Month: July 2014

WIP Wednesday: Elizabeth Preston

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Today’s Work-In-Progress Wednesday guest is Elizabeth Preston. Welcome Elizabeth!  Can you share a life memory you recall frequently and tell us why you think about it?

EP: I was in a swimming pool in Lake Taupo with my two sons. Lake Taupo is a huge lake in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. We were splashing around when my hubby ran out of our motel room and called out,” Get out of the pool. We’ve got to drive home (to Auckland) then hurrying up and pack to move to Australia.” We had 3 miserly weeks to pack up our home, rent it out, find schools for the boys in a new country and move permanently to Australia – because of his job. That move changed my life.

MJ: I can’t imagine having only three weeks to uproot my entire life.  What are your top three dream destinations and why?

EP: 1) Alaska, because I love the novelty of the cold. It’s hot in Australia. 2) Canada, because I want to see a bear in the wilds – other than a Koala bear. 3) A little Scottish village, because I love little villages, especially ones with cute pubs and quaint sweet shops.

MJ: Name one thing most people don’t know about you.

EP: I was a monstrously, badly behaved six year old – for my parents anyway. I had numerable temper tantrums and sulked often. I still remember doing it. I was a brat at home and an angel out. Fortunately, I outgrew my bad behavoiur. My husband might disagree!

MJ: LOL! What’s your secret talent?

EP:  Growing big fat vegetables. I dream up scenes while I thin out the carrots and string up the beans.

MJ: That’s a useful talent to have. What is the top book on your TBR pile?

EP: Soul Mate Publishing writer Larynn Ford’s book Rescued.

MJ: Do you have any recurring dreams? If so, will you share one with us? 

EP: I’ve had the same dream twice lately. I’m locked in a car with a child who keeps poking me in the back. Both times I’ve woken up and found that my small dog has gotten up onto my bed and is asleep pressed tight against me.

MJ: If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

EP: I’d sew dog clothes.

MJ:  Other than writing, what would be your dream job?

EP:  Working in a zoo or a wildlife park.

MJ: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

EP:  I’m happy, happy, happy.

MJ: Name one thing you won’t leave home without.

EP: My dog.

MJ: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would you be and why?

EP:  Angelina Jolie, and not just because of Brad Pitt. The girl does great charity work too.

MJ: Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version of the story?

EP:  No. I always like the book better.

MJ: What do you normally eat for breakfast, of do you skip it and get straight to work?

EP:  One piece of toast with Vegemite and one cup of peppermint tea.

MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space

EP: I’m a log cabin person. I want the crisp morning, the hot coffee and the sun streaming in.

MJ: Briefly describe your writing day/process

EP: First up, read emails on the Soul Mate Publishing author loop. Next, comment on blogs. Then walk the dog and dream up the scene I’ll write that day. I only write for a couple of hours – got other life things I have to squeeze into the day too.

MJ: Name one writing-related website you use a lot.

EP: Fiction University

MJ: What book do you wish you could have written?

EP:  Either Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte or Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

MJ: Plotter or pantser?

EP:  Bit of both. I’m bored with my story is I plan too much and run a muck if I pants it completely. I use an outline.

MJ: What romance convention/cliche most sets your teeth on edge?

EP:  …and a tear rolled down her cheek.

MJ: Do you believe in writer’s block?

EP: Yes. When I can’t picture a scene, or a character then I read instead. Eventually the answer comes. 

MJ: Name three things on your desk right now.

EP: My lucky elephant from Thailand. A framed print-off of my ebook cover, my debut. A small pot of violets that my son gave me.

MJ: Love and true love – what is the difference and what do your characters believe about LOVE?

EP: Hunter and Alice believe that you risk your life for true love. Undying love is what they’ll give their children.

MJ: Would you consider self-publishing?

EP: Absolutely. Some of the top sellers are self pubs.

MJ: Do you listen to music when you write? Explain.

EP: No. I prefer the sounds around me: birds, wind in the trees, builders working in the distance. I try to hear background noise and use it in my stories.

MJ: Do you collage your story before writing? Explain.

EP: If it is an historical story, then yes. I cut out pictures of clothing in the era, buildings, types of food, the insides of their kitchens.

MJ: Synopses: love them or hate them?

EP:  Synopses are fine. Two line hooks are harder.

MJ: Ready for the lightning round? Addams Family or Munsters?

EP: Addams Family. They remind me of my own.

MJ: Wine-red or white?

EP: Red, and Champagne

MJ: Oh yeah. Love that bubbly! Beer: Can or bottle?

EP: Neither

MJ: Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick’s Day?

EP:  St Patrick’s Day because we get that one in Australia

MJ: Last movie you saw in a theater?

EP: Captain Phillips.

MJ: Favorite TV show?

EP: Orange is the New Black.

MJ: Favorite band when you were in high school (Marching band doesn’t count)?

EP: Elton John or Deep Purple. They can fight it out for top spot.

MJ: Coke or Pepsi:

EP: Both go well with rum

MJ: Introvert or extrovert?

EP: Introvert.

MJ: Favorite ethnic food?

EP: Japanese.

