Beth's Book Club: The Truth About Roxy by Jenny Gilliam

So I'm no Oprah and folks won't flock to read something new because I recommend it. And your point is...?!

Inside scoop: I love romance fiction with teacher or librarian heroines, most likely because I am one (teacher!). I also love, love, LOVE small town stories, again, because that was my life for my first 18 years.

Jenny Gilliam mixes both together in The Truth About Roxy, a new release from my favorite people, The Wild Rose Press. Check out the blurb, the excerpt and Jenny's bio...then download the book!

Happy Writing (and reading),

Beth

======

The Truth About Roxy by Jenny Gilliam

BLURB:

Roxy Palmer is a walking, breathing cliché. And darned tired of it.
Working as the assistant librarian in her small, Southern home town, Roxy also anonymously pens the local love column, Ask Paula Rockwell—Thorton, Georgia's answer to Dear Abby.

But when the door leading to Roxy's lifetime dream is slammed in her face by one of the good ol' boys, Roxy brings out the big guns--and turns the genteel town upside down with her racier, feminist, home-wrecking new format.

Paula Rockwell is making Sheriff Noah Kennedy's life crazy. He's got angry husbands lined around the block, demanding the cancellation of the column, fights breaking out and women catching their boyfriends' trucks on fire. If he ever gets his hands on that woman…

But he's got his hands full of Roxy at the moment, and if he ever discovers the truth about Roxy, all hell will break loose.


EXCERPT:

As they loaded the heavy bags into the back of the Honda, a shout rent the air. Roxy looked up, her eyes tracking the sound. Next door, Merle Granger stood in his Saturday golfing best, hands on his hips while articles of clothing rained down on him and the lawn.

“Now, Charlene, honey, be reasonable.”

“I’ll show you reasonable, you controlling bastard!” From the second-floor window, a golf club went sailing, missing Merle’s head by mere inches.

“Damnation, woman!” Merle shouted. “That’s my best nine iron!”

“You can take your nine-iron and shove it up your ass!”

“Oh, my,” Mary Lou breathed, coming around the back of the Honda. She stood next to Roxy. “Looks like that rumor is true.”

“What rumor?” Roxy asked, mesmerized by the sight of Charlene Granger tossing a stuffed fish out the window. It bounced off the hood of Merle’s brand new Expedition and caused the banker to spew another litany of curses.

“You know,” Mary Lou said, “that Charlene is Restless in Primrose Valley.”

Oh. That rumor.

At the time, Roxy had written it off as grist for the mill. After all of the publicity her article had generated, she figured any married couple within the city limits had the potential to be used as fodder. But, now, as Charlene sent a package of golf balls raining down the street, Roxy wondered if the universe could really be that kind.

“Is this about that silly little column?” Merle shouted to his wife.

This seemed to throw Charlene into a rage, since items began sailing from the window with increasing speed, each punctuated by fierce words from Mrs. Granger.

“That.” A shoe landed out in the street. “Article.” Here came its mate. “Was.” Antlers. Antlers? “Not.” Picture frame. “Silly.” A vase came crashing down, clipping Merle in the shoulder. He howled in pain. “Or.” A dozen roses rained down. “Little!” This last statement was followed by the obvious coup de grace: the mounted head of a buck.

Roxy didn’t know how Charlene managed to wrestle the large animal’s head out of the window, but apparently rage gave people all kinds of strange powers. Roxy slapped a hand over her mouth as the buck landed on the hood of the Expedition with a crash. The windshield buckled inward from the impact.

“I wonder what the insurance company will have to say about that,” Mary Lou commented.

A crowd had gathered across the street to watch the display. Old men stood next to their wives, whispering behind their hands. Kids in the middle of summer play stopped to stare, awestruck by the screaming and destruction.

In the distance, Roxy heard the sharp song of a police siren. “Uh, oh. Here comes the heat.” She hoped Noah wasn’t the one behind the wheel. One altercation with the police a day was enough for her. “Maybe we should go.”

Mary Lou stared at her like she’d gone batty. “Are you nuts? This is like an episode of Cops.”
As the police cruise pulled up—not Noah, thank goodness—Mary Lou started singing, “Bad boys, bad boys; whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you…”

“You know what you can do with your fancy dinner parties, Merle?” Charlene shouted. “You can stick ‘em! I am done with you! You hear me? I was not put on this earth to play housewife to some man!”

O-kay. She’d just paraphrased the Paula response. Definitely Restless in Primrose Valley. Roxy eyed the mounted head on the hood of the Expedition and the pile of clothes on the front lawn. Well, she’s not restless anymore.

“I’m calling the shots now!” Charlene leaned out the second-story window and did the unthinkable. Well, the unthinkable for a society wife in Thorton, Georgia, that is. She climbed up on the windowsill and dropped her slacks, baring her behind for the world to see. She twisted her head around and yelled, “You can kiss my ass, Merle Granger!”

Who would have known one little article would incite such bedlam?


BIO:



Jenny began writing at the age of twelve, when she realized the voices talking in her head were characters, not a result of pre-teen induced psychosis. She’s been writing on and off for almost twenty years, but actively pursuing publication for the last three. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children. She is the author of four novels.

Jenny loves to hear from her readers. You can visit her at www.jennygilliam.com

Jenny Gilliam ~ Spicy Romance with a Dash of Humor

THE TRUTH ABOUT ROXY, Coming November 7, 2008 from The Wild Rose Press!
UNDER MY SKIN, Coming Soon from Amira Press!
LETTING LUCE, Now Available from Amira Press!
THE WEDDING WAR, Now Available in digital AND print from The Wild Rose Press!

