Month: September 2015

Motifs

When I was first learning how to build a website, I read a book on graphic design that said repeating certain motifs would make the site look sharper. The same advice also applies to business cards, newsletters, tri-folds, bookmarks, and other promotional material using graphics.

I started noticing I also used repetitive motifs when getting dressed in the morning–crystal earrings, crystals on my shirt, crystals on my sandals, or mimicking the pattern in my sweater with the shape of my earrings and brooches. This makes me look more pulled together.

While it’s easy for me see motifs in a visual design or a wardrobe, inserting a motif into my writing is a little more difficult. I find myself wanting to explain the symbolism instead of letting it flow into the reader’s subconscious.

In the book I just sold, daybreak plays an important role. I use the colors of sunrise as well as the “starting over” or “new beginning” aspect to further the romance. So now you know what to look for!

 

 

 

Lemonade Chronicles, Chapter 3

The Saga of my attempt to get home from Las Vegas

Gate B10

I found a row of seats without arms next to the windows and claimed my territory. This was about 1:30am. Remember, my flight out didn’t depart until about 3:45pm. There were outlets for me to charge my electronics. There was a place for me to stretch out and sleep. Not that I got much sleep. I tried editing, but I was so tired the words danced on my computer screen.

Other people were sleeping there, too, including one man who had an air mattress and a sleeping bag.

About an hour or so into my vigil, I was joined by two sisters who were on their way to Florida to see a daughter/niece play in a volleyball tournament. Both women were in HR–one for the Phoenix police department and the other for a vitamin company based in Las Vegas. I lent one of them my Kindle Fire charger–her Android charger was in the suitcase she, too, had been forced to check in Las Vegas. We chatted for a while, dozed for a while. I never did get their names, but they helped pass the time. Their flight was at 7am. When I came back from a trip to the rest room they were gone.

(to be continued)

 

 

Omega Moon Rising

Toke Lobo

The third book in my Toke Lobo & the Pack werewolf series has been picked up by Soul Mate Publishing.

For those of you who are familiar with the series, the hero of this book is Luke Omega–the band’s young drummer, resident computer geek, and errand boy who has a penchant for Internet porn.

Details to follow as they become available!

 

Lemonade Chronicles, Chapter 2

Continued from August 30 . . .

I met many wonderful people on my trip home from Las Vegas. My cranky seat mate was in a much better mood once he figured out his connections. He helped me reach the overhead air vent that I couldn’t reach, even while standing. When I suggested to him the cabin would applaud when the plane left the ground, he didn’t say anything, but he did laugh and said, “you called it!” when the other passengers did exactly that.

When we landed in Charlotte at 1:00am, I called my husband to tell him. TV Stevie asked, “And how is Charlotte?” To which I replied, “She has a big web and there’s a pig named Wilbur.” My seat mate completely cracked up.

The airline agents waiting to help us were a bit on the testy side, but they’d been dealing with irate passengers all evening. I was told my flights had been rebooked and if I wanted a hotel, they would reimburse me up to $75. But no list of hotels. No voucher. No food voucher. They did tell us the Starbucks was open. I trudged to the restaurant, grateful I ‘d been forced to check my bag in Las Vegas. I ran into other passengers. Some of them had hotel vouchers. Most of them had smart phones–and data–so they could look for hotels.

There were none with vacancies.

I purchased a sandwich and trudged back to the gate where my flight would depart at 3:45pm that afternoon. And that’s were I began my temporary career as the hostess of Gate B-10 at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

to be continued.

 

Organic vs. Organized

I have several manuscript in progress. I’ve been using Scrivener to plot the stories. I love the program. I find it easy to use. I adore the ability to color code my files. Everything about the program is designed to facilitate the writing experience.

If you’re an “organized” author.

I have yet to finish a project started in Scrivener. Not the program’s fault.

I started writing another book on June first. I even started writing it in Scrivener, but couldn’t be bothered with all the steps and plotting. The words didn’t just flow. They gushed. I didn’t have time to set up files or chapters or character profiles. I wrote on my Alphasmart and uploaded to Scrivener, thinking I would organize later. But since I wasn’t indulging in chapter breaks, only scene breaks, I decided to compile the files into a word document. I went back to my “old-fashioned” way of writing: Alphasmart to Word doc, then clean it up later.

First draft completed the last week of July. 56 days, start to finish. (This is while holding down a full-time Day Job.)

I finished the rewrite and revisions on September 7. Sent the manuscript off to my publisher.

There’s no help for it. I am clearly an organic author.