Growing as a Writer…

As a writer you have to learn from your mistakes. I’ve changed my writing quite a bit since the first published book. I’ve started to slow down the process a little. Now I actually go back every so many pages and edit. Not every time, but some of the time.

I’ve learned to write from my heart and not to try to please everyone. It’s hard to please all the wants of your readers. Sometimes I add a couple of elements that readers request. I even made some changes to one of my older publications to please a couple of readers requests. They just wanted a little extra information on the characters out of curiosity.

It’s been a wild ride this writing gig. I’ve started several blogs and Twitter pages. So, I guess I’ve grown in social media. As I’ve said many times, I’ve never been a social media butterfly. My blog posts have evolved also. I’ve listened to readers and gained a lot of friends and followers through it.

I’ve realized that not everyone is going to like your writing and not everyone is going to like cowboys. Why I don’t know, but that’s ok.

Have you grown as a writer? Do you learn from your mistakes?

As always good writing and May God Bless You…

“Victoria” Cover Reveal

I think this has been the hardest book cover for me. I’ve had in my mind what I wanted since I started to work on this book back last summer. But what’s funny about my mind is that it has a mind of it’s own. No really 🙂

I sat down with my cover designer and drew out what I had in mind. Well after several eyebrow arches and looks of “What?” later, she told me to hunt the pictures and we’d put it together.

As I searched the pictures I found two really cool antique looking photos and well, let’s just say that was it. My mind changed and the cover took on a whole new look. What’s even funnier is that the book that started out as a stand alone has turned into a several book saga. Well, I’ve always said the mind of a writer is crazy and takes many turns. Here’s that curvy road of my mind.

So without further talk, here’s the front cover for “Victoria” the first book in the “Women of Magnolia Hill Saga” :

Let me know what you think. I’m so excited about this one. It took on a life of it’s own and with my very talented cover designers extraordinary talents it’s done. Now I’ve got to get the book done. It’s over 20,000 words and hopefully will be 3 or 4 times longer when finished.

As always, Good Writing and May God Bless You…

In A Writer’s View…

Have you ever thought about what a writer was thinking when they wrote their books? Take for instance Romeo & Juliet which is a great, tragic romance, but what on earth was he thinking. I just wonder how popular he was at the time of his big debut. Did he get good reviews? Maybe he would have made it to the top of the New York Bestseller’s list if it would have been available then.

Then you have some of the more recent literature and you wonder where they learned about what they wrote about. Sometimes I wonder if horror writers sit around and try to figure out the grossest way to kill someone. Makes for good conversation over dinner with friends. “Hey, how would you like to kill someone?”. Good way to end up alone on Friday night.

Oh and don’t let me forget romance, my favorite genre. I’ve read some books that I wonder if the writer had experienced personally what happened in the book because it was so real. Then other times I wonder if they even know what romance is. I’ve read romance novels that don’t even show any romance and yet they’re supposed to be a romance.

I’ll tell you how I feel when I write. If it’s a sad part I usually cry. That’s when I know I’ve gotten to the core of the emotion. Then when I’m writing a really sweet, romantic part, well I usually cry again, but the point is I try to put as much emotion as I can. I was writing a part the other night where the main character was very angry and I laughed when my son asked why I was scowling so hard. I was actually angry with the other character. I guess that’s getting lost in the Writer’s view.

In my opinion God gave us emotions and we need to show them. Well sometimes we need to know when not to show them, but in writing the more emotion the better. Make the reader feel what you feel. I’ve had fans tell me they had to use a box of tissues reading one of my books. One even said they started really liking cowboy romance after reading on of them. I try to make my cowboys have feelings, but still be ruggedly handsome and able to take care of any situation.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

Being a Southern Writer

I’m often asked what it’s like to be a writer from the South. I usually shrug and say it’s like being a writer from the North I guess 🙂 Then they laugh and say they mean how do I write and not show my Georgia girl drawl in my writing?

Ok how do you write in a Georgia drawl 🙂 As a girl from the South I usually put a little southern flare in my writing I have to admit. It’s hard to take the southern out of the girl. I’m not ashamed of my Georgia drawl, because without it I wouldn’t be me.

Do you write in your own speech pattern? Sometimes it’s hard not to put some of yourself into your writing. So don’t try to change yourself just for your writing. That’s what makes you who you are. If you change who you are, you’re going to change your writing.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you….

Time… A writer’s Nemesis…

Time. We all wish for more time in the day. I don’t know how many times I’ve been working on something and wished for 25 hours in a day instead of 24. Someone told me the other day that I had too many irons in the fire, but I don’t agree.

I love to be busy. It’s a good thing since I’m a wife, mother, Accountant, Children’s Minister, Author and self publisher. Wow, what a list 🙂 Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but then again it’s rewarding.

Everything I do is because of a passion. I’m not the type of person to jump into something that I don’t like to do. Some aspects of my passions are not my favorite things to do, but that’s the nature of the beast.

