Michael Bolton in my book?

Hurray for me! I've passed forty-seven thousand words! I like spelling it out; makes it feel like even more! I had reached another transition that was giving me some difficulty. It didn't seem 'alive' enough. I spent oodles of time with my fingers in the correct position, staring at the screen. I'd never get this book done, if I kept erasing everything I wrote...


Finally a break through came and the words started flowing again. It's late 1990. Thanksgiving actually. Liz has company. A song comes on the radio...


So what were some of the popular songs in 1990? I went to a jukebox site and clicked on 1990. (Research is important.) 'How am I Supposed to Live Without You?' by Michael Bolton was on the list. Talk about memories...I remember how jealous the men at work were over Michael Bolton. In my bedroom, I had a stereo with a 3-CD changer. It was probably 1993 or '94 actually. Occasionally I would put in something different to listen to; but as soon as it was over the other CD was put back in. This album was one of the three semi-permanent residents for quite a while. Yes, I was a hopeless romantic. Every night while lying in bed I listened over and over again to those same three CDs. What were the other two?
Go back in your mind to the nineties... Are there any albums that stand out in your memory? Tell me why?

Everybody is a Winner!

I told you I hate making decisions! Fortunately for me, only six of you had suggestions on names for the characters and the company. (No points for agreeing, sorry.) I've picked one suggestion from each of you, and I like the results...

Carol, Rae and Susan, you gave me Fred and Olivia Bellamy.
When I Am Rich, TC and Anne, you gave me Middletown Innovative Machinery.

Thank you for your suggestions. Now when I am rich and famous, you will be partly responsible!

New name pick....

I'm loving the comments on the character names. Now I'll have a tough decision to make. But since you're all so good at this... How about giving me a company name? Another main character has his own business. He makes a gizmo that is part of a larger machine. His own invention. Made him wealthy. He started off working in a machine shop. Now business has expanded. I went brain dead when I got to that part, so I just typed in ReMota Corporation. I hate that name! (Hubby would probably love it since he calls the remote his 'precious'.)

So, let's hear what you've got. A good machining company name.

Burning up the calendar...

I was looking back through my old posts to when I started this blog. I was hit upside the head! Back in March I wrote that I was in the middle of Chapter Eight. March! That was forever ago. Now here it is, almost August and I'm only nearing the end of Chapter Twelve. Unacceptable. I know I've had a few things going on in my life besides the book, but really... almost five months and only four chapters? I think it's time I put this thing in a higher gear!

Anyway, I was hoping that you guys could help me with a current issue. I thought it would be fun to have my readers help me choose names for a couple of my characters... Liz (main character for you newbies) vacationed at a really nice B&B in upstate New York. The owners of this B&B are a super nice older couple. Picture a still-active grandmother cooking up a storm for her guests. I've already written the section, but want to change the names. When I picture this couple, I think of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus; you know... twinkling eyes, rosy cheeks, warm and tender. But don't think all silvery-haired and chubby... They are very fit and active, as they do must of the upkeep on this place themselves.

I want nice old-fashioned popular names... Not too popular, like Jim and Mary Smith, but nothing terrifically unique. The year is 1990 and they are in their early sixties.

I can't wait to see what you suggest!

LIfe gets in the way...

I was on a roll! I think I need a clone. Just when things start speeding along, falling into place, the wall comes up. This time it's life instead of brain fog, but it's halting just the same.

I suppose if you visit my other blogs you will understand why I'm not finding enough time to write. Some day I will be a famous author and I will sit in the shade, tapping the keys, sipping iced tea... while the pool boy cleans, the gardener weeds, and the landscaper studies my layouts. But then again, I would surely miss that part of my life just as much.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living two separate lives; There's a life with Liz, inside her twisted mind, and there's the life with my real family. Is it strange to say I think I'm as close to one as I am the other? I know I've created the one, just a figment of my imagination. I'm not as crazy as I let on... But still, I have history with her.

I grieved with Liz when it surfaced about... (oh, wait a minute... I can't tell you about that yet) I paced with her sister in the surgery waiting room. I was thrilled for her when she made the escape! How can I set her aside and go plant perennials? Well, she is a wonderful person. I'm sure she understands.

Feelings stirring inside...

