Friday morning writing

Good Friday morning everyone! Yes, it’s finally Friday. As I sit here sipping my coffee I think about the work at hand. I have a couple of books in the works, but which one do I work on for the next hour before I get ready to go out to the office?

Some days I can’t decide which book to work on. When you have several going and they all call out for attention, what do you do? This morning is one of those times. I’m almost completely done with one, but I just started another one that’s crying out too. Of course I have the outline ready for two more that have been running around in my head. I even dreamed of one of them last night.

Two of these books are 2nd books in various series and I really need to get them out soon.

How do you figure out which one to work on when all of them are crying out for attention?

I hope everyone has a great Friday. Now on to the manuscripts…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday, Monday, Monday

As I sit here sipping my 2nd cup of coffee trying to get my eyes to stay open, I notice the clouds moving in. Yep, we’re expecting rain here in the south today. I had a busy but wonderful weekend. Saturday was the Easter Egg hunt at our Church. That was really fun, but lots of work. It was worth it. Then yesterday was my hubby’s birthday. Also after Church several members (including my family) got the sanctuary ready for Easter and the Spring season. Considering our Church is three stories, yep I got my exercise. No need to work out today.

For all my American friends tomorrow is the last day of non extension tax season. That means I’ll be slammed with tax work today and tomorrow, but I’m taking the last three days of this week off. I plan to get some writing in that has been put to the wayside for the last couple of weeks.

This is a reminder to all my writer friends. Make sure that you claimed your royalties and the expenses that you had. Don’t forget all those advertising sites, production fees, programs purchased to help with your writing, computers and printers, website fees, dues and subscription fees for all those sites you joined, and the many more expenses we writers incur in a year. If you received a 1099 for your royalties, don’t ignore them because the IRS won’t.

Hope everyone has a blessed Monday and don’t forget to smile today, it’s your day so make it over the moon!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Friday morning…keep the coffee coming

Well tax season is almost over for the most part. Only 5 days left of the regular season and boy am I ready for a break. I have all of these characters screaming in my head to be released, but time just hasn’t permitted much writing time this week. I walked into my house last night at 8:35 and grabbed a ice cream bar, then collapsed on the couch. I never even picked up my laptop.

As a writer we need to have that time to let the characters spinning in our head to express themselves. They tend to get really noisy when we don’t. As I laid my head down on the pillow last night, my characters were screaming in my head. Somehow, I guess through exhaustion, I pushed them into a quiet space and gave them a time out. I did promise them that starting Wednesday they’d have full reign.

So, as I sit here giving myself a little social media time, I also sip my 2nd cup of coffee. The day is starting off as a gorgeous, sun filled day. I’d love to just grab my laptop, find a shady spot in my yard and write the day away, but taxes are calling.

Hope everyone has some really great plans for the weekend. As for me I put on my Children’s Minister hat tomorrow. It’s our annual Easter egg hunt. I can’t wait. I get so excited for the kids. I remember so vividly how much fun that egg hunt was. But as soon as I get home it’s back to tax returns, yep it’s that last few days crunch time. Hey, not complaining, that’s what I went to college to do, right? Ok, so I have to keep reminding myself of that. But it would be nice to just sit down everyday and write. Sales have got to get better before I do that 🙂

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Writer’s Insomnia…

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/cristianagasparotto/10941256573/”>Cristiana Gasparotto</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>cc</a>

Good Monday morning. It’s definitely a 3 cup morning. I woke at 3:55 this morning and tossed and turned until after 5. When the alarm went off at 6 I groaned and slapped the clock groggy and grouchy. But if you know me well, you know the grouchy part left after a couple of sips of coffee, but the groggy stayed.

Writer’s Insomnia is real, that is if you’re a writer. Insomnia is bad enough, but writer’s insomnia makes you crazy. It causes you to sleep with a pad and pencil beside the bed. What’s even worse is you can write several chapters in your mind as you lay tossing and turning trying to get back to sleep, but the story keeps prodding your brain.

