Do you need to fill up the well? Jolt that creative side of your muse? What are the things that make your soul sing with joy? What inspires you? Makes you smile when the world is dark and gloomy?For me . . . Family! My dad’s 80th birthday party — and my son getting a royal ribbing for being the red-haired grandson.My dad.Christmas is more fun in a cowboy hat. Vacations really inspire me.Dogs are family, too! Friends! Critique partners — The Flip-Flop Sisters Success! The first book cover.My daughter’s college ring. My son building his own super-sized, mega computer. Great Scenery! The Vitamin String Quartet. Great Music! What else? White chocolate, Macadamin Nut cookies. […]
Tag: Critique partners
Friends . . .
Many of you are working fast and furious for the upcoming RWA convention — to all of you, I say ‘Hats off and may this be a wonderfully successful conference.’ To my lovely critique partner, L.A. Mitchell, who is up for her second Golden Heart, may this year be truly golden and you walk away with the trophy (and more importantly, a publishing contract). To critique partners Sherry A. Davis, (RWA National PRO Liaison and author of romantic comedy), Here Comes The Bribe, and Mary Karlik, fantasy and YA writer, may the publishing doors swing wide open for you at this conference. Fellow critique partner, Delores, and I will be sitting this one out. However, […]
MY CPs new book
I posted about HERE COMES THE BRIBE, a great romatic comedy release by The Wild Rose Press from my CP, Sherry A. Davis. The cover art is fabulous: And the book blurb certainly gets it done: A single administrative assistant accepts her temporary boss’s offer to masquerade as his fiancée to keep his matchmaking grandmother out of his personal life and out of the way while he negotiates a high-profile merger for his family-owned company. In exchange, she’ll get the down payment for the loan she needs to keep her ex from selling her condo out from under her. But neither of them counted on the lines blurring between real and pretend–or for the temporary […]
Hooking the reader . . .
Slowing the pace or resolving the conflict – any conflict, even a little one – at the end of the chapter or scene gives your reader an opportunity to put your book down and turn off the light. Bad news for any author aspiring who has designs on the New York Times Best Seller list. Make your readers hang around and hang on, forcing them to read through what would be a natural place to break. How to? Use strong hooks. As writers, we want to finish the thought and build to the end always pushing the conflict up the next notch. So resolution is the last thing that needs to happen at the end […]
Good news . . . no, wait, great NEWS!
This Friday, that’s the 27th of June, one of my dearest writing buddies will release her first long contemporary from The Wild Rose Press. HERE COMES THE BRIBE, is a seriously funny romp between a too-busy, work-alcoholic, too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good boss who’s totally in trouble with his family and his female assistant, who’s saved him from drowning so many times it’s become habit. When he once again dives into the deep end, it’s up to this feisty heroine to keep him from going under for the third time. HERE COMES THE BRIBE is a great read at anytime of the day or night, and a perfect way to spend a little summer down time. Only don’t expect […]
Sparkle This!
Want to see what I’m working on these days? Pop over to Sparkle This! A group of seven writers, moi included, are enmeshed in our latest short serial — a rather twisted ‘fish out of water’ story — where our modern-day heroine is transported back into regency time in order to solve a murder. There’s a time-jumper, a fairy godmother, an evil stepfather, and a hunky hero. Drop by and read any excerpt under Short Story #2 to follow along. Every few days another writer will post an addition to the story. ~Hope to see you there.Sandra
Pictures
All right, so I’m fast-drafting again tonight and the blog has to be quick. How about a few pictures from my recent Barnes & Noble book-signing? Yep, it was fun. Loads of people showed up and I sold out. How much better can it get? These are two of my hugely helpful CPs, Delores Shaffer (on left of pic) and LA Mitchell (on the right) They were terrific and kept me calm through all my insanity at the signing table. Thanks girlies! Oh, and please don’t ask me what I was doing in this picture. I know it looks like I was directing traffic and maybe I was, but it’s more likely that the camera […]
Top 5
Top 5 reasons I’m possessed to pound on the keyboard or, as it’s known in polite circles, why I write: 5) I can’t stand the voices in my head anymore – best way to silence chatty characters is type them on page. 4) I miss my characters and their shenanigans and/or adventures. I have characters who know how to pilot planes, sail boats, shoot guns, design buildings, paint beautiful landscapes, practice law, run multi-million dollar businesses – nope, I can’t do any of those things, but it certainly is fun going along for the ride with my characters. 3) I might earn some money from doing this. *GRIN* Okay, not much, but I can buy […]
