2008 Recap - A day late.

Stayed tuned for Marketing tips to returns on Jan 6th!

Thanks to Kristin Cashore for the thought-provoking questions.....

1) what did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Commit to a Critique group. Write daily. Made writer friends and blogger friends. Wrote books, lots of different books. Queried Grace.

2. What are your New Year's resolutions for 2009?
I am resolving to come up with some that I can keep. More to come...

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes and a beautiful Sarah Kate Mulligan blessed my world.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My dog, connor :(

5. What countries did you visit?
I didn't leave the USA in 2008. My hubby was recovering from a double disk replacement.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
An agent and book deal.
In one word - Validation!

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 4. Election day!
April 12th - the day my dog died

8. What was your biggest success?
Getting positive response on my book queries.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I still can't teleport. Dammit! Where are all the radioactive spiders?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes, a bad ear infection - I am still recovering. (Do adults even get those?)

11. What was the best thing you bought?
no money to buy anything but food. :)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Americans voting choice

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Mumbai terrorists

14. Where did most of your money go?
what money?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Barack Obama and writing.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Leona Lewis

17. Compared to this time last year, are you a. happier or sadder? b. thinner or fatter? c. richer or poorer?
happier, blessed, and much more hopeful

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying/Stressing/Second-guessing

20. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yes 365 times. I fall in love with my kids and hubby everyday.

21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Wipeout. I need the bely laughs

23. What was the best book you read?
Impossible to answer

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Adele and Buffy

25. What was your favorite film of this year?
Lars and the Real Girl. Also, I re-watched The Philadelphia Story -- wow, that's a good one.

26. What did you want and get?
Hope

27. What did you want and not get?
Agent and Book deal

28. What did you do on your birthday?
Eat cake and count wrinkles :)

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
did I say agent and book deal? Opps that is 2 things.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
jeans and flip flops

31. What kept you sane?
my friends, my hubby, writing partner - Jessica

32. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I have no control. My life is fueled by fate.

33. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Jordan Sparks - One Step At A Time.
One Step At A Time Lyrics [lyricsyoulove.com]

Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you've always dreamed of
Close enough for you to tasteBut you just can't touch
You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

When you can't wait any longer
But there's no end in sight
It's the faith that makes you stronger
The only way you get there
Is one step at a time

Ode to Writers Everywhere

Janet Reid at Fine Literary had a great link to a Rachel Gardner's post yesterday which is just what I needed. No matter what your personal views are, or what you believe it - the premise of this post is so true.

Also Pub Rants post on hope for the debut author. Good news for us newbies. Keep to your calling and know there will always be markets for good writers/stories.

All good points.

Right now, I realize the journey of me being a published writer is not about the end result (yes it is! yes it is! says the crummy little book devil sitting on my shoulder!)

But I know deep down, it's really not. Writing is about the journey (blah blah blah :) I have to have faith that I believe in myself and my writing with my whole heart and soul.

This is my calling.

I gave up so much to be a writer - an executive job, great pay, my ego - all to walk along the ledge on the mountain of publishing.

If I can't write, I am not living. My soul does not sing and my spirit just wants to sleep.

I am focusing on how far I've come. It is about the journey. It is about faith. It is about hope. It is about the process. It is about the feeling we get when we write. I know I will make it. I will be passionate. I will make revisions with a smile on my face. I will work so hard! When (not if) I am given the chance.

I'd like to take a moment and celebrate how far we've come.

So to all my fellow writers - no matter what stage you are in - writing your first book, published, unpublished, pre-published - this song's for you:

Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh

Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dream that you dare to
why, oh why can't I?

Hang in there and follow your dreams. If writing was not your calling - you wouldn't be reading this right now :)

Good luck

Finding Grace

When I first started writing my book - almost 2 years ago - I needed a name for my character who was tough yet soft. To me, everything is in a name. Names give you feelings about a person before you even know them. It's funny how names fit people, isn't it.

I immediately thought of the name Grace but Grace was one of the names we had on our list for kids. We almost called my daughter Grace but she ended up a Madelyn (Maddy) - which suits her perfectly. I always loved the name Grace and what it stood for. But decided to save it for my next baby, b/c I was prego at the time. That was, until I found out my baby was a boy, who we named Gray (close to Grace :)

That left Grace fair game.

A few months after I started getting to know Grace and her story, I came across this beautiful U2 song that totally inspired my book and its core message of love and overcoming evil. Then, I watched this video - and it touched me deply. (FYI - the first girl crying with mascara running feels like Grace to me! It is so wierd! Wish I knew her name.)

I use this song when am beefing up details around Grace's character. She is a tough cookie and this song helps me keep an underlying femininity to her that she has yet to explore.

Some lyrics:
Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world.
And when she walks on the street.
You can hear the strings,
Grace finds goodness in everything

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

Enjoy!

How did you come up with names for your characters?

My method of writing to music

Those who know me know that I write to music. (this along with lots of gum and MMs and coffee and coke zero. ugh!)

I know it seems crazy but it's true! Maybe it is my ADHD. But I write better with noise.

So - that's how Grace Under Fire came to be. Thanks to a list of great songs. I have completed that book and already working on book 2: A Blazing Grace.

I have a playlist for each book I am working on. And a song that represents the essence of each chapter - that gives me a vibe of what the chapter is about. So if I am writing on that chapter - I listen to that song. Now, I only use this when I just want to get a chapter down on paper and I don't want to think about editing or cliches. Once I am working a chapter to death, in detail. I usually listen to some form of instrumental music with no words.

I thought I could start sharing my playlist songs with you.

Here's is the one I writing to today - "Let me go" by Cake.

be prepared to bounce. Though the song is not truly happy, the beat it.

Enjoy!

PS I am so proud I figured out how to do this. Man I am computer savvy. :)



This one is not on my playlist but it was too cute to pass up. :) This country gonna have a Par-ty!