Some of My Favorite Things

As I travel around for my "day job" as a travel writer, I often find items that really appeal to me, so I'm in a habit of writing down brands and looking them up when I get home. I have a list of some of my favorites:

For the perfect bed, visit Frette. For a more affordable option, try Home Goods.

For the perfect table, try Global Table. They have great bowls, candles, plates and glassware you can use every day.

For the perfect table for special occasions, visit Juliska. (This is one of my favorites)

For those who want the perfect modern home, check out CB2.

For the perfect offerings in home decor, you'll like Pierre Deux.

For perfect green items, 3r Living is fabulous.

Finally, for perfect body items, many in great travel sizes, check out EO Products. 

It's always fun to find things in life that make you smile.  

Change

Found this great quote from Maya Angelou:

If you don't like something, CHANGE IT; 

If you can't change it, CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE!

What a simple yet powerful message.

Routine Maintenance Schedule for the Writing Life

I have discovered the greatest little book. Be sure to pick up a copy of The Pocket Muse: Ideas & Inspirations for Writing by Monica Wood. This book has great ways to start your mind thinking when the muse is hiding. There are great little anecdotes to go along with the inspiration. 

One of my favorite finds is the list entitled "Routine Maintenance Schedule for the Writing Life". Here's what Wood suggests:

Once a week: Skip to the next part of whatever you're working on, no matter how stuck you feel.

Once a month: Write all day without talking to anybody.

Every three months: Send something out for publication, just to keep your hand in.

Every six months: Clean your workshops: Pitch obsolete files, lumpen drafts, rejection slips, leaky pens, old mail. Clear away the dross, and you'll be able to think more clearly.

Once a year: Take a chunk of time, whatever you can afford -- three full days, minimum -- and go someplace where your writing will not be disturbed except for eating and sleeping.

What lovely maintenance items. We make maintenance checklists for our vehicles, but not our lives. This is an eye-opener for me. I think I'm at the "every six months" spot and need to clear away the dross.

Perhaps my favorite is her parting quote: Don't forget to be grateful that you love words.  

New Year's Writing Resolutions

I prefer to call my New Year's Resolutions "Goals". Somehow it feels more like something to work toward. With that in mind, I made several goals for the new year. 

The first is this blog. I plan to blog more. Information about my writing, my novels, my travels, about me on this crazy writing journey. So, be sure to check back for more insight into my writing world.

Another goal is that I'll finish my new novel, SABOTAGED, by April 15th. Just the crappy first draft. I have until July to finish the edits on it and have it ready to start submitting. 

I also plan to register for the RWA National Conference to be held in Washington, DC in July. 

I have to stay organized and focused to accomplish these goals along with the freelance writing I do. (Check out my freelance website at http://www.thotinfo.com). That's perhaps the most important goal of all. 

What goals do you have for the new year? 

Desert Rose Award Recipient

It's been a long time since I posted. It's been a year of writing, writing, writing -- both nonfiction and fiction. I'm completely rewriting the end (last 100 pages) of my suspense novel. The writing is all finished, now I'm doing revisions. I plan to have the finished manuscript out to Agent Jessica Faust, who requested the full book, by Thanksgiving at the latest.

In the meantime, I was awarded the highest honor awarded by my local RWA chapter, The Desert Rose Award. The inscription reads:

In appreciation for outstanding'

contributions toward furthering

the growth of the Romance Writers

of America, Phoenix Chapter,

giving unselfishly of her time

and knowledge to fellow members,

and her continuing encouragement

in helping them achieve the

realization of their dreams

I'm honored to have been given such a reward. My chapter has done so much for me and I've learned so very much in the few years I've been a part of these wonderful, talented writers. Thanks to all of YOU for making this a reality.

Now, back to Logan and Samantha.

When Characters Get in Your Head

I'm going through revisions right now for Shattered. I love my story. I've created this world for "my guys". Each book is about a different member of an elite team of Navy SEALs. But these men are real for me. They have hearts and souls. They have strengths and weaknesses. I was so into the head of my hero earlier today that I felt his pain. I wanted to cry for him. I wiped away tears by the end of the scene.

When I create characters, I create a visual of where my characters live, what types of cars they drive, the clothes they wear, the schools they attended, where they spent their 16th birthdays. 

Knowing so much about another person, even if he/she is fictitious, makes that person real. Not only for my readers (hopefully) but for me as well. I have conversations with them. Sometimes I live vicariously through them. I almost always love them or hate them. The emotion is strong. And if it's not strong, I know the story's not right.

For example, Maggie. Maggie won't leave me alone. I tried telling her story in another manuscript, but it never quite worked for me. I received accolades for the story. I received praise (from editors/agents) about the strength of my writing. But something was missing. 

It was Maggie. I've finally found Maggie. She is, for the first time, real to me. She's a little like she was when I first created her, but only in little ways. Maggie is supposed to "star" in book 4 of my series, although she will play a part in book 2. (the next book) I love her, though. She won't leave me alone. She may end up "starring" in book 3 instead. 

Maggie is a gypsy. She's fun and vibrant. She does what feels right to her. She's not one to be tied down. She loves to ride a horse bareback down the beach at sunset. She loves to run through the fields barefoot. She loves breezy dresses and letting her red hair fly free. She laughs a lot. She has a favorite saying: "Let the horses run wild and the wind blow free." She's modeled after and dedicated to my cousin (Leslie) who died in a car accident at the young age of 22. I grieved her loss as I would the loss of a sister. I grieved the loss of her spirit. I realized when I thought of Maggie, I thought of Leslie. Every time. I couldn't deny it and had to let her come to life. Like my cousin, Maggie is a free spirit. She can't be tamed. But she also has flaws. She yearns for depth. She yearns for roots. She wants others to take her seriously. She yearns to throw away the secrets of her past. She wants to be accepted. 

I love when characters come to life. It's why I write. To tell the stories about people--people who aren't real but who touch the lives of very real people and them smile or cry or laugh, even if for just a little while.  

Spending Time with Other Writers Motivates Me

This past weekend was the Desert Dreams Writers' Conference here in Arizona. I was the coordinator for the conference, so it was a different experience for me from the typical conference. I ran the entire time and had people say my name and call for help more times than you can imagine. But in the midst of all that, I still came away motivated and captivated and energized.

Friday night started with Sherrilyn Kenyon's keynote speech. I don't read a lot of her books, but as a person, she is one of the kindest, most sincere people I've ever met. Her story is incredible. She is so motivational. My husband turned to me and said that if I came away with anything from this conference, it should be her message that you just have to keep writing. I also love her comment about what she's called "soul-sucking demons" that challenge her writing (aka her critique partners). I laughed at my two critique partners sitting next to me. They DO keep me honest but sometimes I want to throw up my hands at them. Of course, I always go back and really listen to what they say and I am absolutely convinced that I wouldn't be where I am without the girls.

The entire weekend was like that. Moments of encouragement and motivation. Speaking with an editor or agent who was actually excited by my projects. Listening to other authors who've published, or who've just gotten agents or just made their first sale. It lets me know that, despite the fierceness of this business, you can keep on keeping on and you might just make it. I absolutely believe in my writing -- most of the time -- and that's what will see me through the madness.

Now, the hard part. I'm in the midst of serious edits on my manuscript. The story is finished (YAY!) but I need to make it "more". I have to make sure the layers are there, that the pacing is right, that my characters have arcs. I need to make this a "big" novel. One that will make a reader say "Yes" when she picks up the book and reads the first paragraph. I need my readers to know my characters and feel their world. So, back to edits with a renewed sense of reason and conviction.