Two Things

As the scintillating title states, today's blog deals with two different things.  Let's take them in chronological order:

First thing:  Thanksgiving Day.  Literally translated, it means a day to give thanks. Though its historical roots have been debated and muddied by political correctness and romanticized history, it still remains a uniquely American holiday whose sole purpose is to spend the day with a "gratitude attitude" for all the blessings we've received.

Some might question how blessed they've been when all the setbacks and losses they suffered through the year are taken into account, but one can't count a loss without having had a blessing to begin with.  This year, our family has suffered the loss of a beloved uncle.  It's hard to feel "thankful" knowing that our dear Uncle Sonny won't be at the table this year, sharing our meal, but we are thankful for the many memories we have of previous Thanksgivings--and Christmases and summers and other times we spent together.  That will be our focus. 

Some people have setbacks for which thankfulness evades them.  Losing a job or facing a serious illness are situations where it's hard to be thankful for what you had before.  I hope that for them, Thanksgiving Day is a day of hope for better times ahead... and things to be thankful for.

Second thing:  Small Business Saturday.  Yeah, laugh it up, since everyone knows I work at Walmart, but it's thanks to two small businesses that I have an interesting and fun-filled life and have the opportunity to do something I really love to do!

First off, a tip of the hat to Noisy Water Winery.  Up until about four years ago, my knowledge and taste for wine was defined by Boone's Farm and Arbor Mist (if I wanted to be sophisticated, I went for Beringer White Zinfandel.)  Thanks to Noisy Water, and many other small, family-owned and operated wineries in the state of New Mexico, my taste has expanded and blossomed.  What you get in a bottle of wine from a small vineyard or winery is more than just fermented grapes: you get a lot of love for the craft and art of winemaking, a history of the families who have cultivated the earth to produce it, the faith needed to undertake the task and business of producing wine.  And in Noisy Water's case, I also got a second job with wonderful people who love what they produce and love to introduce new people to it. 

Second, there is Oak Tree Press, a small, independent publishing house who took a chance on a new, unknown writer (that would be me) and brought her dreams to fruition.  It's the small publishers who are most likely to help a fledgling author see their work in print, who encourage and nurture beginning writing careers, who say "I believe in you" with a contract, not a Hallmark card, and help another voice be heard over the cacophony of thousands of competing authors.

So this coming Saturday, after you count your blessings and then turn your thoughts to Christmas shopping (hopefully you're doing those things in that order!), remember the small businesses.  They are run by dreamers and doers and put their heart into the things they produce and sell.

Here is my shameless plug for my favorite small businesses:
www.rellenobros.com
www.oaktreebooks.com

Visit in person or visit us on-line.  You'll find specials there to rival any "Black Friday" sale and the best part, you'll be giving a gift produced with love and care and pride, something worthy of the recipient!  As a bonus, you'll be helping to keep the dream of these small business owners alive and healthy!

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Downtime: What This Writer Does When She's Not Writing

Perhaps a better title would be "What this writer would LIKE to be doing when she's not writing".

The truth is that this writer has two other jobs in the "real" world and both jobs take a lot of my time away from home (including travel time) and other activities in which I'd like to engage when I'm not sitting at the laptop or with a notebook and pen (yes, I still use those!)  Here's some things I'd like to do more of:

1)  Read.  Yes, I already read voraciously, but if I had more time, I'd read even more!  I barely get to scan the news headlines on-line and I've cancelled magazine subscriptions because I just don't have time to read all the articles anymore.  Books are in piles waiting to be read.  I'd definitely read more!

2) Travel.  Not actual vacation trips, but road trips to various nearby places, just to get a change of atmosphere or satisfy my curiosity.  Even a drive in the mountains on a Sunday afternoon would be a real treat (especially at this time of year!)

3)  Cook.  Most days I barely have the time and energy to pull together a real meal for dinner (protein, starch, and two veggies), which I love to do, and have to make do with pre-prepared food or rely on the goodness of my family who lives nearby and often wants to share part of their meal with us... or else hit the only local restaurant in the area, five miles down the road.

4) Bake.  I love to bake and I'd do it year round if my kitchen didn't get so darn hot in the summertime!  But with the holidays approaching, the baking bug is biting hard and I just don't have time to do all that I'd like to do.  Like this:

 

 

 4) Spend time with my family.  Yes, even though I live (literally) next door to Paul's family and less than two hours away from my family, the work takes a toll on my energy and time to spend with them.  I'd surely love to find a way to be with our families even more!

What do you like to do when you're not working "the job"?

NaNoWriMo: Does it really work?

There is a never-ending quest among writers to find "the key" to getting published.

You can find articles, essays, and whole books and magazines devoted to ways to get published.  Very rarely do any of them mention NaNoWriMo as one of those ways.