Freaked out by Death...the card, not the event

I'm in this really fun online workshop for using Tarot cards to build my character. If you read my posts this summer, it's the same workshop I took back in August. Arwen is a gifted teacher and her lessons(her blog is: http://tarotbyarwen.com/blog/--cool stuff) did such a good job of drawing out my character's nuances on the former story that I had to jump back in with my new characters to give me insights I would have to struggle to find.

Today I'm catching up on lesson two, and had a fascinating experience. Mind you, my only Tarot "experience" (I'm not a reader but I have always been intrigued and interested in Tarot) previous to this was Arwen's summer class, so I really have little to go on.

I'm working on the Call to Action, you know, the second step in the Hero's Journey to all you good writing students out there. I was to shuffle the deck and choose one card at random which would signify the call to action. Just before I shuffled, I looked through the deck to pick out my card from the previous lesson. I passed the Death card and thought...I hope I draw that card. That's the only way my heroine is going to get involved in the story. It was a completely random thought--I didn't ponder any other card, and I really didn't even know what the heck I was talking about.

From there I shuffled. A good, solid five minutes of shuffling while I concentrated on my heroine and her station in life. I cut the deck three times as instructed, put the top pile on the bottom, bottom on top, and drew the top card.

If I said I drew the Death card, would you be surprised? I have to admit I was pretty shocked but pretty amazed. One thing Arwen said in a lesson that I remember vividly is that when you concentrate, the cards will give you what you need. That's for sure...!

Guest Blogging with Jenny Gilliam

hey all...

If you've ever suffered the wrath of writer's block and want to know
how I've dealt with it, stop over at Jenny Gilliam's blog for my guest
post today: Name That Block...Dissolving Procrastination Through Writing

Not only that, but I'll be giving away a writing journal at the end of
the week to one lucky commenter. I'll even throw in something special if you come back here and comment on this post--should you be the lucky winner!

And if you've never felt writer's block...send me some of your mojo!

Beth

Pack Rat File #1: Mastering the E-Query

Here's a fabulous little article full of good stuff for you nonfiction magazine query writers out there. I love writing queries myself (sick person, I know) and love giving advice on how to get them done. This article gives some great insight and thoughts on what to include in your e-query regardless of what level of writing you're at.

====

Courtesy of AbsoluteWrite.com's newsletter (sign up for free at: www.absolutewrite.com)

Original Link: http://www.absolutewrite.com/freelance_writing/mastering_the_equery.htm

Mastering the E-query, or How I got in, got out and got the assignment

By Victoria Groves

After years of agonizing over my e-mails to editors, only to rarely hear back one way or the other, I've changed my approach. The subject line, the greeting, and each sentence in the text is purposely placed and this streamlined way of doing business has made my response rate and my freelance income increase over the past year.

An editor's mailbox fills up fast and the click of a mouse is all that separates the acceptance from the rejection. While I still enjoy putting together a query letter to an editor and attaching color copies of my clips in a precise order, I know that I'll hear back much sooner by sending it via e-mail. Most of my clips are available online, and I can easily point an editor to my website for additional information about me and my writing.

I've boiled my e-querying down to a science. In an ideal world, I would break into 10 solid publications and then make a living writing for them over and over again. But when an assignment stream dries up, a magazine folds, or when I just want to add some diversity to my clip stack, I sometimes try to carve out a new relationship with a publication outside my regular realm.

Subject line

Obviously, if you don't come up with a solid subject line, what you write in your e-mail message is irrelevant. With spam filters in place at most publications, it's important to stay away from anything that sounds too sales-y, while still enticing an editor to click and read.

If you're sending a straight query, identify it as such while also giving a hint of what the idea is about:

SUBJECT-- Query: Creating an emergency car kit

If you are responding to a query from an editor needing freelance staff, you'll likely use a subject line that is a bit different:

SUBJECT-- Freelance inquiry
SUBJECT-- Responding to your call for freelancers

If you've been referred to a particular editor by a writer already working for that publication, you're in a great position to name drop. I like to get it right in the subject line so he or she knows that I'm not querying the publication out of the blue.

SUBJECT-- Freelance inquiry, referred to you by Joe Smith

E-mail body

Congratulations! You've passed the first test and convinced an editor to open your e-mail. Now is the time to get them to read through to the end, check out your clips and hopefully give you the assignment.

Here's one approach:


Dear Mr. Freeman:

Every fall, millions of butternut squash come out of the fields of New England, and every fall, almost everyone complains about peeling them.

Now, Richard Smith has come up with the answer: the Smith Automated Butternut Peeler.

After watching area farmers struggling to find efficient ways to peel butternut squash and turnips, Smith, a welder, invented his apparatus, which now has a patent pending.

I propose a 900-word article on this new automated way to peel the squash's outer skin, leaving a thinner peel with more of the vegetable intact.

I am a freelance writer and have most recently been published in Baltimore Magazine, Chesapeake Family Newsmagazine, and the Boston Parents' Paper. I am enclosing clips for your review. Please contact me if you feel this article would be a good addition to Fresh Cut Magazine.

Here's a different approach:

Dear Ms. McIntosh:

As a Washington World reader, I would like to complement you and writer Nadja Najow for the interesting and informative article "The Wonders of Depression Glass" in the February 2003 issue.

