Refilling the Well

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

Whether we write or have a day job or are busy raising a family, we all need to take step back once in a while and give ourselves the gift of doing nothing.

Before going any further with this, let me state that "doing nothing" isn't necessarily what it sounds like.  There's a whole range of possibilities and each of us should take the time, now and then, to explore some of them.

For the past six months, I feel like I've been going non-stop.  That could be because I have, in a way.  The grandkids, who had been staying at home with their dad who'd lost his job several months before, returned only two weeks after I'd set deadlines for two new books.  I'd become accustomed to not having them around, except to pick them up from school and take them to their home.  I'd forgotten how crazy life can be with them around.  My schedule and goals took a beating, and it's been crazy, but somehow I've managed to stay on course...or close, anyway.

The time of meeting deadlines will ease soon.  I'm wrapping up the last of what's needed on A NANNY FOR THE COWBOY, out in March next year, and hope to have the last chapter of DESIGNS ON THE COWBOY, June 2013, written well before the upcoming holiday weekend is over.  That will ease the pressure, and we all know how important that is.

While I admire those who are like the Energizer Bunny and never seem to run out of steam, I have a deep, dark suspicion that what we see isn't what's really happening. Why?  Because everyone needs some time to refill the well.

I'd never heard that term before, until I heard Kathie DeNosky use it back in the late 90's, when we were both struggling to sell our first books.  Kathie had been at the writing game a few years longer than I had, so she became my guide in everything writing related.  She taught me about the need to stop the insanity and refill the well that empties without us noticing when we have our nose to the grindstone.  (How's that for mixed metaphors?)  I do have to say that she didn't have to explain what "refilling the well" meant.  I got the meaning immediately.  It was the "how" that had me stumped.

Reading has always been an integral part of my life, but once I began writing, the reading time began to shrink, little by little.  Now just reading a handful of books a year is difficult.  There are those deadlines and all the other things in life that need attending to.  I envy writers who have the time to read the work of others, while moving forward with their own writing career.  I wish I could do the same.

Because I can't pick up a book every week or two and devote time to immersing myself in the worlds of other writers, I have to remind myself that it's important to take a break, no matter how short, and do some reading.  Time for that break is coming up very soon.  By next week at this time, I hope I'm in the midst of it and enjoying it.  It's time to refill the well.

As that special time grows closer, I've been thinking more about it lately, and I realize that there are other things to enjoy, in addition to reading.  So here's a list I've come up with to try, just for me.

10 Things to Do to Refill the Well

• Find a quiet spot to think or just "be"
• Spend time with friends, both writing and non-writing, especially ones I don't see often
• Sleep or take a nap without interruption
• Go outside and watch the clouds drift by
• Find a place away from the street lights--away from the city--to once again enjoy the beauty of the night sky
• Take a leisurely walk in the park, not for exercise or any reason other than the sheer joy of it
• Go to the park and swing
• Sit by the water and listen to the sounds it makes
• Find a new and unusual shop and explore
• Watch favorite movies for a full day

That's my list. What's yours?

The ultimate in refilling my well:

Well it's not far back to sanity, at least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find serenity
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see.
Believe me. ~ Christopher Cross, "Sailing" Lyrics

Rainy Days and Mondays

It isn't really raining.  The streets and sidewalks aren't wet, just showing occasional big drops.  It's barely enough to have to turn on the windshield wipers even less than the lowest intermittent setting.

But the sky is cloudy and gloomy, keeping the sun from brightening the room...and me.  It was a blah weekend, while I searched for a project I could sink my teeth into...or put my heart into...or just get into.  I'd think I found it, only to discover after settling at the computer that my interest had already waned.

So it isn't really the rain or the cloudy skies.  Sometimes it just happens.

I read The Help this weekend.  Although I found it slow going at first, due to written dialect, which always give me a little trouble, once I got the hang of it and attached it to the character, the story and all the characters grabbed my attention.  By 5 a.m. on Sunday, after reading all Saturday evening and night, I forced myself to put the book away so I could get some sleep, with a promise to finish the book later.

