go and say hi to him and introduce yourself!

#3) Annnnnndddddd... my answers:

1. Do you take baths? As often as the kids will let me!
2. If you were a fruit, what kind would you be? Strawberry—red and luscious.
3. Are you a cat? Only if I can be pampered in the process!
4. Do you have teeth? If the answer is yes, what do you do with them? Yes, and I’m pretty hard on them, biting things open I shouldn't!
5. When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do? I write and check my email.
6. What phobia does Howie Mandel have? Do you have it? Howie is afraid they’ll find out he doesn’t have the credentials to be a judge on America’s Got Talent. And no, I've no desire to be on a show. :o)
7. If you were going to re carpet my basement, what tool might you need? A phone number. :o)
8. What should you do right before you go to bed? (G-Rated blog warning) Check to make sure my kids are okay and asleep in their beds, then I pray.
9. If you were at a posh restaurant and ordered your favorite tea, what flavor would you order? Peppermint!
10. If you were in the kitchen at 7p.m. what would you be doing? Getting the kids their dessert
11. What is your favorite snow cone or icy flavor? Watermelon
12. After you sneeze it's a good idea to ___________________. Use your elbow.
13. Funky socks or practical ones? Funky as long as they’re soft and snuggly.
14. You're at a wonderful diner, they make the BEST fruit pies. What flavor do you order? Strawberry Rhubarb
15. Are you an international spy or traveler? I wish I was more of the latter!
16. Name your favorite pick me up drink. Fuze
17. I say cookie, you say _________________________. Leche!
18. You are trapped on a deserted dessert island and all you have to drink is flavored water. What flavor do you drink first? Lime!
19. If you see a mouse in your house, what do you do? Get a trap and lock it in a room by itself.
20. Describe the inside of your desk drawer. Cluttered.
21. If I was to give you a pile of photographs what would you do with them? Put them in box and pretend I’m going to put them in an album someday.
22. When you go on vacation, do you take notes? Yes! Travel books, internet sites, and copious amounts of research notes. :o)
23. Tropical or local? Both!
24. It's 1 a.m. and you're at Waffle House, what do you order to drink? Hot chocolate.
25. If you could visit any kind of fruit farm, what would it be and why? I love apple orchards.
26. Do you wash your hands regularly? Yes, too often! My hands are always dry and cracked.
27. You are on a trip to Iceland to do research. What research tool do you take with you? Lap top and a generator
28. While in Iceland, your lips get very dry. What flavor chap stick do you use? Any berry flavor
29. If someone throws a ball and yells fetch what do you do? Send my kids after it.
30. You are having Tea with the Queen. You are offered a variety of crepes. What kind do you order? Strawberry and kiwi
31. You have a big day ahead of you. What do you do to make sure you get everything done? List the items and then enlist help!
32. Do you have a kitchen? Yes! I love my big kitchen.
33. What's your favorite donut filling? When was the last time you had it? Maple custard and it’s been awhile!
34. It's about 4 months until winter. What will you need to protect your hands in the winter? Gloves.
35. Journal or computer? Computer, but I wish I was better at journaling!
36. If you were to find a bone, what would you do? Break it in half and give it to my dogs (Siberian Huskies).
37. What's your favorite fruit roll up? Strawberry.
38. Carry on or cargo? Carry on! I’m cheap, what can I say?
39. Writer or reader? Writer first!
40. Tell me something surprising about yourself: I can make a really loud popping noise with my tongue on my lips or teeth. :o)

So what are everyone’s big hopes/plans for the week? It’s a rainy week here so I'm going to get a lot done indoors!

T-800 Double Blog Party Winner Announced

2010-07-31T14:05:00.011-07:00

The winner of the Grand Prize Drawing is…

Out of 55 entries…

Mari Goodman!

Mari swears she never wins anything, but this is the third time she’s won on this blog, so I think she’s come into her own luck!

She wins a $15 gift card to Best Buy, a $15 gift card to Barnes and Noble, and a year’s subscription to the magazine of her choice.

Congrats, Mari! (I’ll bring over your prizes when I bring you your birthday gift… a month late. Ha, ha.)

Thanks to all for playing, for being such good sports with the off-the-wall questions, and for being my friends. A special thanks to Sharon, whose great idea this party was. We had a ball giving away stuff!

And just because I wanted to join in on the fun, here are my answers to the questions. Check back Monday and I’ll answer Sharon’s too. Then on Wednesday I’ll answer my first Wild Wednesday question (I’m looking at you, Jen Daiker)!

