An Announcement

Hello my dear readers!

Some exciting things are beginning to happen in my little realm of indie authorship. I'm working hard on completing my final draft of Running into the Darkness. Today I also created a blog specifically for my professional life as an author. There I posted a smattering of RITD to (hopefully) whet your reading appetite.

But I must warn you - some of my writing deals with very sensitive subject matter. In my personal life, I've tried to live as realistically and honestly as humanly possible - the good, bad, and ugly, warts and all. I don't cover it up but face it head on. Therefore, I've tried to create my stories to reflect the good, bad, ugly. You get the picture.

As a Christian, I have struggled with this in my writing. When I originally started this particular work, I'd planned to publish under a pseudonym - that is if I were so lucky to actually get a contract. However, as time has gone on I've had a chance to become familiar with even greater depravaties that human beings come up with. I've been reminded how the Bible shows we humans for exactly who we are - the good, bad, and ugly, warts and all. God didn't conceal our propensity toward evil acts - but he also didn't excuse it. There are consequences for our behavior.

Therefore, I've decided to publish under my name. That way in the event I actually gain some readership, I'll have a vehicle to explain why I chose to create this or that character and place them into this or that situation, with the outcome of their decisions in full view. It might even make for some charged conversation.

I always did like making people think.

So if you've a mind to check out my new author blog, you can find it at http://dabalepublishing.blogspot.com . Enjoy reading the posted excerpt if you dare.

But remember - I warned you.

Making Good Out of Bad

Sad news today.

Found out this evening that Border's Bookstore is closing down for good. Not really surprised at this point.

Since 2002, the critique group I've been with has met at a Border's Bookstore for our meetings. We've laughed (sometimes at each other's writing submissions), we've unmercifully teased, drank tons of great java and chillers, and just plain had fun since that time.

That is until earlier this year.

We were all saddened to learn that our regular meeting place was one of several around the country being closed down, and rather quickly too.

Now this news that all Border's stores are being closed and liquidated. Ugh! But with the advent of competition from various sources, particularly eBooks, it seemed like only a matter of time after the first stores went down.

It's almost a double-edged sword. Our group has been busy working on the eBook challenge and it appears eBooks have been part of the reason Border's couldn't keep up any longer. Makes me wonder who might be next.

I only hope we're able to make something good happen out of the bad.

Still Here!!!

It's getting crazier by the minute!

My apologies, oh patient readers, for not posting for the past month. My new cosmo career has had me working like a dog both mentally and physically - but that's been a really good thing.

But the biggest craziness has been my focus on finishing up my final draft to publishing as an eBook. All of my extra time and energy has been sitting here at my overwrought computer as I slash away unnecessary fodder and add additional hints of information to tie the loose ends of my story together. The effort is sooo going to be worth it!

Yesterday a group of about 25 of us got together to have a meeting for the Indie Writer's Alliance (see us at www.indiewritersalliance.com and www.readersmatrix.com ) to discuss the early experiences of our illustrious leader. He just started a blog tour for his recent work. Since most of us weren't familiar with such an event, he spent several hours giving us the low-down on what it is, how to organize a blog tour, and how the tour progressed at the end of the first week.

I'm exhausted twice over now just thinking of all the additional work still left to do AFTER completing the final draft.

He also informed us that eBook sales have surpassed traditional paper sales on Amazon.com - another important milestone in the rapidly changing publishing industry. Sales of Kindle for last Christmas were huge and are expected to be even bigger this season. Then with all stores closed Christmas Day, where do you think these new Kindle, etc. owners are going to look to populate their new toys?

Exactly!

So our gang is pushing hard to have our eBooks published by September. I'm still pursuing the end of July, but I still want to ensure I put out the best possible work. We'll see where things stand by the end of the month.

So just in case you don't hear from me for awhile, please know that I'm still here plugging away on my handy-dandy computer. Then look for me and my pals on www.readersmatrix.com

Your positive reviews will be most appreciated then. :-)

Blessings In Disguise

It's been a busy writer's day.

