NaNoWriMo!

Yay for National Novel Writing Month! (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo!)



Starting November 1st, people who register with NaNoWriMo are in for some fun. Wrimos have until November 30th to write a 50,000 word novel. But there's a catch; there is no editing! It's about quantity, not quality! (from what I understood, you can start editing in December) It's all about whipping out an original story from scratch and reaching the word count on time and guess what! I'll be doing it my first time this year. I'm elated...and nervous. Nervous because in this last month, life has gotten the best of me.

1.I have had little time to write as my 2 and 4 yr old was sick.
2. Our hardwood flooring business just knocked me dead with paperwork.
3. My first book, Zirconya: The Sage of Aluh'Nehn is now in the process of edits so I'll have to work on that when I get 'em.
4. My WIP, The Dragon Cager has less than 10 pages before I'm finished with it,

THEN,

5. The exclusive I'm writing for Wattpad.com, Nahtaia: A Faery's Tale, is needing a new chapter every week! WHOO! Am I done yet? Uh, no! I have to be a mom and wife before a writer and now that my parents are leaving town after visiting me this last week, I have to:

1. Get the guest room back in order,
2. Cook
3. Clean
4. Feed and dress and spend time with the children and hubby
5. Take my 4 year old to her gymnastics and swim classes which she just started and *phew*

6. Milk the cows. Ok, not really the cow part but thought I'd see who's paying attention to my rambling. Lemme' get back on track.

Okay, NaNoWriMo. If you want to register and receive your own kicks in the butt, go here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node
And find me under DianaIlinca so we can be writing buddies :D

-Diana

Happy Halloween!

The Story of Halloween
Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back thousands of years. The holiday as we know it has had many influences from many cultures over the centuries. From the Roman's Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, to the Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.
Hundreds of years ago in what is now Great Britain and Northern France, lived the Celts. The Celts worshipped nature and had many Gods, with the Sun God as their favorite. It was "he" who commanded their work and their rest times, and who made the earth beautiful and the crops grow.
The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was celebrated every year with a festival and marked the end of the "season of the sun" and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold."
On October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for the long winter the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished. The Druids, the Celtic priests, would meet in the hilltop in the dark oak forest (oak trees were considered sacred). The Druids would light new fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the the fires, the season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin.
During the first century the Romans invaded Britain. They brought with them many of their festivals and customs. One of these was the festival know as Pomona Day, named for their Goddess of fruits and gardens. It was also celebrated around the 1st of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule the customs of the Celtic's Samhain festival and the Roman Pomona Day mixed becoming 1 major fall holiday.
The next influence came with the spread of the new Christian religion throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church would make November 1st a church holiday to honor all the saints. This day was called All Saint's Day, or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later the Church would make November 2nd a holy day. It was called All Souls Day and was to honor the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people dressing up as saints, angels and devils.
But the spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early customs. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years the customs from all these holidays mixed. October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en, and then - Halloween.
The Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences, Pomona Day's apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain's black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day.


Did You Know?
Facts, Figures & Folklore About Halloween

The holiday of Halloween dates back to the Dark Ages. Once truly spooky traditions have morphed over the years into much more light-hearted (but still mischevious) celebrations. Here is a fun look at some of the facts and figures that describe how Americans will be enjoying All Hallows Eve
this October 31st.


The Celtic people, who lived 2,000 years ago in the United Kingdom and northern France, believed that during Samhain, the veil between this world and the spirit world was at its thinnest. Samhain was a two festival, starting on November 1st.

When the Church began sending out missionaries to the Celtic region, it adopted many traditional rituals and sanctioned them as Catholic activities. In the 7th century, for example, the Church's celebration of All Saints Day was moved to coincide with Samhain. A special mass called Allhallowmas was recited during All Saints Day, to honor any saints who did not already have a day of their own. The night before -- October 31st -- quickly became to be known as All Hallows Eve.

Did you know that the origins of "Trick'O'Treating" can be traced back to early celebrations of All Souls' Day in Britain?
The poor would go from door-to-door, begging for so-called "soul cakes". Over time, the custom changed and children became the beggars, receiving apples, sweet buns and money. The tradition migrated over the Atlantic Ocean and quickly became entrenched in American celebrations of Halloween.

Did you know that more than 36 million children are expected to go trick-or-treating this Halloween?
That's how many 5-13 year olds there are in the United States. Of course, age is no limit for Halloween fun, so those numbers might be a bit of an understatement.

Did you know that there are 106 million households in the United States?
That's a lot of trick-or-treating ground to cover in just one night.

Did you know that legends claim the "jack-o-lantern" got its name from a mean old man named Jack?
Too mean to get into heaven, when Jack went to hell he was meet by the Devil who gave him a piece of burning coal and sent him away. Jack placed the burning coal in a turnip to use as a lantern to light his way. The legends claim that Jack is still walking with the "jack-o-lantern" looking for a place to stay.

Did you know that another Jack-O-Lantern legend tells the story of the early Celts who would carry a lantern when they walked on the eve of October 31st?
These lanterns were carved out of big turnips and the lights were believed to keep the evil spirits away. Children would carve faces in the turnips and these turnip lanterns were called "jack-o-lanterns.

Did you know that the United States produces more than 998 million pounds of pumpkins?
That's a lot of Jack-o-Lanterns to make! The largest producer is Illinois, which grows an average of 457 million pounds of pumpkin. All these pumpkins are valued at more than $100 million.

Did You Know that for some, Halloween conjures up images of sweet children dressed as kitty cats, innocently Trick-or-Treating as they tote a plastic pumpkin full of sugary treats?

However for others, Halloween is a dark and mysterious evening, filled with unspeakable horrors: Witches cauldrons, one-eyed monsters, and ghoulish ghosts.

Did You Know that the days of apples as favorite Halloween treats are long gone? Today it's all about the candy. And just what are the favorite Halloween candies among trick-or-treaters?
The most searched-for Halloween candy included Tootsie Rolls, Hershey's Milk Chocolate, Nestle Crunch, Candy Corn, Snickers Bar & Milky Way.

Did you know that the average American consumes 25 pounds of candy each year?
Now how much of those 25 pounds do you think gets eaten on Halloween?

Did you know that October 30th is Candy Corn Day?
Candy corn is one of the most popular Halloween treats.