1. What’s more important to you, shoes or food? Foodie, all the way. But give me a good Dansko, and I might waffle.
2. Are you a lister or a Post-it all over the office type? Both. But I lose them all every time.
3. If you could choose your own last name, what would it be? Love. I love Love.
4. MG Fantasy or YA Sci-fi? MG Fantasy!
5. Like life sweet or salty? Both. Together.
6. A picture or a word person? Words definitely
7. If your life was an open notebook, what would the headline read? My Many Shades of Green
8. At home do you like to go barefoot, slippered, socked, or shoed? Anything is better than barefeet. HATE barefeet. Hate feet period.
9. You’ve heard it said everything you need to know you learn in Kindergarten? Name one of those things. Never wear a dress on the jungle gym
10. What’s your favorite cookie? Chocolate chip oatmeal… with many close seconds (including shortbread with Nutella)
11. What is the wildest thing you’ve ever done? As a high school Senior, I invited a teenage kid to come home and be adopted by my parents. Turned out he was a sociopath.
12. What is one of your favorite smells? Many! Lavendar, Pine, Magic Marker, Gasoline, Jasmine, Ginger, Baking Cookies, Baking Bread, and Baby Smell
13. What is an interesting bedtime ritual you have? Like Kelly, I set a hand on each of my kids' chests to check to make sure they’re breathing.
14. What is an interesting morning ritual you have? Recapping my dreams. Great writing fodder.
15. Have you ever known a “one-upper” and if so, what was it they did/said? Bought a house they couldn’t afford
16. Favorite meal of the day? Breakfast
17. What is your biggest pet peeve, the thing that can heat you up so fast you’ll pop your hull? People who are too dumb to know they’re being rude or cruel. Deliberate rudeness doesn’t really bother me
18. If you were king/queen of the world, what would be the first thing on your “To Do” clipboard? Stop abuse of women, children, and animals
19. Favorite breakfast food? All? Lately my favorites are beignets and fresh fruit together
20. What’s your favorite magazine? Scientific American
21. How often do you wash your hair? Every day (and yes, I know it’s not good for my hair or the environment)

Final Double Blog Party Day

2010-07-30T06:28:00.009-07:00

The final daily prizes of the Double Block Party are:
1. Vicki Rocho—A bottle of gourmet syrup in case she wants to mix her bacon and egg mornings up with some pancakes too.
2. Jill Kemerer —A $10 gift certificate to magazines.com so that she can choose her own guilty pleasure. (Although her answer made that pretty clear. Read it for a good laugh!)
3. Mari Goodman— A spa set to enjoy a bath every once in a while. (And for a little plug, Mari is a close friend of mine and runs a great adoption blog, if you know of anyone looking into placing a child. Click on her link!)

As a CONSOLATION PRIZE, I decided to randomly choose a name from those who played everyday and still did not win once. Random.org chose:

4. Jemi Fraser! Thank you so much for playing. She receives a pen and notepad just for being a good friend.

Please email me your addresses, ladies, @ jackee(dot)alston(at)gmail(dot)com.

Please don’t forget to enter the Grand Prize Giveaways on both of our blogs by midnight Friday, July 30th.

Here’s all you have to do:

1. Follow Sharon’s blog. (You’ll want to enter her contest while you’re there.)
2. Follow my blog.
3. Fill out the form HERE to manifest it.

Thanks for joining in on the fun! It’s been a wonderful party for Sharon and me. We can’t believe we’re almost to 1,000 followers! All because of you, our wonderful friends.

Have a great weekend! (And excuse my mess while I play around with my new blog look.)

Double T-800 Blog Party: Day 15

2010-07-28T01:24:00.001-07:00

Neither rain nor sleet nor gloom of night…

can stop the blog party! Poor Sharon, her house has flooded more than once now, so please go over and wish her well. She needs a smile or two. So many people I know are fighting flooding, it makes me hurt for them and feel a little guilty too...

but we're still determined to party on both blogs.

Today’s Winners (according to random.org) are:
1. A.L. Sonnichsen —An at home popcorn party because her list of pet peeves was long and luscious. (Though I admit I blushed… not that I admit to USING some of that country bumpkin slang! Hee, hee.)
2. Brooke —My own little sister! You win a package of gourmet scone mix, since you love breakfasts AND cooking. (But you’d better share with Mom, you know how much she loves scones.)
3. Jen Daiker— (Winning two days in a row!) A pretty clipboard so that her listing of complaints can be long and detailed, as we know it will be because she is far too nice to be Queen of the World.

Please email me your addresses, ladies, @ jackee(dot)alston(at)gmail(dot)com.

Not a winner this time? No worries! There is another chance today and the Grand Prize is still up for grabs. And if you’ve won already, please feel free to play again. Consider it winning one of my gift baskets… one piece at a time. Here’s what you should do to play with us:

FIRST, click here to enter my grand prize giveaway (TBA July 31st). NEXT, go and enter Sharon’s grand prize giveaway. THEN visit both of our blogs for daily prizes.

To play for Friday’s prizes, please answer all three questions (answer creativity is appreciated though not rewarded extra entries). On Friday I’ll announce the three winners for the award that corresponds to the question:

1. What’s your favorite magazine? (G-rated, remember...)
2. How often do you wash your hair?
3. What is your favorite breakfast food?

Thanks for joining in on the fun! See you back here on Friday for the winner announcement and more off-the-wall questions/prizes!

As a side note, I’ve added a feature to the blog that I hope some of you might be interested in. (At least I HOPE you will be interested.) I’m taking questions—any questions--all questions—you writers have about nature, especially plants and animals. If you need help with world building, creating setting, or fact-checking, I’m here and happy to help. See the sidebar for my email address to ask me a question and then I’ll post the answer here for all to benefit. If you like, you can even be anonymous. But I have to ask, is this conceited of me or is it something that might be helpful to others? I mean, I’d hate to waste my nine years of biological education and all. (*Insert mad laughter here.*)

Have a great Wednesday!