President's Day weekend has been our little writer's retreat weekend for the last four years now. The same thing, the same weekend - no questions asked.

Well this year the park office staff screwed us up big-time by making our reservations for last weekend instead of this weekend.

So we cancelled said reservations and decided perhaps it was time to consider other options.

Since it was too late this year, the GK Brainstormers decided to get together today over here at my humble abode to cuss and discuss reading, writing, and stringing up the stupid people who can't pull their heads out long enough to figure out which weekend is President's Day weekend when they have a calendar sitting right there in front of them.

We weren't bitter about it at all - can you tell?

Milford Lake twill be our chosen venue for 2012, and we'll be trying something brand new and see if we don't kill each other in the process. Typically at Osage Hills we've each had our own cabin in which to write during the day and gather at the big cabin that evening for our main meal and meeting time. At Milford Lake, we've decided to get the big two-story, five bedroom, two living room cabin with a full kitchen. Divided between the group, it works out to be about $41 apiece per night, much better than the $85 per cabin per night rates we have been paying.

Plus there's an added bonus.

Gordon, our dearly departed (only from the group, not the earth), leader who, once he moved, was unable to make such a long drive south. However, our new retreat location will be less than half the distance and will allow him to rejoin us for our annual retreats. I think we were all excited for that.

So all in all, the reservations screw-up could end up being a blessing in disguise. Can we all say an "AMEN" to that?

Then maybe next year I'll actually have some time to write again. That is if I can find a quiet corner to myself.

Happy News

Our little writer's group received some awesome news this past week at our meeting. One of our own signed a contract to be published!

It's now official.

Mighty Bri has written a great horror piece that has elements involving Thor, the god of thunder. With the new Thor movie coming out this summer the timing couldn't be better. He's about as excited as the guy gets - maybe a little dazed too.

Or is that too much Jack Daniels?

So starting this spring the book will be available in electronic format and hopefully hardcopy later in the year. They'll go through the jacket design turmoil, debates over whether to change his title or not (alert to writers - your agonizingly thought-out title most likely will not be the published final so don't waste too much time on it), etc., etc. His new blog page on publishing is located at http://fatherthunder.blogspot.com/ if you wish to follow his exploits.

So now we other GK Brainstormers will have to get our butts in gear and follow suit. Twill be some tough shoes in which to follow.

And Brian remember - don't forget to make it to meetings from now on, you hear? We know where you live and will be glad to drag your sorry butt out of your absinthe stupor!

Descriptive Titles and Odd Writings

It's so odd.

This afternoon I spent some time looking at a few of my old blog posts, trying to remember what life was like before Mom's cancer and imagining what life will be once she's through this. What will the new "normal" be? It was a shock to realize that as of yesterday's posting, I've only had six total posts for all of 2010.

I used to post six times in one week!

Feeling terribly nostalgic about my writing tonight.

Part of it probably is because we had an old friend come to town this weekend, and our critique group members met with him for an early dinner Saturday evening. What fun! He asked if I'd been writing and got onto me when I told him no. But with having to prove myself all over again in a new position with a new firm, then my mom's diagnosis, my grandmother's death, and having no time much to even spend with my son, where was I going to dig up a few hours a night to do some writing?

But he's right. Digging into characters and bringing them to life on the pages of a good story idea gives my life such spark and energy - something I've been sorely lacking for about eight months now.

For the last three months, I've even given thought to writing a book about my mother's cancer journey. However, it's all been so fresh and raw of late and my mind has been engaged with just helping somehow to get her through each week that I don't know if I have it in me to wrap my mind around it enough to craft something interesting of it all right now.

Perhaps sometime down the road. Maybe a title like "When It Rains It Pours" or "Riding the Raging River Over the Torrential Waterfall Without a Paddle" (okay, maybe that one is a little too long, but VERY descriptive and rather appropriate too)...or maybe "Cancer - a Daughter's Journey Alongside Her Mother".

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Feeling Far Away

Feels like I'm never going to get back to critique group.