I am a freelance writer living outside Washington D.C. and I currently write for Chesapeake Family Newsmagazine and the food department of Baltimore Magazine. I would like to propose a 1000 word article for The Home Page section of your publication called "Dinner Party Basics". The article will include quick and classy recipes and entertaining shortcuts for the Washington area hostess. Organizing a dinner party, whether for business or pleasure, does not have to an all-consuming or stressful experience. I will include interviews with area cooks, as well as a sidebar of hints on foolproof parties.

In addition to my regular assignments for local magazines, I have also been published in Womens ENews, Family Fun Magazine, and Blue Jean Magazine. I am also the writer and editor of the Dollar Diva monthly e-newsletter, a publication that teaches economic independence, entrepreneurship and philanthropy to girls and women.

To view some of my clips, please visit www.victoriagroves.net. Please contact me if you would like to discuss the possible publication of this article or any other potential assignments.

Clips

The last thing to do is to add in a way for an editor to easily access your past clips. Many editors are leery of opening attachments, so unless you don't have copies of your clips any other way, avoid presenting them in this format.

The best way to show off your skills is to direct an editor to your website. Even if you're not a web expert, there are easy and inexpensive options like www.dynamod.com. Another choice is to add links right into the body of your e-mail. But make sure that if you use the same set of links over and over again, that you check them regularly so you don't send a dead one to an editor.

By streamlining your online querying efforts, you will not only get more assignments, but you'll also find that you can send out more queries in less time. That alone should make 2008 a good one for your portfolio and your wallet.

Victoria Groves is a freelance writer living in Boston. She has been published by a variety of regional and national publications and also teaches writing courses on writing for teens and tweens, newslettering, and breaking into newspaper stringing. For more information, visit www.victoriagroves.net.

Aren't You Lucky I'm a Pack rat..

I've struggled with being a pack rat for most of my life. Not to the extent that I have to move out of my house from balls of string or rubber bands I've collected, and not as bad as one of the ladies I saw on Oprah who couldn't open her front door, but I'm still known to collect bits and pieces of "stuff" that I really don't need.

I have actually become less of a pack rat in the real world since discovering feng shui, but that hasn't changed my online habits of keeping all kinds of websites, newsletters, links and other "stuff" related to writing. I have a folder set up for that purpose with my email server, and I just realized it has about 250 links and articles for writers that I've been keeping to share with you all...and I haven't.

So in the name of decluttering, I'm going through them, re-evaluating their usefulness, and I'll be posting them here off and on. (Usually during my lunch period as I really miss blogging and have had no time to do it lately). Hopefully you'll find something helpful, useful or insightful. I'll always include the referring source so you can check out that as well (so many good writing newsletters and ezines out there).

Always feel free to share...the only thing better than helping ourselves is helping others. And happy writing :)

Beth

Guest Blogger: Anne Carrole

You're in for a treat today! In honor of the Sony e-Reader Giveaway at the Wild Rose Press in December, I've lined up some of the participating authors for a writerly gab session to chat here about their writing and their work throughout the month.

First up is contemporary and western historical author Anne Carrole--who I must say has a gorgeous web page design! (www.annecarrole.com--check it out).

Here are Anne's thoughts to my questions...enjoy!

===

Anne Carrole, author of: Re-ride At The Rodeo at The Wild Rose Press

www.annecarrole.com

When did you know you were a writer// that writing was what you wanted to do?

I was always making up stories and as soon as I could put pen to paper, I was writing them down. As you might have guessed, I was an English Major in college much to my parents’ chagrin because they thought I should be taking something more practical like accounting. I didn’t get the opportunity to pursue writing as a profession until a few years ago when life’s road had evened out some—meaning my daughter was out of elementary school.

What is the best part of being a writer?

Being able to create is the best part. But there are so many great things about being a writer that should be mentioned.

-You can do this in your pajamas w/o putting on make-up or brushing your hair!

-Eating chocolate can be rationalized because, of course, it helps the muse-lol.

-You will become the most technologically able person in your household—out of necessity. For instance, I’ve built a website, a blog, and a MySpace page. I’ve created a book trailer. I even learned a little html. These are things I never would have had occasion to try in my day job.

-Your teenager will think you’re cool because she can find you on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. These are places I would have never explored if I weren’t a writer. And would have missed out on connecting with some very fine people.

-You get to meet some of your very favorite authors.

-You have a built-in reason to bury yourself in researching what you love. It’s for your book of course. I’ve uncovered so much wonderful information that I would have never delved into if it weren’t for my writing.

-No one thinks you’re crazy when you talk about the people running around in your head. Bringing my characters to life is the most rewarding part of writing for me and when a reader tells me my writing touched them—well that’s probably the best part of writing.

In short, being a writer is the best job ever.

What is the worst part of being a writer?

Well, writing can be a very isolating experience. It’s you and your computer and your books for the most part of any day. For a social person that can be difficult. And it requires a lot of self-discipline to sit down at the computer on a beautiful day. But then I start writing and my characters do a great job of keeping me company.

What is your typical writing routine?

