Unplug and a Merry Christmas!

Hey friends! I can't believe Christmas snuck up on me so fast. I am still working at finishing the Christmas presents and preparing for gatherings and other commitments. I am also trying to shut off my mind from new story ideas. I have two that are wiggling their way in that I am so excited to write. I am not sure which I am going to write first and both won't leave me alone. But I promised myself to do two edits of Dandelion Fields first and that's what I'm going to do. One last goal to complete before December is over.

Do you have any writing goals you are trying to accomplish before this year is over, or are you ready for 2010?

I'll be unplugging for the most part until the new year. I'll be around but no new posts--unless something truly exciting happens. Then you never know.

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy your families!

Wednesday's Excerpt or Action #18

Welcome back to Wednesday's...

Excerpt or Action

If you’d like to participate, you can choose one or both topics (readers can join in as well).

If you choose Excerpt, include a short scene from any one of your manuscripts in the comments section below.

If you choose Action and you're a writer, tell us what the character in your current WIP is doing right this moment. If you're a reader, tell us about the book you're reading--what's the character doing?


Here are my answers:


Excerpt

(from Dandelion Fields - a flashback)

Hannah wrapped both arms around the blanket and set down the cans near the back tire of the car. She tried at silence as she crossed the gravel to where he stood. She stopped just far enough away from comfort and lifted her chin to look at his face. "I've never met anyone who could sleep standing up."

"I'm not sleeping," he murmured, though his eyes remained shut.

"Then what are you doing?"

"Praying."

She inched just slightly closer, trying to get a better feel for his expression. Something really that bad? Bad enough to pray for? "Is it helping?" she whispered.

His eyes flashed open and met hers. Steady. Pensive. "I don't know if I'll be able to tell for awhile."

"Are we going to walk?"

His hands came out and closed around her arms. Strong and gentle. And he pulled her close, the musty blanket between them. Her head tucked perfectly beneath his chin, even in his lean, as though he'd measured the exact stance beforehand and then stood there until the opportunity came along.

Alarm kept her arms tense around the blanket. When she tried to lift her head and say his name, he tightened his hold just slightly.

"We'll walk. I promise."

"I'm not going to like this," she whispered, knowing whatever he had to tell her must be bad. He'd never done more than hold her hand and this...this felt more like "goodbye" than "I love you." Words that struggled to come out of her mouth right now.

"No, you're not."

Action

The editing continues. I'm working on a flashback where the heroine's mother forgets to get her a present for Christmas.




I look forward to hearing about your stories!

Review of The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble

When a mysterious stranger appears at her house one stormy evening, everything Addie knows about her life is suddenly put into question. The man insists he is her uncle and she is Julia Eaton, the little girl everyone believes was lost in a shipwreck 23 years ago.

She accompanies him to her father's home under the guise of a governess for a young boy at the estate. She starts to fall in love with the home, the familiy and the boy's father, but more secrets come to light and she doesn't know who to trust. Addie has longed for a real family her entire life and she must use faith as her guide when she discovers truths about the family she doesn't know how to handle: murder, betrayal, and lies that will affect the rest of her life.

Coble's tale of love and faith is sprinkled with mystery and suspense. I enjoyed reading her work in the genre of historical fiction a great deal. The story is fast-paced, full of twists and has a unique plot. I would definitely recommend this book to existing fans and those looking for something new, fresh and intriguing.

***It would also make a wonderful Christmas gift.

An Unexpected Treasure

A few nights ago I had a dream about a penny. It looked similar to an ordinary penny, special perhaps, but still a penny.

I found it at a garage sale. And I gave it away to a stranger.

When I woke up I could have been frustrated or angry--should have been probably, because right before the dream ended, I found out the penny had been worth one million dollars. Yep. A fortune. But instead of being angry with myself for giving away the penny, I said to myself, "There are more out there."

Sometimes books are like pennies. There are thousands upon thousands out there--lining shelves in stores, piling up on nightstands. Some ordinary, others perhaps a little special, but still just a book. Yet one of these, perhaps more, will end up being a treasure to each of us.

This is part of why I write. So that my one, possibly ordinary, maybe even kind of special, manuscript will reach the person it will be a treasure to.

In my dream, I wasn't upset about giving the penny away because I knew it wasn't for me. But I knew there was one for me out there. My very own treasure.

