IWSG: The Terror of Completion

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Insecure Writers Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the the June 3 posting of the IWSG will be M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

The manuscript for the first of my Cherry Hill stories--Mother's Day--is complete in the hands of my beta readers. (Love y'all to pieces!) So what's next? (I'll admit to a bit of terror at this point.)


Good question. My first answer, in light of my first contest responses (95, 70, 61), is that I'm not ready to query. I could stare at the list of things to do:

• Write a query
• Research agents
• Read a ton of craft books (Thank you for that suggestion)
• Etc.

I could take a break and rest while my beta readers read, but I think that's a dangerous course. Would I ever start again? Possibly not. So I'm not stopping. I'll read craft books (notably: Monica Wood's Description, Don Maass's Writing 21st Century Fiction, and Desmond Morris's "little" sociology text Man Watching.) The last book is an attempt to make my body language more realistic, more varied than grins, winks, shrugs, and frowns. I'm planning an online workshop with Barbara Rogan sometime this summer. I'll also keep my hand in writing as I work through Cherry Hill book 2--Friendly Fire.

Wish me luck! What do you do when you're waiting and know you need to retrench a bit? Got any suggestions for me?

Next Week: the first of three mini book reviews...Yes, I've been reading. ;-)

Bonus Tuesday: Snip, An Update, and Input Request

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 It's been an earthquake month in my writing world. My WIP is six and a half years old. Wouldn't you think it's about time I really understood the story? ;-) It started with a working title of MOTHER'S DAY. The basic story was of a recently widowed, retired teacher who was still aching over the fact that she is childless. When she meets an abused foster child, she begins a journey that leads her to become a foster and adoptive parent. Slowly it evolved into a story about abuse in all its various guises and the working title changed to FRIENDLY FIRE.

This month I attempted writing a synopsis and ran into to a huge problem--I had too much story for one book. ;-) And so, with the help of some friends, I revamped and rejuvenated the original theme and MOTHER'S DAY is on again. Now my Cherry Hill series has grown to a potential list of five books centering on the Chandler and Talley families.

I thought I'd get your input on the one paragraph "back cover" version of MOTHER'S DAY:

 Newly widowed retired teacher, Laura Grace Chandler's long-buried ache of childlessness is becoming an open sore. But after meeting Samantha Smith, an abused foster child, she finds that abuse is rampant in her hometown. And she’s at ground zero.  Though Laura Grace isn’t a mother, she knows the look of a child whose parents are missing in action; she’s seen hundreds of children in this position during her thirty years of teaching. Samantha has all the signs. As she gets to know the girl, Laura Grace is drawn to be the mother this child needs.  But to dive into the breach and become this child’s shield, she must open herself to heartache—again.

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I'd love some more input from you, my loyal readers. Since I've been doing the new topic rotation at The Shade (June, July, August, and September) I've noticed that author interviews get the most page views. Mini book reviews and snips weeks come in second. The tips week is lagging behind. 

Comments on the actual blog have been lagging. Though, comments on Facebook and Twitter have been growing. I've been working on promotion through those two outlets and Google + as well. Though, now that I've found the answer to "How do you add share buttons to the bottom of each post?" I'm hoping traffic picks up.

So, what do you think? Is the new schedule working? Do you have any suggestions? Please give me some feedback either here In The Shade, on Facebook, on Twitter (#InTheShade), or at Google +. I can't wait to see what you think?

Speaking of blog posts, check out Rachelle Gardner's post on "13 Simple Tips for a Better Blog"

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Next week: Snips!

Peek-a-Boo!

September Writing Tip Week: How To Start Your Novel

Source

We all know that the first 250 words of our novels can make or break getting an agent, publisher--but most of all--readers. So, how do we make sure our beginnings are pulling readers in? Thanks to the weekly Industry News from Women's Fiction Writers Association, I found a great blogpost on Anne R. Allen's blog. In it her guest, Janice Hardy, analyzed four failings of opening pages.

1. Having too much backstory and information
2. Crafting a one-dimensional scene
3. Using a fake opening
4. Having a lazy protagonist

Our next step is to analyze the way we usually open. I have to admit I'm most prone to including too much backstory and information. Cutting out the fat and saving it for later is a challenge. Thankfully, I've been a member of writing groups who have helped me see all the necessary bits that needed to be cut. My buddies at the Books and Writers Forum have been the victims readers of many of my failed attempts. 

So, I invite you to weigh in. What do you think about the first 250 words of FRIENDLY FIRE?