Ah, sweet love! Romance novels... Most ladies have read at least one or two. Some women are addicted to them. Personally, I like something a little deeper. But, even without a murderous plot or intriguing secret, romances do hit a chord. We read the words, "in his embrace, he stroked his fingers along her neck, brushing back her locks..." and suddenly we're remembering a touch, a moment, a feeling. A pretty nice feeling actually!

My book is not a love story. Well, it is in a strange kind of way. No, it's not. If that's love... Anyway, something happened when Liz was going through Chapter Eleven. She fell in love. She didn't see it coming. Heck, I didn't see it coming! It just happened.

[Liz touched her fingers to her lips as she closed her eyes. In her dreams, she allowed herself to be swept up into Michael’s arms.]

Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this. Now you know too much! Ok, no more details. This post isn't about the story. It's about my story. My journey writing this book. I'm posting this to share what I've learned in this part of my journey... Shhh... Let's keep this between you and me: Writing romance can be fun!

Emerging from Chapter Eleven ...an update

Finally! And I think I escaped the process much better than GM's upcoming adventure. It was a torturous but delightful chapter!

My main character Liz experienced a huge amount of personal growth. She is at a critical turning point in her life that takes her to a whole new dimension. This chapter was tough. I didn't want it to drag on forever, but neither did I want to chop up the transitions that take place.

All modesty aside, I think I ACED it! (applause, applause... patting self on back) I've not gone through any editing yet, but I've just got this gut feeling that it will be a page-turning chapter. So be forewarned: When you buy my book and you've reached Chapter Eleven, check the clock. Don't start it if you don't have time to finish it. And oh yeah, the wrap-up... WHOOO!

I Heart Ohio! (excerpt)

I ventured out into the pollinated world today. Hubby drove me into town to run a couple of quick errands. The last stop was the vet clinic out past the north edge of town to settle yesterday's farm call bill. Since I didn't need to go back into town, we took the back roads home. I love the gently rolling pastures surrounded by horse fence. We pass along a very scenic stream, surrounded by one of those subdivision-in-the-middle-of-nowhere spots. The sloping backyards angle toward the main road. Their landscapes naturally blended with God's design.

Our conversation drifted to a relocated friend's comments last night. She lived about an hour from here and her old area was quite different. Now she is farther away, but in an area similar to the topography we enjoy. She said she never thought Ohio was pretty until she moved there.

No offense to you Floridians out there... Most of my family is in Florida. I will not move. I always cite the sweltering ever-lasting summers and the huge bugs, but truthfully... The thing I dislike most about Florida? It's flat! It's not only flat, the trees are ugly. OK, I know there's not very many trees that rival the huge elderly oaks spread wide and dripping in moss. But those poles with the hula skirts on top? They get old. Cabbage palms coiled in snakes? Look like shrubs, not trees.

So what on earth does this have to do with my book? Keep reading...

The chapter I'm in now has my main character leaving her adopted Florida for a trip north. While driving down that country road, I stated to Hubby, "I've got to mention the flat land and skinny trees!" When I returned home and opened my document, I scrolled to a previous paragraph that would nicely fit the new injection.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, for your reading pleasure: An Excerpt from 'Unfinished Business'...


When she had first settled in Davie, she adored the tall, bare palm trunks and the see-forever horizon. Now that those things were old hat, she realized the beauty in rolling hills and foliage. The huge oaks dripping with Spanish moss were her favorite. They reminded her of the canopy of leaves along the creek banks where teens could slip away from supervision and explore their new found desires.

A Good Day for Writing

Ah, what a day! The storm passed quickly. Well, it wasn't really a storm. It poured rain and there was some thunder rolling in the distance. But that was enough to flip my brain over to the writing side. I settled back in my wing-back recliner and wore my fingers out!

I'm still in Chapter Eleven, (no, not bankruptcy :)) and I think it's going to be a long one. It's tying everything together; the past, present and future. Even the dialog is flowing so smoothly. The upcoming location is one that I want to visit someday soon. Liz, my main character, is leaving for a weekend trip. It's the perfect time of year! I can picture myself there, away from the humidity and the cottonwood drifters. It's fall in the Adirondacks.

There is a lot of emotional growth for her to experience in this transitional chapter. Liz will take a giant leap to end it - not end it! - just the chapter...

I'm stuck!