This is my twelfth year competing in NaNoWriMo.  For those of you in the dark, NaNoWriMo is shorthand for National Novel Writing Month, an idea born of a genius by the name of Chris Baty back in 1999 who wanted to encourage creative writing.  The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.  This is where I question Chris' genius in choosing November for NaNoWriMo instead of, say, April which also has thirty 30 days and no major holiday (except for Easter, occasionally) in it or immediately after it that seems to require immense preparation.

The reason I entered NaNo the first time, back in 2004, was because I had one major obstacle in becoming a novelist... lack of discipline.  I was a world-class procrastinator (Who am I kidding?  I still struggle with this.) and had a hard time finishing anything I started.  I worked better with a deadline and since I was just starting out, toying with the idea of a novel, no one was really expecting anything of me--I certainly did not have a publisher waiting impatiently for me to finish my novel so they could publish it--there was really no "good reason" to finish the novels I started.  It was way too easy to put off writing time as well. 

So in October of 2004, I registered and on November first, with the encouragement of my ever-patient husband, Paul, I began. I think I got as far as 25,000 words before I tanked.  But somehow, I still managed to find the optimism to try again the following year.  And the following year.  In 2007, I finally managed to finish.  Not the novel (How many novels actually stop at 50,000 words?) but I "crossed the finish line" in that I wrote 50,000 before midnight on November 30.  And the overwhelming feeling was that of accomplishment.  I did it.  I finished writing 50,000 words in 30 days.  And a few weeks later, I picked up that manuscript and continued working on it.  And because I had developed confidence from meeting that 50,000 word goal, I knew I could actually finish the novel.  And I did.

That was the beginning.

Somewhere I have that first finished novel.  And the second one I finished the following year (yes, I actually "won" NaNo twice in a row!)  And with those two "wins" under my belt, I realized that I can do this; I can actually BE a novelist. I can start something and finish it.  And that was what set me on the road to writing for publication.  It doesn't matter how talented a writer is or how interesting the characters and plot might be; if you don't finish the project, whether it's a novel or short story or essay, no one will ever read it.  Especially a publisher. 

So whenever anyone asks me, "How do you become a published writer?" I always respond with "Have you ever heard of National Novel Writing Month?"

It's a testament to the power of persistence. 

Good Question!

So last week the call went out to my friends and blog readers to ask me some questions.  Not all pertained to the business of writing (I'll get back to you about lunch soon, Patty) but I gleaned a few of the more interesting ones, or rather, those topics I haven't quite covered in the blog.

1) How do you come up with the characters' names?

Without trying to sound facetious (or worse, delusional), a lot of times the characters will walk into my imagination and introduce themselves.  Some are fragments of names of real people I know that just happened to sound like the character I was creating.  I try not to use real names of people I know or have heard of... if a real-life name is almost too good to pass up or fits a character perfectly, I try to tweak it so it isn't exactly the same.  And sometimes, the character actually dictates what his or her name is.  I had this issue with one of my main characters, Sheriff Rick Sutton.  I didn't like his first name.  I fought to change his name, but "Rick" kept insisting on it.  Finally in frustration, I told my character, "You CAN'T be Rick! That means your first name is really Richard and you are NOT a Richard!"  Clear as a bell, I heard his voice in my head say, "My first name is Patrick."  Whoa.  Okay, that sounded more like my character.  As I said, they sometimes DO speak!

2)  Have you ever gotten stuck and how did you get past it?

I have gotten stuck more times than I can count.  When I first started writing a novel (many years back), I took getting stuck to mean that I wasn't cut out to be a writer.  Or that what I was writing  wasn't that great.  So I would stop what I was writing and start another project.  Inevitably, I'd hit a wall with that project, too, and stop.  I have an amazing collection of first chapters (it even rivals my equally impressive collection of rejection letters!)  It wasn't until I picked up an abandoned rough draft (after ignoring it for a few months) and read it from the beginning that I saw that changing something in an earlier chapter would have eliminated the problem that got me stuck.  So after eliminating the last four chapters I had written (and a hapless character I had created and thrown in to try to fix the mess), the story began to flow and I managed to finish.  It wasn't easy; throwing out your hard work, even if it isn't useful to the main story, still hurts (I still feel bad for that character I created and had to get rid of!)  But it's part of the writing process and something a lot of would-be writers struggle with.  So my advice is, if you get stuck, back up and see if you didn't make a wrong turn somewhere.  Even if fixing it means getting rid of a few thousand words or a few dozen pages, it's better than giving up!

3)  What does it take to become a writer?

Coffee helps, too!