Since I started the new job, my personal life has taken a back seat. Figured we'd eventually get things settled back down to where I could get back involved in my personal pursuits again.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever happen.

Feeling a little sorry for myself and far removed from my writing. But at least I am thinking about it again. On my way home from work tonight, I had some scenes from one of my previously finished books pop into my head. Been thinking a little bit about the book I'd started working on before I miraculously got this job.

It'll come again - at least I sure hope it will.

Singing and writing are my soul - my passion. Haven't gotten to do a whole lot of either lately (except I did get to sing a small solo part with our choir this past Sunday).

My son is busy with life and living, which as he grows older and gets his own car someday will mean I'll have more time to myself again.

That means more writing.

Until then, I'll have to put up with this sense of distance - of missing my fellow wordsmiths.

Of feeling far away.

Time To Settle In

Ah - it feels as if things might finally be settling in.

Besides the cold weather outside.

This morning I awoke feeling refreshed and energetic for the first time since starting my new job. There's always so much to deal with in a new job with a new company, and I knew it would take some time. I'd even warned my son when I started the new job that I'd probably be somewhat out of commission for the first two months.

Ha!

I made it in less time.

At least one week less, but who's counting?

Years ago I settled on the practical side of reality. I've learned my limitations, but that doesn't stop me from continuing to push the envelope. Along with the joys and excitement of starting anything new and out of the ordinary, there's always going to be a period of adjustment. Even though I expected it doesn't mean I enjoyed it.

But this week I finally felt myself step across the threshold to embrace the confidence of the new position.

Think I'm going to make it.

No - I know I'm going to make it. I've never been one to do anything halfway. So now that the job is beginning to smooth out, I'm excited to once again embrace my wonderful friends who have so patiently been waiting in the wings, cheering me on to success.

And that includes you too, my dear and patient readers.

Now it's time to settle back into my writing. Look out, blogging world - I'm back!

Stress and Trials (and Bears, Oh My)

Ah my fellow travelers - how I've missed turning the pages of a good yarn with you.

Life has been rather chaotic these last six weeks, what with the new job, my son starting his junior year of high school, etc.

He's been enormously busy with his choir group already. Our small town has an annual fall festival to celebrate our history and to just have some fun. The group sang at the festival on Thursday night. Then Friday they spent all day at an area university for their district choir workshops. Next week they will be having their annual fundraiser dinner and concert.

After that I don't remember.

New beginnings are always quite busy and a tad stressful. I'm seeing that my son's junior year has been quite a blessing for him, regardless of how busy he is. It's good to see him sacrificing a little of himself to be a part of something greater.

For me, I find myself in a teeny bit of a quandary. My old boss has given me some news that may or may not pan out. I've let him know that I'd be open to keeping in touch should things take a turn for the positive in that regard.

Not that I don't enjoy my new job - most of the people have been wonderful to work with and I've felt such a sense of camaraderie already with the majority of my team. The idea of leaving them is difficult to deal with at times. Maybe that won't happen.

But I really miss this group I worked with for more than ten years. We were more like a family in so many ways. I know I could get to that point again with this new company, but I don't know if I still possess the drive I once had to prove myself all over again. Forgotten what it's like and how much stress that entails.

Plus I ain't gettin' any younger.

Then again, I also miss writing and sharing in my blog. Funny how our priorities shift as we age, isn't it?

A Jaunt Down the Road (and other fun adventures)

Busy day tomorrow. I'm heading out of town to go help my sister look at houses to consider for their big move. Gotta get up early in the morning, so I can't stay long.

The book is still going well. Had another cool idea to tie into the storyline with another minor mentioned character. I had to leave him a minor character, but he's going to have some important work to do at the end of the book.

Can't tell you what that's going to be or it'll spoil the surprise.

Needless to say, the idea took me completely by surprise. It'll be an explosive ending to the book. If I handle it right, no one will see it coming.

And that's the way I like it.

So better get to bed and get some beauty sleep. Don't know where it goes, but someone's getting it since I haven't been lately.

