What's up with me?

Life has been crazy this summer. Lots of working at the public job and not so much working at the writing job. I miss it tremendously, but what's a girl to do when she's gotta make the money? I'm still writing sporadically, but not as regularly as I'd like to be. By the time I get home from work and school pickup it's time to make dinner, get showers done, and settle down for the evening. My main writing day is every Friday (since I'm off work), but that day seems to be full of all the errands, chores, and phones calls I couldn't get done during the week. Ugh! It's extremely frustrating when I just want to sit down and write.

Speaking of school... my kids started back to school on September 5th. This year I have a middle schooler and a senior in high school, not to mention the oldest who is still in college. This time next year I'll have two in college. Eek!! I don't even know how that happened so quickly!

Over the last 6 months I've:

• Had a breast cancer scare, plus biopsy, 
• Started the new job, 
• Learned a LOT about that new job, 
• Put my 17yr old through oral surgery to expose a tooth that wouldn't come out of the gum and put a braces bracket on it, 
• Joined a gym & go 3-5 days a week
• Endured the 1yr anniversary of my mom's passing
• Had to slow down on the writing in order to accommodate all of the above.

On the upside, I was able to pay off my husband's car several months early & my middle daughter's braces will be paid off in just 2 more payments. Woohoo!!  Unfortunately, on the braces front, I have one more daughter to put through them as soon as these are paid off.  LOL! Ugh.

Sooooooo, that's what I've been up to lately. It's a lot of craziness, but it is what it is. 

Lots of love to all of you wonderful readers. I am still working on Liz Baker's next book, but it's going slower than I had hoped. Please hang in there and I promise I'll keep you guys informed as the process moves forward. 

Liz Baker Series Book 7 Under Way

So, as many of you know, I'm currently working on the seventh book in my Liz Baker series. I just started this one so I'm still fleshing out the ideas and plot points, but I finally wrote that first sentence (and page), and I know where the first chapter is going. Woohoo!

I'm not much of a planner when it comes to my stories. I start with a general idea of what I want to say and where I want the characters to end up at, and then I fill in the blanks one page at a time. Sometimes the characters do what I plan for them to do, and then other times they scoff at my ideas and go wherever the hell they want to go whether I want them to or not. I tried planning out an entire book once, chapter by chapter, scene by scene, with the ending ready and waiting for me to get the words on paper. And then my characters had other plans...

Nothing I planned happened! The characters laughed at me, pointed and called me names as they moved about the story line at their own pace and did whatever they wanted to do. That's when I knew I wasn't a planner when it comes to my books. The characters won't allow it.

As for Liz Baker, I've had the opening to book 7 in my head since the end of book 6. I knew how I wanted it to begin, and all I had to do was get back to this series and start writing. It's the rest of the story I don't know yet. LOL!  Thankfully though, Liz is a strong-willed character and she will eventually show me the way of her world once more.

It's been a while since book 6 came out at the end of 2014. Eek! I didn't even realize it has been that long until I just typed that. Wow! I've had a crazy few years. Nonetheless, I've already released a new book and a short story this year, and Liz's new story is next up. I'm hoping (fingers crossed & powerful magic dust everywhere) this story will release in late August/early September. If it all works out, that will leave me just enough time to get to the second book in my Penny Montague series before 2017 is over.

Wish me luck & keep reading!

The hardest part of writing...

Over the years, I've heard all sorts of "hard things" about writing from both authors and people who want to be authors, and every one of them has a different "hard thing" that trips them up. Some people tell me they can have a great idea, but don't know or can't figure out how to get it on paper. Then others have told me they can start strong, but the story falters and they never finish it. While even others have mentioned they can get the beginning and end perfect, but it's the middle that trips them up.

For me, the hardest part of writing comes down to two sentences: the first one and the last one.

The first sentence of a new story is the one that needs to entice a reader. It has to bring you into the story enough that you want to read the next one, and the next one, and the next one. It has to make you wonder what will happen next, or how the main character got to where they are in that first line of their story. That's why a lot of writers say staring at a blank first page gives them pause. How do I begin this? I know what the story is, but how to I start it?

Secondly, the last sentence in a story needs to tie up the entire book? It needs to supply a fulfillment to the reader. This one is a completion of the story, yet, if it's a series, needs to lead into the next book. It needs to satisfy the reader. Is this enough information? Is it too much? Will the reader understand? Or have I just pissed everyone off with a cliffhanger? Eek!

These are just a few things that go through my mind when I start and end a story. Right now I'm battling with a blank first page of my next story. I've done research and written plenty of notes, tips, scene ideas, and random sentences, but I haven't gotten the actual first line on virtual paper. Once it comes to me the stories usually flow quickly and smoothly, but it's a matter of getting those few words written.

Wish me luck!