April 6, 2015

On the move

"Isn't moving one of the seven major traumas?  Death, divorce, colonoscopy..." - Det. Lenny Briscoe (played by the late Jerry Orbach), Law & Order

I haven't been online a whole lot in recent weeks because my husband and I moved a week-and-a-half ago.  Looking for a "retirement cottage" has dominated our lives since last August.  We took some time off to regroup from what seemed like a never-ending search when our real estate agent became ill just before Thanksgiving (sadly, by January she was in hospice and she passed away in February at the age of 52 from recurrent pancreatic cancer).

As is always the case, we knew the moment we walked into the 1932 Tudor that this was it.  We decided ahead of time to make a complete change from the brand-new house in a subdivision thing and buy a house on a regular street with no restrictions on things like hanging our laundry out to dry in our yard, provided the yard was private and fenced in (which it is).

This house represents the first one we've owned that other people have lived in previously; our other two homes were both purchased brand new.  Fortunately, this house in addition to having plenty of room, had the features we were hoping for, like light dimmers, ceiling fans, and a cemented patio.

The move has been remarkably organized, considering we are also selling our existing house and have to get it prepared.  But it's a huge job, so I don't know how long I'll be away from the Internet.

Do you have any stories about moving, good or bad,  you'd like to share?

July 17, 2014

Forgotten First Wife Syndrome

As many of you know, I love movies, especially old ones.  The first two movies in The Godfather trilogy are pretty close to perfection, in my opinion.  The Godfather Part III wasn't a bad movie, but to me and many others, it's not anywhere near the almost flawless first two, although I still find the final scene (the death of Michael Corleone) haunting.

Last week I watched a documentary about the making of the three films in the series, and as always, I'm blown away by the subtly masterful reactions of Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, and of Al Pacino's metamorphosis from personable World War II hero to the ruthless, trust-no-one head of the criminal organization founded by his father (played, of course, by Marlon Brando).

Sure, there are a few continuity errors in part I (Vito asking Michael if he was happy with his "wife and children," when they only have a son; Tom warning Sonny that "All the Five Families will come after you" when the Corleones are supposed to be one of those Five, and that is definitely not the George Washington Bridge they are crossing when Michael asks Sollozzo if they are going to New Jersey); and part II (Kay slides out of bed on her own in the scene where her and Michael's bedroom is shot up, but by the time Michael reaches her she's back up in bed and he pulls her down to safety; Tessio's declaration that "30,000 men enlisted this morning" when most of the country wouldn't have learned of the morning attack in Hawaii until the afternoon, due to Honolulu time being 3 and 6 hours behind the East and West Coasts (plus recruiting centers had to be manned and opened on a Sunday), but there was one glaring error.  Hint:  It's mentioned in the title of this post.

The murder of Michael's Sicilian wife, Apollonia, in a car bomb meant for Michael, was never avenged, at least not in the theatrical release.  Anyone who saw the combination of the first two Godfather movies, marketed under the subtitle A Complete Novel for Television, will probably remember a scene inserted during Anthony Corleone's splashy first communion celebration (during which Michael took meetings) in which he was given a photograph of Fabrizio, his former bodyguard who betrayed him to one of the rival crime families.  It was intimated that Michael had been searching for Fabrizio for years before finally finding him in Buffalo, of all places (no wonder it took so long to find him; they were probably searching the Sunbelt).  In the next scene Fabrizio is shown locking up his pizza parlor and getting into his car, which blows up the moment it starts.  

At 3 hours 20 minutes, The Godfather Part II ran about 30 minutes longer than the first movie, and this was one of the scenes cut before theatrical release, but unlike some of the other cut scenes (like Michael giving his blessing to his late brother Sonny's daughter and her fiancé), I believe this scene was necessary.  Eliminating it put a hole in the story, but I'm not surprised that the producers decided to cut it.

In movies, and in books as well, deceased first wives (and husbands) are usually forgotten. In The Godfather, Michael's first marriage occurred after he had to leave the country without any word to Kay, his first, "true" love, with whom he later reunites and marries, with the dead wife relegated to a distant memory who isn't seen or mentioned again until Michael's life flashes before him as he dies in The Godfather Part III. That bomb turning Apollonia into a rag doll is all the more horrible because she was in the first trimester of pregnancy (a detail only mentioned in the book, not in the movie), yet it appears that Michael never even told Kay, his original love who he later married, about her. Yes, by the time Michael and Kay married, Michael was well on his way to shutting himself off, so there were quite a few things Kay didn't know, but shucks, a first wife is a pretty important detail. The feeling I got was that Michael wasn't just looking for some booty but genuinely loved Apollonia. Had she lived, Kay would have either married someone else or become a spinster. But Apollonia didn't live, and the producers most likely figured it wasn't important that anyone be made accountable for her murder, even when payback was sought for every other family victim, whether they survived or not.

This type of thing drives me nuts, as does its reverse, also often-used subplot in movies and books: The second spouse who is conveniently killed off (sometimes even sacrificing themselves or after saving the lives of the spouse and stepkids) so the formerly married husband and wife can rekindle their love for each other...which they usually do while the body is still at room temperature.

