Writer's Groups & Stuff

Not too much going on in my writing world this week. I got my story, bio and such off to The Chick Lit Review for my 'You Get What You Pay For' story that are going to run in their Sept/Oct issue.

Subbed 'Passin'' to the Flasher's Dozen writer's group. Only received one crit. That reader didn't get it. He also had some suggestions on when to start a new paragraph. I do it differently than he does, so I asked the members for their POV on the matter. So far, no answers.

I had sent half of my 'Young Coffee' to FlashXer last week and got some interesting feedback. Then Irv put out a prompt that called for a sequel, so I subbed the second have of 'Young Coffee'. Not too much feedback, but those that did read it, gave good comments and even said the big age difference worked. Yeah!

Today, Desk Drawer's prompt called for a story about someone who is not what they seem to be. I sent my 'The Deal' about a some bad cops. Got one feedback and for the most part, he liked it and said it was almost too believable. Nice comment, if you ask me.

Got some subs from Lucy and Anne that they wanted crits on. Lucy's was sweet and dealt with a funny issue between siblings. She liked my upgrades. Anne's was well written, as always. She wanted a crit, because she was submitting her piece to Woman's World. She reminded me that I should send one out. I edited 'Happy Faces' about a childless couple who want a baby in the worst way. They get some help from the husband's twin. Haven't heard back from Anne as yet.

I've been doing a lot of reading of subs on all my writer's groups. Feels good to be active with the groups again.

My granddaughter is writing a short story. She says she going to be a writer when she grows up. Who knows! I bought her a little clip board so she can stay organized as she jots down her story.

I talked to Dave again yesterday. He's ready to go back to Havasu, but Nancy wants to wait for cool weather. He's all jazzed to keep up with his writing. He says he misses our weekly meetings and I told him that I do, too. Also talked to Jerry. He and Betty are fine. I gave him the days I'll be back in Havasu. They don't leave until the first of Aug., so I'm sure we'll be able to get together. Got a letter and a newspaper clipping from Jack. His local paper ran one of his stories. Good for him!

When I arrived up here, Kim had bought Stephen King's book on writing for me. So far it's a drag. He seems like he thinks he's awfully clever. I've heard folks raving about it, so I hope it gets better. I got my copy of 'A Million Little Pieces' by James Frey back and can hardly wait to read it again.

My daughter's dog, Tiger, has been sick and not eating/drinking for days. They took him to the vet yesterday and had him put to sleep. The vet never could tell them what was wrong with the poor critter. He was only around 5 years old.

Another week in Calif. Another week of having fun with the grand kids. The weather
has cooled off and even the humidity is under control.

Can't think of anything else, so will sign off now until next time. Adieu!

Alaska and an Acceptance

I want to share my Alaska experience, but first let's talk writing. My short story 'You Get What You Pay For' was accepted by The Chic Lit Review (www.chicklitreview.org) for publication in their Sep/Oct issue. Yahoo! And they are actually paying me to run it.

Been doing a lot of critting on all my writer's group. Feels good to be back in the swing of things. My FlashXer group is having a discussion on the pros/cons in entering contests that request entry fees. Some folks absolutely won't, but most look at the opportunities on a case by case basis. That's how I look at contests. I entered that fake poetry one years ago and was suckered into buying their book. But, having said that it was a sucker deal, I do love that book and having my poem included in the hard bound book with its gold edged pages. Folks who look at it don't know it was a sucker deal and besides, I do love my poem that graces its pages. Also, it cost me $25 to enter the Ariz. Author's contest and my short story 'A Part of Him' took first place and earned me $100. For us starter outers, it's a case of seeing our stuff in print. Besides, many of the authors who say they won't pay money to enter a contest, give their stories away to ezines and such just to see them in print. I'm not judging anyone. I've done both. I just love to write! Oh, talked to my writing buddy Dave who is spending the summer with his wife in Oregon. He's working on his latest 'Popcorn Skies', a novel that follows a teenager from boy to man. He misses our Thurs. crit sessions and so do I.

Okay, now on to Alaska. Arrived in Anchorage on Thurs. 6/21 and picked up our RV. My daughter Kim, her husband Gary, granddaughter Hailey (9) and grandson Nick (7) and I headed out to explore the Kenai Peninsula. We spent the first night in Kenai with gale force winds rocking the RV back and forth. Had a beautiful view on the Augustine Volcano across Cook Inlet.

Friday, headed out to Homer Spit and saw a moose and her baby along the road on our way to Homer Spit. There was a terrible fire just outside the city of Ninilchik that clouded the sky and made the air reek of smoke. Found a great campground right on Katchemak Cove right on water's edge. Dave's daughter Linda, grandson Alex, son Mike, Mike's wife Adrienne and grandson Travis showed up late in the evening.

Visited the Homer Spit museum Saturday a.m., then we met at the shoreline in front of our RV and held a quiet ceremony for Dave. The four grandkids and I walked the brich bark urn out into the water and set Dave's ashes free among the halibut and salmon he so loved. For the rest of our time in Homer, bald eagles circled the area as if to guard Dave's ashes. It was lovely.

Sunday, we headed for Seward. Beautiful scenery along the way, but no wild life.