Because I’m self-employed, I schedule writing time, in essence making an appointment with myself. On a writing day, my routine isn’t all that exciting. After getting everyone out in the morning and walking the dog, I sit down at the computer and begin writing in a spare bedroom that has been turned into my office. I’ve been known to stop for a bite of chocolate. Just a little bit J. (Don’t tell my daughter). I take a mid-day break to check e-mail and then write some more or do research for the book, depending on where I am in the process. If I can, I try to get off to the gym for a half-hour to get in a little exercise as a break from sitting at the computer. By then the school bus arrives and I don’t get back to the writing until after dinner, sometimes well after dinner. That’s on a day I can set aside to write. Otherwise, I write where ever and when ever I can. I bought an AlphaSmart so I can write waiting to pick up my daughter from after school activities, waiting for appointments, and waiting for the pot to boil in preparation for dinner.

Are you a pantser or a plotter?

I am definitely a pantser—with a twist. As I’m writing along, sometimes scenes come into my head out of order and I have to get them down on paper and then “quilt” them together later. My characters definitely drive the story and I’m brought along to record it. While I have a basic idea of where the story is going, sometimes my characters surprise me. For instance, in Re-ride at the Rodeo I didn’t know Clay was going to confess to Dusty, in an effort to comfort her over the loss of her father, that he sometimes “talks” to his departed father when he has to work out a problem. Not only does his confession show trust building in their relationship, but Dusty’s reaction to the revelation says a lot about her own relationship to her father. That little tidbit ended up playing a major role in the ending as well, making it a much better one. As you can see, my characters have a mind of their own.

Here’s a little bit about Re-ride at the Rodeo, a bestseller at The Wild Rose Press, www.thewildrosepress.com :

Saddle bronc rider Clay Tanner is looking for a good time and the tempting little blonde at the rodeo looks like she could use one—except she turns him down. Feeling like he’s been bucked off before the eight second buzzer, Clay’s betting he can score if she’ll give him a re-ride. But qualifying may call for more than he’s prepared to lose.

And here’s the excerpt where Clay reveals how he talks to his father:

“You always think you’ll have time. My father and I butted heads a lot. I wasn’t exactly an easy teenager. I still miss him. Every day.” He rarely talked about his father with anyone.

She lay down the hand and fixed her gaze on the back of the cards. “I know. I wasn’t easy either.

Actually, I was pretty angry at him for dying, for leaving us for good.”

Yup. He sure could relate. “Me too.”

Her gaze found him. Those beautiful lake blue eyes of hers could mesmerize Rasputin. His heart

did a two-step.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. Big time angry. Took me years to realize it wasn’t his fault. I blamed him for always

having to be in the center of things, you know. If he’d just left the shoeing to the blacksmith. Seems stupid when I say it out loud.” He put in two pennies to open.

She shook her head. “I know. I think I’ve hung onto my grievance for too long. I’m not even sure any of it was justified. I think I was wrong about him all this time. And I can never tell him.” Her eyes glistened, as if they were holding back tears. He understood about finality, too. He’d gone

through the same guilt after the anger had subsided. But apparently she hadn’t been able to put it to rest yet. In fact, she looked like she could still use comforting.

“I’m pretty sure your father knows. You ever talk to your father?”

Her eyebrows shot up in question. “No, he’s…”

Clay smiled. He should have expected the reaction. “I know. But I talk to my father just about

every day over something. I’ll be moseying along and find myself with a problem I’m sure he faced and I’ll just ask for his help.” Clay shrugged hoping he was hiding his unease in talking about this.

Do you have a secret to busting writer’s block?

I have to confess that I’ve yet to experience a real writer’s block. My problem is the opposite. I have so many characters running around in my imagination and they all want their story told. They are also a very impatient bunch. But when I’m writing, there are passages I encounter where the words just aren’t working for me, aren’t sufficient for what I want to convey. That’s when I run out to the gym or take the dog for a walk or sneak some chocolate. If a small break doesn’t work, I might shelve it for the day and work on another writing project (one of those characters that have been nagging me) and come back to it the next day. That often does it. I have found that when I sleep on a problem, the next day I usually know how to resolve it.

Thanks for having me Beth!

=====

It was my pleasure!

Writing Treats

Whether it's because I'm still stuck in Halloween mode or because I just used most of my brainpower on morning pages brainstorming a new story (I just finished one last week! Woohoo!), the title is going to stay.

What I'm planning in November ARE real treats for writers. I don't know about you, but most writers I've met, like myself, are infinitely curious about how other writers write. It fascinates me to no end how words come to us, how our creativity gives us that one spark of an idea that can work itself into a story or novel instead of the million other possibilities that are total junk.

To that end, and to remind you about the fabulous Sony e-Reader contest at the Wild Rose Press, I've invited my fellow WRP authors to stop by and blog about their writing. These ladies have fascinating insight to share about writing and the writing process. Do stop by and visit :)

Off to another day of teaching, although my lunch times will be brighter this month. I'm taking a second workshop online on creating my hero(ine, in my case) by using the Tarot. The first course was so much fun I had to do it again. I'll let you know if I discover anything good!

Happy Writing!
Beth

Mid Michigan RWA Contest...A real goodie!

I know, I know. Anytime I use "Michigan" and "goodie" in the sentence, I run the risk of being run out of Columbus by an angry mob of crazy Buckeyes. But since I am one, I'm deferring the mention of the state up north to let you romance writers know about a great contest with a very near deadline.

All romance writing contests are cool but this one is super-cool: it's a final chapter contest as opposed to a first chapter contest. So if you've finished that novel, here's your chance to get a foot in the door!
====
The Best Part: You can enter electronically---now, if you're ready. Visit the Mid Michigan RWA website (opens as a PDF) for all the details.