Most of the time you end up getting up and typing late into the night. Sometimes it’s the best time to write because it’s quiet, but deep down you know you need to get some sleep. As you type or write long hand the story that plagued you while you tried desperately to sleep, your brain tells you that you need to go back to bed. But unfortunately the story fills that sleep space.

Have you ever fought the bed while a story poked at you? What do you do to get past it? Does warm milk work or do you give in and get up to fill the need to write?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday Morning Wake Up Post

If you haven’t realized it yet, yep it’s Monday folks. School started back today after a very long break due to the ice storm and then Winter Break. The alarm clock went off at 6:00 this morning and it was rough. I’m working on my second cup of coffee and contemplating my third.

Of course with Tax season in full swing my day is full of appointments for drop offs and pick ups. But for another hour I get to sit and enjoy my coffee, work on my upcoming book release and relax. This is my time when I can quietly work on things in the house. I already have a load of laundry and a load of dishes going. But more importantly I have a book to finish.

Since I’m working on my first time travel romance, I’m excited about the upcoming release. I’m doing this one a little differently than my other books. It’s going to have a pre-order available through Smashwords. The pre-order will be on Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes and Kobo. I will be running several giveaways and some free books to select people that win the drawings. The contest will be announced this week so keep watching. Several of my books will be up for grabs to those that pre-order my book and send me a picture of their pre-order confirmation, but I’ll announce the rules soon.

As for the book that’s coming out, I think my fans will be surprised. I’m hoping it will be a pleasant surprise. This is a little step away from my normal writing, but of course there is still a handsome cowboy and horses, I have to keep that going. But I’ve never delved into the time travel genre. It’s been a great experience and I think it’s a story that will make you think and wonder all the way to the end, which is an interesting ending.

So, how are you spending your Monday morning? How many cups of coffee does it take to get you going? Let me know I’m not the only coffee addict…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

2nd Cup Monday…Maybe 3rd Cup

It’s Monday if you haven’t figured it out. When my alarm went off at six this morning I groaned wanting it to be Saturday again. I sat up way too late reading last night and man I feel it this morning. Working toward my 3rd cup of coffee.

As for this morning’s post here goes. I have several manuscripts in the works as always. I put in several hours on these this past weekend. I’m so excited about the manuscript that will be entered in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. My book “A Love Never Lost” made it through to the 2nd round last year which was a huge accomplishment for this writer. I just have to finish this one up and get it entered.

Have you ever edited 3/4 of the way through a manuscript. I was typing this weekend and had a AH HA moment. Suddenly it became clear which direction the last part of the book would go. Of course I know the ending, but the part a couple of chapters from the end had been bugging me. I went back and did a editing read, which helped to confirm the change that would take place. It’s funny how your characters truly speak to you.

This morning I’m going to give it a couple hundred words before I shower and head to my office. I’ve set up a work schedule that allows time to have a few minutes here and there to get in a few words. Since this is the start of my busy season I want to get as much done on my WIP as possible. Deadlines also drive this need for time slots that allow me to write.

Have you scheduled your day to include some writing? This actually helps me to destress during the day with a little time away from numbers and clients. It’s amazing how calming my writing can be. It’s a time that I look forward to every day. So make sure that you plan a little time every day to write and get lost if only for a section of time.

As always, Good Writing and May God Bless You…

Friday and Romancing the Coffee

Good Morning! It’s Friday people. It’s the last day of the work week for most, but for an author that works a full time job it’s the start of the long work weekend. I work everyday on my manuscripts. Some days not as long as others and especially at this time of year. I have deadlines all around me. There’s W-2’s to finish, end of the year balancing, 1099’s, Tax return prep, manuscripts that are being finalized, covers to design, editing to do, VBS pre season prep, and dare I go on, on my!