Monday, we took a dog sled ride and fell in love with the canine mushers. Nick got selected to help the driver and got to ride on the back of the sled. It was on wheels, due to no snow, but it was still a wild ride. Next it was off to Exit Glacier. It was a long uphill hike, but well worth it. We were only a few yards from it, but we couldn't quite touch it. Next it was off to the Seward Sea Life Museum. Saw lots of critter up close thru great windowed pools of water. Then, on our way to our campground we got to watch the local fish hatchery release 100,000 tiny salmon out into the bay. The birds had a feast, but I have a feeling that most of the little guys made it out to sea. It was an amazing sight. The kids met some kids in the campground. One little boy was from Fairbanks, Alaska. At one point, my grandson came in and wanted something to help make a squirel trap. They had some fish guts for bait. When we asked what they were going to do with the squirel if they caught one and were told that they were going to skin it and cook it for breakfast. I told my daughter, that the Fairbanks boy might not be kidding. Thank goodness, no squirels were caught.

Tuesday, we took a cruise out into Resurrection Bay. Saw a whale, lots of birds and had a tasty salmon bake lunch. Then it was a rush back to the campgroung so Gary and Hailey could take a 4 hour kayak tour out into the Bay. They had porpoises come to within feet of them as they paddled along. Then it was a 3 hour drive back to Anchorage where we arrived at 2 a.m. and spent the night in a McDonald's parking lot.

Wednesday, we returned the RV and flew home to San Francisco. All in all, despite the sobering realease of Dave's ashes, it was a wonderful trip.

But now I'm back to the computer, at least when I'm not worn out after a day with the grandkids. They are lively and so much fun to be with.

Back to the writing. I MUST get some submissions out there. I do love hearing from the editors, especially the ones that say 'YES!' :-)

Back from Alaska

Arrived home from Alaska late last night. I have things to say about that later in this post. Right now, I need to talk about my writing.

I REALLY missed being involved with my writing. I haven't written, subbed or crit a single piece of writing. About the only thing I heard anything about is my marketing program with Xlibris for 'After the War, Before the Peace'. So far, nothing! Oh well, maybe something will happen yet. I can hope!

I forgot to mention that 'Hannah' is completed. It has changed from a serial to an ebook and hopefully, soon, I'll be able to get POD copies. I think it turned out well and June Diel, the editor, felt it ended well with just of hint of future adventures for Hannah and Liam. You can read it at www.virtualtales.com under both the romance and the western sections. Here's the last scene.

****** Hannah (excerpt)
Two weeks later, under a flowery arbor in Aunt Emilia’s yard, she said those words to Liam, again. He had just said them to her. They kissed as the preacher pronounced them “Man and Wife.”

The yard was full of well-wishers. The couple was amazed at all the folks who’d managed to come on such short notice, even Ruby from Nacogdoches had come. She and Sadie from Blanco were renewing an old friendship.

The Jacksons brought little Jessica who had just started walking and was looking more and more like Caroline every day.

Zach and Martha cornered the preacher and were setting up a wedding date of their own, while Janey began planning the whole affair.

The Cooper’s had come and once they’d arrived Daniel took one look at Cassie and hadn’t quit monopolizing her time. When Hannah kissed Tim’s cheek and said thank you, she smiled at his adoring blush.

Eventually, Liam had managed to get Daniel, Frank and Hannah to sneak off to the barn for a quiet little toast in memory of their meeting after the storm.

“I can’t even imagine where I’d be if you three hadn’t come along.” Hannah bussed Daniel and Frank’s cheeks.

“Well,” said Frank, “I gotta tell you, that grass you were munching on when we found you did look pretty tasty.”

Hannah rubbed her stomach in memory of the retching. “Goodness, it was awful!” She turned to Daniel. “And what would I have done without your extra pair of boots!”

Daniel smiled smugly. “I knew they’d come in handy.”

She touched the arm of each new brother-in-law and raised her glass of wine. “Thank you.”

They nodded, then everyone drank their wine.

Daniel set his down. “Well, I need to …”

Liam put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Yes, we know Cassie is waiting.”

As Daniel left, Frank said he needed to get back to talk with Sheriff Butler about some late night robberies that were plaguing some of the town merchants.

“Burglaries?” Hannah’s eyes lit up.

Liam sighed.

“Did I say burglaries? No, no. Not in San Antonio.” Frank backed out the door while uttering, “Not to worry, Hannah.”

“Burglaries?” Hannah looked up at Liam. “Do you know anything about them?”

“Nope. Not a thing.” He pulled her into his arms.

“Are you sure? What merchants? Are they losing lots of goods and money? Does the sheriff think it’s local …

Liam’s lips interrupted her litany of questions.

“But if the townsfolk need …”

“I need.” Liam kissed her again as he led her toward the ladder to the hayloft.

“You need what?” Hannah smiled.

“I’m hungry.” He grinned as he urged her up the ladder..

“Again?” she teased.

He pulled her down beside him in the straw. “Once, you told me I had the biggest appetite you’d ever seen.”

“Yes…”

“And I told you that you’d no idea how big.”

“I remember.” She came into his arms. “Now, show me.”