The cool stuff:

Contest Rules & Guidelines:

The Happily Ever After Contest is a last chapter contest. Enter the last chapter (and
epilogue, if applicable) up to twenty-seven pages of your manuscript, and a 1 to 3 page
judged synopsis of the entire novel, for a maximum of thirty pages. The entry must
include the final scene in its entirety. The same manuscript may not be entered in more
than one category. Choose the category that best fits your manuscript. All entries
must be uncontracted at the time of the contest entry Postmark/E-Deadline of
Saturday, November 1, 2008.

Whaddya win?

Categories & Final Round Judges:

Both an editor and an agent will judge each category. The partial list of judges is shown
below and will be updated on our website as we fill the remaining judges’ slots.

Short/Long Contemporary Series – Johanna Raisanen, Harlequin & Melissa
Jeglinski, Knight Literary Agency.

Single Title/Mainstream with Romantic Elements (young adult, women’s fiction,
etc.) – Holly Root, Waxman Literary Agency

Romantic Suspense – Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary Agency

Historical – Victoria Horn, Liza Dawson Associates Literary Agency

Paranormal (shape shifters, fantasy, sci-fi, time travel, etc.) – Chris Keeslar, Dorchester Publishing

Inspirational – Emily Rodmell, Steeple Hill Love Inspired

Erotica/Sensual Romance – Hilary Sares, Kensington Publishing & Laura Bradford,
Bradford Literary Agency

Excited now? Go visit the Mid-Michigan page for all the details. Good luck!!

Dirty Little Secrets...and a new obsession

I don't like holidays much. I mean, I'm not a humbug, but holidays as an adult are far more different than holidays as a kid. I don't know how mom did it, with three of us brats, a full time job and a house to run....she still had time to tie little hankerchief ghosts to the dogwood tree in our yard in the fall and plastic easter eggs on it in the spring. Everything was decorated and we had some type of acknowledgment of the holiday passing by on the calendar.

As an adult, I only see holidays=work. Yes, even Christmas. Especially Christmas.

But I digress.

I'm not all that crazy about Halloween. Doesn't do much for me, really. Candy..I can buy that any time as an adult. Trick or treat...yeah, the first cute kid in a puppy costume who comes up to get candy is ok but when the dad comes up and puts a pillowcase out for candy, not so good. Pumpkins, bats, witches...don't really get me wound up.

The one thing Halloween does well is gets out the ghost stories.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm afraid of the dark. Petrified. At summer camp I sleep with a light on in my room. At home I have night lights and carry my cellphone or iPod with me at night to illuminate everything. Always have been scared of the dark.

Dirty little secret: Funny enough, I'm obsessed with ghost & paranormal stories. Especially after having my own little encounter at Dauphin Island in Alabama a few years back. Not those crappy urban legends about the date night hook or Mary Jane's grave (although I HAVE been to the one just outside of Danville...) that every town seems to have, but the real paranormal stuff. Haunted houses, haunted graveyards, evil cellars, Gates of Hell (been there, too, at Kenyon College). I've seen at least one episode of almost every ghost show known to mankind and can't get enough. I have my doubts about the reality of some of them (the hubby doubts the reality of all of them...party pooper), but I am drawn to watching and reading about real hauntings with an unnatural obsession.

Last year, I was really into Paranormal State. You know, the A&E series featuring the group of kids from Penn State who research all things paranormal. I still like the show, but the more I watched, the more I realized that other than Dead Time (which I would love to be a part of sometime but would most likely wet myself during), there's not much real ghostly excitement going on. Hard to do with 30 minutes (however, it's a great show to watch on on-demand after school when Oprah has something terrible on, like Dr. Oz or a Kindle giveaway that I'm not a part of).

I wasn't expecting much this year in terms of ghost shows, and I don't know if they launched this one last week because of the proxemity to Halloween, but I now have a new (obsession) favorite paranormal show that I can't get enough of: Ghost Adventures. It's on the Travel Channel, 9pm on Fridays, and I'm telling you, this one scared me worse than any other.

Last night's episode visited the Houghton Mansion in Massachusettes and was pretty darn scary, especially the footsteps on the stairs when the boys went up to the old electric chair. I made the hubby turn on the kitchen light and family room light when he went up to bed. (I really should watch this stuff during the day and save on electric). But last week's episode is still messing with my brain. I'd never heard of Bobby Mackey's in Kentucky, but my brain won't let me forget it. The episode was so freaking scary I literally almost threw up. The hub and son were at a football game and I was alone with the dog (not much protection, she just wags). When Jason the boy genius came in the door, he said, "Mom must be watching ghost shows again. All the lights are on in the house," and he was right. The whole scratching thing had me completely freaked out, not to mention all the other little tidbits (the well...don't get me started). If you're remotely interested in being scared out of your pants, you should check it out: Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel

Scary stories are the one saving grace for Halloween. I suppose I could like the holiday for that reason alone, especially with this new series. The good news is that it's another beautifully sunny day here (thank goodness). Just the perfect day for a night football game at beautiful Ohio Stadium, which I'm on my way to in another hour. But believe me, I won't go near Orton Hall on my way back from the game. You haven't heard about the ghost who walks the hall there? I'll save that for another day...lol.

Woohoo...A Contest...for a Sony eReader!

And what a prize this time!

This isn't my own contest, mind you. This is a biggie from The Wild Rose Press.

How big, you ask? How about a Sony e-Reader? Here are the details...

======
Sony eReader Giveaway!



