Write!

So evidently November is National Novel Writing Month. But hey...you already knew that, didn't you?

And 50, 000 words...new words...are expected by the end of this month.

Yet here you are, when you should be out there writing...

Or maybe you're not here, because you're out there writing...

If a writer falls asleep over her keyboards,
does she make a sound? Or more to the point,
will her family pull her off the backspace key
before she's deleted all her words?

Good Luck in your writing and reading
endeavors this month!

Home, Home on the Plains...

Hubby went and stood in line with a few hundred women to buy me this book last night.

Did he have the time? Nope.
Did he do it anyway? Yup.

Just doing his part to keep the publishing business alive and well....and no, it's not a "traditional" romance...but I do love everything about her cooking and her blog.

Never Enough Sin

Speaking of supporting authors you love....

Go. Release day is TODAY. Buy a copy for yourself, your mom, your sister, your poor overworked hairdresser....

And enjoy. :)

Value the Work

Hi all! I have been, as I read in a Jennifer Cruise blog post once, "protecting the work." For me, that has meant a serious reduction in internet time.

However, I just had to throw in my two cents concerning the price slashing between Wal-Mart and Amazon...and whoever else has jumped into the fray....

I don't understand or care about the legal ramifications. I do care if authors and publishers aren't getting their fair share. So please join me in letting your favorite authors know how much you value and appreciate their work. Can you afford to buy the hardcover and not wait for the paperback? Can you stop by the store on a Tuesday and buy that new mass market release the day it's released, and not a month later? Can you skip a coffee or two and buy two books? Can you give books for presents this holiday season?

We spent money on Halloween costumes, candy, pumpkins, cotton candy at the fairs, two dollars for a pack of gum, almost six dollars now for a value meal at a fast food drive through.

Please. We can afford full price for someone's vision and talent brought to life in the pages of a book that we can share with friends or eventually pass down to our children.

Hope this finds you well, and reading. :)

Hiatus

Of course, my hiatus might not be as long as the other gaps I've had between posts, but at least this is intentional.

For your viewing pleasure, may I present Buckingham Gardens.

See you soon!

Mary, Mary , quite extraordinary......

Finally....our local Wal-Mart put First Comes Marriage, Mary Balogh's newest release, on the shelves. It's the Read of the Month for Wal-Mart, and Mary has included a bit of bonus material, a small section originally cut.

Hurray! We'll take all the Mary we can get.

Mary Balogh is more than an autobuy for me. She's a comfort read, the first and last name in romance done perfectly, the books that are in almost every room of my house. She's the first romance author who made me cry.

Isn't the cover exquisite? No doubt the story is as well. I'm off to curl up with a cup of coffee on this cold, blustery day and discover the magic between Viscount Lyngate and Vanessa Huxtable.

I highly suggest you do the same. :)

What author calls a halt to your day? Which author makes you cry, or laugh out loud? Aren't we lucky to have such a wealth of talent and genres to choose from?

Writing Rules....

My March 09 RWR came in the mail this afternoon. Some months are full of information, others only so-so. But this issue is loaded with interesting articles; the role of the publisher, power promotion, author's views on revisions, and my personal favorite so far, the scene and sequel. I think Patricia Kay did a wonderful job of illustrating how well the scene/sequel can work, and what they can and cannot do for your story.

There are all sorts of technique books and websites out there. Swain's Techniques of a Selling Author, Ingermanson's Snowflake Method, and Stephanie Bonds Writer's How-To articles are good for me.

However, I think the methodology study works best after the first draft- Vivid, unique, heart-felt story telling comes fast and furious, when you are utterly in love with your h/h and all the mayhem before them. Then, once that first draft is over, the rules can help you smooth out your masterpiece. But to deliberately worry about the details before the bones of the story are laid out seems a bit stifling to me.

What about you? Any "have-to" rules you follow from the very beginning, or do you punt the rules and let your characters lead the way?