I’ll be working on my New Year’s Resolutions this week.  And likely forgetting about them within 3 weeks.  :-)

That’s why I prefer to think of goals, long term and short term.  That term seems less daunting. Here are my wishes for your 2010 through song and photos. See you next year!

Christmas Past

Am I busy getting ready for Christmas?

Well sure, I am.  And this year I’ve had the added hectic but long-awaited tasks of promoting Black Ribbon Affair.  However, several years ago, I took a bit of wisdom from my sister-in-law who’s spent most Decembers being over-committed and time-challenged.

What was her secret?

Celebrate the season, not the day and follow the idea of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Very smart woman, my sister-in-law.

Cards not sent out and at their destination by December 24th?  No worry, if they arrive on January 2nd, the receiver will have more time to enjoy the card and its message.

Not all the baking or cooking done?  So what!  Eating a fresh batch of cookies on December 29th beats stale ones every time.  And as for cooking?  Who says we must have several meals?  And what’s wrong with leftovers of the Christmas ham?  Fortunately, our family loves hearty pea soup with fresh bread on January 1st.

Anyway, you get the idea.

Santa's Getting Ready for the kiddies

Oh, it’s gift shopping and wrapping you’re most stressed about?  Well, even here, if you wait until a few days after Christmas you may fight fewer crowds.  Or if your shopping is done but you’re not seeing the giftees until after the 24th or 25th, wrap away a few hours before you see them.

The kids may need  you to meet a deadline if you are helping Santa, but if you have arrived at the wise stage of life, you enjoy quality time spent with loved ones, time to reflect on holidays past, spent with those no longer walking the earth, and the less stressful tempo of knowing all you want to do and enjoy can be spread out over twelve days.

So folks, start celebrating on December 24th, but don’t have it end on the 25th.  Follow through.  Spread the celebration until January 6th.

This year one of our local police departments did a video about this philosophy, sort of.  It’s humorous but will never win any awards, except for spreading good will.

And I leave you with that thought.  When next I post, the big holiday will be finished, kaput, out-of-sight, except maybe for the shredded ribbons and wrapping.

But not at our house.  We’ll still have a few presents under the tree.

What do you think of my ‘borrowed’ philosophy?

Panda mates in winter

My hubby and I received a Christmas note inside a card this past week.  The card came from a woman who became a widow this past summer.  Her husband was the CEO of the corporation my husband worked for and we often played bridge with them. 

We were pleased to see this card and her note.  Both my husband and I know first hand the difficulties that surround the first major holiday after the loss of a beloved person.  My heart lifted at the woman’s note to us.  She plainly acknowledged her loss of her life companion with this sentence which tugged at my soul.  “How lucky we were to share 24 years after retirement as loving playmates.” 

I think that those simple words as such a magnificent tribute to the man he was, the woman she is, the love they shared for more than 60 years, and the fun they had in retirement. 

Too often we hear of couples who enter retirement and retire from life.  Not these two.  Or we hear of couples married for many years, but they have never seen themselves as playmates.  Only spouses. 

If any of you wonder where I come up with character traits, I tell you this with all honesty.  I  sometimes look around me and find stellar examples.  Traits or experiences people have that can be spun into a story. 

Somehow, I don’t know yet exactly in what way, that widow’s sentence and all it incorporates will find its way into a future book.  Have you encountered people in your lives who in some way fill your soul with a word or phrase that sums up the entirety of their lives?

Thanksgiving Bounty

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving and found things to be thankful for despite our dreary world. 

Often when our world appears most dreary and we see more trials than gifts in our lives, we wonder what we can be thankful for.  If we look around us with a new perspective we find our gifts and should give thanks for them.  

Maybe those gifts aren’t as big and showy as in years past. Maybe they come disguised as trouble.  But if we dig around in our lives and fight to get through to a better day and fewer personal trials, we become stronger, more resilient, more wise. 

And aren’t those qualities far greater and more lasting?  Able to help us continue to grow as a person? 

I believe this and I see it as a theme in all I write.  In all I live. 

As those I love gathered round my Thanksgiving table this week, we gave thanks and gave one reason why.  It wasn’t easy, three are now unemployed—thank you to our economic issues, one is severely disabled and each day is a struggle for survival, two others have health issues and one might be facing a surgery that could alter his life’s activities. 

But each had at least one solid reason to give thanks.  We are blessed. 