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A cloud of sweet baby powder tickled my nose as Jen’s daughter Kayleigh helped a toddler to the serving tables. I hugged my arms to keep from grabbing the child from the teen and burying my nose in his bright silky hair. So many little foster children and none of them would spend Mother’s Day with their moms tomorrow.
 
How many times had my best friend Rosemary told me I needed to get out and back into the swing of things? Her constant concern chafed like a new shirt.
 
The foster family respite party wasn’t what she had in mind. All these poor children. So, what had I been thinking to choose this party of all places? Yet, here I was, pushing cookies, home-baked of course, on grade-school kids at the church’s foster family party.
 
Though I wasn't a mother, I knew the look of children whose parents were MIA. The tall thin blond at the end of the table was a poster child for them all. Her shoulders hunched as the noise of little children at play ricocheted off the fellowship hall’s block walls. Of course she was a foster child, too. But, unlike the others, she wasn’t playing. She didn’t even have a plate of goodies. Her only movement came from her curls that were caught in the current from the air conditioning.

My Tom, God rest his soul, would have sat cross-legged on the floor playing games with the kiddies or giving piggy back rides like some of the men were. We’d poured out our love on other people’s children for over thirty years in our classrooms. Now all I could do for them was bake cookies for them.

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Here's another nifty link for you. Check out The Secret of How to Make Your Book Un-PutDown-able.

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Next Week: September Mini Book Reveiws!

A Poem and an Update on FRIENDLY FIRE

Source

I'm enjoying sharing my poetry on the snips and poetry weeks here In the Shade. Since my focus is on fiction at the moment, poetry is an occasional occupation for me. The poem has to jump out of my brain and demand to be written to get my attention. Here's one that will probably find itself in the fourth Cherry Hill book...if I ever get to it. ;-) It came to me in bits and pieces in a dream. I could hear it said by a particular character from my Cherry Hill stories. Talk about being eery!

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A China Cup

A china cup—chipped,

A garden trowel—bent,

A measuring spoon—dented.

All too small, too fragile

To hold a life well lived.

Her portrait on the wall,

Her books waiting to be read,

Her appointments abandoned.

All too empty, too cold,

Because she is gone.

And so is he.

His shared life—

Beyond repair.

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Update on FRIENDLY FIRE

I'm starting a new push to get this story finished. There's 349 double-spaced pages in my compiled print out.  If I edit, rewrite, plug holes at a rate of 2.3 pages a day, I'll finish by December 31. Wish me luck! ;-) I've already dealt with 78 pages.

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Next Week: Tips Week--Story Structure

Character Traits: Why Does Laura Grace Bake?

The characters who stick in our minds the most are the ones who have identifiable actions and traits that are unique to them in the story. Some characters run their hands through their hair when upset or worried. Others fiddle with their glasses. Finding the right trait for a character is as important as their name and more important than hair and eye color.

A writer has to ask themselves: what makes my main character stand out? I got lucky with FRIENDLY FIRE'S main character--Laura Grace Chandler. She showed up in the very first scene I saw her in with her identifiable trait--her delectable baking.

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“Isn’t it great, Laura Grace?” A grin crinkled my friend Jen’s eyes as she looked around the room, then she turned to me. “I didn’t expect so many foster kids, but we have enough goodies for an army. And it wouldn’t be a party without your teacakes.” 

I piled my cookies closer to the edge of the tray so the little ones could more easily reach them better. “Glad they’re a hit. You had a good idea to give the foster parents with a bit of respite.”

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I've been asked many times what exactly what type of baked good tea cakes are. ;-) So, I thought you'd enjoy the recipe for Laura Grace's Tea Cakes. Thanks to my sister, Thea, I have a copy of the oldie, but goodie tea cakes we enjoyed as children.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups self-rising flour

Mix all ingredients except for the flour. Gradually add flour until the dough is stiff enough to roll out. Roll out and cut. Be sure to roll it out between 1/8 to 1/4 inches thick.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Don't cook until the cookies are brown. They will be too crisp and burnt on the bottom.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies depending on what shape cutter you have. Ice if you wish. Our family loved butter cream frosting.

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Laura Grace has somewhere between 50 and 75 different fun cutters. Butterflies, birds, fish, leaves, Christmas trees and bells...you name it and she has it. 

Have fun baking and save me a cookie. ;-)

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Thanks, Charlotte Rains Dixon, for this new mantra: Process is everything. Product happens. ;-)

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Next Week: Snips and Poetry Week!

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Barbara Rogan's A DANGEROUS FICTION is on sale today in paperback! Check it out HERE.

Poems and Snips Week

July comes in the Tuesday the first and I had to find a bit of my own words for you.

