Halloween not just for the kiddies!

I’ve always loved Halloween. The main reason is I get to act like a kid for a whole day. Well, tonight’s the “Trunk or Treat” at our Church and you got it, me being the Children’s Minister I’m in charge. Also being the Children’s Minister I get to totally go crazy with my costume. I’ve got to totally blow the kid’s minds. Well here are the last three years costumes.

1: Human Pumpkin (Had the smart idea of coloring my face with orange eye shadow. Guess what? It does not come off with soap and water. We had Church the next day and I had to go with an orange face.)

2: Hunter – That was fun. I dressed in my husband’s hunting clothes and I stayed warm all night.

3: Bouquet of Balloons – That was hilarious until someone located the pins inside the Church. I safety pinned blowed up balloons all over my black sweatshirt. I even had them on a headband on top of my head. I was colorful to say the least. My husband found my stash of straight pins in my Church office and when the night got a little slow, he decided to liven things up by busting my balloons when I wasn’t looking.

4: Country girl: This was not too much off the mark as I’m a country girl. But I added huge freckles and uneven ponytails.

Well, this year I decided to go a little different. I tried to think of something totally unusual. As if I’m not already totally unusual. I started thinking of different Bible characters that the kid’s would know. I finally got it! I will be Noah’s Ark, not Noah, but the Ark. Yes folks, I will be a boat (Well a cardboard simulation) and I even put animals standing all over the front. I will post a picture of myself tomorrow so you can see me.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween and a safe one. Be a kid and go crazy. You only live once and hey, you gotta just go for it. It makes you feel young again.

As always, good writing and may God bless you!

Back to School! Are you kidding?

Yep, you heard it right. I started some tax courses last night. Our wonderful Internal Revenue Service in their infinite wisdom has decided that we tax preparers and Accountants don’t have enough to do. I understand the need for furthering your education, that’s not the issue.

The thing that gripes me is that not only do we have to be tested to see if we can continue to do our job, but now we’re required by the end of the year to have 15 credit hours of schooling. I’ve always kept up my education, but this is going beyond. I know they are trying to get out the shady characters that call themselves tax preparers but most have not set a foot in a classroom, much less a tax forum, but this has gone a little over board.

The funny thing is we now have to pay for the privilege to do what we went to college and paid high dollars to learn how to do. We have to pay to get a number to practice under the IRS and we also have to pay to take high dollar classes and now the required testing that was not supposed to cost much has not gone up. What next?

Well, I started going over the study courses last night. I realized I’m out of study practice. Hand me a real world scenario any day, but some of the garbage they’re handing out is purely laughable. Oh well, guess the writing will be put to a minimum until I finish all 8 courses, yes 8! Not to mention the quizzes and final exams for each. Like my life was not busy enough.

Oh well, I’ll get off my soapbox and get to work, since I now have less time in the day. Hope all of you have a wonderful Tuesday and May God always bless you in all you do!

My Favorite Halloween Movie…

I’m so excited. Tonight my favorite Halloween movie is coming on. It’s Hocus Pocus. I’ve never been into scary movies. I like funny scary. Give me Disney’s Haunted Mansion or Hocus Pocus and I’m set. I get excited at Halloween because that means Christmas is just around the corner. Have a wonderful night! Watch out for spooks!

Why publish a paperback?

I had someone laugh at me for publishing my books in paperback. I was astonished. For a few seconds I could not even respond. When did we lose the art of picking up a paperback and turning pages. I still get a thrill out of picking up a book and reading, don’t get me wrong, I still use my Kindle too. But there is something about the smell of a paperback and the feel in your hands. Maybe I’m old fashioned and I won’t apologize for that, but it still holds a special place in my life.

Also, on the point of publishing, it feels really good to hold a book in your hand that has your name on the front. It is like when you are pregnant, the baby is in your stomach and it is obvious that their is a baby there, but when you can actually hold it in your arms it makes it real. Just like with a book. The first time I held one of my books in my hands was surreal. I actually shed a tear or two. It was so different from looking at it on a computer screen or a e-reader.