Make a Wish for next year

What am I thankful for?  My family, my husband, my friends, my creativity, my book published and selling.  I could name many more. 

What are you thankful for?

Lips 1

Lips.

We all have them.  Some of us love the ones we have, some never think about lips, and some spend many dollars to enhance the ones they were born with—almost to the point of them looking unnatural.

We can’t all have Angelina Jolie lips.  Nor should we wish to.  I know I’d look horrid with a set of lips like that—too out of proportion.

However, lips are a very visible part of our anatomy.  Often first impressions of sometime or a quick read of emotions might be done by viewing a person’s lips.

Lips 2

When I am developing a character’s description, I sometimes have a clear idea of how their lips are shaped.  Sometimes not.  But as I write character’s lips come into play with action.  How can someone sneer or snarl without a bit of lip action.

Describing the sensations of a kiss.  Or a kiss itself.  Lips are integral to the action and the response.

So I thought about having a bit of an interactive exercise today.  Look at the lips below.

Lips A

Lips B

Lips C

What do you think the owners are feeling or doing or have done?  Might you be able to get a sense of age? Income?  Profession?

Could I develop a character starting only with a pair of disembodied lips?

Or do we need the whole face to create a character and his or her actions?

Let me know what you think?

Black Ribbon in Hand

Last week I posted a short excerpt from Black Ribbon Affair.  This week I have more news.

First, I received my author copies I mentioned last week in the post, and I actually held my book in my hand for the very first time.  What a thrill.  That three word sentence sounds so tame considering the rush of emotions flying through me, hovering around my head and buzzing in my ears.  It was like birthing my first born son, my wedding day and finishing grad school all rolled into one.

I haven’t been able to settle down since then.  And this is SO not like me…

The next event was discovering that the buy sites were active on Amazon.com, The Wild Rose Press.com, and Barnes and Noble.com.  My book, my baby was now OUT THERE.

What if no one liked it, much less loved it as much as I do or my husband does?  Yeah, it’s his favorite; then its sequel which he takes ownership for the idea that started it.

So I’ve been on a real roller coaster this week.  Up and down like the proverbial yo-yo. But loving the angst and joy all bundled together.

Then yesterday, I got an email from a friend who’d ordered the book and now had it in her hands.  Her email thrilled me as she indicated how excited she was.  Yesterday evening, my niece called—screaming.  I thought something was wrong.

NOT!  She’d come home from the hospital to find the book she ordered in her mailbox.  She was more excited than I was, but she inspired me once again.  After she screamed some more, she indicated she was so glad she wasn’t on call this weekend because she intended to read it. ALL WEEKEND.  She even mentioned something about not feeling bad that her boyfriend wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be coming to see her this weekend.  While I hope he doesn’t have the bug that’s floating around, I’m chuckling that she will be with MY book this weekend.  I’m so terrible.

Anyway, this past week has been heady and emotional.  However, I better get down to business and work on my next book.  Otherwise, when Lady Luck taps me on the shoulder again, I won’t be ready.

Have a great week, everyone.

Something really exciting happened this week.

The Leaves are Changing and Falling

I received an email from my publisher that I could pre-order my book, Black Ribbon Affair, as of that date.  I immediately did so as I have my first book signing scheduled in November. Of course, this email notice will pale in significance once I actually get my books in the mail and hold one in my hands.

Since October 23 is fast approaching, I’m including an excerpt today to whet your appetites.  I hope you enjoy this tidbit.

From my bookmark:

A smart woman.  A sensitive man.  A second chance at love. But danger stalks.  Death looms over her.  But their love triumphs all.

Excerpt:  Black Ribbon Affair:

The door latch clicked. She looked up and confronted…liquid smoke, fringed with thick dark lashes. Her breath caught; her heart skittered to her toenails. Killer eyes. They always had been. Recovering quickly, she extended her slender hand. Those lapsed years had honed him into a man worthy of an appreciative look.

“Hello, Cait…” He stared right back and grinned, a heart-breaking one like she remembered. But this was not the place, or time, to walk those old paths.

“Mike…it’s been a long time.” Was that her voice, all husky, almost sultry, and foreign?

He moved toward her as though his knees bothered him. She inched closer to him, fighting his pull but losing the battle. They shook hands, but he didn’t release hers.

She didn’t object. His hand warmed hers, but it always had.