Here's a favorite poem to go with the season of gardening and in honor of my very own gardening guru, my hubby. ;-)

 Hidden Timber

Hidden timber,
Bones of a flowerbed,
Limiting untamed growth;
Producing Flowers and Beauty;
Roots directed, and
Guided deep.

Hidden man,
Bones of the soul within,
Limiting untamed whim;
Producing Honor and Courage;
Strength directed, and
Guided deep.

--Zan Marie Steadham
April 5, 2009

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Here's a snip of what I've been writing for FRIENDLY FIRE this week:

“So, why did you discourage me when I wanted to help her?”
 

Her jaw tightened then she let out a sigh. “You’re not going to like this.”
 

I bit my lip. “Go on.”
 

Her eyes glistened with tears. “You’re on your own. Tom’s not here any more.” Her shoulders dropped. “I didn’t think you would be able to take care of her by yourself. She’s not an angel, no matter how many times you call her one.”
 

I stared at the dregs of my tea. 
 

So. That’s what she thought of me after decades of friendship. I thought she respected me. But no. All she saw was weakness now that I was without Tom.
 

Dragging my gaze from the tea, I met her eyes. Flames of anger rose and I felt my face heat. “Really? You think I’m so lost. After all this time—” My voice shook and I turned from her as hot tears began to roll down my face.
 

I rose and headed for her back door. It would be a long time before I came back. “Thanks for the tea, but I’ll leave your opinion of my abilities to help Samantha with you.”
 

My hand was on the doorknob when she touched my shoulder. “Laura Grace, stay. Listen to me.”
“Why? So you can make me feel like an inconsequential nothing?” I turned the knob. “Thank you, but I’ll pass.”
 

I was out of the door and halfway to my house, when she caught up with me. “Laura Grace! I said you’re doing a wonderful job.” Her voice shook. “You asked me why I discouraged you. I answered truthfully. Now, I know better.”

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Have a safe and happy Fourth of July! ;-)

Snip Week--a poem and an update on FRIENDLY FIRE

It's the first week of the month and I promised you some snips, poetry, or something of the sort. I thought I'd share a "found poem". The rules are to read anything and collect phrases and then try to construct a poem from them. This is an exercise from Sara Crawford's THIRTY DAY WRITING CHALLENGE.

I used a review of the recent movie remake of Godzilla. Really. ;-) The not-so-good review turned into a commentary on a bad marriage. Yep, you read that right. Here goes. The found phrases are in Italics.

She’d gotten the short end of the stick.
Again.
Of course.
He looked like someone who
Everyone thinks is a standup guy—
One communicating with a slow burn—
With the tone and character
To counter balance
Life’s pains.

Only the worried wife
Knew the disastrous truth—
He was the world’s most famous monster—
A man dedicated to thunderous applause
And spectacular blows.

Her life would be vastly improved
If she only existed for his short attention span
Instead
Of awakening his dormant,
Meticulous, cool notes
Of prolonged disdain.
 (copyright May 15, 2014)

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FRIENDLY FIRE Update:

I've reworked two scenes using this month's B&W Forum exercise on details. Making them count and tying them to the POV character's emotions is a big craft item for me. I've loved every minute of it. It's like the idea of setting details has finally clicked for me. 

I've also been working on digging deeper into my secondary characters--Rosemary and her son Dean. This is as eye-opening as the digging I did on Samantha earlier this year. It's all necessary to make FRIENDLY FIRE the best it can be--a layered story that will hook readers into my world of Cherry Hill.

Getting It In Gear--Write Club and Thirty-Day Challenge

All of the writers I know want to get better at their craft and to get feedback. I certainly do. If not for the wonderful feedback at the Books and Writers Forum and my truly special Facebook writing buddies group, I'd still be stuck with a simple two-dimensional story.

Thank goodness, there are craft books galore to help out with the first desire. I love them! When I can get one for free, I'm over the moon. If you're interested, try this free book: The Thirty-Day Challenge.

Here's the Amazon description:

The 30-Day Writing Challenge encourages beginner and advanced writers alike to stretch their writing muscles and create or enhance a daily writing habit. Each day, a new writing exercise/prompt is presented in an inventive collection that focuses on technique, inspiration, and craft by taking a comprehensive look across multiple forms and genres of writing.

Free is my favorite price. ;-)

Once you've honed your craft, it's time for feedback. After all, we want readers, don't we? I've done a few blog contests before, but this one really intrigues me. DL Hammons is sponsoring WRiTE Club.The contest is based on the movie "Fight Club" and will feature head-to-head contests between writers. The winner will be picked by a panel of publishing industry professionals.

