Home from Texas

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        I am home from Texas and my son’s wedding. It was beautiful and came off without a hitch, if we’re not counting the sudden chill in the air and the rain, which came down in buckets —thankfully, it was not an outdoor wedding, but it did make maneuvering through the puddles without getting wet a little difficult. The summer dress I wore was little protection from that cold wind. The bride was beautiful and maybe I’m a little prejudiced there, but I don’t think so…love that woman, even if she isn’t my daughter now! And my son…well, this was the happiest I’ve ever seen him! That does something to a mother’s heart. I’m so happy for them.

        Did I cry? Well, not full out ugly sobs, but yes, I cried. It was very emotional! Have you ever witnessed something that was so ‘right’, that it touched you deeply? That’s what happened. When they looked at each other, the love between them was palpable, like you could hold it in your hand. I love that!

        The DH had a fabulous time, too. He was so proud to escort his future daughter-in-law down the aisle and he looked so handsome doing so. Despite his health issues, he danced up a storm at the reception. Did he pay for that later? Yes. Yes, he did. Actually, we both did and now, we’re both sick with lovely colds that have us coughing and sneezing up a storm!

        It’s all good, though! I wouldn’t have missed any of it for anything!

        Coming back to the day job was not easy (Oh! So much to catch up on!) but coming back for the writing was easy! Missed writing every day, but seriously, there was no time while I was away!

        And that’s about all for me…still catching up on laundry and so forth…

        Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Happy Thanksgiving (Yes, I'm a little late)

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

It’s a few days after Thanksgiving that I sit down to write this…and I’m still full!

I make a traditional meal (well, traditional for my family) – turkey, stuffing (my mother-in-law’s recipe which is fabulous), mashed potatoes and gravy, veggies and of course, desserts, but this year, it was a little different. My DH has been having some health issues so I made the same, just not as much.

Still there are leftovers—lots and lots of leftovers—my favorite part of the whole meal. There’s something sad about cooking all day only to have everything you made gone in twenty minutes or less but the leftovers? Love those leftovers! There’s nothing like staggering out to the kitchen for a midnight snack, bleary eyed, still full, but kinda hungry, too. My favorite? Turkey sliders made with King’s Hawaiian rolls. Oh so yummy!

I was fortunate enough to take some PTO from the day job and I gotta tell you, it was wonderful (if this is what retirement feels like, I’m ready!)! I did hope to sleep in at least one day, but that didn’t quite work—I was still up at four-dark-thirty (I guess, after getting up at that time for years and years, your body just gets used to it so sleeping in is next to impossible) but it’s all good. I did what I had planned to do, which was clean out closets (all of them…sheesh, I had no idea I had all that stuff!). I have several nice piles now to go to Goodwill…maybe someone can make use of the George Foreman grill that I only used once ten years ago).

What else did I do with my time off?

I was able to work on my latest work in progress and start two others (yeah, I know, I shouldn’t have started those other two stories, but when characters and the opening scene comes to me, I have to write it down…otherwise, it’s lost). I was pretty happy with my word count. I don’t write as fast as others (I’m a slow and steady kinda person) but I did some major damage to Wife By Surprise, which pleases me. I just might hit my goal of having it done by the new year. 

I should go. I hear that slice of leftover cheesecake calling my name, but before I do, there are a few things I should tell you I’m grateful for. As always, I’m thankful for family and friends, the roof over my head, and the food in my belly. I’m fortunate to have a job I love (even though I’m looking forward to retirement---four years, one month away now), but mostly, I’m grateful to you, gentle readers, for giving me the opportunity to share my passion for writing.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Parts of a Story

 

Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So, today, we’re going to discuss the parts of a novel—the easy and the not so easy. There’s the beginning, the middle, the end, the synopsis, the blurb…and the first love scene (if your story has one. Some don’t.).

Let me explain.

Starting a new story is wonderful. You’re excited. You’re happy because it’s something new. You have your basic storyline and maybe an outline (I do plot points. Others write by the seat of their pants). You get to introduce your hero and heroine, who they are, what they’re all about. I love this part. It’s fun getting to name your characters and build their traits and foibles. You feed in some of their past and where they are now. As I said, it’s exciting and sets up your story.

Then there’s the sagging middle. I call it that because the enthusiasm for the beginning has waned a little. It’s usually at this point that my brain betrays me and thoughts of “this is boring” or “why did I ever think I could do this” start cascading through my head. It takes patience and perseverance to get through this part (I’m certain other authors do not have this problem, but I seem to with every story I write).

I love writing the end. At a certain point, you find yourself on that downward slope. There’s no turning back now. You find yourself (or at least I do), writing faster and faster, rushing (not blindly though) to reach that happily ever after. You may cry as you write ‘The End’ or celebrate with a piece of chocolate or two.

