Author Archive

Now that the contract has been officially signed I can start giving a few more details!

I sold my paranormal romance, A FISTFUL OF FATE to Lyrical Press!

Would you die for the one you love - twice?

Past life memories, a long-held grudge and a love spanning two centuries will unite an 1806 blacksmith executed for murder with the soul of his true love during a present-day reenactment that becomes all too real.   

Current Mood: Esctatic

Just when I had my plans for world domination all figured out, I had to go and find this.

Drats.

Looks like I'm in need of Plan B! Anyone know an evil chemist? I'd specifically like to (a) be split in two (b) freeze time to get more done in a day and (c) make myself invisible from time to time.

Current Mood: Alarmed

I often joke that my diet consists of two food groups, chocolate and coffee, but since my recent health scare and the subsequent discussion with the doctor that I really should be getting more fiber in my diet I've had to consider those two food groups might not be enough!

I've also been forced to accept the fact that sitting at the computer writing all day can NOT in any way be considered exercise. (I have been told reaching for the coffee cup, doing butt crunches while sitting on the chair and even crossing the kitchen to refill the coffee cup are not real exercises..bah!)

I guess it's time for some changes.  I've started looking at ways to get more fiber in my diet and every Monday I'll be posting something that I've found. I've also been talked into walking every day - gasp! As hard as it sounds, I've been assured that the emails, the blogs, my writing groups and yes, even my manuscript will be just fine without me if I'm not in constant contact with them over the 'net. (I've promised to only listen to music while I'm walking and NOT to check my email!)

First stop today: Read about National Nutrition Month at their website: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/

Facts about fiber: 

Fiber, in basic terms, is the indigestible parts of plant foods. It is the husk on the grain of wheat, the thin strands in celery, the crunch in the apple, the casings on edible seeds. Fiber helps to protect you from heart disease (yes, even women get heart disease so listen up ladies!), cancer, and digestive problems. Depending on the type of fiber (yes, there are more than one!), it lowers cholesterol, helps with weight control, and regulates blood sugar. The point here? This is one nutrient you don't want to miss! But did you know most people get only 12-15 grams of fiber a day-- and that's below the recommended 25-30 grams. So if you're cutting the carbs for weight loss, you might also be cutting the fiber and that's not a good thing. 

Here's how to sneak "good carbs" and extra fiber into your daily diet with a minimum of effort.

 Eat cereal every day for breakfast.  Aim for a whole grain, unsweetened cereal (so, Captain Crunch is probably out?) with at least 4 grams of fiber a serving. Just eating any cereal might be enough, however. A University of California study found that cereal eaters tend to eat more fiber and less fat than non-cereal eaters. Healthy, high-fiber cereals you might want to consider include Kellogg's All-Bran Original, Kashi GOLEAN, and Kellogg's Raisin Bran.

OR, how about a muffin? Here's the original Kellogg's All-Bran Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

The question most often asked to every fiction writer is about where we get our ideas.

If only it were an easy question to answer.

The best advice I would give to anyone thinking about putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard would be to pay attention to your thoughts.

I carry a small moleskin notebook in my pocketbook at all times. I listen to the banter of the people around me on lines, at work, in the stores (dialogue is my weakest link - while I can talk a blue streak, writing it seems to paralyze me, go figure.) If something catches my attention - a turn of phrase I haven't heard before, a slang word - I write in my book.

While in the car, out walking or exercising most of us listen to music. Have you listened to the words lately? There are some songs that just make you move, but others have a story, an emotion that jiggles at the heartstrings or pulls at a memory. Sometimes it sparks a "what if" moment that before you know it has characters attached or the beginning of a plot! Take notes...your imagination is calling you.

Watching TV or at the movies? Have you ever thought you would have ended it differently? Change up the characters and try to change the ending to suit you.

I'd like to say the corner coffeeshop has fresh ideas every morning to serve up with your grande mocha latte, but it's just not that easy. Most authors will tell you there actually are no new ideas, it's all in how we spin them that makes that idea seem fresh and new.

So grab your voice recorder or your favorite pen and a pad and start to pay attention to what's going on around you. Take notes when your blood pressure spikes or are overwhelmed by a good deed. Listen and observe.

Then when you sit down to write - read those notes, remember the feelings, let the characters run free in your imagination and you just might have a story in there!

Is every idea book worthy? NO. And that really isn't the point here. Even great ideas need to be developed, nutured into something that can grow to be a great book, it all takes time. But you never know where the next great idea is going to come from. The point is to be ready for it when it hits!

Go forth and take notes, open your mind and grab those ideas as they rush by.

Make it a saucy weekend!

Current Mood: Mischievous

We've got drugs, drugs and more drugs.

And a teenager with an attitude.

My life is complete.

Between our visit last week to the doctor and our visit just a few days ago, I think I walked out of the office with an entire prescription pad full of medications, instructions and notes to the school on what the Middle-Guy can and cannot do.

Thank god for the iTouch I got for Christmas. I was able to load up all the details (yes, my friends, organization!) because I damn straight needed an agenda to keep track of all the different times the kid needs to be medicated and all the different requirements for each one.