 

Are you up to the challenge?

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FRIENDLY FIRE update:

I haven't posted an update since I decided to plow back in and mine the layers of Samantha, my foster child. Between the B&W Forum April X, the Don Maass Workshop at WFWA,  and my SOC buddies, I'm finding that I didn't really know Samantha beyond the first image I had of her. She's so much more than I had imagined. My WIP is thankful for the layers and I'm having fun leaning what she's been hiding.

Blurbing, and how to do it...

Many readers think that writers just tell stories. Writing books takes a lot of time, effort, diligence, and craft to get the story down on paper so that readers can enjoy it.

But writing doesn't stop there. Once a book is written and polished, a writer has to sell it to agents and publishers, not to mention to readers. ;-) Doing all that requires many hours of painstaking work writing in very different forms. Query letters must be constructed to catch agents' attention. Synopses are written to show the scope of the story to publishers. And if all those obstacles are overcome, writers must construct blurbs or back-cover copy to catch a reader's eye.

Ruth Harris says it's never too early to start on a blurb. Check her 8 Tips for Writing That Killer Blurb. for more on her methods. Harris describes good blurbs as a "...little bit act, a little bit craft, a little bit commercial poetry.

Joanna Penn's How to Write a Back Blurbs for Your Book  uses examples to help explain what blurbs must do.

Mark Edwards explains that a well-written blurb/product description helped his book rise to #2 at Amazon.co.uk. Check out his five steps here: Product Description: AKA The Blurb

And Marilynn Bylery's Writing the Back Cover Blurb for genre-specific hints.

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So, now for my turn. Here is a first try at a blurb for FRIENDLY FIRE.

Our deepest wounds  come from those who should be our greatest protection.

At least that's what Laura Grace Chandler wishes were true, but she knows the look of a child whose parents are MIA from her many years of teaching. And though she thinks her time binding up the wounds is over, she finds herself caught at ground zero when she looks into Samantha Smith's eyes. 

And now, Laura Grace must act, do whatever it takes to heal the abuse Samantha has suffered. Just when she has finally won her battle to adopt Samantha, she finds her biggest and most devastating battle is yet to come. 

Let me know what you think. Does this hook you? Of is it too wordy?   Come on, be brutal. I can take it... ;-)

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Be sure to check out award-nominated author Lori Benton's latest book--The Pursuit of Tamsen Little John  that goes on sale today. Lori is a finalist in The Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Book Awards for 2013 in Inspirational Romance for her debut book--Burning Sky--and a finalist in the ECPA's 2014 Christian Book Awards for Burning Sky. Be sure and check out this up and coming author. I interviewed her August 20, 2013.

Anniversaries and Such (and a few nifty links)

The cherry trees are in full bloom in Cherry Hill. Enjoy!

Today marks an important anniversary for me. One year ago, I took over the Goals Threads at the Book and Writers Forum from the wonderful S. P. Bowers. I hope I'm helped others keep their writing on track. I know having to check in at the beginning, middle, and end of every month has really kept me on my toes and on track.

It was six years ago in March that a dream introduced me to my two main characters--Laura Grace Chandler and Samantha Smith. I had no clue where they were going to take me, but I'm enjoying the roller-coaster ride. Through their story, I've learned about abuse, social work, foster parents, foster families, foster parent training, Georgia's Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), and all sorts of other interesting problems in today's world. Along with Laura Grace and Samantha, I've worked through some terrible results of abuse. They and their friends and not so friendly neighbors have spawned at least three more stories. I really had hoped to celebrate this anniversary with a complete draft of FRIENDLY FIRE, but I'm not upset that I can't. A better story is preferable to a premature ending that doesn't do the story justice.

I've been blogging for the last four years and ten months and through that I've made fast friends and learned more about writing than ever knew existed. Thanks to you all!

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And now for this week's LINKS! I love both of these.

Check out Kristen Lamb's Premature Editing post. I've been very prone to this problem lately. I wanted reach a completed draft so badly that I've slashed a few keepers who are starting to bud. Thanks to Scrivener, I've been able to recreate much of what's been cut.

Catherine, Caffeinated's info on Contact Forms  Be sure to check out my new Contact Form on the left. (I promise it works. I tried it out and contacted myself!) ;-)

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Have a wonderful and productive week! Hopefully Spring is finally here. ;-)

I've Got Links and the Self Lovin' Bloghop

As you know, I'm chin-deep in revision/re-imagining/rewriting/re-everything with FRIENDLY FIRE, so here's some inspirational links to keep us going.