The ending holds promise for people of all color.  Segregation ended--or was supposed to have ended--several decades ago.  But I remember it, and although things have changed, I still see remnants of it.  I expect there will always be some, at least in my lifetime.  Even on this cloudy, raining, and gloomy Monday, there's hope.

Here's wishing all a happy and productive week, no matter what your weather or even your current mood. :)

Read, Read, Read

We're writers.  We read.

Sometimes too much writing can exhaust our creativity. The well just seems to dry up and writing becomes difficult.  Even painful.  The best thing a writer can do to refill that well of creativity is to read.  It doesn't matter what's read.  In fact, reading outside of a writer's chosen genre or something completely different such as non-fiction or even poetry does the trick for many writers.

Writers have always been readers first, beginning with picture books in childhood, then stepping up to simple words on a page, followed by short chapter books and finally to those real books that have no pictures, just page after page of story.  Once we've moved on to the next tier, we forget how exciting it was to take that step up.  Think back to the books you read as a child.  If possible, take it one step farther and get a copy, maybe from the library or one you can keep for yourself.  Try a book you read later in grade school, one of those short chapter books.  Remember again the joy of reading that led to wanting to create something that others might enjoy as much as we enjoyed those books from our past.

Refill that well.  Try a new author.  There are new ones popping up every day.  It only takes a short trip to Amazon or Barnes & Noble or any online bookstore to find someone or something that might fit the bill.  Or try a trip to the library.  If you're not sure exactly what it is you're looking for or nothing catches your fancy, try the new book of a favorite author, or even re-read an older story. 

Too often when we write we forget that we were once readers.  I know I don't read as much as I'd like to or even as much as I did a few years ago.  Lucky for me, one of my favorite authors comes out with a new book about every year.  That new book becomes the carrot on the stick, keeping me on target and tempting me to make my goals or even to meet a contract deadline.  Reading that book is my reward.  And often that one book will lead me to another.  I'll try a new author and discover more magic.

We're writers, we read.  What are you reading?

Taking the Heat

We're having a heat wave...  A tropical heat wave...  (Marilyn Monroe did it best!)

So what does a writer do when July hits with hot, hot, hot temps?  It's the perfect time to stay inside and make some progress.  Whether it's working on a current WIP or just making the writing life a little neater and easier, this is the perfect time to do it. 

Yesterday I worked on an old story that didn't fit the parameters of a specific line, so it's never seen "print."  It's always been one of my favorites, so I'm hoping I can do something with it.  There are others to follow, and I'm currently trying to work out a system of how best to keep track of what I want to do with them, how I'll do that, and then actually getting them ready to share.

Today I'm purging my office of paper to be taken to the recycle center tomorrow, along with getting ready to shred old bills and other things I'd rather do myself, and just doing an overall getting-it-together sorting and shifting.  It's an ongoing battle.  Paper seems to breed around here, no matter how much I recycle, shred, or simply throw away.  Just looking at the boxes of paper to recycle makes me cringe.  There's no denying that I've killed a lot of trees in my lifetime.  I try not to.  I've been teaching myself to edit on screen.  It's getting better, but I still need a hardcopy on paper for a lot of things.  Having a Kindle for book reading at least makes me feel a little better.  None of those books will end up in a landfill somewhere.

Because summer Fridays are library days with the grandkids, I'll take three of them to return last week's books and get new.  I'm a sucker for books, so I'll check out one for myself, too.  I'm hoping Inkheart will have been returned (it's due back today).  If so, I'll check it out and set aside some time to read.

Even though tomorrow begins a three-day weekend, it's still working time for me.  Because I'm between contracts, I need to take a look at what I want and need to do to make the best use of this time.  Thanks to experience, I'm learning that I need to keep writing.  Now to decide what to write! ☺

It may be hot out there and forecasted to stay this way far into next week, but life and writing goes on.

Have a fantabulous Independence Day weekend!