All of you writers out there, don't fret if your manuscript seems like one of thousands or even if you see it as completely unique but don't know where it will go from there. One day, your "penny" will reach who it's supposed to and that person will be rich in words. They'll have their own, very special treasure because of YOU.

Wednesday's Excerpt or Action #17

Welcome back to Wednesday's...

Excerpt or Action

If you’d like to participate, you can choose one or both topics (readers can join in as well).

If you choose Excerpt, include a short scene from any one of your manuscripts in the comments section below.

If you choose Action and you're a writer, tell us what the character in your current WIP is doing right this moment. If you're a reader, tell us about the book you're reading--what's the character doing?


Here are my answers:


Excerpt

(from Dandelion Fields - a flashback)


In the sun-baked humidity of Sunday morning, after an overnight rainstorm, she wondered if Alex was at church. If he was praying or doodling on a crisp, empty page at the back of his Bible, aching for the moment he could escape and meet her amidst the great bulbs of dandelion weeds.

When he appeared, a glimpse of his dark hair past the trees near the school, her pulse danced to a happy melody that was far too upbeat for comfort. She would have preferred a sultry jazz tune that bolstered her confidence and cast a spell over her awkwardness. But the body betrayed too quickly.

Hannah boosted herself off the stone wall. She scraped her leg on a rough corner but hardly noticed. The dangling strings of her cut off jean shorts tickled her knees and the sun danced atop the crown of her head as she tried to control her steps across the field.

Alex’s smile reached her first. He stopped just feet from her and tucked his hands into his pockets, his boyish stance making a lasting impression in her mind. “You waited for me.”





Action

Still editing. My heroine is making friends with a woman at her work by sharing stories about their past.




I look forward to hearing about your stories!

Join Me for an Interview

Hey friends! I shared part of the story of my writing journey over at Romance Writer's on the Journey today. I'd love it if you stopped by to say hi. Have a wonderful day!

E-book Domination or Save the Art Collection?

The elusive “they” say that e-books will soon be the norm. “They” say it's more efficient and more cost effective. “They” seem to think that the printed ink on paper days will eventually fade, leaving behind only a small handful of remnants.

I cannot find a solid argument against this, though I so desperately want to. I don’t own an e-reader or an iphone. I don’t do twitter or tweeting or whatever it’s called. But I’m starting to feel in the minority. So I keep asking myself, is it a deep down desire to hang onto the old or is it simply the fear (and sometimes cost) of the new?

I know this is the endless traveling debate, from blog to blog. Probably to Facebook and Twitter. Probably to coffee shops and bookstores. Is this me conforming? Nah, I just want your opinion.

How do you feel about e-readers and e-books? How do you feel about progression? Would you miss being able to sit on that plush corner chair (mine is green—fairly ugly—in case you’re wondering) and flip through the pages of your favorite novel? Or are you raising a fist in support and charging toward the future?

Me, I’m hovering in nostalgia on that green chair. I like to look up at my bookshelves (or at least the set that stands behind the chairs—yeah, the Oscar the Grouch green chairs are actually a pair) and see all that creativity. My books are stacked left to right ways, up and down ways, tilted sideways. Sometimes set on various surfaces embellished with flowers or candles. They come together like colorful art. Novels I’ve read and some I haven’t. I love them so much that even if I haven’t read them I still want to look at them. Something in me says this does not compare to an electronic device.

Does that mean literal books in artistically bound form will hang around just because I want them to? No, but I can still hope. What about you?



*photo by me :)

Wednesday's Excerpt or Action #16

Welcome back to Wednesday's...

Excerpt or Action

If you’d like to participate, you can choose one or both topics (readers can join in as well).

If you choose Excerpt, include a short scene from any one of your manuscripts in the comments section below.

If you choose Action and you're a writer, tell us what the character in your current WIP is doing right this moment. If you're a reader, tell us about the book you're reading--what's the character doing?


Here are my answers:


Excerpt

(from Dandelion Fields - my NaNo manuscript)

Sometimes when night coiled into the lonely prison, she would let her leg hang over the edge of the mattress, swishing back and forth as if to nudge herself in a gentle sway on a hammock.

Quiet sniffles from the next bunk over turned into the roar of ocean waves. The coolness rising from the bare floor became a salty breeze. And light from further down the corridor of beds morphed into a wide sliver of moonlight, coating her cheek in the warmth of serenity.

On this night, two things became abundantly clear.




Action

Manuscript complete, just working on editing!




I look forward to hearing about your stories!