The End
******

Now, back to my life in general. Before the Alaska trip, my two sisters, Donna and Janice, and I enjoyed a week-end reunion at Donna's place in Phoenix. Their daughters, Kristi, Melissa and Samantha, came along, too. My Kim and Hailey couldn't make it because of the pending Alaska trip. But, we sisters had a wonderful time. We did a lot a telling family tales and took a day trip to Prescott and Sedona. We played an ABC game where we took turns with a letter of the alphabet and gave one word descriptions of Mom and Dad. Lots of interesting stuff came up. And, I found out that my sisters didn't even know they had a big sister until they were around seven. I'm 18 years older than Donna and 22 years older than Janice. I was married and living in Albuquerque, NM when they were born.

This post is getting real loooonnnnngggg, so I'll sign off now and post the info about my Alaska trip tomorrow. It was wonderful. Trust me, you'll want to hear all about it!

Summer's Coming - People Leaving

Another two weeks gone by. I must be getting old, I find myself saying 'Where does the time go?' more and more these days.

Let's see, sent some submissions out, but won't hear for awhile I'm sure. But, no rejections recently. Stopped by Hastings Books and Music and found another copy of my 'After the War, Before the Peace' sold.

Yahoo. Had two more meetings with Dave on my 'Abby' and his 'Popcorn Sky' critiques. His coming of age saga in the 60s is an eye-opener as to the thoughts and reactions of a young man coming to grips with adulthood. His honest and realistic dialog and expo of his protag's relationship with women ring with sincerity. It was a pleasure to read. He finished 'Abby' and came to like my Abby by the end of the story. He had been having some trouble with her total focus on her goals to the point of being indifferent to others, but he now feels that there was a reason for that and that I tied it together nicely. It is definitely not his kind of book, so I know it was a struggle for him. As was his for me, but I think we both learned a lot about the craft of writing by stretching our literary bounds. He and his wife are going to Oregon for two months and I'll be in the Bay area until Labor Day, so no more crit sessions. I'll miss it and I'll miss dinner with him and Nancy.

Had my monthly crit meeting with JOan and Lois last night. JOan's biker story is a duzzy. She is developing into quite a romance writer. Lois's had the start of a mystery with a great lead character. She hasn't described him yet, but the reader already had a good feeling about him. They gave me some good feedback on my 'Mama played for the King' excerpt. I submitted my 'Young Coffee' for their crit. It's about a fantasy relationship between an elderly widow and a coffee kiosk clerk. Tee Hee. Of course I won't get their feedback until Sept.

Had our book club on the 1st and we discussed Dean Koontz. It was lively, that's for sure. The first part was chick lit, which he did well and I enjoyed the rapport he was establishing, then he added crime story lit and it was still okay. But when he added Voodoo, demons from hell and peripheral child abuse, he lost me. We do Stephen King in October. That should be interesting.

On the 2nd, my writer's group met. Minimal crit from them on one of my rare poems that I submitted. One member apologized for the sparsity of comments saying my writing is too good to crit. Now, while I like hearing that it's definitely not true and even if it was good, I'd like feedback on why it was good. Oh well (sigh). Vern had turned in an XXXX rated piece. It was a little over the top in places, but overall it was his well crafted ability to work a story. His use of the senses made the story pop.

As to my social life this week, saw the latest 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Not good. Better than the second one, but even Capt. Jack Sparrow ( the handsome and daring Johnny Depp) and Capt. Barbosa couldn't save it. Don't waste your time. Finally, my A/C is installed and working properly! The tech that came to change it out, said he took all the blame to the point he nearly quit. All I know is that I would never call Aztec A/C to do work for me again. Went to help a friend celebrate her birthday last week by having dessert for dinner! Strawberry cobbler sundaes. Yum, yum!

Had breakfast with an old friend and we got to talking about future romance for me. I told her I was happy as could be! Not looking for anyone. Finally, after a lot of joking, I told her I would consider a man with a truck, at least a 250 engine, who could pull my fifth wheel, who liked to travel and who could pay half the expenses for our traveling. She assured me she'd keep me in mind. I assured her that I would need a picture of his truck before I'd make any decisions. Got to run now. I'm off to Phoenix for a weekend with my sisters and my nieces. Be sure you get away from your keyboards occasionally over the weekend and have some fun. Maybe, you'll even get some ideas for some stories. Have fun!

Great Review for 'After the War, Before the Peace'

Quite a week. Two rejections for short stories and one GREAT book review. Won't dwell on the rejections, have already resubmitted them to other places. Joyce Handzo read my 'After the War, Before the Peace' and gave it a rating of 9, the highest rating for her website of The Library Reviews. Don't know when it will appear on their site, but her review was wonderful! She loved my brothers and their story. Other than that it's been a slow week for any writing news. Oh, I did join a web site called Book Place. A lot of the Virtual Tales folks have joined it, so I thought it couldn't hurt. It's another venue to make folks aware of my 'Hannah', which by the way is on its last few episodes before I turn it into an ebook. Eventually, it will become a POD. Nice to have two books in print! One of my rejections was for my novelette 'Finding Amy'. I had sent it to a romance on-line publisher of ebooks. They felt it wasn't romance per se because of a rape scene between a husband and wife and a speculative ending. Oh, well, one man's junk is another's prize. They didn't say it was junk, just not for them and felt I should submit it to a more mainstream site. I did. Still waiting to hear from a POD publisher on 'Deborah's Story', the sequel to 'After the War, ...' As it's said, no news is good news. No meeting with Dave this week on my novel 'Abby' because I had to pick up friends in Vegas and his daughter is visiting. Dave & I meet again next Thursday. I'm really into my Dean Koontz book, Darkfall', that I'm reading for my monthly book club. I don't like the creepy, crawly voodoo things, but the overall story is a chick lit, crime story. I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. As to personal stuff, my new air conditioner was sent to the wrong city and I still don't have it. Good thing the evaporative coolers are working so good. The local A/C installer is blaming it on AHS and AHS is blaming it on the local A/C installers. I tend to believe AHS. Thursday moringing I heard water running and found my hot water heater exploding! I turned off the water and called AHS. Friday morning a local plumber showed up and installed a new one! Again, only cost $55! Yahoo, that AHS insurance is great! Oh, and on my way to pick up my friends in Vegas, I stopped at a small casino in Searchlight, NV and won $80! So, all in all, a good week. So, I'm off to bed for sweet dreams about the great review of 'After the War, Before the Peace.'