As I sit here nursing my second cup of coffee, I contemplate my morning. I have a hour or so of social media, blogging, and a little editing before I go to the office. It’s funny the life of a writer. I sit down at my computer and my fingers automatically go to the keyboard ready to write. It’s just natural for me to put my thoughts in writing.

Do you use your morning effectively? The morning hours are very productive for me. It’s the mid day that I sometimes get a little foggy, but then as I sit down after dinner I get creative again. Generally I’m not a morning person, but after about two cups of coffee I start to wake up and get inspired. This morning I have a crackling fire going and a sweet little bird on the banister outside the window watching me. Of course he probably thinks my head is a nest as I’ve yet to run a brush through my hair or even get dressed for that matter. This is “Me” time. The sun is spreading across the front lawn and the world is starting to come alive.

As you know, I love romance and in the mornings I love to write a little and feel the power behind romance. Have you ever felt it? If you’re a romance writer or reader for that matter, you’ve felt that power. It draws you in and refreshes your faith in life. Yeah, I’m a romance advocate. I had a reader tell me the other day that they don’t believe in romance, well they received a long talk about the possibilites of romance. Needless to say they laughed and said they’d give it another try. But they have read all my books. That’s a start.

Well I’m almost done with my Friday morning rambling, but I must leave you with this question. Do you believe in romance? It’s a simple question. I’m curious about your responses. With romance being the best selling genre in books, I’m pretty sure at least more then 50% of you do.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Saturday morning and the coffee’s flowing…

I love Saturday mornings. For one thing I get to sleep in for a little longer and when I get that first cup of coffee I can sit and enjoy it. This morning is no different. I sit here sipping coffee and eating the biscuits my hubby pulled out of the oven as I walked down the hall. It’s wonderful to wake up to breakfast already cooked and the aroma of coffee drifting into the bedroom.

The day in Georgia will be dreary and rainy, but it’s Saturday so no matter. My day will be filled with decorating our Church for Christmas. I look forward to this every year. As I’ve said before several times, I love Christmas. It’s a fun time as we gather together to adorn His house with garlands, trees, snowflakes, ornaments and whatever else we can get out. When we’re done it’s transformed into another place, a place of excitement and enjoyment. The children will come in tomorrow and their eyes will let us know if we’ve accomplished our goals.

It’s the same with our writing. If the reader isn’t taken to another place or setting we’ve failed. I try to push the envelope. When I was writing Open The Heart I knew it would be different. I strived to put an element of the wow factor. I wanted you to feel the icy cold chill of a Christmas in the snowy Alps of Switzerland. I’ve had readers that said they felt like they were there.

That’s a writer’s goal. Take the reader away from their everyday stressful life, if only for a moment. When I read a book I want to be transported into another time or place. I want to see it in my mind through the words of the writer. If you can’t pull them into the story you’ve cheated them of a experience. When I wrote Open The Heart I could see every detail and I wanted my reader to see it and feel it. One time during a particular scene where they’re in the snow literally I actually had to wrap up. I had a chill as I wrote the story but when they were inside by the fire I shed the blanket. Funny how your writing affects you…

So, enjoy this day and make it your own. Embrace the world you live in. Do something for yourself today. It’s Saturday!!!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

One more thing, Check out the new link to my book at the bookclubreading.com at:

http://bookclubreading.com/open-the-heart/

and go over to avonromance.com to pick up some great Christmas romances. They’ve got a great selection to choose from.

Rainy day in the South

Well, I woke this morning to the pitter patter of rain. A very cold rain. It’s dark and dreary outside, but inside it’s warm and cheery. My writer’s mind is writing it as a sunny, beautiful day. That’s the fun thing about being a writer. I can rewrite the day in my pretend world. You may be saying, Stephanie, honey, your writing is not life. I’m well aware of that, but writing is part of my life. You make your feelings the way you want to.