But I'm sure having fun with my book in the meantime. Tee-hee!

Stealing the Limelight

I've been a bad girl. Forgot to post anything last night.

In all honesty I was writing, just not on my blog. My new storyline is rapidly developing into alot more than I'd originally intended. I'm finding it to be a good thing too.

Take my new detective, for instance. Originally Shaun Landry was going to be a minor character - important, mind you, but minor and only showing up when I needed him.

However, over the last several days he's whispered into my ear an interesting backstory, a sad backstory that lends alot to the overall idea. Then I figured out a way to tie his backstory into the main storyline.

But I'm not going to tell him how just yet.

So what started out as a minor character has quickly developed into a main character. I find myself with not one but two protagonists. Who knows? Detective Landry may end up stealing the entire show.

He does seem to like the limelight, you know.

The Cows Come to Roost?

The blog is getting the last dregs of my day tonight. I hope it ends up being coherent.

The majority of my day was spent serving the needs of my middle sister. Her husband accepted a position in another town several months ago and has been driving an hour and ahalf to work every day - one way. They wanted to allow their youngest son to finish out the school year and spend some time doing a little fix-up on their current home in order to gain the best price. Plus my sister will have to quit her job, for which she already drives out of town.

So she and I have spent alot of time looking online at homes and scouting out properties as I've been down there visiting. Over spring break we spent a day there. During the week of the family reunion we took a day to look at tax properties.

Not a pretty sight, if I do say so myself. But we did manage to find one of the properties she'd seen online back in March that she'd liked. They scheduled to see the inside. I have not.

So their new town will actually be quite a bit closer to me and a nice little jaunt down the highway. Since she's getting down to brass tacks, we spent a good portion of the day on the phone and reviewing some corporate owned homes that they hope to get in to see and perhaps make a low-ball offer. I plan to drive down next week while my son is gone so she and I can spend the day looking at the homes she decides upon from the list we successfully whittled down today.

Whew!

Then the remainder of my evening I spent delving into the world of my new book. Don't know about you, but when it comes to my characters I have to choose a name that really fits with their personality. Normally when I start thinking about who my character is, a name will pop into my head, I'll wallow in it then feel very comfortable as the name settles in.

For the last several days I've been having a devil of a time coming up with an appropriate name for my new detective. Instead of the name sinking into the skin of my character it seems to more bounce off the surface as if struck by rigor mortis. In all my years of writing, I've never struggled so to find a good name for a character.

So I called upon some trusted friends from my critique group.

Gary offered me names like Dallas or Smokey (gee, thanks!), but Tonya hit a home run. I ended up relishing one of the first names she came up with, however with a more exotic spelling, then pulled the last name from another offering she'd thrown against the wall. The two fit perfectly.

So Detective Shaun Landry is born. His opening scene was difficult to write because of the events, but I settled into his psyche so nicely that he already feels like a trusted friend.

Thanks again, Tonya!

Now it's off to bed before the cows come home to roost. Wait a minute...

The Muse is Calling

Now that I've had a little time to relax, I've happened upon another new storyline.

But first I have to finish my current novella.

Strange thing is that I keep coming up with some of the most bizarre storylines lately, sometimes feeling as if they could be ripped from the pages of today's headlines - but in a different sort of way.

Someday I might be able to explain it better.

Even though fantasy is my favorite genre, I seem to be hitting on some rather odd thriller type material and am just going to go with it. Dean Koontz talks on his website about how he wrote all sorts of genres and his publisher made him utilize a pseudonym for those published outside of his first few novels. Now he's so well versed that they have all been re-released under his own name.

One of the things most writing instructional material will tell you is to find a genre that works for you and stick with it. Others say to write what you know. Problem is that I have such an enormous variety of interests and experiences that I could write about all sorts of things.

Funny thing is I never much got into thriller material until recently. Now I find myself writing tons of it and leaving my fantasy works behind.

Someday I'll come back to those other genres, I'm sure. Right now I'm just going to go in the direction from which the muse is calling, regardless of where she leads.