Writer groups and wisdom from Isaac Asimov

Let's see, what's happened since last posting. Had a fun luncheon with Lois and JOan at Chuey's. We were celebrating JOan's birthday. As always, it was a great time. She is always so positive and encouraging. Met with Dave and gave him my final thoughts on his 'rite of passage' story. Good story with interesting takes on life and surroundings as interpreted by a teenage boy. I felt he got a little heaving with some Vietnam War info. I think he can use some of it, but it has to be in 1st person to match the rest of the story. He gave me feedback on 'Abby'. He is upset with Abby and feels she's a user of people. Boo Hoo :-( I mean for her to be a doer, with a positive attitude. I'll have to look at his remarks and maybe tone Abby down some. Then, Thursday night was our monthly meeting at Hasting. Only five showed up, but heard some good stories. Dave read some deep poetry that stirred everyone. Vivian was all excited as she shared her recent cruise and trip to New York. Saturday was our local writer's group meeting. Small group, but good crits. We had time, so we really talked the stories through. I submitted my story 'Weathering a Storm' to FlashXer. The feedback was mostly negative as to the plot believability. Seems a man can't know his wife is having an affair and have him react with reconciliation vs anger. Did get a couple of positives. Guess we're the romantics in the group. I sent my 'Happy Faces' story out to Flashers-Dozen and DeskDrawer. Also, got negative crits regarding the plot. Guess a man's baby MUST be his own, no matter how happy a child makes his wife. What great groups to get such good feedback. I should quit one of them, but I do like the people and would miss several of them, so I do, at least, the minimum requirements each month. Hope to get to submitting again tomorrow. I have a quote by Isaac Asimov tacked by my computer. 'You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.' Thank you, Mr. Asimov, for the proverbial kick in the butt!

A little of this, a little of that ...

It's been another wild week and I've been lax with my blog, again. I'm hopeless. Let's see what's happened in the past week or so. Had my local writer's meeting. We crit our prompt of 'writer's block'. It was fun. Almost everyone took a different approach, so it made for an interesting session. Then on Thurs. I had my meeting with Dave with our one-on-one crit of our novels. His story of a young man's rite of passage took a turn for growth and I liked his main characters better in these chapters. Lot's of growth. Then he educated me about guns. I had one of my characters use a Derringer and fire five shots. Problem is a Derringer only has two shots! Good catch on his part. Then Thurs. night Lois, JOan and I had our monthly meeting. Good feedback, good motivation and lots of good camaraderie. Then on Saturday, we had our local book club. We reviewed the books of Carl Hiaasen. He's a light read, with crazy characters working their way through a thin plot. I read 'Skinny Dip'. I'd read another of his books and so would most of the members. Then a friend and I went up to Laughlin for a night and went to see country singer, Vince Gill. He put on a two hour show. He covered a lot of music styles - country, blues, bluegrass and jazz. Did a lot of talking with the audience that gave you a feeling of 'knowing' him. It was fun. Monday, I took my blind, 93-year-old fellow writer, Shirley Wolford, over to the local bookstore to place two of her latest novels. She is amazing! She has one more book about to go to her editor. She may do a book signing this fall. Like I said, she is amazing. Also, got another chapter of 'Hannah' done. It may be my second to last before I'm able to put an end on the story. Then, it will be offered as an ebook. I really had a lot of action and introduced an old type of switchblade into the story. Thank goodness for the Internet for some research on what was available in the 1880s in Texas. I'm anxious to get June's feedback. She is such a great editor. I've got quite a few submissions out there that I'm waiting to hear back on. Got two rejections! Oh well, their loss! :-) Right? :-) Oh, and on top of everything else, I got around to applying for my passport for our trip to Alaska. I hope I get it in time. We will only be on the ground for 2 hours in BC, but because of that, we'll need to go through immigration when we get to Anchorage. Also, had the A/C company that installed my new A/C out to check about it's poor output. Seems they put in too small of a unit. They apologized and are going to replace it this week. Good thing it's been hot, but dry, so my evaporative coolers are keeping the place cool.

Why We Write?

On one of my on-line writer groups, a member posted an excerpt from an essay "Why I Write" by George Orwell. I found it interesting so I've copied it here.