 

There are several ways to answer this.  First off, if all you want to do is write, all you need is something to write on and something to write with.  And something to write about.  If you want to write to be published, it takes a little more.  I took several classes on creative writing, but didn't learn anything of use that I hadn't already learned in basic English grammar.  And I read a lot.  I mean, A LOT.  Depending on what you want to write, that's what you read the most of.  And not necessarily the best of the bunch.  I learned a lot more about character development, plotting, setting, and dialogue from reading books that I struggled to finish than books I loved and wanted to read again and again.  The most important thing I learned?  Don't write a book I wouldn't want to read myself.  Something else it takes to be a writer (specifically, a published writer) is persistence.  Keep writing.  With practice comes, if not perfection, then improvement.   Even the most talented of writers get rejected.  The important thing is not to give up.  That can mean all the difference in being published or not.

4)  What do you think about love triangles in murder mysteries?

Well, I have one in mine, although I am not a huge fan of them.  A lot depends on how well written the conflict is... and how believable the reasons are for not resolving the conflict.  Too many love triangles have carried on for nearly 20 books without any resolution in sight and it becomes tiresome after a while (Think about it: a series publishes a new book about one every 9 to 12 months.  Even if the time frame in the books only covers about 3 years total, 20 books means this love triangle hasn't been resolved for almost 20 years!  You'd think the author would have gotten tired of it by then!) I think the main focus on the series should be the mysteries, not the romance!  The triangle with Corrie, Rick, and J. D. will be resolved before the series ends, but I can't say for certain how long it will take... complications can arise... but I hope to not tire readers out with it.

5)  What about recipes?

My other pet peeve!  I recall writing a note to my friends, Aimee and David Thurlo, when they were writing the Sister Agatha series, thanking them for not succumbing to the trend and presenting us with Sister Agatha's refectory recipes!  It's a little disappointing to pick up a murder mystery and find that nearly 50 pages are taken up with recipes that the characters make.  I wouldn't expect to pick up a cookbook and find a murder mystery or romance going on between recipes!  So if you want Corrie's enchilada recipe or Rick's blueberry pecan muffin recipe, you won't find them in the books.  There are some great recipe websites on-line, so check them out!

That covers most of the questions I was asked, but feel free to ask anything else that might come to mind!

A little about me... and an assignment for YOU!

It's been a busy few days and, for once, most of it has been writing related.  I turned in an interview with Lucy Walton from "Female First" magazine (from the U.K.) where Oak Tree Press's authors have been spotlighted recently.  I decided to take a couple of her questions and use them for today's blog entry (including a peek at the next book!)

 

 

 



It is the first book in the Black Horse Campground series, so can you give us some insight into the next installment?

The next installment is tentatively titled “No Lifeguard on Duty”.  That might give you a clue as to where and how the next murder is to take place!

 

 

When you are not writing you are cake decorating , so tell us a bit about this area of your life.

I started decorating when I was 12 years old.  I came home from school one afternoon and my mother had signed me up for cake decorating classes with a neighbor of ours.  I don’t remember ever asking for it or expressing interest in the art of cake decorating, but my mother always said I was very creative and it turned out that I enjoyed it and had a knack for it. It gave me a creative outlet and even if the cakes didn’t look all that great in the beginning, they still tasted good and my family still liked them! When I got married and moved to New Mexico, I found a job at a bakery and I’ve been decorating professionally for 25 years, 15 of those years with Walmart.  It still gives me a good feeling when I see the delight on people’s faces when I’ve made a cake for a special occasion.

 

 

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I think it was back when I learned to love reading.  I was a huge fan of the “Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and what intrigued me was how Laura was a real person who loved to write.  Writing assignments were always my favorite and getting positive comments from my teachers and friends certainly encouraged me!  I also had wonderful teachers, two of whom I acknowledged in my book (Patricia Quinn and Patricia Hollis) who were excellent English teachers who always prodded me to do my very best.  I owe them both a lot.

 

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Okay, so here's the assignment part:  Send me YOUR questions!  I'll pick five and use them for my next blog entry!  So send your question to me via my e-mail on my website or to ambennett123@windstream.net (be sure to put Back Deck Blog Question in the subject line) or write it in the comments box below.  Hope to hear from you soon! 

How To Keep A Writer Happy (Part 1 of 50 Part Series.... just kidding!)

Keeping a writer happy is not necessarily a life-skill most people need, unless, of course, they are married to one, are best friends with one, are biologically related to one, or read books.

So, yes, I'm talking to YOU.

Let me assure you it's not as costly as you think.  We don't need diamond-studded pens, journals of parchment vellum with genuine giraffe leather covers, and we really don't need a secluded cabin in the Rockies with pristine meadows and lakes around it, a well-stocked wine cellar, and a hot-tub (it would be nice, but we really don't NEED it.)