Do you have an opinion about this type of storytelling? Does it bother you, or have you not noticed it?

April 17, 2014

Thrifty Thursday tip

After this past winter of record low temperatures, you might be looking for ways to reduce your electric bill.  Here's a suggestion:  Many electronics in use these days still draw power even when not in use (you can tell by looking for red lights on televisions, DVD players, shredders, cable boxes, some vertical fans, cordless phones, stereos, etc.).  If any of these are in a hub, consider plugging them into a power strip and turning the power off when not in use.  This might not work for cable boxes if you have the type that has to re-boot whenever you turn off the power, but if you have a television, DVD, and cordless phone in the same outlet or outlets just a few feet apart, this will cut your electricity usage and subsequently, your bill.  

April 8, 2014

Re-discovering the joy

I started this year by being exhausted. I’d finally finished Secrets and Sins, and I published it on January 3rd. As I always do, I took a little time off from daily writing to let readers, both established with me and potential new folks, know about the book and its free prequel, Sinner Man. Sales were strong, which was most welcome after a sluggish November and an even worse December. I even got into the Top 100 Amazon list of women’s fiction/saga novels—not merely multicultural women’s fiction, but general women’s fiction/saga, with writing heavyweights like Danielle Steel, Debbie Macomber, and Barbara Taylor Bradford. I turned my attention to working on my next release, Love Will Grow, to complete my Love Will series.

Then something strange happened.

I found that writing was starting to feel like a chore. I knew the strong sales of Secrets and Sins would only last for so long, for my sales have been down since last fall…and I felt pressured to get the next book out ASAP, within three or four months. But it didn't feel right. Writing was supposed to be something I enjoyed, but it had turned into something I felt pressured to do.

This year has not been without its stressors, mainly in the form of health issues of aging family members. The extra stress of “gotta write” was only making things worse. 

Another problem was the Internet. It was starting to depress me. Everywhere I looked, people were posting about their books. Between hundreds of new eBooks being released every day at e-tailers and my Facebook feed clogged with dozens of requests from authors practically begging for sales, plus pleas from authors who'd gotten wind of a colleague doing something innovative and wanting to do the same thing (with a little help from their friends) became a real turnoff for me. I sensed desperation closing around me like a blanket thrown over my head. It also told me that maybe I wasn’t the only one with slipping sales numbers (authors love to talk about how well they’re doing, but tend to keep quiet when they’re not doing so well). Another sign of a downturn was that authors who always posted about their book's Amazon rankings or how they'd made a Top 100 list had become conspicuously silent. All these factors contributed to my asking myself if I really wanted to make the strenuous effort of trying to produce a book every three to four months just to try to stay in the game…and the answer was no.

Once I recognized I was going down a path of dissatisfaction, I stopped writing completely while I sorted it out. Eventually I started up again, with one major difference:  This time I wrote only when I wanted to (not because I felt I had to), because I felt compelled to put words down on paper and tell a story. I wanted to reclaim the joy that comes with writing, the simple enjoyment of crafting a story that's been part of my life since adolescence. The result: A scaled-back output, because that urge simply didn't hit me every day. 

I asked myself what else I wanted to accomplish this year.  Getting organized topped the list, with weight loss a close second (I've been trying to lose the same 15 pounds for 10 years, except by now that figure has crept up to 30 pounds). Ideally, I'll have our house organized to the point where—pardon this morbid thought—if my husband and I should get crushed by a semi or something, the kids could simply come in and go through our things, take what they want and donate or sell the rest without having to go through all that stuff that’s been sitting in the garage for years, not to mention all that stuff in three walk-in closets in the extra rooms (the only closet that’s organized is the one in our bedroom).

I’m happy to be able to say I’ve gotten quite a bit done, with several 55-gallon bags of either brand new or still in good condition clothing and housewares donated to Goodwill, plus at least one other bag that size put out for the trash man. I've also ramped up my exercise with near-daily workouts and watching what I eat, and I've lost 6 pounds. I still have much to do, but I can see the progress in both areas, and that alone will help me keep going.

And as for my writing? Even with cutting back, I recently made the happy discovery that Love Will Grow is almost complete. I know I can expect to write some additional bridging scenes as I go over it, maybe insert some paragraphs here and there to give readers more insight into the characters, but at this point a late spring release is feasible. Even with cutting back, I seem to be getting my book completed (although who knows how long it will take me to get my next project done). Best of all, I’ve re-discovered the joy of writing.

I think I’ll keep that joy, write the best story I can, and publish it when it’s ready, at my own pace. I’m my own publisher, so I’m not going to let myself go if I can’t produce enough to meet an ambitious publication schedule. In today’s world you’re only as good as your ratings or most recent accomplishments, but I’m happy to leave the stress of constant performance to mutual fund managers, advertising and television executives, sports team coaches, network news anchors…and other writers.

I might not be as prolific...but I'll definitely be happier.

April 1, 2014

Dear Hotel Manager

We found ourselves in your city this past weekend, with plans to return home that evening, but as so often happens, we decided at the last minute to stay overnight and make the drive home the next morning. When we called our usual hotels (the Candlewood Suites and the Marriott), we were disappointed to learn that they were both sold out...apparently there was an NCAA game going on.  Our next preferred hotel, the Hampton Inn, was sold out as well.