Did you know that more than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be manufactured this year?
That's equal to some 9 billion pieces of corn, enough to circle the moon 21 times if laid out end-to-end.

Did you know that one serving of candy corn contains 140 calories and no grams of fat?

Did you know that the tradition of dressing up in costumes on Halloween dates back to Celtic times?

On Samhain, Celtic people would dress up in animal costumes to mark the end of summer and coming of winter. This custom was later adopted by Christians who celebrated All Souls' Day by dressing up as saints, angels and fairies. Today, of course, the most popular costume choices for Halloween are comic book heroes and Disney princesses!

Did you know that there are more than 2,500 costume rental shops across the country?

Did you know that October is Black Cat Month?
These sweet felines have been long maligned. In fact, many humane societies are so worried about mistreatmet of the black cat on Halloween that they don't allow anyone any black cat adoptions during the entire month of October.

Did you know that modern day Wiccans still celebrate Samhain with elaborate rituals marking the end of summer and coming of the winter?
While there are many ways to celebrate Samhain, most rituals are focused on honoring one's deceased ancestors or commemorating the cycle of death and rebirth.


You can find this and other interesting trivia on the web and your local library.

Heads up: "Adrian's Angel" will be available in print in just a few weeks!

Have a safe Halloween!
Until next time, Angie
www.angelaashtonbooks.com

Critique vs. Criticism

I'm deep in revisions at the moment, so please allow me to offer you a re-post from my blog of my take on critiques:

Look up 'critique' and you'll see such words as evaluation and assessment. Look up 'criticism' and you'll see disparagement and disapproval.

As new writers, we eventually find it necessary to offer up our work for critique. This isn't the same thing as asking friends and family to read your book. Your family will love it no matter what. Your friends may like it. If they don't, they'll merely tell you they were too busy to read it. Maybe they were too busy. Maybe they couldn't choke it down because your writing wasn't up to par.

The truth is, you're not getting an honest critique of your work. If you jump the gun and start querying and sending partials willy-nilly into the publishing world, there's a good chance you'll be disappointed by the results. Rejections will likely pour in with the regularity of an electric bill. Maybe you'll give up, convinced that you suck. Or maybe you'll realize that there are people out there who can really help.

So, you join a writers' group or forum. You get tips on making your work better. You discover flaws like passive voice, showing not telling, info dump and wooden dialogue.

Maybe a critique is particularly harsh, and you instantly take it personally. Perhaps you lash back, telling everybody you know that the critiquer is mean. If that's the case, you have a lot to learn about the critiquing process. Resist the urge to diss the critiquer. Don't flounce off in a huff because your brilliant prose didn't blow the socks off everyone who read it. The people who think they're helping you are not necessarily professionals, and not all of them know how to assess another writer's work with an objective eye.

Take each comment, positive or negative, and store them in a safe place. Take some time to cool off and look at the comments again.

Some will be inconsequential, like: "I thought that joke was in poor taste and I don't think you should use it." So what if the reader didn't like the joke? A thousand others will. Disregard.

Some will sting: "Using excessive 'there was' is the sign of an amateur". Okay, that could have been worded differently, so take it in its intended context -- omit excessive 'there was'.

Some will be extremely unhelpful: "This sucks. You can't write." Or: "I didn't like the plot." Ignore these people and move on.

Most will be helpful, and eventually their advice will percolate into your psyche if the same tips are given again and again.

Above all, whether you agree or disagree, take the time to thank your critiquer.

Sandra Cormier is the author of Bad Ice, a hockey suspense novel.

The Ultimate Goal

Those who’ve followed me for any amount of time know that I’m a big believer in setting goals as a writer, and have given tips, including this one here at Writer’s Vineyard. Certainly, individualized small goals are (in my opinion) the best way to get your writing on task and complete works on a regular basis. However, there’s also something to be said about high, overarching goals. In particular, what are your goals for writing that you’ve finished?

A lot depends on the manuscript you’re writing and who the intended audience is:

• Is it a memoir that has limited exposure outside of your circle of friends and family?
• Is it a picture book intended to be read to your children or grandchildren?
• Is it a book intended for a small group interested in the subject matter, such as a listing of local folk heroes to be sold in the town museum?

In these cases, your goal is likely simple: These books aren’t meant for mass distribution, but for a limited audience. Attempting to get publication through a small or large publisher would be noble, but not advisable except in very rare occasions. Instead, several options are available in the here and now for these types of books. Printing services such as Lulu.com could be used, as they offer a way to put your book together for free (if you don’t mind having an unedited book) and then your upfront costs for books to sell would be on a limited per-book basis. Even better, for those cases where the book is intended for sale to your friends and family, they can purchase a copy without you paying out-of-pocket.

This isn’t to say that if you’ve created a memoir or children’s picture book, you wouldn’t have success seeking out an agent or publisher. Again, all of these are suggestions for maximum satisfaction, and your goals are meant to be your own.

• Are you writing something that can’t quite be labeled as one particular genre? Do you not know where it would fit in a bookstore?
• Are you writing something that doesn’t fit into an agent’s or major publisher’s guidelines in terms of manuscript length (a value dependent on genre)?

With this case, the goal becomes a little vague: Is the intent for distribution to the public, to friends and family, or just for your own enjoyment? If the former, it would be good to run through your manuscript again and determine if something is keeping it from a single-genre (or two or three genre, since cross-genre novels are gaining traction). If it can be changed up, then by all means, do so.

Again, if your intent is to have friends and family members buy the book, or just to have copies you can hold in your hand, then Lulu.com might be the answer. Distribution, however, will require a bit more. A small press may in fact be more than willing to take on a manuscript that doesn’t quite fit anywhere else, and there might actually be a small press that’s a custom-fit for your particular manuscript, whatever it might be. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a large distribution network, a small press may or may not be up to your expectations. Always check out any publisher before submitting: See if several of their current books can be found in your local store or see if it’s able to be ordered easily. If not, and you’re looking for distribution, you’re going to run into issues yourself and it’s best to steer clear.

• Have you gotten to this point and still haven’t found something that fits your manuscript or your goals?

By this time, it’s a good bet you’re looking for wide amounts of distribution. In that case, you’ll want to place your book with a major publisher capable of getting books into stores with ease. To do this, you’ll need to first place your book with an agent. That entire process is another post for another time, but suffice to say, it’s the toughest path to take out of all those listed here and may end up taking the longest time. Matching your goals with the method of publication required will end up resulting in (hopefully) the greatest satisfaction, something to keep in mind throughout the process.