MJ: And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Can you share the first few lines of your current work in progress?

EP: Of course!

I watched it happen. I had my driving glasses on so I saw it all in great detail. There is much I could tell the police, if I wanted to. But I’ve never been one for involving the authorities. Don’t go thinking I’ll forget what I saw; I won’t. That accident will live inside my head forever, no matter how hard I try to push it out.

I’d parked myself in the rest area at the side of the road; it’s the perfect place to stop if you need a break from driving or if you want to take in the sights. From there, you get a view of the entire gorge, all the way down to the river.

It was no surprise then when I saw the little yellow Suzuki car hurtling along. Anyone wanting to drive from one side of Galston Gorge to the other had to follow that wiggly road and be seen by me.

MJ: Very nice! How can people purchase your current release?

EP:   http://www.amazon.com/Outcasts-Elizabeth-Preston-ebook/dp/B00LMNZD60/

MJ: And how can they follow you on social media?

EP: I have a blog — elizabethpreston.wordpress.com

MJ: Thanks again for joining me, and good luck with your writing!

Reading By the Season

I have what is admittedly a very odd habit. I read by the season.
I read a lot, so I tend to re-read favorite books, and part of that reading is by season.
Every January, I read Carla Neggers’ The Cabin. Winter in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York suits my January mood.

February brings me to One More Valentine by Anne Stuart. Lovely little time travel featuring the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. (And I even persuaded Anne to autograph it two years ago when she was in town.)

March-April-May-June don’t really have memorable books to them. But July? Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence is my mandatory summer reading. Some years, I will also re-read Toujours, Provence, but I don’t find it has the magic of Year. Wine, olives, warm weather . . . this is my bliss.

October is my next month to re-read a specific book. Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels, has been a favorite of mine since it first came out. I’m on my second copy. What can be more chilling that a ghost story set in October, right before Halloween?

And finally, my December favorite: Silver Linings by Maggie Osborne. The Christmas scene in the book gets to me, every time I read it.

WIP Wednesday: Brenda Stinnett

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Today’s Work-In-Progress guest is Brenda Stinnett. Welcome Brenda!

MJ: Let’s jump right in. Do you have a life memory you think of often that you would be willing to share with us?

BRENDA: I remember when I was young and my mother would read stories to me at bedtime. I loved it because it was our special time and I didn’t have to share her with my older brother or sister.

MJ: Oh, nice! What are your top three dream destinations and why?

BRENDA: Tuscany, Italy, Cobh, Ireland, and Lourdes, France. I love Italy for the art & architecture, Ireland for its ghostly feel, and France for its spiritual healing.

MJ: Nice mixture. Name one thing most people don’t know about you.

BRENDA: When I was young, I was so terrified of water that baths scared me, I was afraid I’d go down the drain with the water.

MJ: Well, that is a scary thought. What’s your secret talent?

BRENDA: I’m pretty good at chess.

MJ: What’s the top book on your TBR pile?

BRENDA:  I’m determined to read Vanity Fair.

MJ: Do you have any recurring dreams? If so, will you share one with us?

BRENDA: Yes, I do have a recurring dream. Sometimes when I’m in strange situations, I dream that the ‘bad guys’ are after me and I’m running away from them.

MJ: If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

BRENDA: My creative outlet would be learning to play the guitar.

MJ: Other than writing, what would be your dream job?

BRENDA: I would love to be a marriage/family psychologist.

MJ: If you had a theme song, what would it be?

BRENDA:  “What You Gonna Do”

MJ: Name one thing you won’t leave home without.

BRENDA: My pink lipstick, no matter what I’m wearing, I have to have my pink lipstick.

MJ: If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would you be and why?

BRENDA: I would love to be Stephen King one day and just see what goes on in his mind.

MJ: Now that’s scary! Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version of the story?

BRENDA: The Life of Pi. Somehow, I think I ‘got’ the book more when it was a movie, and I especially liked the special effects.

MJ: What do you normally eat for breakfast, of do you skip it and get straight to work?

BRENDA: I like pizza for breakfast, but most days I eat the eggs & bacon my husband loves.

MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space.

BRENDA: My dream writing space would be a lanai overlooking a warm, tropical beach.

MJ: Briefly describe your writing day/process.

BRENDA: I get up, eat breakfast, and write for a couple of hours, then go do other important family stuff, do my media stuff, write for another hour or two, and then do something fun, go to the show, Disney World, or read.

MJ: Name one writing-related website you use a lot.

BRENDA: Addicted to Ebooks.

MJ: What book do you wish you could have written?

BRENDA: The Language of Flowers. It’s Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s first novel, and it’s fabulous.

MJ: Plotter or Pantser?

BRENDA: Definitely a pantser, even though I admire plotters tremendously.

MJ: What romance convention/cliche most sets your teeth on edge?

BRENDA: I think all romance conventions can be good if they are done originally.  I do think smart, snarky characters can be overdone.

MJ: Do you believe in writer’s block?

BRENDA: Yes I do, and I also believe in Santa!

MJ: Name 3 things on your desk right now.

BRENDA: A small quilt made by my sister talking about Faith, Hope, & Love, a calendar, and a clock.