The Wild Rose Press wants you to have a SONY eReader!

Between September 22 and December 15, 2008 - purchase any title from any of the following sponsoring authors and you can enter to win a free SONY eReader from The Wild Rose Press.

It's easy to enter: once you purchase a book or short story from any of the participating authors email your order number to sonyreader@thewildrosepress.com.

We will verify your order and enter you into the drawing. If you purchase more than one tiitle, you can enter more than one time.For questions on this contest, please contact Rhonda Penders at rpenders@thewildrosepress.com.

Please put the words SONY eReader contest in the subject line. No purchase necessary.

Winners will be announced on December 16 in our chat, and on our web site the next morning.

Jean Adams (Champagne - Book due out in October)
Kim Amburn (Crimson Rose)
Clare Austin (book due out soon)
Clover Autrey (Faery Rose)
Carol Braswell (Crimson Rose)
Sharon Buchbinder (Champagne Rose, Last Rose of Summer)
Anne Carrole
Lynda Coker (Yellow Rose)
Wendy Davy (White Rose)
Tabitha Gibson (Sweetheart Rose, Champagne Rose, Crimson Rose)
Devon Gray (Scarlet Rose)
D.K. Harper (Champagne Rose, Last Rose of Summer)
Cierra James (Crimson Rose)
Paty Jager (Cactus Rose, Yellow Rose)
Jennifer Johnson (Champagne Rose)
Sylvia Kaye (Scarlet Rose, Yellow Rose)
Dayana Knight (Black Rose)
Renee Knowles (English Tea Rose)
Sharon Lanergan (English Tea Rose)
Liana Laverentz (Champagne Rose)
Hywela Lyn (Faery Rose)
Cara Marsi (Crimson Rose)
Bess McBride (Faery Rose, Last Rose of Summer, Vintage Rose, Champagne Rose)
Lily Rose Moon (Faery)
Skyhe Moncrief (Black Rose, Faery Rose)
Beth Morrow (Champagne Rose)
E.G. Parsons (Faery Rose)
Victoria Pitts-Caine (American Rose, White Rose)
Amber Polo (Champagne Rose, Faery Rose, Sweetheart Rose)
Sky Purington (Faery Rose)
Rynne Raines (Faery Rose)
Judith Rochelle (Yellow Rose, Crimson Rose)
Jocelyn Saint James (Last Rose of Summer, Champagne)
Jan Scarbrough (Faery Rose)
Tarah Scott (English Tea Rose)
Susan Shay (Yellow Rose)
Patti Shenberger (Champagne Rose, Faery Rose)
Robin Shope (book due out soon)
Linda Swift (book due out soon)
Margaret Tanner (Vintage Rose, Champagne Rose)
Sara Thacker (Crimson)
Pam Thibodeaux (White Rose)
Deborah Tompkins (Last Rose of Summer)
M.K. Trent (Champagne Rose)
Beth Trissel (American Rose)
Shereen Vedam (Faery Rose, English Tea Rose)
Lisa Wells (Champagne Rose)
Anne Whitfield (Vintage, Last Rose of Summer, Champagne)
Sandy Wickersham-McWhorter (White Rose, Faery Rose)
Patrice Wilton (Faery Rose)
Michelle Witvliet (Champagne)


You may also enter the contest by mailing a postcard to The Wild Rose Press, P.O. Box 708, Adams Basin, NY 14410. Write down the titles of three books or short stories by three different participating authors and we will put your postcard in the general drawing.

So what are you waiting for? I made it easy by linking right to Mandi's Lucky Day :)

Be sure to check out the other awesome authors on the list and good luck! Feel free to pass this along to any reader you know who'd be interested.

Happy Reading!

Beth

feels so good....

...to have set writing goals that I finally achieved.

The Serious Writer girls are meeting today and, for the first time in a long time, I actually don't have to fork over my five bucks in defeat for not meeting the goals I set three weeks ago.

I was on a destructive path toward emptying my retirement account to contribute to the kitty because I couldn't get my act together on the writing front a few months ago. I'd make my goals (write a chapter, a scene, etc. etc. etc.) but never managed to make them, or, in some cases, even come close to touching them.

I think I figured out why.

The story I was working on during that time was a flash-in-the-pan idea for a contest entry on a sub-genre I like reading but really didn't have a good idea for writing. I struggled with trying to cram an old semi-circle-plot-idea into a square hole story and it just didn't work. Those characters didn't talk to me in my sleep, didn't tease me with bits of their lives while I walked in the morning, didn't compel me to pick up a pen and, well, frankly--do anything.

But this time, I set the bar so low I could almost trip on it. I only pledged to do morning pages for the past three weeks. I know with school schedules, my time is not my own (but slowly getting there), but I wasn't about to shirk writing. If I managed to eke out any real writing...pages, scenes, dialogue, etc., that'd just be a bonus--but not the goal.

It worked. I've gotten up progressively earlier and written every single day. My morning pages might start with a dream snippet or a brain dump, but with growing regularity, they're honing in on my story. Slowly, ever so slowly, but surely. Three weeks ago I was getting up at six, and this morning I hopped out of bed for an hour-long walk at 4:30 before settling in at 5:30. I didn't have as much to write (hence my dropping by the blog) and the story didn't do much today on paper but I picked up a few more details on the story that I wouldn't have if I weren't morning-paging.