'Putting aside the need to earn a living, I think there are four great motives for writing, at any rate for writing prose. They exist in different degrees in every writer, and in any one writer the proportions will vary from time to time, according to the atmosphere in which he is living. They are:
(i) Sheer egoism. Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on the grown-ups who snubbed you in childhood, etc., etc. It is humbug to pretend this is not a motive, and a strong one. Writers share this characteristic with scientists, artists, politicians, lawyers, soldiers, successful businessmen — in short, with the whole top crust of humanity. The great mass of human beings are not acutely selfish. After the age of about thirty they almost abandon the sense of being individuals at all — and live chiefly for others, or are simply smothered under drudgery. But there is also the minority of gifted, willful people who are determined to live their own lives to the end, and writers belong in this class. Serious writers, I should say, are on the whole more vain and self-centered than journalists, though less interested in money.'

To be honest, I see a lot of myself in this excerpt. As I think about my writer friends, I see a lot of it in them, too. The two things that jumped out at me was the 'determined to live their own lives' and 'less interested in money' observations. As to the 'on the whole more vain and self-centered.' No way! :-) Anyway, I thought it was an insightful piece. I'm trying to get back in the submission groove. Sent out three this week. Whahoo! My one-on-one book review with Dave is going well. He's creating a 'rite of passage'saga. He's walking a fine line with the boy's sexual awakening. He's staying vivid, without being lurid. Nice work. His crits of my 'Abby' are insightful and will help me tighten the work. Tomorrow is my meeting with my local writers group. We'll crit the 'Writer's Block' assignment and submit a 'writer's choice' piece. I had a brain fade and didn't hold my writer's block sub to 250 words. Darn. I like that exercise. It has really helped me cut to the chase in my work. Got to run. The laundry is calling me. Out to dinner Wednesday night, out last night and out again tonight! Yahoo!

Warning Labels

Just an update on my piece about terrorists. One of the newer folks on my on-line writer's group took offense to my submission. She suggested that we label anything political with a warning of 'political' and add RW or LW, right or left wing agenda. Of course it brought out opinions. No one wants labels. After a day or so of reading posts and her reluctance to agree with the majority, I posted the following email; 'I like who/what/why discussions about writing styles/topics, both yours and mine, as well as the next person. But, you are dragging this on way too long. As far as labels, consider 'Poppen' a label. I write political, sexy romance, gay, murder and sci-fi stories on occasion. But, I have never been a politician, sex??? unfortunately it's been awhile for this widow, I'm not gay, never even considered murdering anyone (not even an ex-husband) and never seen a Martian. I just find it fun and quite interesting to get into the thought process of unfamiliar things. Try it! I believe it's call growth and is an important ingredient to maturity and tolerance. I've been a member of XXXXXXX for a number of years now and feel like 'I know' several members of the group. They have taught me so much! So, I hate to see this nit picky discussion on labels intrude on what I consider a valuable learning session among excellent writers and 'friends'. So, STOP, already!!! I'm tired of opening up my mailbox and finding a whinny, I must have the last word email from you. Relax, enjoy the supportive camaraderie that has always been a trademark of the XXXXXX crowd. Just remember to watch for the label 'Poppen' and I think if you skip those, you'll be just fine. As for your crits, I think you need to learn to read your crits in the positive, suggestive tone they are offered, relax and enjoy this fine group of writers. I won't bother you with crits from me, but I must tell you that I will miss reading your submission as they are usually well thought out, well paced pieces with delightful messages. Best of luck with your writing.' You guess it, she emailed me with the last word to defend her position and to say she'd avoid my subs. I let her have her last word and I hope the issue is closed. I'll never understand why folks ask to be a member of something and then want to change it. One nice thing for me is that I received some very supportive emails. Like I tried to tell this writer, this group is populated by a talented, supportive bunch of writers. Oh, on a different subject. I helped my blind friend Shirley with a phone call to her editor regarding her ebook. Later, a florist delivery truck pulled up in front of my house and Shirley had sent me a dozen, long stem, salmon colored roses! They are beautiful! I called her and told her I had two things to say to her. One, thank you, so much and two, don't do it again! Friends are supposed to help friends! Isn't she a sweetie. New subject. I've run into a dreamy young man at the local coffee kiosk. I've been telling my friends that if it weren't for the vast age difference, I might check it out. Now, they are teasing me about it and telling me to 'go for it'. I was thinking about it and thought it might make a good story. So, I sat down and it almost wrote itself. It's a little X rated. I sent it out to one of my on-line writing groups for crits, but its 1800+ words, so probably won't get any bites. Just wanted some feedback before I submitted it to a couple romance website for publication. So, it's been a busy week. Tomorrow, I'm off to Laughlin for a family BBQ with my brother and his family. It's the annual Motorcycle Rally week and there are jillions of motorcycles everywhere. I must really love family to make the trek (about 120 miles roundtrip) on this weekend and I do. Wish me luck!

More Sales!!