I have made a little progress in the past week, though not enough to please myself. I've had too many other things going on to devote the needed chunk of time to my manuscript. However, progress is progress. I'm now into chapter eleven, but I'm stopped dead in my tracks. It's just temporary, but still frustrating.

I've learned from this process that the transitional parts are the most difficult for me to write. I get into a scene and the thoughts just flow. But my book jumps back and forth in time, disclosing bits and pieces of my character's past and present. This is what I'm referring to as transitions... they take her from one place to another, one part of her life to the next. This is the tough part for me. I want a smooth blending. The pieces should fit together in sequence so that the reader is not left confused. I know that I do not like reading books that seem to leave out a chunk that connects one piece to another. So far I've managed to conquer each transistion, but it's not as fun to write. But I guess if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it!

Well, it's back to work. I need to keep Liz on track before she makes a wrong turn into downtown Manhattan...

Am I twisted?

Hubby thinks some of my manuscript is strange. He would rather I write a western! (He says that a western would appeal to a broader audience.) The main character in my book has had a pretty rough life that includes some mental disorders, and we're not talking a touch of depression either...

Recently, I watched a movie that I loved! Now I want to read the book. The main character was really twisted. The way the human brain can malfunction, to me, is intriguing.

I was just editing my bookshelf on shelfari when a book popped into my memory. I added it to my shelf. 'I Never Promised You a Rose Garden' is a book I read when I was young... like junior high young! And even though my memory isn't very clear on the book as a whole, there are still parts that are forever etched into my brain. At that tender age, the book had quite an impact on me. It delves into mental illness in a way far different from the traditional.

As I write the dialogue for my own book, the sections that hit on the mental illness are the fastest to flow. It comes easy to me. Should I be worried?

fun in research...

I wouldn't want to write this book without the internet. When I mention places in my novel, I research the area. I study maps to choose the routes; I locate restaurants in which my characters will dine. Now I have to drive to Covington, KY to eat at Chez Nora! It sounds delicious and the sisters in my book loved it! But they warned me to get there early...

catching insanity

I'm mentally planning the next few paragraphs... My character is meeting with a shrink. She has lots of ghosts buried deep in her subconscious. Not that I've suffered the emotional trauma of the character, but I can identify with her. I have compassion for her. When I'm writing I get deep into her identity. Will I spiral down the drain into her hell? Will her twisted reality affect the way I see my world? Can you catch insanity?

forward march!

Finally, I'm making great progress on my book. It took a while to reread because of my incessant need to edit! I try to tell myself, the time will come for that... I don't listen. Anyway, I finished going through my previous chapters and actually wrote several pages tonight.

I love it when I can shut myself off and totally immerse myself in the characters. That is when the keyboard clicks along trying to keep pace with my thoughts. If only I could stay in that place for longer periods of time. But I glance at the clock and the real world yanks me back.

Hubby and I have worked out spending time together while I write. We sit in our recliners in the bedroom. He watches TV (he's an addict) and I sit with my laptop, wearing industrial earmuffs. It's not perfect... On those occasions when he just can't stop interrupting, he finally gives in and goes to the living room.

Someday, when I've made enough with my writing to pay for it, I will have a small cabin out past the goat shed or deep in the woods. It will have all the comforts I need for writing, plus the solitude I long for. I'll be able to seal myself off from the world and return with a finished manuscript. Until then, I'll have to settle for the recliner and earmuffs.

two steps forward, one step back

I'm motivated to get back to writing, but first comes the reading. I've taken so much time off from my book that I need to refresh my mind on everything that has transpired. At this rate, I'll be writing again in a couple of weeks! I have yet to make it through the third chapter. I can't get past the editing.

Reading the first chapter was slow. I was doing the 'finish' editing. I had to force myself to leave it alone and just get back on track... Easier said than done. I wasn't satisfied with the sentence order within some paragraphs. Too picky! Again I kicked myself and said, "Get on with it!"

I made it to the middle of the third chapter... Kyle? Who's Kyle? I thought she didn't know who the father was? As many times as I've read this and outlined my characters, how could I have missed this screw up? I went back to chapter one... Correct, she doesn't know who the father is. It's a great paragraph - no changing this part! Back to chapter three and Kyle... another good story. OK, I'll keep Kyle and just tweak the timing.

My current manuscript is eight and one-half chapters. I know for certain I need more detail in my outline. Will I have the sanity to hold it together and finish this book?