What we really need to keep us happy is the following (in no particular order):

1)  Read our books.  How simple is that?  And yet, it means so much to know that someone actually reads the work on which we spent so much time and effort.  If you want to send us into ecstasy, mention something about the book to us.  Example:  I was talking to a friend at work about an upcoming book event and how I had planned to serve pinon coffee (the protagonist's favorite kind of coffee) at the event.  She lit up and said, "You should also serve banana bread and blueberry muffins, just like the sheriff makes in the book!"  You should have seen ME light up!

2)  Read our blogs.  And tell us you do.  Same friend mentioned that she follows my blog (yes, I know she's reading this!) and I was stunned and flattered.  When you take the time to put down your thoughts and then post them up, there's always a twinge of "Is anyone reading this?  Does anyone care?"  I've said it before, writers can be some of the most insecure people in the world.  So if you do follow your favorite writer's blog, let them know that their words and thoughts aren't merely floating around in cyberspace waiting for someone to notice them.  Comment or tell them in person.

3)  Attend their book-related events.  Short of manuscript rejection, a writer fears nothing more than the possibility of hosting a book talk or signing to which no one shows up.  I attended one last week and it was quite well-attended, for which I'm sure the writer (who traveled 200 miles to get there) was most appreciative.  Even if you don't buy the book, being there and keeping us from talking to empty chairs means a lot.  And you might get free coffee and banana bread, too!

 

My writers' group at my first book signing... and they didn't even get banana bread!

4)  Understand that writing IS a job.  If a friend who is a writer says they can't go to lunch or a movie or shopping because they have a deadline or they need to spend a few hours on their manuscript, don't take it personally.  It's not a rejection of YOU.  If you had to turn down a lunch date because you had to work, you would expect people to understand that.  Well, to a writer, especially one under contract, especially one who is on a deadline, time is something that is in precious short supply.  Believe me, I'd love to be able to take off on one of my days off and just have a fun day out, complete with lunch and a movie or shopping, but sometimes the work must come first.  And a guilt trip doesn't help.  I'm fortunate to have a spouse and friends who understand that!

5)  Buy the book.  Like the first item on the list, this one sounds easy.  And knowing we have readers who like our work really is worth more to us than money.  However, the hard, ugly truth is this:  without book sales, there won't be other books.  Publishing is a business.  The business is not just to print books, but to sell those books.  And if the books aren't selling, the publisher will not ask the writer to keep writing.  So if you really, REALLY like the writer's work, make your Christmas shopping easy and buy your friends a book.  Make it one of a kind and get it signed by the author (most will do this if you mail them the book with return postage.)  And then next year, you can get them the next book in the series!

Fabulous Fall!

I think fall is my favorite season... there's something about crisp mornings, warm days, and cool nights that seems to give me a burst of energy.  It seems odd that the time of year when everything is winding down is when I get my second wind.

First off, baking kicks into high gear.  This is understandable, since the summer time is way too hot here in New Mexico to have the oven running all day.  But in the fall, the kitchen doesn't heat up so much, and you have the added bonuses of the house smelling wonderful and the residual heat keeping you warm at night so you can postpone turning on the heaters or firing up the woodstove!


And just when it seems like I am busier than ever, baking cookies and breads to go in the freezer for the holidays, that's when my creative energy also kicks into overdrive.  Suddenly, I have more ideas for stories than I could have imagined even a few weeks ago!  This is when I start carrying a pocket notepad (for those of you who have read "End of the Road", now you know where Sheriff Rick Sutton got the habit of carrying a notepad!) for those sudden bursts of dialogue or story line that seem to pop into my head at the oddest times (like in the middle of decorating a cake!)

Look familiar?

 

I really don't know what it is about this time of year that inspires creativity.  Perhaps it's the riot of color that suddenly appears in the trees.  One day all you see is green, the next day there's red, gold, burgundy, orange, yellow all mixed in with the green and the sky takes on a shade of blue that is almost impossible to describe.  I always feel like a child who's been given a brand-new box of crayons (yeah, the 64-count with the built-in sharpener, of course!) and the whole world is a blank page, ready to be filled with words, pictures, scents, sounds, and flavors... most of which find their way into my stories.

 

The sight of changing leaves and the smell of wood fires and the sound of elk bugling and the taste of pumpkin bread fresh from the oven.... these are all things that combine to bring a story to life.  When I experience the kaleidoscope of elements that signal the changing of the seasons, my characters experience it, too.  And by extension, I hope my readers do as well!

 

So let me pull on a cozy sweater, cut a slice of that pumpkin bread, and brew a cup of pinon coffee and let me sit at the keyboard.  The year may be coming to a close, but stories are just getting started!