I went to help my 92 year-old writer friend Shirley Wolford this am. She has macular degeneration, but still she writes. She had an ebook/POD published, 'Voice of the Turtledove', a few weeks ago and today, I helped her send in the final galley's for yet another book. I told her that when I was at Hastings Book & Music Store the other day, I didn't see any copies of my novel 'After the War, Before the Peace'. They try to keep 5 copies of it on hand in their local author's section. She suggested we call Hastings to see if they'll take 5 of her books on consignment and of course Peter, the book manager, said yes. Then, I asked him to check to see if he needed any of my books. He checked and found all 5 had been sold and they didn't have any on hand! So, I took him 5 and picked up some moola! Yeah! I swear, this book is going to sell big, some day!!! Anyway, it was fun and to be truthful, very rewarding. Today, I finally finished my Telephone Pioneer newsletter. I'm late with it this month, but they'll get it in time for all the functions/fundraisers. Also, I'm getting feedback on the story I wrote from the Al Qaida POV where they are sitting in limestone caves and planning the mayhem/destruction they will visit on the U.S. if a soft president is elected. Not getting too much feedback, but what I'm getting is words like 'Wow', Excellent Writing' and 'Probably some truth in it.' Got to get some sleep. Tomorrow is Hug-A-Bear day among a billion other things. Besides, I'm sure I'll have pleasant dreams now that I know I sold another 5 books.

Marketing, Authors and Dad

Been super busy with the Xlibris marketing program. Had to provide lots of info so they can put together enticing requests for reviews/interviews and an interesting blurb about the book to be mailed to various web sites and email recipients. It all looks good and the two women I've been working with have been attentive and have expressed an urgency to get things moving. I've got my fingers crossed. Had my local writer's meeting today. My last submission was supposed to be an X-rated piece, but most felt it was an erotic romance story, but didn't rate an X. I'm hopeless, I guess. I finally finished my Krantz book and it closed with the ending I suspected, so no twists to surprise the reader. Still, I liked her characters and that's what held my interest. Then I read the Zane Grey book about hunting mountain lions at the Grand Canyon. There were paragraphs that were quite vivid (the reader group decided that he had to be very descriptive because there wasn't TV in those days and he had to make the west quite real to his readers). I didn't care for his writing like I did Louis LaMoure and probably won't read Grey again. Now, I'm reading 'Skinny Dip' by Carl Hiaasen. I don't like any of his characters, but I love the way he puts words together and his character expo ability. I got another episode of 'Hannah' done. It should only take about two more episodes to get to a closing point. Then, I'll offer it as an ebook. Also, got around to writing a short sci-fi story. Was fun to be creative again. Got a crit from one of my on line writer's group and the gal said she enjoyed my blog. Wow! Someone read it!!!!! Wait, should I want folks to read these scribbles??? :-) After our meeting today, we gathered at Denny's for snacks and chat. Two of the members are winter folks and will be leaving for their summer homes within a week or so. Gosh I'll miss them. Thank goodness for email. I'm off to bed now. Need to get up early to go visit my dad's gravesite. He was a great guy and I miss him. I take him a can of beer and a quarter. He loved to play the keno slot machines in the local casino, so I leave him a quarter grubstake every year on his birthday. I pop the top of the beer and take a few swigs as I 'talk' to him, then leave the can with the rest of the beer next to the quarter. He was a great guy! He became my stepfather when I was nine. He is a perfect example of the saying that 'sperm creates a life, but it doesn't necessarily create a father.' He was a father. A damn good father and tho he's been gone ten years, I still miss knowing that he's in the wings ready to help me through the occasional mess I can make of my life. So, until next time .....

Good Month!

Again, weeks have passed since last I blogged. I am the world's worst journaler. Where does the time go? Let's see where do I start? Well, I guess I could write about my prolific month. Four acceptances!! (Long Story Short Ezine - 'Exquisite Moments' won an honorable mention, Long Story Short Ezine - 'Left With an Empty Easter Basket' accepted for their essay category, Skive, printed anthology from Australia - 'Taken Begets Taken' won out to be included from submissions from worldwide authors, Flash Tales Ezine - 'Recruiting' was requested by the editor, Mike Kechula) Yahoo! Now, I guess because of these successes, I've decided to take a big chance. Xlibris Publishers called me with a marketing proposition. They will contact a jillion potential buyers, request reviews/interviews from hundreds of media outlets, post an ad for my book on a multitude of websites and finally contact major newspapers with 'best seller' lists and, using the Xlibris-Random House clout, request book reviews. Sounds good, right? I can only hope so. I had lunch yesterday with Shirley Wolford, the authoress of 20 or more published books. The woman is legally blind and 93 years old. Yet, she just published an ebook and has another book in the works. She is amazing! I'm working on the anthology committee for my local writer's group and as a result I'm reading some really good stories/poems/memoirs. Each member submitted 3 pieces and I have to rate them 1,2 or 3. The committee meets tomorrow and we'll compare how we rated the pieces and decide what goes to print. What a talented group of folks! I'm still reading my Judith Krantz book. She must get paid by the word. The plot is okay, but I think I've figured out the ending. However, her characters are interesting and it's what keeps me reading. Now, I have to read my Zane Gray book. I goofed and picked up one of his true stories about when he hunted mountain lions. So far, quite dull. Well back to the anthology stories. Ciao!

Not One, But Two!!