Kindle and Me pt. 3

My Kindle is currently resting while I read my new paperback copy of Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Fancy Pants. Her latest, Call Me Irresistable, waits on my Kindle to be read. Why? It's complicated.

I haven't even come close to reading all the thirty-some books I've downloaded, and I'm itching to buy more. Such as?

1. The next two books in Amanda Hocking's Tryle Trilogy.
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. Room by Emma Donahue
4. After by Amy Efaw
5. Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Those last two are YA books. Since discovering and reading Sarah Dessen's YA's, I'm drawn to them again. When I first started writing (as an adult), they were the kind I read and wanted to write. Instead, I ended up in romance, because I love the HEAs!! Still, I enjoy reading in other genres and discovered some fantastic YA and Middle Reader books available that by far surpass anything related to Twilight or The Clique series. Someday I'll compile a list of my favorite books and authors. Someday.

But no reading today, even though it's snowing outside, the temp is currently 5 degrees, and the windchill is all the way up to -17. Instead, as soon as I hit PUBLISH, I'll be making lunch for the four grandkids who are here for the day, because school is closed, thanks to that lovely windchill.

If you're in the area being hit by this huge winter storm, make use of it. Curl up with your favorite blanket, a hot drink, and a great story, whether in hardcover, paperback, ebook, or audio, and enjoy!

Free Harlequin & Silhouette Books?

You betcha!! Harlequin is gifting their readers in American and Canada with free downloads of 16 different new releases as a way to thank them during Harlequin's 60th Anniversary celebration.

So how do you get yours?



First let's see what books are available.


Harlequin American Romance, Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren
Harlequin Blaze, Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly
Harlequin Historical, His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
Harlequin Intrigue, Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels
Harlequin Presents, Price of Passion by Susan Napier
Harlequin Romance, The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding
Harlequin Superromance, Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson

Silhouette Desire, Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child
Silhouette Nocturne, Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
Silhouette Romantic Suspense, Stranded with a Spy by Merline Lovelace
Silhouette Special Edition, Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne

Love Inspired, A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight
Love Inspired Historical, Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
Love Inspired Suspense, Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Kimani Romance, Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson

Nascar, Speed Dating by Nancy Warren



The details:

• The titles are available as a PDF and in all eBook formats. There is no drm (digital rights management)


• The titles are also available as a Stanza App for the iPhone and iPod Touch


• The titles can also be found at all the online retailers like Sony, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Fictionwise.com, eReader.com, etc.


• The 16 free books (one for every series) will be available throughout 2009.

It's easy, it's painless, and even better, it's FREE!

Visit Harelquin's 60th Anniversary website to download your free books and read about all the events and celebrations taking place this year.

Enjoy! Indulge!

A Little Off-Topic...

I've just "outed" myself as a romance author on a local newspaper blog where I frequently post. I won't say where or what it is, because I admit that I'm not always as polite and generous as I should be when posting. It sometimes does get heated, and there's just no sense making someone reading here angry for a dumb reason. But my writing and publishing is not always something I want to make "public" in the sense that I go around telling people. For one thing, "romance" for some people means "smut". I don't agree, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I consider reading tastes--likes and dislikes--free choice. Read it if you like it, don't if you don't like it. I won't twist your arm to tell you about my books, but if you ask, I'll give you whatever information you want. Simple.

WHY I WRITE ROMANCE
I write romance because I like to READ romance. Not the sex, per se, although sex is often a part of romance and relationships, but because I like the uplifting feeling when two people have overcome odds and come together as a couple in love. It's that HEA (Happily Ever After) that will make me sniff with a happy tear or two, or sigh with the smile of satisfaction that comes from a well-written book, when all is said and done.

But I'm also a bit jaded. I know that what I write--what all romance authors write--is "fantasy". People don't meet, fall in love and so easily resolve whatever conflicts they might have in 80,000 words or less. Once the wedding and honeymoon are over, real life takes over, and we all must continue resolving conflicts throughout the rest of the relationship. Or hopefully resolve them, anyway. But it's nice to close the book, smile, and think maybe THIS one will make it, or maybe not even think of that at all, just revel in the enjoyment the story gave me.