“You two know each other?” Keith asked.

“Years ago, in college,” Caitlin answered. “I wondered when I saw your memo, but thought it was too much of a coincidence. There must be several Michael Sean Raffertys in the world.”

“Cait. I…never thought we’d meet again…especially like this.” Mike still hadn’t released her hand. Was he as unwilling to break the connection as she was?

Keith eyed them, an eagle measuring his territory. “Is this going to be a problem?” His words shattered the moment.

“Not for me,” she answered with professionalism she didn’t feel. She slid into the leather chair nearest her coffee mug. She swallowed a gulp, hoping to dislodge the tightness in her throat. Mike appeared…wonderful. Calm. Mature.

And totally off limits.

“Nor me.” Mike sat in the remaining chair.

“There’s another mug, Mike, if you want coffee.” Keith pointed to the carafe and cup but made no motion to pour.  “We’ve a lot of ground to cover this morning.”

Dragonfly kite outside my office window

I’ll be starting a new book in the next week.  That’s always a very scary time for me.  Well, one of several such times in the process of birthing a book.  Generally, I’m pretty much risk-averse in my personal life.  Or if I take a plunge I’ve pretty much tried to limit the bad places I might fall or the awkward situations I might find myself in.

 With a book start I can try to limit my writing risks by doing research as necessary, character analysis and backstory, figuring out conflict, goals, motivation etc.  However, sometimes characters have a way of changing my plans once I get into the first few chapters. 

This can be risky.  Their insistence could change the whole focus of the book.  That’s scary especially if the writer, in this case—me, is a bit of a control freak.  I’ll worry about that new direction as I haven’t thought it through.  What if it’s really a writing demon’s trap to have me write thousands of words only to have to delete them all because my first idea was the best idea.  Or at least a better one.  Or if I change directions, how will the details I’ve already thought about and written in earlier chapters still apply?  And?  And?  And? 

 The list could be endless.   And use up weeks.  Or more.

 So for the next few days I’ll battle my urges to not start but just keep pulling together my needed information, set my stage, and then plunge in.  I’ll see where my characters’ currents take me and trust them, mostly.  :-) I guess in writer terminology that makes me a hybrid—both plotter and pantser.  

Should I or not?

I have to stuff down my fears of taking a risk if I’ve done my preparation well.  Because if I have done my planning well, how could my characters derail their story?  And if they are insistent about change?  

Well, like my best of friends, I better listen and take heed.  After all, it might be a greater risk not to.

What’s your take on this?

Hi folks,

I’m taking a vacation this week.  In my office.  Working on a project.  My only distraction will be Oreo.

See you next week.  I’m sure I’ll have many words about something in my past once September is officially here.

Mini Dahlia

What’s a “do-over”? 

Could be many different things.  For me, it’s what I sometimes refer to a revision, especially when I’m layering in and filling out the personalities, background, quirks, flaws and virtues of my main characters in a manuscript.  

That’s what I’ve been working on in the past few weeks.  And I a thought hit me. 

My characters in this process really get do-overs, not so they’re perfect, but so they work perfectly in the lives I create for them within the pages of the book.

Finding Nemos

Darn, wouldn’t we all like that to happen for ourselves at times?  Yeah, we all know about diets, career changes, broken relationships, changing our lifestyles for the better, do-overs of a sort.  But not the same.  People still remember the “old” way we were.  Sometimes they even want that “old” way to return.

 Or how about those times in our lives when we made some really bad choices, humdingers that changed how the rest of our lives and relationships played out?  Honest now, if you’ve been in that kind of do-over situation, got the chance to move on, don’t you wish sometimes deep down, the memories, even the actual facts might really go away?  You know a real do-over, clean slate, hit delete and never retrieve revision of our lives.  

When I considered this concept and thought about those times I really needed a do-over, I realized once again the fiction is what I can create.  Or escape to in a book or movie.  In real life, if we’re lucky, smart, and very strong, we get “moving-ons.” 

Beluga Whale Tail

You know, pick yourself up, lick whatever “wounds” need tending, figure out what went wrong, determine never to get in that kind of situation again, make a plan, and then work to make sure you accomplish the goal. 

What about those niggling reminders?  Use them, just like the characters in the books.  Keep yourself moving on, not waiting for a “do-over.” 

That only happens in writing—or Witness Protection.   

What’s your take on this?  I’d like to know.  

See you next week.