There's a lovely checklist on this one and suggestions for polishing it off. Check out the links at the end, too.
How Do You Know When Your Manuscript Is Ready?

I love this one! There's so many words to weed on this list, it should keep us busy for a while.
Plague Words and Phrases

I particularly like Ame Dyckman's "Door Test" and Lisha Cauthen's list of when to let it go.
How Do Authors Know When Their Manuscripts Are Ready?

And for you OUTLANDER fans:

Outlander Starz Instagram 

STARZ Outlander 

DianaGabaldon
 
And if you aren't a fan...What are you waiting for?  

And now the Self Lovin' Blog Hop from Tara Watson. She wants us to do something radical. She wants us to tell something positive about ourselves. I didn't have to go far to find something. Look at the rest of this blogpost. I'm want to encourage others with helpful links. That's right, I'm a natural-born encourager. If you know me from the Goals posts at Book and Writers Forum or from the WFWA Write-A-Thin, you've gotten a taste of my love of making others feel good about themselves. That's the goal of Tara's Bloghop! So, go on board and make some positive noise!!!

Earthquake!

Have you ever taken a class, read a craft book, or discussed your WIP with someone and felt the earth shake under your feet when you realized that you've missed an important facet of your plot? Well, this week has been that sort of week for me. As I understood my pot until this week, I only saw one facet of Samantha's reaction to the abuse she has had to endure. She was a withdrawn child, quiet unto eeriness. Now I realize that her journey is fraught with a much more explosive reaction and, therefore, so is Laura Grace's.

Donald Maass is the President of Donald Maass Literary Agency and a premier agent. He's written Writing the Breakout Novel, The Fire in Fiction, and conducts many writing workshops every year. Last week he lead the member of the WFWA on an intensive look at Writing with Emotional Power. He has a book in process on these very topic and used some of the exercises from it for our workshop.

Don began the week by telling us that our genre, Women's Fiction,  is different from others in some specific ways. For one thing, there are more internal passages in which the protagonist moves through emotional reactions to the events and problems around her. For another, the protagonist's journey will necessitate more telling passages. Women's Fiction feels deeply--character and reader--and it takes telling/showing, inner/outer, and implicit/explicit emotions to do it. Effective WF fires the heart and uses small, throw away emotions and details. Small events can cause big emotions His aim was to teach us how to craft and control the reactions, shape emotional effects, and intentionally get a specific reaction. The MC must have room to have angst, but the proper use of internal narration and telling passages is a must, so that the story will be as griping and intense as any thriller, suspense, or mystery. The question becomes: Will the protagonist grow enough to handle the thrill ride of her life? There has to be room for doubt.

So, how do you accomplish those twin differences without boring your reader to tears? (Unless it's tears you want at that point ;-) Don has specific answers for that question.

• Lesson 1 How to Transform Blah Scenes with Inner Turning Points: Every scene must have change and the protagonist's emotional reaction to that change is the story. How does this change affect the MC? Is it good or bad? How does it affect others in the scene? What does this change mean to the MC's journey throughout the story?


• Lesson 2 How Actions Provoke Or Not and How to Judge: How does your MC react to a difficult choice. Making the choice visible using unique details for the setting and recording the reaction of the MC is key. Once you let external action speak to the internal reaction, you bring the reader into the key turning point moment.


• Lesson 3 Emotional Surprise and How to Achieve It: If your MC always reacts emotionally the way the reader expects, the story becomes boring. So, drill down into the second and third emotional reaction layers to create a strongly felt event. 


• Lesson 4 Constructing Extended Passages of Telling: Telling isn't always bad if it is constructed in a way that pulls the reader in. In places where your MC is stuck, self-doubting, morally offended, etc., the writer should dig down for those interior reactions, the bedrock of the character's life.


• Lesson 5 The Emotional Arc of Your Audience: Finally, a writer must control and direct the reader's emotional journey, too. We took a secondary character and plotted out what we wanted the reader to feel in the beginning, middle, late middle, and end. In one of these stages, we had to go for the opposite reaction than what the reader expected. And this is were FRIENDLY FIRE was rocked off its foundation for me. ;-) Samantha is a little hellion, not all sweetness and light as I saw her before. Now Laura Grace must earn her stripes as a mother against much higher odds. Before I saw the story as Laura Grace vs. the world in her fight to protect Samantha. Now, I realize I must let Laura Grace face  the challenge of mothering a disturbed teen.

To be completely open about this, I have to admit that John has been trying to get me to see this for over a year. Yep. That long and I've been reluctant (he says stubborn) to see the need. Well, now I do.