As a writer you need a little time everyday to put pen to paper or fingers to keys. I love writing and don’t always have those precious minutes to write. I usually write at night when my son is watching television or playing his musical instruments. My husband is usually reading or watching television as I tap away. Some people say, how can you write when the television is blaring in the background, well it’s easy. I go into a world of my own when I write. It’s really scary sometimes how immersed I get.

So, make a plan. Sit down and work out a schedule of your passions. Make sure you give ample time to each one. That’s my goal this week to set up a schedule for writing. I’m going to set aside a little time each day to get that done. It may sound crazy, but in my busy life I need this to stay sane…

First and foremost I have to make sure to put in time for my family and especially for my faith. I have a prayer time everyday which helps me to get through my day. If you don’t you need to try it. It sets the tone for the day.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

P.S. Continue to pray for Oklahoma.

Getting to the heart of a writer…

I’ve been asked several times lately why I love to write. Well, that’s an interesting question. I write for a lot of reasons. I enjoy it for one. It’s very satisfying to put my thoughts and whims on paper and then have people buy them. I love to sit down with an idea and watch it take shape under my fingertips.

You know it’s the writer’s bug you have when the simplest thing inspires you to write. Watching a sunset can inspire you, but when you have the writer’s bug even a lady bug crawling on leaf can send you into a writing frenzy. Maybe that’s a little over the top but it’s not far off the mark. As a writer everything inspires me.

Sometimes I get an idea in the middle of the night and I have to get up and write it down. It will take over your thoughts until you get it down on paper. The heart of a writer is often open and raw. The only way to heal it is to write.

I know that if you have a true writer’s heart, then it’s a gift from God and you need to just open a notebook or turn on your computer and start writing. You only live once and if you’re meant to be a writer you need to at least give it a try. I’ve enjoyed every moment of being a writer. I’m so glad that my assistant gave me a nudge to publish the dusty manuscripts in my files.

As always good writing and May God bless you…

Romance…

Romance is so elusive and sometimes hard to find unless you’re reading it in a novel. That’s the comment I hear so often. I don’t believe this state of mind that many people have. Romance can be found, lost, and revived. Still a skeptic?

Romance has been around since the first day of creation. Some people search for it as they would gold in the hills. Sometimes you have it and just don’t see it at all. It’s that simple touch from your lover that sends tiny tendrils of goosebumps up your spine. It’s that simple look of pleasure that you share across the table.

Have you ever wondered where romance hides? Everyone has a moment when you think romance has gone away. Maybe it’s when finances are bad, tragedy looms, or when a marriage fails. Romance is still there, we just as humans put it behind our heart and refuse at times to pull it out again.

As a romance writer I try to bring romance into everyone’s heart. It’s one of the biggest sellers today, romance. Everyone wants it, but what lengths will they go to? Some will spend a fortune buying gifts to show romance, but true romance can’t be bought. It’s a part of you. A kiss is free, a look is free and a touch is free. Give it a try. You might enjoy finding a little romance.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you!

The mind of a writer!

The road we take as a writer is not always beautiful and lyrical. Most of the time it’s frustrating, nail biting, and down right scary. As I sit and watch the light mist fall outside my den window, I ponder what makes a good writer, what makes a bad writer?

The mind of a writer takes on several layers. A writer can swing from one emotion to another rapidly. It’s funny how quickly things change in the mind of a writer. I know personally I have had an idea about how a book would go and suddenly halfway through it takes a different turn. Sometimes I sit back and say “Wow, didn’t see that one coming” then I laugh to myself, why would I say that knowing it came from my own mind. Sometimes I think I have two brains, one the inner writer and two the outer person.

As a writer you usually see a story out of the simplest thing. I picked up a beautiful bright yellow leaf and looked at it. My mind exploding with possibilities. I traced the veins with my brain, suddenly thinking about a story line about the road less taken or maybe even a story line of the winding roads of life. Yep I got all that from a leaf.

Last night I was helping my son feed the dogs and he picked up a bowl outside and grabbed a slug. He immediately said, “Gross!” I immediately thought of a story about a person being a complete slug and how they pulled themselves out. This being thought of as I showed my son what happens to slugs as salt is sprinkled on them. Now that’s scary.

At Christmas time I get nostalgic and that brings on a wave of new writing possibilities in my mind. I can’t seem to stay on the same piece of work, I’m constantly swinging from one to the other. My mind saying you’ve got to do this, not that.

Don’t get me started on how music effects my writing. I have a long writing playlist. I use this while writing. It inspires me. It ranges from classical, country, classic rock, love, and just plain crazy. That might be my next blog post, the playlist of a writer.

Well, I’m through rambling. Aren’t you glad? As always good writing and if it comes through your head, write it down immediately and spread it into a story. You never know. May God bless and keep you.