Perhaps some of these talking points have spurred you to take a new look into what your writing goals are. Be sure to leave a comment if you have a question about anything discussed in this blog post, and happy writing!

***

T. M. Hunter has always had a fascination with interstellar travel, spacecraft (and aircraft) and beings from other worlds. Twice a top ten finisher in the P&E Readers Poll for his short stories (2007, 2009), his book HEROES DIE YOUNG earned Champagne Books’ Best-Selling Book of 2008 award. FRIENDS IN DEED is his latest novel and hopes to follow in those footsteps. His first short story collection DEAD OR ALIVE is slated for an upcoming release from ResAliens Press. For more information, including links to his published short stories and novels, please visit AstonWest.com. You can also find T. M. Hunter on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

So Close to Halloween

It's almost Halloween. I love this holiday. Kids dress up as their favorite character and then get some treats. It's time for fun shivers and interesting delights. It's always been one of my favorites. Of course, I'm the type that loves a scare. It's a break from reality. I think we all need a few of those.

One of my favorite memories was playing hide-n-seek in a cemetery on Halloween night. The cemetery was one in Fairview, NC. A few family members and I decided to go play. It turns out some kids who lived at the end of the road had the same idea. It was surprising to find extra shadows and unfamiliar faces hiding around the headstones. The night had a few screams and lots of laughs.

This year I am dressing up as the grim reaper. The plastic scythe should make it easier to corral the children. My husband has also issued a candy tax. Every so often he gets a piece of candy for taking us around the town. Oh, and we make him dress up too. No, he's not too old. He's too old to go door to door asking for candy, not too old to dress up. He will be my horny devil this year. Get your minds out of the gutter. He will be wearing horns.

I suppose my love of the dark and mysterious has made it into my writing. I tend to find the fantastic hiding in the corners of my mind. When I'm lucky, they come out to play. I also enjoy a romance with the chills. Mysterious strangers that may or may not be human. Haunted houses, sword toting heroes, gun wielding villains, bad boys and even a few bad girls lurk in the pages. It's all for fun and for that moment of surprise.

With that note, I will leave you. I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween. And at least one pleasant surprise.

You can visit me at
WWW.JLMcCale.com
WWW.JenniferCloud.com

Paranormals: The new historical?

A few years ago, or maybe more, the classic “clinch cover” historical romance seemed to disappear from bookshelves. In its place came vampires, werewolves, mermaids, mermen, ghosts, witches, goblins, and all kinds of things that go bump in the night. I love paranormals. I love writing them, reading them, being both scared and turned on by them. But, I wonder, did the paranormal replace the historical?
Wait a minute, you might say. Historicals have nothing to do with paranormals. They’re two totally separate genres. Well, yes and no. Let me explain.
The historical requires the creation of a world. In this world, there is required research. The author must get her facts straight in order to make that world believable. She cannot set her heroine in the burning fires of Atlanta without knowing a thing or two about the American Civil War. The same holds true for the paranormal. How is an author going to know the rules of shape shifting without first doing some research? And if her heroine is whisked away to another planet, how is she going to be captive of a mind altering force field without knowing something about gravity and how the human body reacts to atmospheric pressures? Research. The world you’re creating requires it to make it believable to your reader.
So what about characters? Remember when those Native American romances were so popular? One of the characters, usually the heroine who was non-Indian, was forced into the hero/Indian’s tribal world. No different that the innocent…er, let me rephrase that…kick butt modern day heroine getting sucked (no pun intended) into the hero/vampire’s lair. With both the historical and the paranormal, hero or heroine must learn to accept their significant other’s worlds and they must find a compromise of those worlds if they are to spend happily-ever-after together.
I’m not saying one genre is better than the other. I love them both. I just wonder, as readers, did we really banish the historical or did we just hide them under black cape and sharp teeth?

Unfortunate Love Affairs and Severe Disappointment

As an author, I spend a certain amount of time researching my writing projects. I could be attempting to capture the essence of a specific place or I may need to know the mechanics of crime investigation. One of the fascinating topics I researched was dream interpretation. In a nightmare blood can symbolize unfortunate love affairs and severe disappointment, and for Halloween I would like to share the meaning of dreaming about some of the creepy crawly creatures that might invade your sleep. Read the following dream excerpts and then I will dissect them for you:

The man’s big, meaty paw snatched the little boy out of the line up and shoved him to the dirty floor. The bat stretched its wings, but continued to cling to the man’s shoulder. The overbearing man never noticed the blood that trickled through his shirt, drawn by the bat’s claws. He kicked the young boy in the stomach with the toe of his cowboy boot. Instantly, the boot transformed into a snake. It recoiled, drew back, and struck the cringing child. The beer-bellied man waved his tattooed arm and without making a sound the younger children morphed into rats, and scurried out of the room.

Bat: symbolizes quarrels and hosts of evil
Snake: treachery
Blood: essence and life energy, unfortunate love affairs, a severe disappointment
Rats: foretell of serious trouble to come

***

The bedspread transformed into a mass of enormous fleas scurrying beneath me. I could feel their compressed bodies against my flesh.

Fleas: sickness, or needing to deal with old troubles

***

The overwhelming smell of rotting flesh permeated my nostrils, and then I noticed the decaying, maggot-infested, head of an owl roll off the serving tray onto the floor.

Owl: deceitful person

***
I hope that your dreams are sweet or sexy instead of frightening. Either way, interpretation of dreams can be fascinating. Feel free to check out the link to dream interpretation on my website www.victoriaroder.com

Victoria Roder is the author of Action Thriller, BOLT ACTION from Champagne Books. The body count mounts and Detective Leslie Bolt must conquer her own past, as she races to capture the “State Quarter Killer” before her sister is the next victim. Secrets of the past, murder, deception, and sexual tension; BOLT ACTION offer it all! http://champagnebooks.com:80/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=27_49

The Dream sequences used are from the paranormal romance, The Dream House Visions and Nightmares by Victoria Roder.