So, what does that mean to my strive to complete the FRIENDLY FIRE MS this month? It means that I have a complete overhaul coming instead of a celebration of completion. And you know what? I'm good with that. It's going to be a much better story, a more gripping read--one that will stick with the reader longer. Wish me luck!



Don Maass Workshop, FRIENDLY FIRE Update, and a Reminder

It's a busy week and I'm learning so much! This is the week of WFWA's Don Maass Workshop on Inner vs Outer – Writing with Emotional Power. The description is:

What’s the best balance between inner vs. outer, telling vs. showing, emotions vs. actions? This hands-on writing workshop by master craft instructor and agent Donald Maass will equip you with the techniques that give manuscripts high emotional force.

Mr. Maass has retooled his trademark ideas for Women's Fiction specifically, and I'm going to soak it up and then apply the new craft to FRIENDLY FIRE. Just answering the Introduction Questions helped me fine tune my WIP already. Check them out!

1- What do I want my readers to feel most strongly as they read my novel.
Determination, love, and triumph: My MC must overcome depression, grief, and fear of aging. The determination to accomplish this is key to her growth. Love is the reason she finds the determination to reach out and help an abused foster child. And finally, triumph from making a child's life better and facing the wounds from both of their pasts.
2- What do I like best and least about my MC?
I love my MC's ability to rise up out of depression from losing her husband of 30+ years and the long-time grief of childlessness. Even though she is getting older and slower, she still has the strength to put herself on the line--heart, mind, body, and soul--to help a sexually abused foster child. Though she thinks she no longer has the strength to do much, still she tries. Once she has a plan to help, she isn't easily deterred.
3- Pick a blah scene.
Oh, there are many to choose from! I have narrowed it down to her dark hour when she thinks she must give the child up to her newly released from prison father. It's a tough scene where she tries to come to terms with relinquishing her desire to be a mother yet again.

If I'm a bit absent around the blogosphere, you'll know where I am. Working hard on my assignments for this workshop.

FRIENDLY FIRE Update: I'm nearing the halfway mark in my reread/edit/hole filling mission. Some of the scenes have been good, but others are horrid. ;-) That's the way writing is, isn't it?

Easter Reminder: Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. If you'd like a Lenten devotional, AN EASTER WALK is now available as an ebook.

 Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Need to get ready for Easter? Along with the new spring clothes, candy eggs, and lilies, take a walk with Christ to Jerusalem and the Cross. Join the crowds at the Temple and the Last Supper in the Upper Room, and find His message of peace and hope. Preparing for Easter is the focus of the Season of Lent. Many see it as a time of repentance for sins committed during the year and reflection on Christ’s sacrifice. An Easter Walk from Palm Sunday to the Ascension provides forty devotions and is a great way to contemplate Christ’s purpose and mission and to consider the importance of following Christ’s steps throughout the year. An Easter Walk is a companion volume to A Christmas Walk.

Zan Marie Steadham is the author of An Easter Walk and two books on church history. She is a 2009 Georgia Author of the Year Nominee. She writes fiction, devotions, and poetry and is a member of a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the CompuServe Books and Writers Forum.

I hope you have a fun and productive week of writing, reading, or just relaxing. ;-)

Winter Weather in Cherry Hill

When I created Cherry Hill, Georgia, it came with all the winter weather I grew up with and this winter has been a particularly cold and snowy season. Here are some pictures from last week. This week will be in the 70s several days.

As the saying goes: if you don't like Georgia's weather, stick around three days, it will change. ;-)

Enjoy the photos.

First Baptist Temple through the cherry limbs

Icy roads with ice and snow covered trees

Nandina berries

Cherry limb coated in ice and layered with snow

FRIENDLY FIRE Update: I'm still plugging along, averaging a chapter a day. On I go to a complete draft by the end of March...I hope. ;-)

Blog Blitz! (and an Update on FRIENDLY FIRE)

DL Hammons has created one of the most intriguing and ongoing blog blitzes ever. Click on the link below the Blog Blitz badge to see the most amazing way to spread good cheer and encouragement among bloggers. Remember, we're all in this together.

Blog Blitz

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FRIENDLY FIRE Update: I'm working back through the entire manuscript, seeking out rough places and holes. So far, I've had to do major surgery on two chapters and minor surgery on all the others. Eight down, fifty-seven to go. ;-)

Write-A-Thin Check In

 

 

One month. One goal. That's the plan at least. The Women's Fiction Writers Association sets aside January to focus on one goal--rewriting, revising, editing, writing. Whatever the member needs to do, we all fall in to help and congratulate each other on achieving that goal.