Let’s talk a little about your synopsis (or as I call it ‘the dreaded’ synopsis). If you plan to submit your work to a publisher or agent, you must have one. Depending on who you are submitting to, the synopsis needs to be two pages or five pages or anywhere in between. I find it incredibly difficult to condense my ninety-five-thousand-word story into two or three or five pages.

Then there is the blurb, the short description on the back of the book that makes a reader look at it to begin with. It must be enticing with just enough information to interest the reader. This can be incredibly difficult for some (re: me), but really easy for others.

But I want to go back to the love scene, which is where I am right now in my story. I have read authors who simply blow me away with how their loves scenes are written and they make it seem so easy.

It isn’t. In fact, it’s darned hard (unless you’re lucky enough to have your characters do all the hard work…sometimes that happens and I love it when it does!). There are so many questions, so many possibilities for that first time your hero and heroine make love. Should their coming together be slow and sensual? Hot and urgent? Both? What about clothes? Are they wearing any or does each character need to be undressed? Who does the undressing? If the scene is hot and urgent, then they should both be ripping each other’s clothes off, right? Or is a tantalizing dance as one article of clothing is removed at a time? Are they talking to each other? What are they saying?

It all needs to be choreographed in such a way that the reader is there, seeing everything, feeling everything. And it needs to be satisfying to everyone—the hero, the heroine, the author, but most especially you, the reader.

So why do we do it if it’s hard? For me, it’s a need. I have to write (even if no one ever sees it). Despite the frustration, despite the tears, I have a story to tell and quite frankly, I am not the same person when I don’t have a story in progress.

And that’s all for me. I should go and tackle that love scene now.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Whooo-hoooo! It's Autumn!

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

Whoooo-hoooo! It’s Autumn! I love this time of year! It means I have survived the blistering heat of another Arizona summer. There’s a briskness in the air, especially in the early mornings. Days are getting a little shorter. No, the leaves don’t change color in Phoenix and I miss seeing that, but one only needs to take a short drive up north to see those fabulous colors.  It means the holidays are coming up, too (my favorite is Thanksgiving. What’s yours?)

It also means that it’s time for fall cleaning—you know, that deep cleaning that’s far beyond the usual. Yes, I still do this (a carry-over from when I was young and helped my grandparents do their spring and fall cleaning. The windows get washed (which includes those blasted mini-blinds that seem to be in every window of my house…regular dusting/vacuuming of them just doesn’t quite do the trick), drapes get changed from the lighter, filmier ones of spring to the heavier ones for winter. The walls get washed (which is a kind of hassle because everything needs to come down then put back up). Cabinets get conditioned (again, regular washing just doesn’t quite do the trick). All the books come down from the built-in book shelf, too (they are dusted weekly but dusting doesn’t get into the little nooks and crannies).

Yes, I know. I might be a little insane, but it’s tradition and I just can’t seem to help myself (those lessons and traditions learned at a very young age are so ingrained, one just can’t ignore them).

I’m also not as young as I used to be though so doing all this takes time…a lot of time. I used to take the week of Thanksgiving off (I also take a week in spring) and do everything, including cook and bake for that Thanksgiving meal, but I’m older now and don’t have as much energy so…everything that needs to be done gets done in increments, room by room over several weekends.

And I started this weekend after meeting some friends for lunch. I’m tired already, but that’s okay. It's one of those things that needs to be done. 

Oh, and I still need to find time to write. It’s not a problem though as I usually write between 4:30am and 6:00am, my usual routine that I’ve been doing for years (before I head in to the day job). The book I’m working on right now, the third in the Wives of Bravado County series, is giving me fits (how many corners can I write myself into?) but I will persevere.     

Stay well! Stay safe! Remember to spread kindness wherever you go! And happy Autumn!

Marie

Coming Soon - Wife For Hire

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So….after struggling for months (years, actually), I’m happy to say that Wife for Hire is ready to be released and I’m so excited (as you may know, this is a big step for me). Bella Media Management has done a wonderful job with the cover (and so many other things for which I’m truly grateful). It will be available on all major platforms (Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc, e-book and print) and is the first in the Wives of Bravado County series. Here’s what it’s about…

Mail-Order Bride Merrilee O’Shea’s hopes are shattered when she arrives at the run-down Eternal Hope Ranch in Texas to marry Reece Wescott, only to learn that her husband-to-be has died and she was unexpected. She can’t go back to where she came from--the War between the States took her husband, and her home, and her brother-in-law has tried to compromise her. She has no choice but to accept the job as housekeeper for her late husband-to-be’s brothers, even though one of the brothers, Jared, doesn’t want her there.