I can also tell you that Shakespeare feels different when read on the computer. There is something about the classics in book form that just pulls you in and grabs you. SO please do not throw out all of your books. If you have not picked up an actual book lately, try it. You might find out that it still has potential. By the way there are still many people who do not have e-readers, so you have to get your books in their hands too.

Well, I’m off my soapbox until next time. Have a great Friday and as always have a blessed one and good writing! Remember today starts the weekend. (We have Fall Break next week so I’m sleeping in!!!)

Romance…

Well, here goes the soapbox. I attended a sweet, romantic outdoor wedding Saturday night. It was two good friends that have had a beautiful romance and finally made it official. I have heard some comments lately that have surprised me about how our society views romance.

Several people have made comments that romance is just a part of our imagination. When people say that to me I go red with anger. Why do these people feel that way? Probably they have never had true love hit their heart. I don’t know, but I know that romance is still alive. To me romance can be in a look, a sigh, a touch, a single word, a moment, and so much more. It does not have to be a candlelit dinner or big gesture.

I want to recommend a book to you that is a wonderfully written romance. “The Last Dance” by Wyatt McIntyre. I finished this book last night and I have to say I was pleasantly pleased. If you do decide to read it, please have the tissues ready. Maybe it is just me, but I cried in the first chapter. Just curl up with a cup of hot chocolate or hot tea and enjoy.

So guys and girls, let’s not let romance die. I personally feel like a little romance lives in everyone of us. It is just that people don’t want to let that part of them out. It is a wonderful part of you, so let it out. It will help your relationship immensely. Just give him or her a look across the table that says, “You are special to me” and see how they respond. Let me know how it goes.

As always, have a blessed day and good writing.

Basking in the glow…

Well as I bask in the glow of the first weekend of “A Love Never Lost” my newest novel, I contemplate what next? I know in my previous blog I talked about finishing one of the many that have been started. Well, boy was I wrong. As I sat with my trusty laptop on my lap watching television, my mind kept drifting to the 2nd part to my “Flames of Love” series.

All that has been started on that one is the name, which usually doesn’t come to me until midway or after I type The End. This one came to me before I ever finished the first book in that series, “Tender Flames”. It has done really well on the free offering on Smashwords.com as it has garnered over 1000 Downloads.

Today I will follow my heart which is what any romance author should do. That following will lead me into “Rekindled Flames” and carry on the “Flames of Love” series. I know my assistant is probably going to strangle me, but I have to follow my gut feeling and it says go for it, step out there and jump.

So as we go into this dreary southern Monday (it is raining in Georgia, finally), have a good day and remember it is only 5 days until the weekend.

Third Cup of Coffee!

Well, it’s Thursday morning. My son is at school and my hubby has gone to work. My mind in swirling with words to put into my current book. I am so excited about this new one.

I just can’t seem to type fast enough to get the words out of my head. I can see the whole ending and I am chomping at the bit or keys as it would be. I worked last night in between watching “The Voice”. My son kept looking at me like I was crazy. I was actually smiling and chewing my lip as I typed.

Have you ever been so into a manuscript that your every thought was focused on it? I had a new thought yesterday for a new spin that has totally rocked my manuscript. One of my characters is going totally on another direction from the original thought.

It is funny how your mind works when you are into a manuscript. You think you have the right answers, but as you type your mind goes ahead of your fingers and totally changes everything. It is so cool how the process just develops on the scope of the work. I can’t tell you where the idea is going, because that would be a “spoiler”. I can tell you that my editor/assistant read up to what I had finished yesterday and she is now not speaking to me. She said she could not believe that I let her read it to that point and left her hanging over a cliff with no reprieve. I just smiled and knew I had accomplished what I wanted.