All I can say to my critique group is - hang on for the ride!

What To Do...What To Do

Figured I'd be done with my short story by the end of last week. Now it's Tuesday into the following week and still not at the finish line.

I keep coming up with extra fodder, but it's getting closer to the end. Nearly at 10,000 words at this point. Don't know if it will be done by the time we leave for my nephew's graduation on Friday though. Shoot!

Now the crazy thing is waaaaay too long for a short story and too short for a novella. I'm either going to have to cut the living tar out of it or will need to figure out more fodder to add.

Is this a weird situation to be in or what?

I'm afraid there's too much to make a good cut of such an extreme, so the best thing may be for me to add. Only problem is that I don't want it to "sound" like I've made up a bunch of scenes just to get to a specific word count. That never really rings true and the reader can usually tell where the added material is mere fluff to feed the fatted calf.

Maybe what I should do is finish to my planned end then send it out for critique to the group with the request to notate any additional scene ideas they foresee for this situation. That may be cheating but fresh thoughts and ideas may be the catalyst I need to fully flesh this puppy out to novella length.

And all I set out to do was write a short story - gee!

Growing Legs

Got in another great day of writing.

Don't know how great the writing is yet, but it sure felt great getting thoughts into my computer. This is the most I've written in such a long time. I've already surpassed 6,000 words.

Yes, I can tell you're impressed. :-)

It's interesting that this started out as a short story idea and has taken off on wings of its own...or grown legs and run off without me...something like that.

The whole story concept has been really easy to write and is coming to me in droves, flowing onto the pages sometimes in ways that surprise me. That's the kind of writing I really enjoy, not the hours and days that drag by and you feel like you're trying to give birth and the baby got stuck a long time ago. That kind of writing is never fun, but it's still important to labor through it.

Because there's always a reward at the end.

Tonight we had critique group so I had to turn off the writing spigot and get ready to leave the house.

I gotta look halfway presentable. Don't want to scare my friends.

So we had a good time hanging, cussing and discussing writing and the one submission to critique. All the while I struggled to keep my head out of my story. I'm just kinda thankful in a weird way that I have this time to work on it.

That new job will eventually pop up on the radar and it will be back to work. In the meantime, I'll try and take advantage of as much time as possible to write.

While I have the opportunity.

Writing Whirlwind

My apologies for not posting yesterday.

I find myself immersed in my newest story and am having so much fun with it that I spent the majority of the day writing. However, I still gave up writing on it for a few hours last night in order to watch a rerun and current episode of Deadliest Catch.

It is my favorite show, after all.

Close to midnight I realized I needed to get to bed. The thought of writing in my blog never even touched my brain.

Most people think I'm "touched" anyway, but that's beside the point.

Then after I laid down in bed the storyline continued spinning around like a hamster wheel. Came up with a great ending. Well, great in regard to the story but sad too. It's been interesting where the characters have delved thus far. My whole premise was for it to be a suspenseful and dramatic piece, but you know those characters.

Sometimes they have a will of their own.

Imagine my surprise when one took a humerous turn with a glass of juice. Even as it came to fruition on my computer screen, I laughed out loud. That's usually when I know I've come up with something good.

Funny thing is humor has never been my forte. Usually it ends up coming across as weird or demented to others and not really funny. So I forwarded the few pages I'd written to the humor experts in our critique group to see if it was actually funny or just plain bizarre.

The response was pleasing. So I continue to write.

Last night one of my characters just blew up for almost no apparent reason. I had to tread that one carefully. So many emotions can easily confuse the reader into wondering what genre the story is supposed to be.

But for now I'll not worry about categories and genres and just ride the journey out to where the characters take me.

Who knows? By the time I get to the end, they may have decided on a different path than I'd planned. That be the case, I may have to hold them at gunpoint to get what I want.

Unleashing the Dogs

Today is an exciting day! I've started writing again.

With everything going on of late, I've been a little focused on other things at the moment and haven't done any writing for months. Creativity flows with difficulty when one's mind is filled with concern.