 

My goal is to add rough, new words to the nine known holes in Part 2 of FRIENDLY FIRE.

Here's my initial list and where I've gotten on it.

1. A Few Days Later
2. Meeting with Manuel Nunez to talk about Samantha's abuse--First pass has been done. There's notes on what to do with it later
3. Rosemary on Samantha and Eric
4. Cassie Attacks--first pass has been done
5. Need general life with Samantha, maybe folded into Violent Violet and Comfort foods, etc.--First pass has been done.
6. Birds and Bees after X-rated and New Year's Eve--first pass has been done with notes on what to do with it later
7. Laura Grace's birthday? This is a possible cut
8. Getting out of the hospital
9. Paying to Parent/Possible cut or image folded into another place--folded into Violent Violet and first pass done.

 

I'm also one of the Program Coordinators for this year's Write-A-Thin. Along with my partner Cathy Vignolini, we have been keeping everyone on track. We have eleven days to go. ;-)

 

 

If my plans work, I hope to announce that I have a complete draft of FRIENDLY FIRE sometime in March to mark the sixth anniversary of the idea that have become, not only my current focus work-in-progress, but the start of a series of stories about a family and town who live in my mind. Cross your fingers. ;-)

Christmas Babies--Finale

And in conclusion...

All Decked Out!

     The roar of the vacuum stopped. Samantha trundled it to the closet and then stood at my elbow. “Can we talk before you take me home?”
    “May we? Of course.” I scanned her face. Worry tucked her fair brows together and my heart clenched.
    Her eyes were starting to fill. “How do you do Christmas without your husband? I mean…I miss Mom…”
    Tears rolled down her cheeks as my throat tightened. The fact was, I didn’t do Christmas very well since Tom’s death. Reaching out, I gathered Samantha in. The small shoulders shook with sobs as my own tears overflowed and dropped into her curls.
    Her whispered words said it all. “This is my third Christmas since—It’s not getting easier.”
    My heart clenched around my own grief. “It’s my second and I know what you mean, but you kids helped me this time.” I wiped at a tear that had dripped to the end of my nose. “Listening to the boys fuss over crayons and snuggling with the twins helped."
    “I’m sorry your Christmas bell got broken.”
    My hand rose before I thought and wiped her tears, too. “It’s okay. I’m glad none of the kids got hurt.”
    Samantha hunched her shoulders then let them fall. “I want to get Miss Cherie something. I saved a little bit from my allowance. It’s not much.” She tried to keep her tear-streaked face from blooming with hope, but it was a lost cause. “Mom never bought any presents, so I don’t know how.”
    I bit my lip. What mother didn’t buy her child presents? A drug addled one.
   “I think I can help with that because there will be presents this year.” I smiled. “I know just the place. Why don’t we shop a little on the way home. The dollar store had a lot of coloring books. That’ll take care of the boys. How about a big piece puzzle for the girls. They had them too.” And I’d make sure some of the presents had her name on them.
    “Oh! Miss Laura Grace! Thank you.” Her reddened eyes were beginning to twinkle. “Could we get a hat and scarf for Miss Cherie? She doesn’t have any.”
    “Sounds good. Let’s go shopping.”

#

Sipping hot tea as I lay back in the recliner, I smiled. Samantha’s shopping trip had taken the edge off the bittersweet feeling Christmas had folded about me. Dollar stores were underrated. Five gifts for five dollars and tax had to be a record. The creamy white scarf and hat had included a pair of gloves. The fleece was soft and would look good with any coat Cherie wore them with. And it had been half price.

A fuzzy, yellow head nosed its way into the living room. I chuckled as Sunshine stopped with one foot inside. The deep sniffing breaths were audible at my chair. “They’re gone, little boy. It’s safe.” Golden eyes took in the room then the cat crept along the carpet sniffing every inch where the boys had colored. Standing on his hind legs, Sunshine inspected the sofa.

I laughed as the inspector began on my recliner. “See. All gone.”

                          He blinked at me and jumped onto the arm of the chair. Settling into his usual place with his feet tucked and his tail curled in front, the big cat let out a satisfied sigh.
                         “Get used to it, little lion.” I fluffed Sunshine’s fur. “They’ll be back.”

Have a wonderful Christmas Day and may your New Year be blessed!

Christmas Babies--continued

As I promised in the comments last week, here's more of "Christmas Babies" from FRIENDLY FIRE. Enjoy!


Ooops!





     All good things come to an end though, and as the credits rolled Mia slid off the sofa and bounced on the rug. “Beep! Beep!” Her high pitched squeal made me wince.