I know I have said other books were my favorite, but I can honestly say this one has taken 1st prize in my heart. I have honed my writing skills and took into account different reviews of my other books. I have changed techniques and ways of describing characters and places. Just can’t wait to type the end, but then again it has been such a big part of my life for the past month or so that I will probably have withdrawals. LOL!!!♥

It’s Friday!

It is finally Friday! I know you have until 5:00 until the weekend officially starts but, do a little dance, spin around in your desk chair, and smile, because it is almost here. Enjoy the next two days because you deserve it. Weekends are a time of rest, contemplation and family bonding. So, go get a pizza and a movie. Sit down with your family or significant other, or all by yourself and just live. Have a great Weekend fellow bloggers!

Summer’s almost over, Bring on Autumn!

Well, it’s official, Labor Day weekend is here. I always feel this refreshing giddiness during Labor Day weekend. I look forward to the crisp Autumn air and the beautiful palette of colors that God uses to color the many trees in front of my house. Case in point, picture above is front yard last fall. I always feel good, knowing the hot, humid southern summer is almost over. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer too, but after two months of 1oo degree days, bring on Autumn!

Autumn is a beautiful time of year. There are so many festivals and fairs to attend. There’s the annual trip to the North Georgia Mountains. Also, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. My favorite time of year! I walked in the grocery store this week and was assailed with the scent of cinnamon. It took me to another time and place. I was suddenly humming “Jingle Bells”. My son just looked at me and laughed. Then he told me to hum quietly, someone might hear me.I obliged since he is not feeling well. He is coming down with a dreaded summer cold, as am I. Good thing it will be a three day weekend

With this renewal of spirit, I plan to have a write-a-thon this weekend. I have set a goal to finish one of the manuscripts I am working on. It is lovingly entitled “New Book” and no I am not leaving it named that. I hope the name will come to me as it progresses. This is one of those books that just keeps evolving with every chapter. It will be the longest novel I have written so far. I was surprised when I actually looked at the page count. I am already at 125 pages and nowhere near the climax or the ending.

My assistant is busily working on my 4th video trailer. She has promised to strangle me if I work on one of my other manuscripts in process. I am excited about this new book. Hopefully by Monday afternoon I will have a completed manuscript, ready for editing and cover design.

So, Happy Labor Day to all! Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and for those of you from other countries, go ahead and consider yourself honorary Americans and take the weekend to enjoy life!

Character Analogy through my eyes!

Character Analogy!

Writing in a good character is sometimes the nemesis of writing. (To me that is!) When I sit down with a story in mind, sometimes the main character is unknown to me. I have to figure out how this character will evolve in the story.

First, I try to get a hold on the timeline that the story will tell. Will this be a story that takes place over years or just months or maybe even a couple of days. That tells me a lot about the age of the characters.

Second, Attitude,Attitude, What kind of attitude will the main character have? Will he or she be a real humble, quiet person or will they be sassy and noisy?

Third, Looks! Very important in a character, to me that is. When I read a book I like to be able to picture the person as the story unfolds. It helps make the story come alive in the readers mind and in the writers mind.

Fourth, Location. Will this be in a cold wintery setting, warm southern climate, or will it go many places. also important to make sure you put as much detail in your surroundings as possible without getting long winded. Why do I put this is my character analogy? Well, you need to know where the person is from, this makes up the character themselves. If they live in Montana, Georgia, Europe, or elsewhere, this could make the story turn differently and have a different feel. You usually don’t find a beach bunny or bum in Montana! (Smiling)

Fifth, Will your main character stay the same or will they change when the story evolves?

Sixth, the dreaded name of the character. Sometimes the name is automatic when the story comes through my head, but keep in mind the time period you are writing in and the names that would have been used. Sometimes that sets the tone.

I know this may not be the way most writers see their characters, but this helps me to make a connection with the person that will consume my thoughts and musings until the book is finished. I just hope it helps others while struggling with their characters bio.