Had a great Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, I got word that my short story 'Taken Begets Taken' was selected to appear in an Australian Anthology print copy of 'Skive, The Short Story Quarterly'. It doesn't pay anything, but feels good to think that of the 60 some subs they received, they chose mine and it will be ready over in Australia. Then on Wednesday, I heard from Long Story Short. My short story, 'Exquisite Moments' got an honorable mention from their 'Out of the Mouth of Babes' judges and will appear in their March e-zine. They pay with a book on writing that they will be sending to me. Yahoo! Feels good to get two in two days. Been busy lately, but I managed to send off some crits and a sub to my Flasher's Dozen group. Got only one feedback so far. It's a dark tale and the critter said the story engaged her, but the treatment of the victim was hard to take. I fictionalized an account I heard while have beignets at the Cafe Du Monde across from Jackson Square in New Orleans a few years ago. Scary folks, I must say and their tales stayed with me. I'm reading a John MacDonald book now. It is one of his Travis McGee series. I keep seeing Frank Sinatra playing McGee, but I looked it up and he never played that character, but that's who I think of when I read MacDonald's character descriptions. It's a good read, but I see that he also wrote 'Cape Fear' and some sci-fi. Wish I'd found one of those. Went to Mom's grave yesterday. It was her birthday and I brought her some flowers. Interesting that the story I wrote about her 'Left With an Empty Easter Basket' was printed on LSS e-zine this month. Met my brother Jim and his wife Ellen there. We went to dinner, than to the Riverside Casino for keno and bingo. Yeah, I won $500!! Then Ellen and I watched 'Babel'. Interesting. Wouldn't want to see it again, but I must admit that it did make me squirm in places and the acting was very good. Well, still must finish my MacDonald book, twenty pages to go. So, with my head still swelling with pride over the TWO successes, I'm outa here for now.

Ah, Sweet Sunday

Sunday, I do like Sundays for some reason. The quiet of the streets, the Sunday crossword puzzles and I seldom have any meetings or commitments. My cough is lingering, but I feel better day by day. Went to Laughlin on Friday to visit with my bro and sister-in-law. He's as grumpy as ever. I'm a little worried about him. Ellen and I went out to dinner, then to see 'The Oakridge Boys'. A great show as always. Out to dinner last night with the Hollies and the Mossbargers. Fun time and a good shredded barbecue pork sandwich. Then home to listen to my new 'Poverty Neck Hillbillies' CD. Love their 'I may not be Mr. Right, but I'm Mr. Right now'. Sooooo true. Then I managed to write a new short story. Written to my FlashXer prompt of Blue Plate Special. It is loosely based on the story of a cousin of mine. Have had only one crit, but she loved it. Felt good to be writing. Glad the fog of the cold has cleared. Also met the Desk Drawer prompt motivated by a picture with my short story 'Gretchen's Insight'. Getting good feedback on it. Also met the Valentine prompt for Flasher's Dozen with my 'Stupid Cupid' story. No crits on that one yet. Yahoo, feels good to be in the groove again. Talked to JOan yesterday. She is doing well, but her computer is on the fritz. She called to check on the book club meeting for John MacDonald. She seemed to like him and that seems to be the general comments I've been hearing. I must get the book! I'm lucky to have met JOan, she's always so supportive and once again she's been published in an anthology. This one is called 'Chick Inc.' I'm going to order it. She is such an inspiration. Well, dog is begging. Wants her walk, so it's off to greet the day. More later ....

It Got Me!

Yep, it got me. The common cold! Started last Wednesday and I'm still coughing today. However, the chest wheezing has stopped, so I think I'll live. I want to saint the creator of Nyquil. At least I got some sleep and relief from the coughing once the Nyquil took effect. One good thing came of it, I've watched a lot of old movies. Actually watched 'How the West was Won'. Lots of stars in that one. I especially enjoyed Gregory Peck's portrayal of the rascal gambler with a heart. Oh, by the way, Diane Keaton did overact terribly in her movie 'Because I Said So'. It could have been a really good movie because the rest of the cast did a good job and it was a funny plot. Do people really LIKE overacting ala the Keaton and Jack Nicholson mode? It turns me off. I've not done any writing or critting for the past week. Didn't even make it to my Saturday writer's meeting and I rescheduled my one-on-one crit session with Dave B. So, you know I've been feeling bad. I have a CD playing right now and I just heard 'Rodeo' by Copland. It is just brilliant. I love the visuals he creates that actually make you picture the old west. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with fellow writers Coco, Do and Lois. It will be fun; it always is with that talented group. I'm still trying to finish my Judith Krantz book 'I'll Take Manhattan' from my last month's book club. She must have been paid by the word. The plot is okay and I'm interested in some of the characters, but she over sets up a scene and overtells the detail of her characters which leaves nothing for the reader to make his own. Have been getting some good feedback on next month's author John MacDonald. I must get one of his books. Well, I'm off to another dose of Nyquil and a lovely cough free night ....

Back to Hannah

I've written two episodes of Hannah in the last couple of days and it feels sooooo good. I've been considering bringing it to an end and put it on Virtual Tales as an ebook. Still not sure. I would miss my editor, June. She has been a delight to work with. She has a great editorial eye and a nice way of upgrading my work. Right now, I've got Liam and Hannah in Johnson City chasing down Drake. And, they've found three dead railroad men. Always a murder for them to solve. :-) Amid Liam's determination that Hannah should marry him. Hummmm, maybe I don't want to end this serial. I will miss these two exciting characters. Sent off a couple of short stories for one ezine and one print anthology. Feels good to be 'out there' again. I need to get the books sent out again, but with the Pioneer garage sale due this week-end, don't see any free time to do that until at least next week. Off to lunch and a movie today. Going to see the new Diane Keaton movie. Hope she doesn't overact. Yeah, like that's going to happen! Oh, well, the rest of the cast looks good!