STRICTLY NAUGHTY

By: Angelica Hart and Zi

We have had opportunity to talk to many people that have an interest in writing. One of the themes that runs as if a stream of consciousness is writer's block. With empathy we listen to wannabe authors describe something tougher than a $2.00 flank steak. That blank white field before you taunting and teasing, "Fill me...fill me...with profound and purposeful rhetoric."

Ouch that does hurt. That screen needs a time-out. Bingo... that is what you need to do. Take the time to figure out what you want to say. There is a study out there, it might have been done by someone from Penn. This person polled famous and accomplished authors and asked what was the most important thing. The preponderance of responses were similar. To distill that...have something to say. That is right. Have something to say. There are plenty of people that craft well, many superiorly but if what they create is shallow or without an audience...then to what end? Pretty prose without purpose is like having cheese cake without sugar, just doesn't sit as well on the palette.

We once met a woman who wanted to write romance. Asked her to send us samples. She wrote erotica. We suggested she add romance, pointing out places where she could punch it up. She returned the piece and had written better and more erotica. She did have something to say. It was not romance. We recommended that she pursue that audience. She did. She's happy writing strictly naughty.

In our stories always know what we wanted to say. And sometimes it is as simple as love can be found anywhere, anytime by anyone if you look for it.

We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at angeliahartandzi@yahoo.com and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a gift and add you to any future mailings.

Angelica Hart and Zi
KILLER DOLLS
SNAKE DANCE
CHASING YESTERDAY
angelicahartandzi@yahoo.com
angelicahartandzi.com

ALL BOOKS can be purchased at
Champagne Books
http://www.champagnebooks.com/

How to handle a pirate

Today, I’m going to talk about pirates.

Ahoy, me matey!

Oh, hello there. Wow, an actual pirate. Uh, nice…eye patch.

Arrrr. It was a gift from some rum fellow like yerself. But yo-ho-ho, the lass is resting in Davy Jones' locker now.

Gulp. Really? Well, I’m not sure how to tell you this without totally offending you, but...

Don’t pay an old salt like me no mind. Give it straight, me bucko.

Alright then. But, umm, I’m not really talking about pirate pirates. I’m talking about Internet pirates.

Ehhhhhhh?

Internet pirates. You know, those sites that post your copyrighted stories on the web for free, without your permission.

Shiver me timbers! Any bilge-sucking blaggard addled enough to pillage me booty will lose their lights and liver. Why, they’ll taste the tip of me cutlass, eat me belaying pin for supper, kiss me gunner's daughter, dance with Jack Ketch—

Okay, okay! I get your point. But I don’t think killing or maiming them is quite acceptable…or legal (no matter how tempting the idea sounds).

No quarter! Dead men tell no tales…especially the tales of me hearties. A pox on ye scurvy dogs! I’ll flog ye with me Cat o'nine tails and make ye walk me plank to feed the fishes. I’ll keelhaul ye—

Actually, I was thinking a letter might do the trick. I’ve been hit twice by Internet pirates now, and both times, all I’ve had to do was contact them and politely inform them the story’s rights were being infringed. The story was taken offline within the week.

It was simple really.

Places like Astatalk (here’s their take down link ) and Scribd (here’s their take down link) already have removal request forms for you to fill out.

Just make sure you have ALL THE INFORMATION they need. If they don’t have a template letter for you to fill out, you can write them something like this:

Hello,

My story, [ENTER THE NAME OF YOUR STORY HERE] by [AUTHOR NAME], [ISBN NUMBER], available at [PUBLISHER NAME and PUBLISHER'S WEB ADDRESS] - is being shared without my or my publisher’s express consent.

I am the owner of the copyright of this story, and under the penalty of perjury, give my word that the above stated information is accurate.

I would appreciate it if you could remove the link to the download as soon as possible:

[PROVIDE THE PIRATED LINK]

Regards,

[YOUR NAME]
[Sometimes they need information on how to contact you, which you could provide here]


If your efforts are still ignored, I recommend you join the yahoo group Authors Against E-Book Theft to help you deal with the problem.

It's not too hard to find Internet pirates stealing your story either. Just sign up at Google Alerts. In their search terms box, type in things like your author name and the title of your story. Might want to put "parenthesis" around your story title so the search knows to look for those exact words in that exact order.

And that's all there is to it!

Blimey! Trust a saucy wench to take the landlubber’s way out. Arrr, me proud beauty. Sounds like ye have everything shipshape.

Oh! Well, thanks (blushes).

I guess I’ll heave ho then and weigh anchor. It’s back to the Briny deep for this sea dog.

Thank you again for stopping by Mr., uh, Pirate sir. I hope to see you again next year on September 19th (which is official Talk-like-a-pirate Day, by the way!).

Aye, me matey. Fair winds and God speed.

WATCH OUT! HERE IT COMES

I love this time of year. From the first of October until the first week of January we were either preparing for the holidays or enjoying them. This is the time I began to think about what cookies and candy I'd make for the season. When our children were at home and small, this was the time we thought about Halloween costumes and how we would decorate the house. Oh, we did decorate, fake tomb stones, skeletons on doors and windows and lighted jack-o-lanterns on the porch. By the middle of the month, we were looking for the perfect pumpkins to carve. Christmas shopping began about this time. At least lists were compiled.

After Halloween, here in the states, we began to prepare for Thanksgiving. When I was much younger, HA! when I was a little kid, my grandmother, who always provided the turkey, either selected the bird from her own flock, or later, when she stopped raising turkeys, bought a live bird to fatten up. (I have personal knowledge of how mean a turkey can be and a few scars to prove it.) In Canada, Thanksgiving begins the holiday season, but their season begins the first of October also.

After Halloween and Thanksgiving, the Christmas season begins. That means decorating the house, starting the baking and listening to Christmas music at the mall. Then there was the wrapping of presents like the toy we got out of layaway. Yeh! I remember those days. I don't even think they do layaway today. You'll have to let me know if I'm wrong.

Our children were pretty good at ferreting out my hiding places for the gifts and few years ago, they admitted to unwrapping and rewrapping the gifts that went under the tree. But at the time, I only thought they had discovered my hiding places, looked at the name tags and figured out from the feel or size, what they might be getting.

To fool them, I devised a code to use, instead of the traditional name tags. Each package had a letter and a number which corresponded to my code, locked away in my desk. I thought I was so smart. Another HA! They unwrapped and rewrapped the packages. I should have taken the gifts to the neighbors to hide. I will have to admit they were all very good actors. They always pretended a lot of surprise.