Still deliberating the goal to set today. Page output? Chapter to finish? Plot to arrange? Or more intense morning pages? Not sure, but what I am sure of is that I get to spend that five bucks on a well-deserved coffee and cookie with the SW girls and not in the kitty!

happy writing...until reality steps in...

Two paragraphs into my morning pages, I had a brilliant thought about my heroine and the moments before she gets swept into the time-travel. The scene just formed in my head, spilled on to paper (today writing with a new mechanical pencil, .07 lead, instead of the usual fountain pen) and threatened to continue for at least another page or two, or until my hand completely cramped, whichever came first. I got out as much as I could until that dreaded realization hit me full-force.

Time to go to work.

Ack! Doesn't that just stink? It's the worst feeling for a writer or creative mind, to be in the middle of a creative flow where words assault you from every corner (this particular passage was almost all description, little narrative, plot or dialogue) only to have something external cut into your world.

The beauty of morning pages is that all my ideas are in one place (no small feat for any creative mind that likes to spread out, most of all me, who has a secret notebook addiction), so I can pick up the thought where I left off when I come back tomorrow. But can I pick up the writing, too? Or just the thought?

How do you deal with unwelcome intrusions of reality into your creativity? I'm already getting up at 4:45 to write, so getting up much earlier might not be a solution but I'm open to thoughts on what works for you...

when morning pages flow like water

I think you guys were an inspiration yesterday. For whatever reason, after I ranted about the pages, I went back, picked an idea and tried writing about it just to get something moving. I ended up with about a paragraph's worth of "writing" (a real paragraph, not the two-sentence run-on that constitutes a paragraph in the mind of my 7th graders), and an urge to play with an idea for my heroine.

Twenty minutes later I reluctantly put away my notebook to head to school. Success!

Today while walking Omar (my girl dog with a boy's name), I had a thought directly related to the heroine and something she said to the hero. Came home, grabbed the notebook and captured FIVE PAGES of writing. The first one is morning page stuff, dream notes, a song I woke up with in my head (do you ever do that?), and one line from my heroine to my hero in the first or second scene of the book: "Stop that! I hardly know you!"

Little does she know (time travel that it is) that they do, in fact, know each other. Quite well, as a matter of fact...lol.

Just stopping by to thank you and see how your writing is going today/this week. How's the work coming?

when morning pages are like pulling teeth

If you're a writer, you've no doubt heard of Julia Cameron and her famous morning pages at some point or another. You know, those morning kick-starts where you sit down, half-sleepy and half-conscious and write out your soul on paper?

I did those for a while when the notion first came out. Did quite a bit, but decided I'd rather spend that time working on a novel or two. But in this last writing funk, I've gone back to the Beth-version of morning pages (after a walk with the dog so not true morning pages) and it's gotten me back into writing.

Except for today.

I've written about half a page of MP so far, and not another word will squeeze out. And today, surprisingly, nothing about my story. Aggravating. Every other day, I'll start by listing dreams or bits of whatever, and a story connection will somehow pop up, but today all I'm left with is a newly filled fountain pen and a half-blank sheet of paper. I know I'm supposed to just keep writing something, over and over, til I get where I want to be, but I can't muster the energy.

What do you do when morning pages don't work?! I'm open to all types of creativity-tappers. Not writing block-busters. I'm not there, yet. Just that bit of gas you need to get the brain synapses firing...help!

the beauty of refreshed perspective

I admit that the novel idea I'm working on now isn't something "new". Not really. It's based (a bit loosely, as I've discovered since last night) on one of my favorite songs from the 70s, a one-hit wonder (my music fascination) that ends on a very sad note. All these years, as I've listened, I've always felt so sad for the title character and wished her to have a happy ending (no, I won't tell you which song, at least not yet.)

I've wanted to rewrite her song into a story so she finds the happy ending she deserves. I've toyed with it, thought about it, talked about it (to the writing girls, who all understand--and love the song) but never really did anything about it because I haven't felt able to tackle it.

Guess what I'm working on now?!

I also admit to being a bit afraid of the whole novel-writing process. I don't know why I should be...I've finished three unpubbed(that shall never see the light of day) but none of them feel solid (even though one won a contest). I think my feelings of inadequacy lie in the rejection letters I've received and in the actual novel-writing process itself. It's messy and uncertain, ugly and beautiful at the same time. I never get what I planned and I have a hard time with that.

Monday I signed up, on a whim, with Holly Lisle for her "How to Think Sideways" course. I devour everything she puts out...on characters, plot, setting, language, culture...so I thought this would just be a little boost in the process, a shot in the arm but not a full round of immunizations.

I think I was wrong (and I don't admit that too often...just ask mom)

I did the first lesson last night and tried one of the techniques for brainstorming that she mentions. It's something I've seen umpteen times and have always thought looked fun, but me in my perfection self is afraid to get messy on paper. I gave myself permission to be messy, to not know the answer or the plot before I started, and what I discovered was fabulous.

No, the novel is not plotted, no characters are fully developed, my setting isn't even discovered (but this *may* be a time travel...the type of story that moves my heart most...historical and contemporary...like peanut butter and chocolate, is there anything better?), but I did discover a story element I might have missed with my traditional linear thinking, and I felt a freedom in the process that I haven't felt in planning previous novels. It's a good thing. Kept me up late, got me up early, and that's what gets me writing.