MJ: Love and true love – what is the difference and what do your characters believe about love?

BRENDA: I think that all love can be true, but we just have to give it a chance. If love isn’t true, then it’s not really love. My characters all want to believe in love, but they are often afraid of confronting it, and sometimes find out that it wasn’t what they expected, but they will know real love when they find it.

MJ: Would you consider self-publishing?

BRENDA: Yes, I have self-published my last book.

MJ: Do you listen to music when you write? Explain.

BRENDA: I love to listen to music when I write, but I have to have the rough draft already committed to paper before I can do this.

MJ: Do you collage your story before writing? Explain.

BRENDA: No, but it sounds wonderful. It sounds so creative and flowing, but I don’t do it.

MJ: Synopses: love them or hate them?

BRENDA: Yes and double-yes. I have to have a synopsis, but I find them difficult to write.

MJ: Thanks for the insight into your writing. Here’s the Lightning Round. Addams Family or Munsters?

BRENDA: Addams Family.

MJ:  Wine-red or white?

BRENDA: Red.

MJ: Beer-can or bottle?

BRENDA: Bottle.

MJ: Stephanie Plum or Eve Dallas?

BRENDA: Stephanie Plum.

MJ: Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick’s Day?

BRENDA: St. Patrick’s Day.

MJ: Last movie you saw in a theater?

BRENDA: Jersey Boys.

MJ: Favorite TV show?

BRENDA: Big Bang Theory

MJ: Paper or e books?

BRENDA: Paper.

MJ: Favorite band when you were in high school (Marching band doesn’t count)?

BRENDA: Rolling Stones

MJ: Coke or Pepsi?

BRENDA: Please, no contest, Coke

MJ: Introvert or extrovert?

BRENDA: Introvert.

MJ: Favorite ethnic food?

BRENDA: Mexican.

MJ: Now for the meat of the blog: Please share the first 5 to 10 sentences of your current WIP.

Escorted by a guard, her face frozen into a sculpture of ice, he watched Anna head toward his booth where nothing divided him and her but a wall and the Plexiglass window. The corridor, greasy gray, same as the cinder-block walls, echoed with each footstep she took.

When she finally reached him, he cut his eyes away, but then slowly drew his gaze back to her. He admired the way she pretended these were normal circumstances.

A folding chair awaited her, close, but not too near the window. She glanced at the guard, and he nodded.

“If you need anything, press the buzzer along the panel on the wall. I’ll be right over there, at the end of the corridor.”

MJ: Wow. Great opening. Do you have buy links for any current releases?

BRENDA: You can purchase Tenth Degree of the Paranormal on Amazon at amzn.to/1sBlyyu

cover2MJ: Great cover! And how can readers find you?

BRENDA: My website:  http://brendastinnett.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrendaStinnett and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/brendastinnett

MJ: Thanks so much for joining me today. Good luck with your books!

 

Book Review: LEAN IN

Just finished reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.

The book is about women in the work place and how nothing has changed in several decades, how the home place also needs to change to enable women to get to the top. She makes a lot of valid points, but says nothing new. Hopefully a new voice taking up the rallying call will galvanize some change.

Granted, my “career” in the corporate world has come and gone (see bio link above), and I was lucky enough to work in a business that allowed for flexibility when it came to my children. I am also married to great man who was a very hands-on dad. When something came up, we would compare schedules and adjust things as needed. If that meant I worked mornings while he stayed home with a sick child, then he went in in the afternoon, we did it. He prefers working late anyway, so I would drop the children off at after school activities/classes (or car pool with other other parents to do this), then he would pick them up on his way home.

Sandberg is lucky (she doesn’t like that word, but what’s true is true) in that she works for innovative companies (Facebook, Google) that are changing the world starting with the workplace culture. Her maternity leave options were way different than mine were. I do recall telling the first woman general manager of my company that we needed access to personal products in the restrooms. A week later a machine was installed. And that was cutting edge at the time.

I think Sandberg’s relative youth bothers me, too, because she doesn’t always connect the dots, especially if the dots were drawn before she was cognizant. Example: why people are working more hours. She blames technology. I blame reduction in workforce, spreading more tasks to few people. The work still has to get done, even if you do lay-off your entire graphics department. DUH!

If I were a younger woman, I might find this book valuable. I found nothing new, some ignorance, and probably shouldn’t have read it because it mostly annoyed me.

Attitude is a decision.

 

WIP Wednesday: What I’m Working On

Due to a SNAFU, the scheduled author was unable to make it today, so here are the first several lines of my next werewolf book, tentatively titled, And Jericho Burned.

Toke Lobo

Toke Lobo

 

Summoned as if she were a disobedient child, Lucy Callahan stood with her sister before her crazy brother-in-law, her hands, teeth, and stomach muscles clenched. She tried to focus on her irritation with Michelle instead of the wariness Randy inspired.

“You can’t leave,” he said, slamming his fist on his dilapidated wooden desk. “Michelle needs her family.”

His voice was too big for his physical presence and had a mesmerizing effect on certain segments of the population, much like the Pied Piper and rodents or St. Patrick and snakes.