I loved the smells of the season. The roasting turkey, the scents of pumpkin pie, the house full of the fragrances of cookies, the pine tree and the crisp feel of winter weather. One tradition that seemed important to our clan, was to tramp out to a Christmas tree farm to find the perfect tree. After the ritual removing of said tree, usually in a lot of snow, there was the trip to the restaurant for hot chocolate topped with marshmallow or whipped cream. The kids still talk about those trips. And come to think about it, I can't remember a "perfect tree." They either leaned a bit, or where too short, too tall, or too thin on one side. But with the lights, tinsel and decorations, they always looked wonderful.

How things have changed. My season now begins in September with the start of the football season. As the weather cools, the contests heat up and I follow my teams
carefully. The children are the ones who are buying presents, carving pumpkins and baking cookies. I get to sit back and enjoy football.

Of course, now my season doesn't end until the end of January, or the first part of February with the playing of the US super bowl for the pro players. Oh, I do bake a few things, but cookies and decorating no longer form the center of my activities. My Saturdays are spent in front of the television watching my favorite college teams. I also follow my favorite pro teams.

Yes, I love this time of year for a different reason. Do I miss the way it used to be? Nope! I love the memories, but I don't miss the work one little bit. And I'm delighted to be able to say, my teams all won this last weekend.

Allison Knight
"Heart-warming Romance with a Sensual Touch."

Continuation on a Theme

Linda LaRoque's post about mentoring brought up an interesting question:
Do writers have a responsibility to help new writers when asked? Did someone mentor you, help you develop your craft?

To address the first part, the short answer in my opinion is "yes." It's part of the larger experience of becoming a more humane being. Any time someone asks you for help, when they swallow their timidity and lay their vulnerability out there to come to you, yes. Call it Karma or Golden Rule or Pay it Forward, but you must give when asked. The next step is the tricky part: how much do you give?

I've been in organizations where I have given my time, shared my knowledge, and gone to bat for people I thought were friends - and got steamrolled. This has happened a number of times, in a number of aspects of my life, and hurt like hell each time. So I don't jump into groups any more. But when asked, I share my experiences in a way that I hope will let that person avoid pitfalls I plunged through. In fact, a few fellow authors and I are putting together a six-hour, one-day workshop called "Write Start for Fiction" for writers in the Tucson area that will address the real basics: How to format a manuscript, How to choose your book's genre, The importance of Editing, etc.It's still in the planning stages but we've booked a conference room in a central hotel for Saturday, February 19, 2011. We'll keep the cost reasonable and five of us will teach different segments. So when someone asks me in the next few months, I don't have to repeat myself too often. I can tell them to come to the workshop and benefit not only from my sharing but four other writers and their publishing experiences as well.

As to the second question, yes, I was mentored by a number of generous and wise writers. Rhys Bowen, the award-winning mystery author, has been especially kind. My good friend and fellow Champagne Author Carol Costa has been a delightful influence. Maybe that's why I also feel the need to share what I've learned - am still learning - from them.

To me, it's all about the positive energy you give into the universe that reflects back to you in ways you may never imagine. As George Harrison said, "And in the end/the love you take/ is equal to the love/ you make." Caring to make another writer's experience just that much easier can only increase the good energy in your own writing.

Jude Johnson
My first novel with Champagne Books, Dragon & Hawk, is scheduled for release in April 2011.
Website:  www.Scorched Hawk Press.com

Why do I bother?

How many times have you, as an author, asked yourself the question: Why do I bother? This question, like a sleeping dragon, usually rears its head when I receive a rejection from an agent or editor or some negative review of my work. If you entertain the question long enough, it will literally suck the life out of your soul. You will be consumed with self-doubt and can get into what I call 'rewrite hell'. This is where you doubt your work is ever good enough and rewrite the same manuscript ad nauseum. Rewriting is essential, but there has to be a point at which we believe we've done our best and it is 'good enough'.

I know that, when I get a rejection that leaves me deflated and disappointed, I can tend to throw up my hands and shout to the heavens, "Why do I bother?" Then I consider the question. Here's why I bother: Because I could no more stop writing than I could cease to breathe. Because befriending new characters and uncovering their stories is so much damn fun. Because starting a new book with a 'what if' question and seeing it through to the end amazes me every time I do it.

I bother because I'm a writer. The need to create stories and introduce characters is in my heart and soul. I'm compelled to write. When an editor passes on a manuscript because it, "doesn't fit what I'm looking for," or when an agent responds that he or she, "is not the right person to represent this work," it can be disappointing. Because all of us read between the lines: "This book just doesn't measure up."

But, then, there are the moments that remind me again why I bother: When a reader tells me my story touched her heart, gave her hope, made her laugh and cry, or that she fell in love with my characters. And those moments make the bother worthwhile.

Linda Rettstatt
http://www.lindarettstatt.com/

Author of Shooting Into the Sun and Next Time I'm Gonna Dance, both now available at Champagne Books. Coming in November, Love, Sam.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please visit my blog at http://www.onewomanswrite.blogspot.com/ for details about a special promotion on Next Time I'm Gonna Dance from Champagne Books and Linda Rettstatt that will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Shadows Behind The Curtains

It is not always what you see that makes a story. Sometimes, it is what happens behind the scenes.

In my upcoming third book in the Dancer series - Defiant Dancer, trouble is brewing light years from where my novel takes place. Earth is losing a war with a former colony world called Corven. The item of contention is a planet called Me'Auk, and Corven is about to push Earth's forces off the main continent.

A meeting takes place within the Corven military to look at the post-victory situation. Sure, they have defeated Earth's expeditionary force, but there are other concerns. Me'Auk was once home to the Me'Aukin clans - a space fairing civilization only recently rediscovered. It is feared that the Me'Aukins would seek an alliance with another more primitive race Earth had discovered - the Qurls. My main character's people. The last thing Corven wishes to see is a hastily advanced race becoming the shock troops for a Me'Aukin return to their former world. What to do?

I envisioned a standard military meeting - dry protocol and charts. Lesser officers reciting reports that the generals had already read. The only real thing left to accomplish was a mutual agreement to be forwarded to the corporate conglomerate sponsoring the eventual colonization. Corven would send one cruiser to the world of Dessa in order to chase off any Me'Aukin interlopers and make their own alliance with these Qurls.