If it’s drab outside you can control how you feel about it. You either let it get you in a crabby mood or you smile and say it’s a beautiful day. It’s the same with writing. You are the one that chooses the feeling of it. It can be sad, happy, scary, or whatever you want it to be. As I sit and work on finishing a sad to happy book it’s a good day to write the happy part.

You’re in control of your life. Well most of the time. Don’t let emotions control your life. I used to struggle with this. I’d let the day control me. If it was raining I’d be down and out. But I realized one day that I could control that. No I can’t control the weather before you ask, but I can control how I react to it.

It’s the same with my writing. I control the destiny of the characters. If they’re happy or sad it’s up to me.So as I sip my warm coffee, laced with pumpkin spice creamer I smile and say rain, rain, go away, come back another day. But I smile. Live every day with a smile. Come on, you feel that smile coming, just let it out.

I hope every one of you stay safe in this rolling storm system because of the icy side of it.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

Monday Morning’s Second Cup

If you haven’t noticed yet, it’s Monday morning. Yes, I know, don’t remind you.

Yesterday I went over one of my manuscripts in process. It’s the 2nd book in the “Lean On Him” Christian Romance series. The name is “Faith Through The Tears” and tears are the main point. I’ve been working on another manuscript and decided to get back to this one. I read over the manuscript to get my mindset on it and was blown away at the emotions.

As I read the opening 1st chapter tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn’t help but get emotional. I don’t know whether it stems from the emotional week I’ve had or what, but it affected me. Yes it’s a romance, not a dramatic thriller, but the first chapter is to draw you into the story. I will attach some of the first chapter below for your opinion. It’s funny but I have this whole book in my mind already. It’s just the emotional strain that’s made me walk away a couple of times.

Why does a fictional story evoke so much emotion? As a writer its like I know these people and what happens to them affects me. I feel like I’ve experienced the losses they have and the happiness they have. Maybe that’s a sign of good emotional writing, I don’t know, but I do know I’m keeping the tissues close as this one unfolds.

So, here’s a excerpt from “Faith Through The Tears” :

As he watched her lying in the hospital bed, tears streamed down his face. It was so hard watching her like this. They knew this moment was coming, but it’d happened so quickly. The doctor confirmed that she was out of remission only a month ago. He told them it didn’t look good for another round of chemo. They prayed on it and decided not to even try any more treatments.

He held her hand and watched for any sign that she might be in pain. She was a real trooper. Luke and Amanda brought the girls by and Rachel held up the strong act. They tried to hide the extent of her illness from the kids. The girls were so strong. Audrey was five and Shelby six. Audrey’s lip began to quiver a little as she looked at her mommy lying so pale on the bed. Shelby was quiet as she kept her eyes on the floor. When she did look at Rachel it was plain that she was holding back tears. They were too small to lose their mother. He was too young to lose the love of his life.

The nurse came in and checked her IV bag. She looked at Randy and gave him a smile that said how sorry she was. “Can I get you anything?” There was so much compassion in her eyes and the tone of her voice. She knew the same thing he knew. The time was near.

“Thank you, but I’m alright. I don’t think I could keep food down anyway.” He tried to smile, but it came off wobbly and moist from his tears. How could he even try to eat when his stomach was clenched in misery?

“If you need anything just buzz the nurse’s station. You’ll make yourself sick by not eating. You need to keep up your strength.” She gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and walked out. All the nurses knew him since he was on the police force. This was a small town and most of them went to their Church.

Their pastor and his wife had been wonderful. They took turns with Luke and Amanda watching the girls. The Church had even done a prayer vigil two days ago. He knew that God would do His will. He knew that Rachel was a good woman and had given her soul to the Lord a long time ago. She wasn’t afraid to die. They’d discussed and prayed about it on many occasions. The only fear she had was for him and the girls. Her eyes filled with tears just talking about the girls growing up.

Well, this was the unedited excerpt, hope you like it. Let me know your thoughts.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…