While at Barnes & Noble buying books today, I was asked by the clerk who was checking me out if I was a writer. (When you're buying a How To Write Romance Book, written by a NY editor and a reference book on synonyms, it does raise the question!) Now, usually, I'll say yes and feel embarrassed. Today I added that, yes, I am, and that I write for Harlequin American. She said, "That's neat!" I said, "It's a job,". I smiled and shrugged. What I should have added was that it's a job I enjoy, and I feel tremendously blessed that my books have been chosen to to be published. It IS a dream, and one that I never thought was possible, and I'd be hard pressed to give it up. In fact, I don't think I ever could give it up, until my mind is completely toast and I don't have the faculties to put coherent words on paper. I believe most of my writer friends feel the same. We can't not write.

WHAT I LIKE TO READ
Well, I like to read romance. I also like to read True Crime. Horror. Biographies. Suspense. Historicals. Even Self-Help. And the list goes on. I'm an eclectic reader, although my oldest daughter is even more so than me. I like books that make me laugh, make me cry, make me think. Books that surprise me or make me feel at home within their pages. I LIKE BOOKS!!

Whatever you're currently reading--and I hope you ARE reading something!--I hope you're enjoying it, no matter what the genre. Reading is like stepping into another world. Books can take a reader places they have never and may never actually experience. Books can give a reader insight into his or her own life and maybe make things better. And as they say in the grade schools, READING IS FUN! I'll just add, TRY SOME TODAY!

Love and Hugs to all the readers out there, no matter what your taste!

It Doesn't Have to Be New to Be Good

A couple of years ago, on a whim, I picked up a copy of Kristin Hannah's Comfort and Joy. It was a beautiful and strange story, set in one of the most magnificent parts of the country, the Pacific Northwest. I don't remember why I bought it, except it was a smaller book and took place at Christmastime. I'm a sucker for Christmas stories. And somewhere amongst all my books, I have a copy of Angel Falls, although I've never read it. I also especially enjoyed Magic Hour and passed it along to family and friends after reading it a couple of months ago.

On Mystic Lake, which I finished reading today, is a beautifully sad but empowering novel of a woman who realizes she has lived the life others expected her to live and believed for twenty years that she was happy, until her husband tells her he wants a divorce. There were several aspects of the story I could relate to personally and others that went beyond anything similar to my life, but I find that happens with many books and makes the read more interesting. On Mystic Lake is one of Kristin's older books, but it's worth getting, and I expect I'll read it again someday.

Natural Born Charmer

Once upon a time, I read several books a week. Now, I'm lucky to read one book in a few months. One of my favorite authors is Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and except for her two or three earliest books, I've read them all, at least once.

SEP books are an incentive for me to get things done. No matter what it is, her newest book always becomes a reward for finishing something, making the reading of them even more special.

I was introduced to SEP by my best friend of over forty years, who has always been a voracious reader, and although our reading tastes don't always match (she doesn't read category), they often do, and we share our favorites. I still remember the phone call when she read the opening of Kiss An Angel to me, describing the hero as the Marlboro Man. It was a great book and a very different story, and I've always felt it's one of the darker of SEP's. The next introduction my friend gave me was the opening of my all-time favorite SEP book, It Had to Be You. I adore Phoebe Sommerville and have read my many copies of it countless times. Phoebe is perfectly imperfect.


After reading Ain't She Sweet? for the third time, it comes in as my second favorite. After that, I'm at a loss as to what's next. Or was, until I read Natural Born Charmer. It really is a charmer. SEP is a master at great openings, and NBC has a terrific one. I really liked the flawed hero and heroine. Stubborn, secretive, but both full of sass and humor. The verbal sparring between the two of them is fabulous. It's a story that's both fun and thought provoking. A definite will-read-again for me.

What's up next? I haven't decided. I may take a trip to buy some new books this weekend. Not that I don't have any, but I like to have a nice, tall stack of TBRs to keep things interesting.