    Raina’s piping voice joined her sister’s raising the level of cacophony. Samantha reached for Raina to quiet her.

    Mia’s smile widened and her hops took on a frightening forward motion.

    “No!” Samantha grabbed for the little arm, but Mia giggled just out of reach and brushed my Christmas tree.

    Terry’s grab overshot her and he crashed into the branches. Bells and crystal tinkled then an ornament shattered on the hearth.

    Everyone froze. Terry’s eyes were round, brimming with tears as he turned to me. “I…I’m…” His chin trembled.

    Our first Christmas ornament, a paper-thin porcelain bell, lay in glinting shards across the ceramic tile.

    “It’s okay.” I swallowed a lump. If one of the tiny crystal angels, each unique had fallen, I’d just sweep it up, but the bell… How Tom’s face had lit up when we found it… My eyes were threatening to rival Terry’s as my tears welled.

    Then I saw Samantha. She had rolled herself up as small as she could and was tucked back into the narrow gap between the sofa and my recliner.

    Letting my vision of Tom go, I pasted on a smile. “Nothing the broom and dustpan won’t fix.”

    Mia leaned over the wreckage, one chubby hand stretched toward the razor-sharp slivers.

    “Mia.” My back groaned as I leaned over, tucking her into my arms. “Don’t touch. That’s an ouchie.”

    I handed Mia off to Terry. “Let’s clean this up.” The broom made short work of the mess and as I tossed the bits of thirty-four year old memories into the trash can, Samantha slowly unwound. But her eyes were wary, watching my every move, calculating when I’d get angry.

    I swallowed hard once more to clear my throat. The child needed me at my best.

    “Why don’t we color now?” I grabbed the pile of coloring books I’d bought for them, and knelt down on creaking knees in the middle of the rug—well away from the tree. “Pick out a book. I’ve got enough for everyone.” And enough crayons, too. The three little boys settled in.

    Mia and Raina’s eyes began to sink. Maybe a nap was in order for them.

    I finally settled back into the recliner, pinned to my seat by the twins as their sleeping warmth weighed me down. Samantha picked up the bowls and I nodded at her. She stepped over Terry’s legs where he and the other boys sprawled on their tummies peacefully coloring away.

    My eyes were as heavy as the girls’. The soft Christmas music wove its magic through the room. I’d be ready for a silent night when Cherie came to collect this crew.

    I jerked awake. The doorbell had roused me, but it didn’t ring a second time. Samantha had opened the door to a blast of chill, damp air and Cherie’s smiling face.

    “What a peaceful scene!” She lifted Mia off my lap as Samantha grabbed Raina.

    “Won’t you take your coat off and warm up?”

    “No. It’s high time I take this menagerie home for the day. Besides, you helped me finish up in record time by keeping them occupied. Nothing like Christmas shopping with the little grasping hands everywhere.” Cherie’s smile deepened. “You’re a good friend for helping out this way.”

    Jo-Jo tugged at his mother’s jacket. “Terry broke a ormanent!”

    Cherie’s eyes narrowed as she pinned the culprit in her focus.

    “I was catching Mia! She nearly climbed the tree.” His deep brown eyes were welling again. “Honest, Miss Cherie.”

    “Really, Miss Laura Grace?” Cherie’s eyes demanded truth. “Is that the way it went down?”

    Cherie’s focus shifted to Samantha’s white face as she nodded over Raina’s head.    “Samantha and Terry are great toddler wranglers.” I smiled at the two older children. “I couldn’t have managed without them.” I patted Mia’s back as she blinked sleepily from Cherie’s arms. “Think nothing of it.” My heart twinged a bit at my word’s reassurance, but it was better. Not the heartsick ache I’d expected.

    Cherie nodded, satisfied. “Okay then. Time to head ‘em up and move ‘em out.”

    “I’m not done yet.” Jamie grabbed for the box of crayons Samantha was filling.

    Jo-Jo fumbled at his pocket trying to hide a couple of crayons, but Samantha pried them loose.

    “Take the coloring books and crayons with you, boys.” I rose stiffly.

    “Can I stay and help Miss Laura Grace clean up?” Samantha looked from me to Cherie. “Please.”

    “It’s okay with me.” I smiled at her. “I could use the help. Tom did most of the cleaning. What do you say, Cherie?”

    She shrugged. “It’s okay with me if you want to. I’ll come—”

    “No, I’ll bring her home when we’re done.”

    “Okay, Laura Grace. If you say so. Let’s get this crew into their coats.”

Have a happy week among all the preparations. I'll finish this scene all the way out next Tuesday. ;-)