Jared considers Merrilee just another mess his brother made that he’ll have to fix and he doesn’t want anything to do with her. He and his remaining brother, Gabriel, are trying to bring the ranch back from the brink of ruin, and he has no time for another responsibility. But as Merrilee settles in, Jared notices that despite all she has lost, she manages to maintain a sweet, sunny disposition. He doesn’t understand it, but he’s drawn to it…and her. He’s determined to resist, because as far as he's concerned, he doesn’t deserve either.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed (most times) writing it.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Scents and Non-sense

 

        

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are well and staying safe!

        I wasn’t well last week. Caught a cold, my first one in over five years. Wasn’t happy about that. It wasn’t a bad cold…more annoying than anything else (I did use a whole box of tissues…the soft ones and for a while, I sounded like Minnie Mouse!)

        I have to be careful about what I take because a lot of over the counter “cures” don’t mix well with my regular medication so I did what any desperate to breathe person would do in that situation. I resorted to an old family remedy—Vick’s VapoRub.

        Oh, the rush of childhood memories that invoked as soon as I rubbed it on!

Of course, that brought even more memories because certain aromas will do that to you. Noxema for sunburns. Mothballs in my grandmother’s closet. Fresh ground coffee from the grinder at the end of the registers at the A&P. The brisk smell of autumn and woodsmoke in the air at certain times of year. The clean scent of newly fallen snow, a freshly mowed lawn or rain.

I realize that certain aromas are important as they do invoke memories and leave a lasting impression. I wore Cachet perfume for over thirty-five years (until they stopped making it) and everything I owned smelled like it. My DH still misses that scent (as do I). I now wear Black Orchid and it smells nice, but it’s not the same.

My characters have certain scents that are uniquely theirs. One of my heroines wore vanilla, which reminded the hero of cake (odd, I know, but it worked). My current hero smells like a pine forest, which brings memories for my heroine (she thinks he smells like Christmas and all the happiness that entails). She has a fresh spring rain scent, but I’m thinking of changing that. Not sure what I’ll go with. Musk? No, too strong and not her at all. Lily of the Valley? Again, not her. She’s much too assertive for that light, delicate scent. Any suggestions? 

Until next time, remember to spread kindness wherever you go.

Marie

Ripping Out Entire Chapters Hurts

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So, the last time I posted (two weeks ago), you’ll remember that I said the first draft of Wife Wanted was done (almost, kinda, sorta) and that just one chapter needed to be tweaked (a lot).

I couldn’t have been more wrong! That chapter didn’t just need to be tweaked. It needed to be rewritten. Completely. So I did what I had to do and cut the entire thing so I could start over.

And here I am, two weeks later, still rewriting that chapter. Oh well. It is what it is. I will admit, the rewrite is going much better than the original. More emotion, more humor (I hope). I will also admit, it’s been a little difficult, but anything worth doing is worth doing well (we can thank my father for that little saying…actually, we can thank him for my continued strive for perfection, though I know I’ll never achieve it).  

It's early (very early!) Sunday morning as I write this. Sunday is generally my busy day (so much to do to get prepared for the work week ahead) but this Sunday, there’s more.

My neighbors, who are lovely people, have invited the DH and I to a football party. I’m not a huge football fan (seriously, I could care less about the game and only watch the Super Bowl for the commercials), but I love these people and their generosity of spirit. I always have a good time in their company!

And as that’s the case, I should go…the ironing board is calling my name (and maybe, if I can plan everything well, I might even get some writing in today).

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Sometimes the Character is Right

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

So, here I am again, staring at a blinking cursor, wondering what I should talk about. Yup, you guessed it. I have no topic.

I could mention the fact that I’m having trouble with my current work in progress, but really, that’s old news! I’ve been having trouble with it since I started it. I get so far and then either write myself into a corner…or off the cliff. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my characters don’t want to do what I want them to do. They, apparently, have minds of their own (which I find so strange, because, well, I created them!). Hmmm, that could be a direct reflection of myself and isn’t that a sad thing to realize? Of course they don’t want to do what I’m asking them to do. Why would they? If they are truly a reflection of me, then they would be stubborn. That’s not to say being stubborn is a bad thing. Sometimes, stubbornness if all you have and if it’s all you have, then you work with it.

Take Gabe, my hero. He’s a really nice guy. Funny. Kind. Sweet. That being said, he’s got a stubborn streak a mile wide. Just the other day, I was writing along and I had him do something that was totally out of character for him. I swear, his voice popped (small disclaimer here…I frequently hear my characters voices in my head and for most the most, I listen ‘cause they say some really good stuff) in my head and said “Are you nuts? I’d never do that!”

My response at that point was “I’m the writer. You have to do it.”

And don’t you know that man, that character I created just crossed his arms over his chest, stiffened his back, and said, “No, ma’am. With all due respect, you are out of your cotton-pickin’ mind! I’m not doin’ it!”

He was right, of course, and the scene went much better after I listened to him. I think I should listen to him a bit more and stop being so stubborn myself then maybe, just maybe, I can finish this story and move on to the next (because there’s quite a few I need/want to write)!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie