I’ve yet to read Michener (*blush*) but if he fills his books with as much history as Rutherfurd, I look forward to doing so.
I’m enamored of Ireland. Maybe it’s my more-than-a-quarter Irish blood. But I like to think it’s because of the spirit of the Irish: hardy, humorous, independent-minded, rebellious. Of course, as becomes apparent in The Princes of Ireland, that applies more to western and southern Ireland than to eastern Ireland (Dublin and thereabout). We were there in 2008, in both Dublin and out along the west coast (Galway, the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Kilfenara), and although I enjoyed 
When the novel began, I felt a true excitement of being “there” at the Pagan beginnings of the “western 
As it went along, I began to have the feeling that it was more non-fiction than fiction, with hints of Story tying the events together and connecting them through the centuries. It does read largely as non-fiction. There are a plethora of details, names, ruling families that can be hard to keep all together from beginning to end. In fact, this one would be a good candidate for multiple reads (although I’ve yet to do that, either). It’s a very long novel. Expect to spend plenty of time with it.
Also expect to come away with a new understanding of Ireland and its mix of people and cultures, from Druids to Vikings to Scottish warriors to St. Patrick’s Christians to English slaves, and later to English Catholic colonizers. And expect to
The Princes of Ireland is very highly recommended for Ireland enthusiasts, religion enthusiasts, as well as history enthusiasts in general.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
By the way, St. Patrick’s Cathedral (shown above) is a protestant church and corned beef and cabbage is not a traditional Irish food. It’s Americanized Irish created by Irish immigrants who had to cure their meat well enough to transport it. In my view, that makes it the perfect American Irish way to celebrate the day!
~~~
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Book Review: The Princes of Ireland
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Grammar pt. 2
I didn’t intend to continue the grammar lesson, but my daughter reminded me last night of something else that drives me crazy:
Double Superlatives and Double Negatives. No, you don’t have the most prettiest flowers in the garden. You have the most pretty flowers or the prettiest flowers (and prettiest is preferred to most pretty). Most prettiest is a double superlative. On the same token, if you say you don’t want no flowers in your yard (and I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t), you’re actually saying you do want flowers in your yard. The double negative (don’t & no) cancel each other out the way –3 x –3 = +9. Don’t ask me to explain that one; I had to learn math rules whether or not I understood them. And I realize English is the same for many.
By the way, “I could care less” means you really can care less than you do already. If you can’t, say, “I couldn’t care less.”
While I’m here: I saw, NOT I seen. I have seen this done so often it’s becoming common usage. Yikes! Please don’t.
A lot are two words, not one.
Literally means it actually did. For instance, if your head literally exploded, you wouldn’t still be around to tell us it did. (Well, maybe in a sci fi book you could be.)
Figuratively means it felt like it did, and then you could tell us about it.
A favorite of politicians and newscasters these days: No, you did not up the bar. You raised the bar.
I have to point this one out, and my crit partner for Off The Moon will laugh if she reads it: Ryan felt nauseated. He should not have felt nauseous. I left it as nauseous on purpose and she probably cringed when she read the final copy. But, I write closely from the POV character’s thoughts, and Ryan, as smart as he is, would have thought “nauseous” instead. Why? It’s common use. If I’d changed it to “nauseated” it would have made him sound more uppity than he is (and yes, I have been thought of as uppity simply because I tend to use proper English – Ha! You should have seen me struggle through science classes!). If I wrote as a narrator instead of AS the character, I would have used nauseated instead. Was that a bad idea? Maybe, except your dialogue must reflect your character, and since my narratives are all inner dialogue, I felt it was the right choice. I’m sure someone will slam me for it. *shrug* I also use fragments on purpose, for effect. We novelists can break rules, as long as we know the rules first and break them for a particular purpose. I wouldn’t use them in formal writing.
There is a difference between writing fiction and non-fiction, just as there is a difference in formatting a bibliography for MLA style or APA style. If you’re writing non-fiction, stick with the rules.
Can I also mention that soldiers do not drive Hummers on duty? They may drive them off-duty if they can afford to buy them, but the Army uses Humvees, not Hummers. Yes, there is a difference. [Official name: HMMWV for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle]
Okay, so I also have to highlight a news story a fellow author shared this morning. Have to love the ingenuity, but with an excerpt like this, I’d have to pass on the book to come:
"A woman walks from the bathroom, whom I still have no memory of, in this bedroom that I have no memory of, and out to some other room that I have no memory of... 'Headache. Terrible headache,' I say through my teeth. 'Killing me. I think something's wrong...'"
What’s wrong with this? Oh, so many things. First, “whom” is modifying the bathroom, so if she means she has no memory of the bathroom, she should say which instead. If she means the woman, she needs to move the whom phrase behind the woman so it modifies her: “A woman, whom I still have no memory of…” Also, it should be who, not whom. And it should be “into this bedroom” not in. On top of that, it's repetitive without saying much, and it’s vague, and it sounds like distant third person POV with “a woman walks” and yet it’s using first person POV.
Posting sections of your still-to-come novel on posts around NYC might get attention (although it also might be littering), and it might be creative, but before you get creative and get attention … please, learn your craft.
~~
Friday, March 04, 2011
It’s Grammar Day; Have To Do It!
In honor of National Grammar Day (yes, there is such a thing!), I can’t resist posting a bunch of grammar rule breakages that drive us grammar nerds totally bonkers. Some are my own. Others came from either Writer Beware’s Facebook page (Mar 4, 2011) or from Writing.com’s For Authors newsletter (Feb 23, 2011). Since I torture my nearest and dearest often enough by correcting grammar, I thought it was only fair to spread the favor.
It’s and its – not really that hard: it’s means it is, a contraction while its is possessive as in, “Virtue is its own reward.” (so is correct grammar, by the way)
They’re, their, there – They’re means they are, again a contraction (the apostrophe means you’re leaving something out). Their is a pronoun meaning it belongs to them: Their boots are muddy from the rain. If you don’t mean they’re or their, then use there, as in “over there” or “there is” or “put it there.”
Take and Bring – My grandma drummed this into my head when I was young: you take something there but you bring it here. “Take the cake next door but be sure to bring the plate home with you.”
Irregardless – Yikes! Please don’t say that. The word is “regardless” even if some will let you get away with it because it’s become common usage.
These ones or those ones. – No! These or those or that one or this one. No other options.
Affect and Effect – affect is a verb, effect is a noun: The effect of the bill is that it will affect the environment. (There are less obvious uses of these words, but in general, this is good enough to remember.)
Further and Farther – This one might be tricky, as it will tell you in some dictionaries that they are interchangeable in common usage. I’ve done the same because I simply like the sound of further better than the sound of farther. However, I no longer do so. Farther is a measurable distance. Further is figurative. As in, “The farther you go down the road the further into trouble you’ll get.”
Less and Fewer – Fewer is a counting word, as in you have fewer books on your Ereader than on your shelf. If you can’t count the object, you can’t have fewer, you can only have less. You have less time to read the fewer books you have. And be sure to tell your local grocery store that their signs should read: 5 items or fewer, NOT 5 items or less. If you can count the items, you can’t have less. Of course, you could have fewer minutes. You still only have less time, though.
Should have, NOT should of!
To and Too: To is a preposition (I want to go there.) Too is an adverb (I want too much. Are you going, too?)
And, please don’t use a contraction when you mean a plural: Murphy’s Bar is correct since the bar belongs to Murphy (possessive). However, your Christmas card should say “The Murphys” as in there is more than one of you Murphys in the picture. (If there is only one of you in the picture, then The Murphy would work but it might sound pretentious.)
I’m not even going into lie and lay, other than basically a person can lie himself down but he must lay something else down. “I need to lie down now; my head is spinning. Lay the grammar book down and grab a drink.” I admit I tend to avoid other confusion with lie and lay by preferring to say, “He let the book remain where she set it.” Set is easier. Okay, I’m not claiming to be a grammar expert. 
I do have to point out the difference between that and who: a person is a who (no matter how small), while that is a thing or a critter. “A person who yells on a regular basis is less likely to be heard than he who only yells when it’s truly necessary.” Or, “It’s a smart little grasshopper that keeps its singing muted while a toad is looking for its dinner.”
Ah, your and you’re: again, the contraction vs. the possessive – “You’re likely tired of the grammar lesson and would rather be reading your new book!”
And so, I’ll stop here and see if anyone else would like to add to the list in the comments.
Don’t you feel sorry now for my loved ones who have to put up with this on a regular basis?
Monday, February 14, 2011
To celebrate or not to celebrate
Okay, so I forgot to tell my husband Happy Valentine’s Day this morning. Guess I’ll remember tonight. To be fair, he didn’t remember, either.
Does that mean the passion in our marriage has faded? No. I don’t think it has, other than that natural tendency for a couple’s dating and newlywed time to be spark-filled before it settles into something more comfortable, more real. The sparks time is nice. It’s necessary to have that in order to get through the get-to-know-each-other phase that would likely never last, otherwise. Let’s face it: learning to deal with someone’s eccentricities and annoying habits needs something to help balance that. Would anyone be married otherwise?
Sure, we get fizzles. We’ve had the “do I really want to spend the rest of what feels like a VERY long life with you???” phases. Ah well, that’s part of the deal.
I watched Eat, Pray, Love a couple of nights ago, and while I rolled my eyes at the thought that she couldn’t even wait for her divorce to go through before hooking up again, and that most of her thoughts of how she would be happy revolved around being in a relationship, still, it’s a little hard to deny the truth of it.
We are built to need a relationship, an Other who helps fulfill and balance us. Maybe that’s why romance is always the best-selling book genre. And why, even in horrors, mysteries, and thrillers, there is always a love story in there somewhere, and often a main plot point of the story.
When do you last read a book or watch a movie that didn’t involve some type of romance? (No, I do not mean sex. That is not the same thing.) That illusive and invisible bond is undeniable. We want it. We need it. Why not celebrate it?
Of course, forgetting Valentine’s Day is just a thing. Maybe it means we’re comfortable enough after twenty-three years to realize we don’t need the flowers, chocolates, and platitudes. We’re both still here. Together. Fighting through the fizzles and celebrating getting through them and still being here.
I will tell him Happy Valentine’s Day tonight, though. After all, the little fun things matter, too.
--
Oh, another thought that kept returning while watching Eat, Pray, Love is that it felt much like my first novel, Finishing Touches (from 2003). That I’ve been hurt and not sure I can try again, especially when I don’t know who I am thing. Yep, same kind of story. Different characters. Different settings (mine never travels farther than Peoria to Chicago). Same idea. Less marketing power. *sigh*
Interested in seeing if I’m right? Finishing Touches is at Smashwords for only $2.45. If you have a bit of patience and want to wait for the newly loaded (in process) story that’s set several years before Finishing Touches, called Growing Season, there’s a coupon to get the novel for $1.45 instead, through the end of February. The short story is a free read, very short. And sweet. (Formerly published at LASR, June 2009)
Finishing Touches is also in print. Find more info on my website, under My Books (original, isn’t it?). And don’t forget to check out my new consolidated Reviews page! I have more to add, but it’s a start.
PLUS, go see how this blogger compared me to Nicholas Sparks!
--
Happy Valentine’s Day!
(and don’t tell my husband I said it to you first)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Adding Color to Shades of Gray
Pretty, isn’t it? Any guess as to what it is? Could be lots of things.
That’s the thing about shades of gray: it can be awfully hard to clarify just what “is” without adding more definition of some sort.
Ever hear the song “In Color” by Jamey Johnson? I’ve heard it a couple of times in the morning when my radio alarm is trying to gently coerce me out of bed. The gist: a man is showing his grandchildren photos of his life in black and white and mentions they should have seen it in color, meaning well beyond what those printed shades of gray can reveal. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but still, there is much beyond what a still photo can say.
I’m wandering, though.
This morning I read a guest blog by an author who talked about being self-published. So, being a curious bird, I went to his “website” which turned out to be one page with only a description of his books. I clicked on the Home link to find more and was taken to a publisher site. Hm. There were quite a few authors listed on it, and he was among them. That’s fine. I figured it must be a company that prints your books for you while you cover the cost. Except.. they had submissions and part of the process was that they’d ask to see your book if they thought your book’s premise was good enough.
Um, that’s not self-publishing. That’s small press publishing. I find it interesting that an author would call himself self-published when he’s actually submitted his work and had it accepted. Is self-pub becoming that well recognized? A mark of triumph of some sort?
I’m not sure. I know it’s better accepted. Still, authors MUST get their terms straight and not call themselves what they aren’t.
I’ve also recently seen an author describe the same book as both erotic and non-erotic. Which is it? I’m sure she’s trying to hit both audiences to increase sales, but that’s unfair to readers and they will protest if they get what they don’t want. It also makes it harder on the rest of us who try very hard to be honest about what we write, for the benefit of the reader.
Are the above only shades of gray that might be okay depending on your point of view? No. They’re dishonest. Plain and simple. Or unaware, which looks like dishonesty.
Other things that are not gray and which I’ve seen too often:
-- Images on the web are copyrighted. They cannot be grabbed and used without the owner’s permission, even if you leave a link as to where you got them. It’s illegal. That goes for celeb photos and place photos used in blogs, newsletters, websites, and anywhere else you are marketing your work.
-- Posting someone’s words from a private list anywhere else is not okay. Actually, reposting someone’s words from anywhere, other than brief attributed quotes for educational purposes, is not okay.
-- Posting full reviews about your book without the reviewer’s permission is also a copyright violation. Use a sentence or two along with a link to the actual review, and the reviewer’s name, of course. And DON’T change the wording of the review! Leave some out with ellipses in you want, in order to shorten it, but I actually had an author post my whole review of her work, leaving out only my small criticism, and changing the wording around it to compensate. It made it sound very off. If I decided to, I could file a complaint against the author. Maybe I still will.
-- Music for book trailers: Be careful with this one! Many of the “free use” music clips are only free for non-profit uses, such as school presentations or home videos. When you’re using it to sell your book, that’s commercial and a whole different ball game. Read carefully.
What is it?
Christmas Tinsel!
Bet I didn’t have to tell you now that the color is re-added.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Give It A Chance
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
Henry Ford
Believe in coincidences? Or is there a reason for everything that seems to be a coincidence?
I’m not sure which I believe. I do think a lot of things happen for a reason, yes. There are things we need to learn and struggles are often the only way we can learn them. But when I found a friend’s blog post today, posted a few days ago, that coincided so well with a conversation I had with my family a few days ago, I had to laugh. As he mentions, I can cook. I don’t necessarily like to cook, but I can. Unlike him, I do it often because … well, I’m the one who will. It’s one of those things moms often just get stuck with just because.
Anyway, we were talking about some celeb’s new cookbook (which I will gladly ignore) and I mentioned I should write a cookbook for those who don’t like to cook and don’t want to spend more time doing so than absolutely necessary, but still want healthy meals. One pot is always good, also, for less clean up time. I’ve become a near expert (well, expert might be too strong a word) on this cooking method. I rarely use convenience foods. As my family says, I’m … well, thrifty. I use actual ingredients (ground turkey, pasta, potatoes, veggies…) not pre-made reheat bags and boxes and cans (well, not often). If you’re buying all that stuff, don’t complain to me about your grocery bill! It’s bad enough buying the actual ingredients.
Moving along and jumping back off my soapbox, as Paul’s blog post about cooking eggs that didn’t turn out as expected rolled along, I figured I knew where he was going with it. A writing analogy of course, as in, just because your story veers into a direction you didn’t intend or if your writing career takes a path you didn’t plan, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong; maybe it’ll turn out even better.
I was wrong. He didn’t go there. So I did. 
His eggs turned out well enough he shared his recipe. What seemed a failure, wasn’t.
On a similar note, we’ve had company the past week. Honestly, I was dreading it because it was taking me way out of my comfort zone. Turns out it wasn’t so bad. Actually (and I’m eating crow here – not blackbird! that would be a bit scary right now), it turned out well. I guess I’ll stop fighting this particular cause.
Sometimes you just have to take a bite of the chocolate mint wax and give it a try.
Apparently, it does at least taste like chocolate mint, even if it isn’t.
--
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sweet Words: What is the point of an opinion?
"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words."
Plautus
Sweet words are always lovely to hear, such as when an author receives a glowing review for her latest work. We all want to hear what we’re doing right. Child-rearing experts will tell to to be sure to let your kids know when they’re doing good things, along with whatever corrections you need to give them. They do need both, however. What happens to children who are never corrected? Scary thought, isn’t it? We’ve all seen the results of that.
There has been a discussion among some authors recently about book reviews, with many of them saying reviews should always be positive, that criticism is “mean” and doesn’t belong in reviews.
I was left scratching my head over that thought. Has our culture seriously become so “politically correct” that contradicting opinions are not okay? That things we don’t like should be swept under the carpet instead of pointed out in fear of hurting someone’s feelings? That’s as scary as uncorrected/undisciplined children, of which there are way too many these days. It leads only to worse and worse behavior. In the same vein, authors who never get the bad along with the good will never improve; they will keep sliding. Even the top authors tend to slide after a while. Why? It’s too easy to get complacent without enough criticism.
I pay little attention to book reviews these days, unless they include both good and bad. If a reviewer finds no constructive criticism to offer, I figure he’s not well-versed enough in the craft to know the things I’ll find that could have been done better, and so it doesn’t mean much. Am I too critical? Maybe. But I am with myself, as well. I want to know what isn’t quite right in my work, what bugs readers as they enjoy my stories, so I can try not to do it again. I do know full well my books are not perfect. I don’t imagine they’ll ever be. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep trying.
I’m not sure I have ever done a book review without pointing out something that wasn’t quite right or didn’t hit me well. Maybe I have. I think Marilynne Robinson’s and Mark Twain’s books fall in the “no criticism” category for me. They are the only ones I can think of at the moment. Of course, other people would find plenty to criticize in each. We all have our preferences.
It’s human to have an opinion. Only in recent years have we been told it’s not okay to have an opinion that may disagree with what we “should” think. Who says we should? Who gets to choose which thing is okay to think and which isn’t? Why? When we stay quiet about our opinions, whatever they may be, we stop growing. We stop learning from each other. We stop understanding.
Isn’t that completely opposite what we’re trying to do?
I am pro life-sanctity. I am against using abortion as birth control. I have every right in the world to say so. You have every right in the world to disagree. Who knows which is “right”? No one, actually. It’s opinion. I’m also against people having 6-7 kids when population is already such an issue and I have every right to say that, as well, especially since I realize that overpopulation leads to disease growth, hunger, crime… and those things affect me and those I love even when we’re not the ones contributing to it. Why shouldn’t we stand up and say so?
The novels that do stand up and say such things are the ones that last through the ages. Something to consider.
As my last post for 2010, I’m standing up and saying that controversy and criticism is okay. In fact, it’s good. It opens communication instead of shutting it down behind sweet words and wine. There is a place for that. That place isn’t everywhere.
(There is indeed a difference between criticism and meanness, however. That’s the line we should watch.)
Thumper’s mom did him, and a whole generation (or more) of people, a disservice when she said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Thumper was right, after all. Bambi was wobbly. Better would have been, “It’s okay that he’s wobbly since he has to start somewhere, and he’ll do fine as he practices.” That would have taught kids both acceptance and the idea that we all need time to grow.
I don’t believe the purpose of reviews is to help sell books. I believe the purpose of reviews is to guide readers and keep them from wasting time reading something they won’t enjoy. If authors are savvy enough, they’ll take full advantage of bad reviews, or of good reviews with a touch of criticism, and use them to grow. Who among us thinks we don’t need to grow?
Here’s wishing you both good and bad reviews of whatever kind you need throughout the coming new year, as well as the ability to grasp both in your hands and make good use of them.
Have a beautiful, creative, productive 2011!
Best Wishes,
LK Hunsaker
--
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Prompt Writing: December 21 2010
Today I decided to issue a flash fiction challenge on one of my writing lists. And then I got stuck as to what I wanted to write. So I came to my blog and grabbed the prompt from the rotating list provided by Writing.com. (Love that app!) The prompt said:
The car swerved to avoid the deer and plunged over the cliff.
Oh, that stirred my imagination! Actually, it pulled up a couple of characters in standby waiting for their chance for me to get to their story. So here's a quick first-draft glimpse of Tori and Neil (names could change):
------------
“The car swerved to avoid the deer and plunged over the cliff.” Tori shrugged. “At least that’s the way they decided to call it. As good an excuse as any, I suppose.”
Neil studied the girl’s demeanor. There was oh, so much more to the story. He could tell there was. Tori wasn’t much for sharing, though. He knew if he was going to get the rest of it, he’d have to be vague and carefully work up to the revelation. It was becoming quite the adventure for him, figuring out how to talk to this girl without insulting or repelling her. Quite the feat.
“Anyway, so if you want me to cook anything special for your Christmas dinner, you’d best let me know quick. I’ll be out for a couple of hours that day, but not till later...”
“We’ll be at my parents’ for Christmas.”
She threw him a quick glance and nodded. “Figured, but don’t you take anything with you?”
“I take a couple of bottles of their favorite wine.”
“That’s it? I’m good at dessert. I do an incredible peppermint cheesecake if you’d want that.”
“Peppermint cheesecake? Haven’t heard of that.”
“No.” She put the last dish away she’d just washed and dried and turned to prop herself against the counter. “I created it. So I don’t imagine you have. Not that no one else has done one, but I bet it doesn’t beat mine.”
He couldn’t help a grin.
Tori tilted her head, her eyes penetrating nearly to his core. “You should do that more.”
“Do what?”
“Smile. Looks good on you. And what do you know? Your face didn’t crack.”
“Funny. Very cute.”
“You are, you know.”
Neil waited, wondering if she’d tell him just what he was and whether or not he wanted her to tell him. He already had a vastly good concept about just what she thought of him: arrogant, rude, vain, among other less choice words she wouldn’t likely let herself say, at least not directly to him.
She didn’t elaborate and his curiosity made him stupid enough to ask. “I am what?”
“Very cute. So again, why don’t you have a girlfriend? I’ve been working here ... what? five months now? and you don’t even date. Why not? You look decent enough. Are you as rude to all girls as you are to me and figure none of ‘em will take it from you long enough to bother?”
He’d expected much worse. Maybe she was warming to him a touch. “I’m never rude to my dates, and I do date.”
“Do you? Guess they’re late nights, huh? After I’m already out at my real job?”
He cringed at the term. Her real job. The job that made him cringe and come off as ruder than he meant to be. It wasn’t her; it was her job.
“Sorry, forgot I shouldn’t mention it around you. So, are you gonna answer about dessert? Want one or not?”
“Peppermint cheesecake sounds good, actually, although cheesecake isn’t one of my favorites. Mom should love it.”
“Great, I’ll have it ready early that morning for whenever you’re leaving.” She shoved herself away from the counter. “Guess I better shower and get ready to go.”
“Tori.” He caught her arm, only for a second until her eyes threw a warning. “If you were going to come up with an excuse better than a deer, what would you come up with?”
Her eyes remained on him, with that look. The one that said he better be careful. She wasn’t about to have any wool pulled over her. Then she shrugged again. “Wouldn’t bother with a story. I’d use the truth. It’s a lot easier in the long run.” She started away and looked back at him. “Although, I guess some would be a lot more comfortable hearing a good story. Maybe that’s something I should learn to do.”
“Bet you’d come up with some doozies. More worth hearing than the deer.”
“Probably right. If I had the energy. I don’t. And I’ve gotta get ready for work. Casserole will be done in twenty minutes, about when Jack should be home. Tell him not to bother to come by tonight. I’m not staying late.”
Neil sighed and lowered into a chair. Not staying late. He knew what that meant.
No. Not tonight. She could be mad if she wanted, but not tonight.
He made his way up to her room and tapped on the door. It was open and she didn’t answer, so he went in, slowly. She was sitting on the bed, her head in her hands, elbows on her knees.
“Tori?”
She yanked her head up, then stood and pulled back into her attitude. “What? I told you, I have to get ready for work.”
“What are you doing for Christmas?”
She stopped and frowned. “What?”
“Christmas. You know, December twenty-fifth. It comes every year.”
“Don’t be a jerk tonight. I’m not in the mood.”
“Okay, you said you had plans for a couple of hours. What about the rest of the day?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
He shuffled closer, waiting for another rebuff. “How about bringing your peppermint cheesecake with you when you come?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“We’d love to have you.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Don’t try to be nice just because of the season, all right? I don’t like that fake ‘be nice today and go back to nasty tomorrow’ garbage. Really, I’m fine. I’ll give myself the day off as a treat and that’s good enough.”
Neil couldn’t help himself. He moved closer. “What does the deer stand for, Tori? Tell me.”
“Doesn’t matter.” She pulled back.
“It was intentional?”
Her eyes touched his. Wounded eyes. Shielded. “Might as well have been. Wasn’t too unintentional. And it doesn’t matter.” She stepped backward. “I have to go to work...”
“Stay home.”
She shook her head.
He moved closer, touched her shoulder, amazed when she didn’t draw back. “Stay home tonight, Tori.”
“I can’t. Too much money lost. Boss is already mad at me...”
“What if I want you to try out your cheesecake on me? Tonight? I’ll even pay overtime since your shift is over, technically. Will that cover what you’ll lose?”
“Not if he fires me.”
“You know he won’t. You’ve said as much.”
“Don’t do this.”
Neil knew he was pushing his luck. And yet, he couldn’t stop himself. “Jack’s out late tonight. Practice, then dinner with Joselyn. I don’t want to eat alone. Come eat with me and then try out your dessert recipe...”
“I don’t have what I need. I’d have to...”
“Then we’ll run to the store.”
“Together?” She eyed him. “You’re going to be seen in public with me? Alone?”
Letting out a quick breath, he shook his head and dropped his eyes. “Have I been that much of a jerk?”
“Yes.”
He raised them again, to hers.
“But it’s understandable. No harm done.”
His stomach tightened. “I think I might have to disagree. And I’m sorry. Please, don’t go to work tonight.”
“I have to. I can’t lose this job.”
Something told him she might honestly rather stay with him than go. “Okay, tell you what. Go for a short time as you planned then let me pick you up and take you to dinner. The casserole will wait until tomorrow.”
“You don’t...”
He touched her face. Her eyes peered into his, wary, warning, but maybe a bit hopeful, as well. “Please.”
------
That's all I have for now. But hey, it's a start on their story, even if this whole thing changes. ;-)
-
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Nano Wind-down
Thank you again to all of my Nano guests this year! They all hit their 50K goals through all of the struggles and external trials and schedules: an incredible triumph.
Writers don’t live in enclosed little writing shacks where everything gets done by others and all we have on our minds is our story. Many of us like to dream of such a thing, but the truth is, we almost always have to work it around so many other things that come first. Sometimes they come so “first” that it’s nearly impossible to write. Those who succeed work around the impossible. That’s what Nanowrimo is about: giving ourselves permission to put writing first for a change.
I ended up the month with just over 95,000 words, but word count wasn’t my main goal. I wanted a complete first draft that I could jump back into at the beginning of the thing later on, after I let it sit through the holidays. Most of the last week, I was becoming convinced that wouldn’t happen. The story filled itself in more than I expected; the characters had more to say than I’d planned to allow them.
I kept pushing toward that goal, anyway, and at 11:00 pm on November 30th, I came to the end of the story.
My fingers were cramping. My wrists are tender, even in their braced assistance. My back, which decided to bother me this month more than it has in 21 years, spent a week and a half fussing at me to get up and go lie flat on the floor. I did that often in between propping a pillow behind it in my supportive chair, along with stretching gently and so on. Part of that time was given to my ‘day job’ which is also on the computer. And yet, I wrote The End on the 30th as I hoped. (I also managed 2,000-some words for Rehearsal one day when a scene jumped into my head.)
So much for a quick, light write that I thought I’d only put out only as an Ebook to help fill in Fred Dawson’s background for Off The Moon fans, and specifically Daws fans. Because it filled out so well, I imagine this one will go to print, also.
And I’m breaking the rules. Instead of letting it sit for at least a month, I’ve started edits. It won’t let me go.
That’s okay. Soon Christmas activities will take over and I’ll have to let it sit. I suppose I should do some shopping and decorating.
If you haven’t yet, please scroll down and read my guests’ experiences. They’d love a comment, as well!
Nanowrimo isn’t only for or about writers, by the way. It’s about taking time for your dreams. I urge everyone to do so.
`
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Nano Guest: Nicole Zoltack
Nicole Zoltack is the author of Woman of Glory and Knight of Honor. We met through CRR since we both write classic (non-erotic) romance. Welcome Nicole!
~~~ ~~~
NaNo. How I love NaNoWriMo, much to my hubby’s chagrin. He always groans and mutters under his breath every year when November comes along.
My first time doing Nano was in 2004. I was in college, and my one sister had mentioned it to me. I signed up on November 6th and managed to reach 50k before the end of the month. I was thrilled! Walking on air! The creative juices were flowing!
I have yet to finish that novel. I opened the file recently. It’s crap. Complete crap. Full of telling, lots of unnecessary scenes, so many grammatical errors. The basic plot is sound, but it needs so much work that I might as well rewrite the story, if I ever decide it’s worth it. That story was chick lit, my first time trying that genre.
The next year, I wrote a fantasy story. Reached 50k which is about half the story. Fantasy stories are normally around 100k so that fine. But I haven’t touched that story since I hit 50k.
2006, I wrote a story about an assassin. Reached 50k. This story I have since finished and shined it up. I’m ready to query agents with this one. It’s called Hidden in Shadows and it’s an urban fantasy with romantic elements.
2007 I wrote a story about a young girl who wanted to become a knight. I won again this year. I finished this novel and it’s published with Desert Breeze Publishing. It’s called Woman of Honor, and it’s a high fantasy romance.
2008 I didn’t even try to write 50k in November. With a one month old, I figured it wasn’t worth the stress. Sleep was just too important.
2009 I was a Nano rebel. I rewrite a previously finished novel (fantasy YA). Wrote 80k that month. I’ve since revised this story several more times and after this latest revision, I’ll start querying agents.
Now Nano isn’t for everyone. But it works for me. There’s this rush of adrenaline that seizes me. Something about writing so many words in the month, knowing that so many other people are trying to reach that same goal along with me. It pushes me. I push myself harder in November than any other month.
Yes I’ve reached 50k every time I’ve tried. Yes, I haven’t finished all of the novels. Some need a lot of work. But I have discovered, to my happiness, that my latest Nano novels are actually rather clean. I’ve learned so much about being a writer and the writing process that my novels are cleaner and tighter, despite the frantic pace of Nano. And for me, that’s a success. Nano has helped me to grow, to write faster, cleaner.
Now if only I could write at this crazy, frantic pace in months other than November…
Find Nicole’s current and future books on her Website
~~~ ~~~
Notice the image change above? All of my Guest Bloggers throughout November met the 50K challenge and conquered it! CONGRATS to ALL! Please scroll down and read their adventures, as well. 
~~~ ~~~