Successful Spring Fling

Another Spring Fling has come and gone. The Fling is a week of classes and activities put on by our local Lake Havasu City Parks and Recreation Dept. They invite 'experts' in topics like basic Spanish, taxes, investing, crafting, swimming, dancing, writing, massage therapy, acupuncture, holistic healing and a jillion other topics. They ask me to moderate classes on Journaling and Short Story Writing and I'm more than happy to have the opportunity to try to peddle my book and my on-line serial. This year, again, I met some interested and talented folks, sold some books and maybe attracted a member or two for the local writer's group. I did find that I need more time for the Writing Short Story Workshop. The organizers of the Fling rushed my closure and rushed the attendees out before they had a change to ask questions or for me to peddle my book. Still, it was fun and I'll do it again next year, if asked. Got some great prompts for Desk Drawer and Flashxer regarding 'feelings' and 'observation', so combined them and sent 'Rewards' to both groups. Getting some good feedback. Got a crit from a friend up north on my excerpt from 'Abby' that I submitted to Flashers-Dozen. He pointed out some author intrusion and some POV changes. He was right on. Still, I'm not sure if I want to change it and I wonder why. It came to me that I'm not writing 'literature' per se. What I write is probably more classified as pulp/commercial fiction and I do favor the Omniscient POV. It is right? Not sure, but I do favor full disclosure to my readers. Had a nice meeting last night with Lois for our small crit group. Got some good feedback on my silly story about working as a tour guide at a movie studio. JOan didn't make it to the meeting. She called to tell us that as she was on her way to join us, a jaywalker walked right into the side of her car. The girl wasn't hurt and JOan's car wasn't damaged, but JOan called the police. The girl was given a jaywalking citation and JOan was not cited for anything. Still, she was upset and went back home. Hope she had a glass of wine and good nights sleep to calm her nerves. Quite a scary situation. Tomorrow is my book club meeting. We'll be discussing the books of Judith Krantz. I'm reading 'I'll Take Manhattan'. So far, it's predictable and rather boring. Hope it gets better. Was talking with Lois last night about starting a new novel and I think I've finally decided to do a sequel to 'After the War, Before the Peace'. Those who've read the sequel I've already written are upset that one of the main characters, Lita, is dead at the start of the sequel. They said they needed more on her and some closure before I drop her from the story line. Right now, I have some free time, so think I'll do some crits on some subs from my fellow on-line writers. More later.

Journaling

Had a great time today. Almost 30 people in the class and everyone was so receptive. Vivian and Lucy from the Lake Havasu City Writer's Group were there. Also, Gladys, the lady with 60 years of love letters was there. Had some nice comments after the class and sold six 'After the War, Before the Peace' novels. Very rewarding for me and I can only hope the folks that attended the class felt it was time well spent. Have been getting some great feedback on my Long Story Short essay. I'm surprised at how many folks have similar questions about God. Went to a Republican Women's meeting tonight. The speaker was a young man from Italy who is now an American citizen and is very passionate about the illegal immigrant situation in this country that he now so loves. One could question the value of his involvement with a militia group, but his passion about his love for our constitution and freedoms were quite moving. He should write a book! :-) Ahhh, now for some relaxation time. Time for wine and a good book.

Left With An Empty Easter Basket

Hey, just got my Feb. 07 issue of Long Story Short and there's my story! Check it out at www.alongstoryshort.net/Leftwithanemptyeasterbasket . Caution, it has some issues with God that may be offensive to some. So, Avalon didn't want me, but Long Story Short likes me! :-) Ah, the ying and yang of writing. Got an episode of Hannah (check it out at www.virtualtales.com ) written and sent off to June Diehl, my editor. Feels good to be writing again. Had my writer's meeting this last Saturday. Always motivational! Great bunch of writers and good friends. Tomorrow, oh wait, later today I moderate my Journaling workshop. Hope it goes well. I think I'm ready. Had to make-shift the business cards for 'Hannah', because ye olde printer decided to be ornery. But, I think I'm as prepared as I can be and all packed to go. I was surprised to see that I only have six copies of my 'After the War, Before the Peace' They're selling like hotcakes! Teehee, don't I wish. Well, wish me luck about tomorrow. Sleep tight.
Sharon

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Sad news. Avalon Books did not want my novel, 'Abby'. I appreciate that they liked the synopsis and liked the three sample chapters I sent them. But, after requesting and reading the complete novel, they turn it down because of some profanity I used and 117,000 word count instead of their max of 60,000. Hello! There was profanity in the first three chapters and the synopsis stated the word count! Oh well, it was nice waiting the three weeks that they had it, because of the hope I experienced that this was going to be my big 'break'. Now, it's back to the submitting again. Oh, they did say they liked my writing. :-) I can't believe I have let so much time pass since I last blogged. Of course, there was the trip to Calif., Christmas, paperwork regarding Dave's death and just plain January blahs. But, the temperature hit 70 today, the sun is out and I think I'm back in the grove. In fact, I even finished another episode of 'Hannah'. Tomorrow I'm moderating a class on journaling. So, guess I'd better get my notes together, make sure I have enough handouts and do a final practice run through. Over 20 folks have signed up for the class, so I owe those folks their money's worth. Wait, I'm doing this for free! Still, I'm taking up their time, so I do owe them. Ciao!