For weeks now the writing bug has been hacking at my brain with a toothpick, greatly desirous of worming his way into the hippocampus to unlock my subconscious and release this building energy. After a splendid morning at church singing my lungs out, a lovely lunch provided by my thoughtful son, and then a well deserved nap, I awoke yesterday afternoon with renewed energy and vigor.

And also a really bizarre storyline begging to be unleashed like a pack of sled-dogs during the Iditarod.

So armed with several heart-pounding movie soundtracks, I've worked away on several pages to come up with the beginnings of a short story. The whole thing is still in its infancy, but I'm hoping that if I work diligently this week I'll coax it from the cocoon.

Who knows? Maybe this idea could eventually become the fodder for me to start novel number ten.

My critique group will shoot me.

Writers Be Warned

Another roaring night at critique group.

With the end of the school year, a lot of us have missed here and there. I don't think we've had one time since the beginning of 2009 when all of us made it. But summer's coming.

It's always nice having a variety of viewpoints when critiquing a story. Guys might view an interaction in a story completely different than a girl. Girl's might enjoy the dialogue between characters while the guys might want to skip it and get back to the action sequence. Where one might think something is completely out of character for the protagonist, others might find that it fits just perfectly.

But you know there's a problem when the vast majority of critiquors bring up the same problem in the same places. Yes, it's still the author's story and they can go any direction their characters take them, but this is what critiquing is for - to help point out the holes and mischaracterizations in a story.

Since our group's been together since 2002 we've garnered a real trust in each other. Therefore, it is easier to accept critiques because you know they are offering in the spirit in which it is intended.

To make it a better story and you a better author.

With the small numbers tonight, however, Gary will be asking for additional input from our fellow members.

Ye've been warned - argh!

The Return

I finally made it back to critique group again tonight!

After being away for several months for the play last year and then off for the month of December, I was really looking forward to seeing everyone in January.

Made it to one group meeting but there were only a couple of us there. Then there was the annual retreat that I unfortunately had to miss, and then the blessed ear infection.

Gosh, it's been a rough winter.

So we made it back together tonight (minus Mighty Bri). Felt good to see everyone. By this point, I've had a few months to get used to my new haircut (that isn't so new anymore) so was surprised when there was a comment about my hair. Felt silly when I had the "duh" moment.

It's just nice to know people notice the important things in life - even after not seeing each other for months on end.

That's when you know you've got good friends.

The Object of Desire

Well I ended up not getting any writing done today.

Ended up spending a little time with my salon friend. She's getting the remake completed and really wants to work with me on marketing and employee development. Met her new business partner, who is really sweet and a people person.

I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do for them.

Also spent time this afternoon working on finding a real estate agent and looking up property tax information on some homes we're going to be perusing. My parents are coming back up next weekend and we're going to do a few run-throughs on about eight to ten houses in the area.

It's going to be alot of fun for me, probably a little stressful for my dad. But I think he'll like the agent I found. My dad is no-nonsense when he's considering property. He's not interested in salesmanship, just someone who can let him look and give him time to make decisions then wrap up the details with a nice bow at closing.

He's going to be impressed with this agent. I had a wonderful conversation with him this evening and think he'll be just the perfect match.

You know, it's so nice being needed and wanted.

This job prospecting has been rather frustrating. Since the industry is so depressed at the moment, there's almost no activity happening in my area of specialty. But I'm a quick study and can always take my specialty and translate it into something else.

I think the other problem is that the finance industry probably doesn't want to pay the salary I previously earned. It's not the salary I want, it's the opportunity! I'm more than willing to take a cut just to get in the door and show someone the value I can bring to their organization.

However, I do not want to get back into the big corporate lifestyle, but I do want to work. Which is why this freelancing stuff just might be my ticket. I've even got an online publication that wants me to write articles for small businesses. Little money, but good publicity potential, eh? Hard work getting things off the ground, but hey! I'm a single mother.

Hard work is my middle name. It isn't for cowards either. Neither is freelancing.

Which is why I might make it.