I'll talk more about Holly's program soon, but if you're interested, here's a link to check it out. She's registering right now for upcoming classes (I'm in the year-long...I need the extra time)

The value of writing colleagues

Over the years I've heard mixed reviews on the value of being involved in a writer's group. Some say it's a great chance to collaborate and commiserate, some say it's an excuse not to write and dangerous to allow others access to your thoughts. To this latter group, I say...go back to your caves and continue writing on your parchment.

It's no secret I've been in a word slump the last few months. So much so that when the Serious Writers (three of six, as it was) met at Donna's a week ago Sunday for a quarterly (or so) brainstorming session on our newest WIPs, my initial inclination was to decline. I didn't have a story to brainstorm, no characters to create, no plot to develop. True, I had been getting up and writing a rudimentary version of Julia Cameron's Morning Pages for a few weeks but it was just rehashing of my previous day, odd snippets of dreams, random thoughts that had nothing to do with creating fiction.

But I said yes anyway. I'm so glad I did. I was a little embarrassed to admit I was there without a story (embarrassed why? I've been with these ladies for probably 8 or more years), but, as luck had it, so was Margaret (although she has the theatre story always running a low hum in the back of her brain). All the two of us did was help Donna think through some character and plot points for her new story-in-progress...and it was the best thing ever. The collaboration and fresh ideas gave me a spark on my next set of morning pages to ponder, which has now turned into the tiniest spark of a story. It doesn't take much to get me writing...

So if you're floundering in writing, having a hard time with motivation, creativity or any of the other authorly afflictions, consider joining forces with a few other SELECT writers and hashing things out. What's the worst that could happen? You eat one too many chocolate covered pretzels? In the long run, your muse and your sanity will thank you. I know mine is!

Donald Maass' THE CAREER NOVELIST...free...

Thanks to Carol Ann for sharing the link on the COFW loop to the free ebook copy of Donald Maass' The Career Novelist

I had the pleasure of meeting Donald a few years ago at an all-day workshop and found most of his advice very insightful and helpful. I imagine The Career Novelist is no different. Even if the title doesn't interest you, read it for the motivation and inspiration we all get from reading great books on writing.

The Career Novelist by Donald Maass

I don't know how long it'll be up...maybe forever, but with a great book like this, don't take a chance. Check it out :)

Article: Writing for Holiday Markets

While one of my favorite sayings is "Better late than never" because I'm normally late on everything in my life, getting your foot in the door when approaching holiday markets for potential articles isn't one of those times when that saying applies.

Really, if you're writing for the holidays, you CAN start now, but the earlier the better for most publications. Not only do they go to press earlier than the holidays (most of the larger ones are NOW or very soon), they often have themes to work with.

If you're interested in the freelance holiday market, here's a really informative article at aboutfreelancewriting.com (love this site--they send freelance job postings to my inbox on a regular basis)on this very topic. Don't restrict your thinking to American holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'll bet there are at least 100 holidays around the world that magazines feature that you've never even heard of...

Writing for Holiday Markets at www.aboutfreelancewriting.com. Sign up for the newsletter while you're there....

Happy Writing ...

Beth

And the winner is....

It's been so long since I promised a contest that even I almost forgot about it LOL.

Plus, Jason the boy genius and I don't get the chance to cross paths too often these days, what with him keeping up with all his 11th grade AP courses and me trying to find ways to keep the classroom busy.

But he just chose a random date for me and, as luck would have it, it was a date with a post and a comment. August 12th, in honor of a USA Men's Basketball Olympic win (we are sports nuts in this house). The winner is a girl with a great name...Beth Morrissey, another wonderful freelancer. (You should check out her blog--I love it over there).

Yay Beth! I'll be sending you a package of writer's goodies, including the pens that started this whole contest thing...

And thank you so much to everyone who stopped by, passed on my blog link, made comments and sent me wonderful notes. Especially those of you who keep coming back to read. I know I've been horrible at posting over this last month but I do think I've gotten my teaching life under (some type of) control so I'm hoping to jump back into the blogging world soon. I really do miss it...

Hope you're all still writing...
Beth

...I think it's back....

The urge to write, that is.

I really have been grappling lately with this melancholy attitude toward writing. It's not that I've been blocked--I've been working (not as diligently as I should) on outlining a new story over the past several weeks, a baby bit at a time--but I just am not feeling the urge to write with any sort of passion.

It all started after I got back from camp and, until today on the way home, hadn't really let go. I did have two articles to finish for deadline after camp and I managed fine, but other than that, there wasn't any writing going on. I tried all sorts of tricks with no luck. Nothing stirred my interest or passion in the words that I'd spent my summer dreaming about. I couldn't get it going at all (even though the new story does excite and interest me).

Not until today on the way home, anyway. At the stoplight, a line from a book I'd read during free reading time with my 7th graders popped in my head, and immediately the old gears started turning slowly the way they always do when I get the spark of something good running around inside. By the time I got home (half a block) I had a whole paragraph of a new story to start, but had promised myself to finish the one I'm working on first. (I will this time if it KILLS me!!). I hurried to finish all my lesson prep and mom-duties so I could have some writing time alone tonight. I didn't get a massive amount done but enough to get me excited to come back tomorrow night for more of the same. ANd that's no small accomplishment.

I haven't forgotten you guys, my readers, either. I have lots of ideas planned on the calendar for various kinds of posts but haven't had time to zero in on getting those things together. I will, I will. Might be a little while but I'll get there. I feel like such a louse when I'm not posting here, but until the excitement came back, it was like pulling teeth to get the brain to cooperate. Hopefully this mood is here to stay....