Readers will be spared this scene - one of many they won't see. Conversations between Qurl power brokers to control the Great Suria risen among them will also be omitted. What the reader will see instead is the results. The determination of a former suitor. The flash and heat of a striking missile. The dance of cause and effect spurned on by motivations and scheming by shadows behind the curtains. Most things in my world happen for a reason, and this is the same with any good story. Hidden agendas. Plans. Neither hold well with a target who continues to turn and twist in moments of desperate decision, and spiraling out from such wonderful confusion comes a story of both dimension and depth.

Meanwhile, I am writing the first draft of the final installment in the Dancer series, and have already watched how repressive politics back on Earth has produced a flowering of what had been a minor character into the most conflicted of archetypes - a traitor with solid motivations for becoming one.

It is the things you don't see.

Kerry
www.kmtolan.com

Post-Release Bliss

Warning: This blog contains expressions of extreme sentimentality

This past week I experienced my very first book release. It was a dream come true, a culmination of over twelve years of hard work. I feared, after the excitement of being offered a publishing contract, that it would be slightly anti-climactic, but it was, in fact, the opposite. I felt like I was floating on a cloud all day, and kept pinching myself to make sure I was really awake.

I didn’t know, when I first signed that contract back in December, that publication would only be the beginning. I was not at all prepared for the flood of gratitude and yes, love, for these new friends that are quickly becoming a second family to me. I am daily in awe over the amount of support I’ve encountered in the Champagne community and the various websites dedicated to bringing exposure to new authors. Between jobs, kids and writing, so many of you still take the time to read each other’s blogs, interviews and reviews, to offer advice, to commiserate failures or celebrate successes. The fact that I am relatively new to the publishing world has not excluded me from all of this support in the slightest. I’ve been welcomed with open arms and definitely feel like I have a solid place among you. This week especially was very eye-opening to me, to witness the turnout to release-related events anywhere from the Romance Studio’s October Release Party to Night Owl’s hosting of my blog. Several of you have invited me to guest blog or interview on your own sites, and that along with the gracious invitations to partake in free exposure on a number of book websites have left me overwhelmed with gratitude.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to the Champagne administrators and writers, and to the fine folks at numerous author-supporting websites. Thank you for welcoming me, helping me out when I needed it, and supporting me. I will try to return the favor whenever I can, but I don’t think I’m nearly as good as some of you are at juggling writing, working and family with squeezing in time to comment on a blog or interview. But you’ve certainly motivated me to improve. I’m looking forward to meeting and connecting with more of you, and I must say it’s a wonderful feeling being part of a writing community for the first time.

All right, enough of this maudlin gushing! My book is out, and I’m THRILLED!!!!

http://champagnebooks.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=239

www.ashleyjbarnard.com

Will you accept the call to mentor?

It's flattering when someone learns you're a writer and shows an interest in your stories. You outline what you write, how you got started, and regale them with snippets of what your books are like. As the conversation progresses, you learn they've always had a desire to write. Inevitably you're asked the question, "How do you go about getting published?"

How much will you tell them? Will it be a brief overview of the process, a detailed explanation, or will you put them off? Of course, much of what you say will depend on your snap judgement of how serious you believe them to be. Another consideration is the amount of time you have to spend on the subject. If you're in a rush, you might hand them your card and tell them to contact you and you'll get back. But will you?

If you do get back to them, how much of your time and self are you willing to give?

Do writers have a responsibility to help new writers when asked? Did someone mentor you, help you develop your craft?

We've all had varying experiences. I was fortunate to have a mentor who helped me a great deal. As a result, I feel I need to help when I can. How about you?

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/
http://www.lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com/

The Name Game

One of our Champagne authors, Jane Toombs, wrote about her cat, Kinko. I was immediately envious of the name, a "purrfect" name for a writer’s cat. A writer should come up with good, creative names for pets. We do it for our characters. We search and replace so as not to give them unlikely names.

Only one of our pets escaped the pre-naming game, Maori, our first golden retriever, named for the New Zealand aboriginals. Like their Polynesian ancestors, they tattoo their faces and draw circles around their eyes. Maori was so marked.

Alas, my pets have been named not by literary people but literal people.

For instance, Puppy, an intelligent blue-black lab came to us at seven months of age. She was named and trained by a man who raised huskies. She crouched under a table when Kelly, an Alaskan husky, ran though the room, taking the carpet with her. My husband and I looked at each other and shook our heads. The owner, seeing our distress, said, "You could have Puppy." She looked up with big hopeful eyes, capturing our hearts before we'd arrived home

Daisy was 18-months old when we rescued her. Blondie and Dagwood’s creator introduced his Daisy more than 50 years ago. Even now, Daisy is the most common name people give their female dog.

Goldie deserved a more dignified name. She was wise at five years of age when her tearful father stumbled back into his empty van and made his way home alone. His young children were allergic to Goldie and her cat, who already had left home without her. Goldie spent her first night in her new home whimpering. For a few years she checked every white van that passed us on walkies. Yet only a week after she’d moved in with us, visitors thought we’d had her for years.

My fictional dogs have important parts to play in my books. In Mortal Coil, Sherman, the damnyankee dog, is a star. He’s a golden retriever, smart like Goldie and beautiful like Maori.

In my first published book, our hero depends on Rolex, the watchdog.

Lucifer was the most fun to name in an otherwise serious book. My young heroine is stuck in the pantry overnight with this huge white bullmastiff. The naughty nuns had named him Lucifer.

In our nonfiction lives, we acquired Kitty-kitty, who campaigned for our love with loud persistence. Twenty years later Kitty-kitty is stuck with that moniker. She should have received a regal name. She is a family member in every way. She lifeguards the pool when we swim. She sees that we get to bed on time and that we are up to feed her and ourselves. Kitty-kitty is a published author in both England and the U.S. In her "An A-mewsing Tail," she documents the story of how she came to win us over—more like breaking us down. She goes incognito in several of my novels.

She’s Lillyputt, a loving companion, in one story.

She’s Cufflinks, a male cat who belongs to the hero who also sports cufflinks. Cufflinks faces off with the heroine’s pet Mynah bird, Bilgewater.

Bilgewater is a foul-mouthed fowl. He’s the malevolent East India Mynah bird with a vocabulary absorbed from his first residence, a dockside bar.