So, this morning being the wonderful mom I am (no, that is not sarcasm, I really am wonderful  ) I got the Middle-Guy up early enough to get ready for school and eat breakfast - one of the meds specifically says, "take with food."  Of course eating breakfast is not the top priority of my teenager when a few more minutes in bed is the option - which led to the following conversation two minutes before the bus was due to arrive:

ME: "You aren't suppose to take those two little pills on an emtpy stomach."

MiddleGuy: "I didn't. I took it with Vitamin Water."

ME: "That's not food. Take a granola bar to the bus stop."

MG: He left the room (I'm sure there was eye rolling, but I can't be positive)

ME: Followed him. "Toast? Cereal? You still have two minutes."

MG: Back in the kitchen he takes out the Corn Flakes in a tupperware container, flips open the lid and shoves his hand inside. One handful of flakes gets shoved in his mouth. He smiles. "Cereal. Done."

Why do I bother?

We go back to the doctor next week to check the progress with the new meds. I'm thinking of asking for a little something for myself

As the contract ink has not dried yet, I can't say more than one of my full-length paranormal romances has been accepted for publication!

Details on my publisher, expected release date and excerpts will all be posted when I get them.

Hubby is home this morning too - so my celebration blueberry waffles will be ready any minute...

Cheers!

Current Mood: Esctatic

Sometimes letting go of the past or accepting what came before can prove to be a difficult thing.

Before email and facebook we were left with just memories of past friends and loves. Now, good or bad - logging in to your facebook or opening your email could bring you face-to-face with recollections you might either embrace or would have preferred to keep hidden in the recesses of your mind.

As a writer, I often ask questions. One question I recently asked both friends and family was, "if you had the chance to go back to high school and college, would you? Would you do things different?"

My immediate response was "YES!"

But my husband was just as strong in his "NO!"

My reasoning was that I would have not listened to the naysayers and I would have pursued my love of writing waaaayyy  sooner that I did. I wouldn't have written just for myself and then thrown away all those manuscripts without a second look. (Yes, I did throw out quite a few...oy)

But, my husband looks at the question from a completely different way saying, "every choice we've made, every relationship we've shared (good or bad) shapes us into who we are at any given time."

Would we have met and fell in love if we'd both chosen different paths? Would we have moved to California for seven wonderfully warm years? Who's to say.

As a writer constantly drawn to ways to give my characters traits and lives that people can relate to, his idea makes perfect sense and I've spent a lot of time contemplating just this theory.

Along the line of thought that choices we've made shape who we are today - what about the paths we've taken in a past life (if you're into that sort of thing - which I am  )  Could fears, hope and dreams of a past life correlate with the person we are today? I know I have a very unnatural fear of railroad tracks, I will drive MILES out of way to avoid driving over them. Is that just a crazy phobia on my part - or is there something deep down in my soul that screams out in fear when those railroad tracks come into view forcing me to take a detour?

Lucky for me the month of March finds my local RWA writing group hosting a workshop on Past Life Regression as a tool to creating memorable characters! The best part is you don't have to belong to RWA or Dunes & Dreams Romance Writers to take the workshop. (And you can take the workshop in your pajamas (woot!) since it's an online workshop given in our forum. You can come and go at your leisure giving yourself plenty of time to reflect on your past.

*****PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED *****

Dunes & Dreams RWA Chapter 215 (from Eastern Long Island) present their March 2010 Online Workshop.

http://www.dunesanddreams.org/writing-workshops

Cost: $10 D&D members, $25 all others. Payable in US funds only.

March 1 through March 29: Past Life Regression for the Writer’s Soul: A New Approach to Character Creation with Dawna Richard

Blurb: Have you ever had the feeling that you have been to a certain place or time or experienced reoccurring dreams? Have you had a lifelong phobia that you have no explanation for? This could be an indication that you have lived before. Whether you are interested in exploring the possibility of a past life or you are just looking for that next story idea, this class is for you. Learn a little about yourself and unleash a plethora of new ideas along the way. Through past life regression/self meditation techniques, you will have the chance to explore the workings of your mind and gain the tools to uncover a story and characters waiting to be written.

Bio: Dawna Richard is a founder and lead investigator of California Paranormal Research and Enlightenment. She has more than 15 years’ experience with reading Tarot, past life regression, and paranormal research.

She lives in sunny California with her husband, son, and three dogs. When she’s not working or investigating haunted locals, you can find her pursuing her goal of becoming a published author under the name Kylie Dawn.

DATE: March 1 – March 29

Registration deadline is February 28th.

PLACE: Dunes & Dreams RWA FORUM (Not a yahoo loop)

Registrants will receive a login password to the workshop forum several days before the workshop begins to allow ample time to become familiar with the forum or to notify the coordinators if you have trouble logging in.

COST: $10 Dunes & Dreams RWA Members/ $25 all others (US funds only – paypal or checks)

 
CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY: No registration fees will be refunded. All payments for a workshop must be received by the registration cut off date. Payments received after the cut-off date can be applied to a future workshop of the
applicant's choosing.
 
If a workshop is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, such as instructor inability to teach class, registration fees will be applied to a future workshop of the applicant's choosing.
 
Hope to see you in class!

Registration form and more information:

 http://www.dunesanddreams.org/writing-workshops or

email the coordinators at workshops.ddrwa@gmail.com

Make it a Saucy Weekend, give someone you love an extra hug, don't be afraid to speak your mind and do one thing you didn't plan on!

Current Mood: Esctatic