It’s great fun to give our characters names befitting their styles. Creativity has its privileges. But author-pet owners have responsibilities.



Julie Eberhart Painter
Mortal Coil and Tangled Web
Julie is a http://www.champagnebooks.com/ author
Her Web site is www.books-jepainter.com

Stories & characters that write themselves

I’m glad to now be a part of this blog. I see I’m in good company!

I’ll try not to get too carried away with the craziness that sometimes occurs at my own blog, but talking about writing isn’t anything I’m particularly good at. (<- see how I just ended that sentence with a preposition!? ;) I’ll try to hop right in here though with one of the most common things people ask me about writing. “How did you come up with your idea?”

The answer is simple. I didn’t. The idea chose me. It may sound like a poor excuse for an answer, but it’s true. The last few of my novels have come from one single sentence popping into my head and the rest of the story runs from there.

I don’t struggle with a storyline or plot out an outline. My hands hit the keys & I just type. On the occasion that I may try to think ahead & actually plan for my character to do something, I’m proven wrong. I use the term “my character” loosely since they have minds of their own.

I have shouted phrases like, “I told you not to sleep with him!” and “You could have told me sooner that you played the Piano, jerk!” The things that my characters say crack me up. I’ll read back & swear I didn’t just write that. I don’t always get along with my characters, but they are usually right (or ‘write’ as the case may be.) I’m finding the females are usually me in one way or another. They are a little (okay, a lot) strong willed and usually have at least one or two of my ‘quirks”. My aunt is one of my beta readers. A while ago she said, “What’s up with all your female MC’s?” “I guess they’re me. Why?” “Apparently you know a lot about cars, animals, coffee, guns, & sex. Not necessarily in that order.”

The only way to sum up the post is to say I love writing. It’s an adventure to me even as I write the pages and watch the story unfold, anxious to see what is going to happen next. Maybe my methods are a little strange, but if the shoe fits…. (no – not buy one in every color.) Wear it!

A post in a writing forum a while ago was titled, “Do you have to be neurotic to be a writer?”

My answer, “No, but it helps.”

June Kramin

Author Paranormal Romance ~ Dustin Time

Website, blog & buy links at: http://www.junekramin.com/

Pruning - Keeping only the best

The story I'm working on is such a tangled jungle, like an unattended, wild grape vine covering nearby shrubs and hanging from adjoining trees, this work's structure is so obliterated it makes harvesting an ending a grasping, difficult experience. I need to do some serious pruning to make a better, more coherent story.

Once vines begin to grow, they're like ideas sprouting out in every direction—hard to contain. It is up to the grower-writer to decide which vines to keep, and which to remove. Placement of details, confrontations, action scenes, or 'ah-ha' moments can be too close together, confusing, illogical, or even superfluous, and distracting.

Pruning is usually done when the grape vine is dormant, in late winter, so the structure can be studied. Which translates into when the story is going through its first (or second, third, forth, etc.) revision in writing.

The first thing a grower looks for is damaged, diseased or broken vines. These are removed entirely, clipped back to a healthy bud. Writers' recognize these as half-baked ideas, sub plots going nowhere, or characters without purpose. Short vines are often painlessly, even ruthlessly, clipped out allowing air to flow through the structure. These cuts help prevent mold and fungal diseases, something you want to avoid in your writing, too.

Sometimes removing a well-developed vine is painful. The vine's buds look fat with potential, the stem thick with possibilities. The story-grower knows the placement is wrong for the plot, it interferes with the growth of a stronger more important idea, or it crowds the structure so other subplots won't develop correctly.

Pruning is hard work. Emotional investment in a particular scene sometimes blocks logical assessment of the scene's value to the story. Experience teaches that for the strength of the story, the cut must be made.

This is where critique groups become so valuable. Unbiased eyes are currently reading the manuscript I just completed. What they have to say may mean the difference between it becoming a published work or not, but I'm sure they will spot all the dead and useless growth. Looks like I'll be doing more pruning.

Rhobin L. Courtright, author Stone House Farm, Champagne Books
My web pages
grape banner from freeclipartnow.com

Self Promotion – is it necessary?

Michael W. Davis

Davisstories.com

Maybe not if you’re with one of the big eight and sell half a million copies of your novels, but how many of us will that apply too? Probably only a few percent. In fact, one well-known national big eight author lives in my community and I know he actually attends signings at local boutiques and tourist stores. Now, maybe that’s for fun, maybe not, but I do know with the small independent publishers, like the majority of us are lucky enough to be cared for by, you MUST promote.

Was I shouting there? Good, cause without self-promotion, you’ll go no were, except out the door. Why should a publisher take a risk with ya if you’re not willing to put yourself out there? Oh, your shy, is that the problem? Then you’re not looking at it right. Approach it like me. It’s an opportunity to get out there and meet new people, ones that actually care about what ya say.

But which of the many promotional activities should you spend your time on? Boy, that is a problem. That’s why over the passed two years I’ve keep statistics on 22 promotional avenues I have tried and evaluated which worked for me and which did not. Like to see a list of my best and worse? Ok, go to 1stturningpoint.com on 10/21, 10/28, and 11/3 and you can read a three-part post on what I’ve learned. Why not post it here on our own TWV site? Love to but I commitment with the lovely lady over there, but I can refer ya, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, hopefully, oh, just go read it (g).




Big Mike
Michael W. Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the year, 2008

Blind Consent, “The answers are buried in the secrets of the past.”
Forgotten Children, “Only Sara knows the truth.”
Tainted Hero, “Sometimes good people do bad things.”
The Treasure, “A lonely heart can impair one’s judgment.”
Veil of Deception, “Sometimes the truth cuts deeper than a lie.”

Knowing When It Is Working

The more I write, the faster I realize when a story isn't working. There are some stories that sound good, that I think should work, but when it gets to the writing, they simply don't.

When I was a newer writer, I would force that story. I'd grind my teeth and push the story together or the two love interests together or the baddie into being a true baddie. Sometimes the story ended up okay but the story was never, ever great, and frankly, great is what I need to build a career.

Now, I don't force stories. If a long story isn't writing itself by the end of chapter three, I quit that story and start something else. If a 10,000 word short isn't working by the 1,000th word, I do the same. If I don't want to reread what I've written, I stop.

I truly believe that's why many agents ask for the first three chapters. They know by reading three chapters whether or not the story will work. I've gotten to that place also.

I fought it. I'm not normally a quitter. I've gotten where I am in the world through dogged persistence. So I had to frame the quitting differently. I now think of it as trading a project that won't work for one that does.

My publishing schedule under Kimber Chin might not reflect it but this has resulted in me writing and completing MORE projects than before. I figure my new approach is working, even when some of my stories don’t.



$

Kimber Chin is sharing one of her stories for free on http://businessromance.com/

Celebration!

Why am I celebrating? Well first off this is my FAVORITE time of the year--Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday EVER! Plus this month is my grandfather's bday, one of my uncle's has his bday this month as does two of my cousins. Not to mention that my parents wedding aniversay and MY wedding anniversary is this month. This week I'm hanging out with Becka Goings at her annual Birthday Bash. This year B3 is bigger and better because THIS year she and I BOTH have releases this month, my book Hunting Mickey and her book Black Angel released yesterday! Isn't it awesome?!



And thanks to the Internet we can Celebrate All Over the World!


Hope you're having a wonderful week, a fabulous Fall and I look forward to hearing from ya!

Gotta get back to my celebrations! huggles
Donica

Next!

If there's one thing I've noticed in my 7-ish years as a writer (I'm 20 – that's more than 1/3 of my life!) it's that I hate cliche'd characters. Not the cliché as in 'omg, she's the heroine, she's got to be pretty', because I can't seem to get rid of that – mainly because my MCs aren't so human.

I'm talking about the species of my characters. It started out with my Elves, I think. I read something online that badmouthed Elves, so I decided mine would be different. What do you think of when you think Elves? Beautiful, forest-dwelling creatures with all kinds of nature magic, good at archery, and who only step out of their forests once every thousand years to screw with the plot of some poor writer's novel, yes?

Well, my Elves *puffs up chest proudly* are the half-caste offspring of a Salamander (not the animal, the Elemental) and a human. Their sacred, Elemental-drawn weapon is a bow made out of wood glowing with their own individual colour. The arrows are shafts of the same light, which disappear after being fired. They're all redheads, each with a temper quicker than even their Fire-blooded parents, and the last thing they're going to do is leave something alone when they think they can do it better.

I've taken on vampires (who were really living petrie-dishes full of the HSN [Humanes Somnes-Nex] Virus attempting to wipe out Werewolves, Yeti and Bunyips [local varieties of the HSN]), the Devil, God, werewolves (partnered with Harpies and gods) (and partnered again with angels), about 5000 years of the Earth's history, Selkies, world-wide empires (Literally worldwide, in the case of Blood Moon and The Family Legends) and dragon/griffin relationships.

The one thing I have yet to take on is humans. Because humans are boring in worlds where all these things happen. So watch out. If I take on splitting the human cliché, it'll be headline news. Or not.

About Zirconya

I would like to tie off a few odds and ends about my upcoming novel and trilogy, Zirconya. I get a lot of people asking me questions who just have the wrong idea all together! So, in the next few moments, I hope to answer any questions about the book(s) and if I still leave yours unanswered, ask away!

Zirconya: The Sage of Aluh’Nehn is a young adult fantasy for ages thirteen and up. (though, I have had many people in their thirties and forties enjoy it, as well. At least, as much as was posted online before I got contracted)

It focuses on a girl named Chloe(a.k.a Caelum. it's her Zirconyan name) who, on her seventeenth birthday, receives a visitor at her door. Though she can’t deny that there is something strange about him, his stories are just too far-fetched to believe.

The Sage of Aluh’Nehn is the first book in the trilogy, mainly about the discovery and acceptance of otherworldly possibilities. It’s not all faery tale and fantasy but a good mix of realism as to what would actually happen in such situations; how the world would react to the existence of another dimension.

I know my online offshoot of the story, Nahtaia: A Faery’s Tale, is all fantasy but Zirconya is completely different. It’s got a little bit of everything; humor, romance, adventure, pigeon spies, etc.

Hope I cleared up some confusion :)

Any further questions will happily be answered!

-Diana Ilinca

Excerpt from Zirconya: The Sage of Aluh'Nehn
***
Caelum turned to Vicky and frowned. “Listen, Vicky. I know about Lockesith and Zirconya and the sages. I know about them all. Don’t say a word to anyone else unless they know who Maze is.” She spoke in a panic as the dark man exchanged words with the teacher. “It’s all true. You have to believe it all, alright? Please!”

The teacher turned and pointed to Caelum. With one quick glance to Vicky and a lungful of air, she shot out of her seat, jumped from desktop to desktop and dashed out through the back door of the classroom.

Running on the edge of campus, Craban pursued her as the other man came up from the side and joined him. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion as Caelum desperately ran for her life.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the pair as they drew dangerously closer with each stride. When the sage turned back, Maze stood only yards away. He rose a large, silver sword above his head and slashed the air before him with a flourish, creating a tear similar to the one in the sky.

Caelum had too much momentum and couldn’t stop herself before she ran through it and disappeared.

***

A fine balancing act

I recently recieved a gentle reminder from Big Mike - thanks by the way - that I'd been MIA here. I was both horrified and shocked to realize that so much time has passed since I popped by. Time flies when you're having fun I guess.

Recently, after much debating, I decided to go through with a major undertaking and opened my own editing company. This sadly, has detracted from my writing time. Its a double edged sword I think because on one hand the editing company is doing okay - just getting started so its slow - and thus helping to pay bills, but on the other time its sucking the very life from my writing.

To manage both I've had to organize not only my time on the computer but my time with family, friends, work, and life in general. No longer and I willing to spend 16 hours a day working or ignoring one to focus on another. I've rearranged and juggled things so that I can maintain my comitments to my clients and still have an hour or so each night after the kid has gone to bed to write.

Its a fine balance that I have had to learn how to do. I can't give up an one without the other suffering, and I'm still developing my schedules, my life is by no means staid its full of doctor visits, school meetings, clients, friends, family - and all deserve a part of my time. There are priorities, there have to be, but my goal is to maintain my projects with the care, attention to detail and more that I have come to expect from myself and those I work with.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I'd love to hear how you manage your time, your life, your writing. Do you write at night when the house is quiet and dark, or do you take scraps of paper with you on the bus each day to jot down an idea or two along the way to work?