We were about to lose hope (or settle for lodging 20 miles outside the city) when we tried calling your establishment.  We'd had an unpleasant experience with your chain in Tampa some years ago, when we arrived to find the hotel in the midst of a messy, noisy renovation, with the room itself looking like that of a cheap motel rather than the mid-range accommodations the rate suggested.  We ended up leaving and going to the AmeriSuites down the street.  Still, you were the only hotel left who was charging under $129, as everyone's rates, like roses on Valentine's Day, had shot up for the special event.

There were renovations being done at your hotel as well, specifically the installation of plush new carpet on the steps of the exposed staircase (the hallways had already been re-carpeted, even if the baseboards hadn't yet been replaced).  Our room itself was lovely and comfortable, but when my husband tried to turn on the television he met with a pink screen.  When we tried to call the desk, we couldn't get a dial tone.  I had to go down to the desk myself to inquire and was told that a) if we disconnected the power cord of the TV momentarily and plugged it back in, it should be fine, and b) that she would connect our telephone (I've never heard of a phone in a hotel room having to be turned on). 

When we tried disconnecting and re-connecting the TV, we were not successful in getting it to work, and when we tried to call the desk the phone still didn't work.  I made another trip downstairs, made it clear I wasn't happy with either situation, and the clerk came upstairs, got the TV working, and once more said she would turn on our phone.

I went to work out that evening.  Whoever decided that the workout room should be adjacent to the indoor pool and Jacuzzi, with a partial glass wall that did not extend all the way up to the ceiling, made a serious error in judgment.  Indoor pools require warmer temperatures while cooler temperatures are best when exercising, and the thermostat read 81 degrees.  I lasted for 12 minutes.  The exercise equipment itself was cheap, without any cup holders (and that water fountain with its lukewarm water was a poor substitute for a water cooler putting out cold, refreshing liquid) or book holders.  The weights of the bench press kept falling down.  I had to get someone from the desk to get the TV to come on.  

Before going to bed, I went to place a wake-up call...and the phone still did not work.  Instead I set the in-room alarm clock to the correct time and set the alarm manually. 

While your hotel came through in a crunch, we weren't impressed.  The problems we encountered were not indicative of a room that cost over $100.  The hotel looks quite nice, but I predict all those redecorating dollars wasted when someone either has a heart attack in that sauna of a workout room, or suffers injuries from a slip and fall when walking through the pool and Jacuzzi area to get to the sauna--er, workout room, because water and rubber-soled shoes just don't mix.  
---------------
That's my unhappy experience this past weekend. What are some of your hotel stay horror stories?

March 27, 2014

Thrifty Thursday tips

Easter is almost here, and we're about to go into prom and wedding season.  Dressing (for yourself and also for your kids) for these can get very expensive.  The cost of new shoes alone for a mother and children will set you back over a hundred dollars. (I didn't mention the men, because they can usually just go out and buy a new tie and matching hanky to give their suit a snazzy new look, unless they have to rent a tux.)

Fortunately, we are also going into garage sale season.  There are plenty of goodies to be found at these, especially in dressy kids' clothing...coats trimmed in fur collars, suits, dresses with things like satin bows and lace trims, sometimes in velvet, that have usually just been worn once for special occasions.

Women would probably do better at thrift shops, which also have children's clothes.  Check the yellow pages for locations in tony suburbs, where they're more likely to have the best stuff.  Try to find something that goes with shoes you already own so you don't have to buy a new pair (since your feet, unlike that of your children, aren't growing anymore).  

The best part?  After those dresses and suits have served their purpose, you can have them dry cleaned and sell them back to the store on consignment...if they sell, you'll get part of the proceeds.  Ka-ching! 

March 13, 2014

Thrifty Thursday tips

Today I have a bonus tip for all you Nook owners...as well as anyone else who uses Nook screen protectors (they are the perfect size for my Panasonic tablet).  It's following this week's regular tip, which is...

With all the specials on vitamins and supplements (Walgreen's, for instance, usually has a buy-one-get-one-free special), you should probably never have to pay full price.  If you're big on vitamins, supplements, and natural products, consider patronizing a vitamin store and joining their buyer's club.  The clerks are generally knowledgeable and can help you make your selection, i.e., determine which products are more natural than others.  Every time I've gone in there, the salesperson will offer me half off the price of a similar product to the one I bought.  Since I happen to use a lot of essential oils and other oils (my hair should probably smell like a salad, since at any time I slather it with carrot oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or apricot oil) for both personal and household use, this saves me quite a bit.  Last week my hubby bought a diet jump start kit (normally $70, on sale for $35) and the clerk offered us a second set for me for just $17.50).  Needless to say, we jumped on it!

Now, for you Nooksters...y'all might want to visit your local Office Max store...just yesterday I found a bunch of screen protectors marked down to just $9.99.  Wish I'd known about that before paying $19.99 for a set of two protectors and a tiny cleaning cloth at Barnes & Noble about six weeks ago.  (incidentally, the package on the right is the one I paid $19.99 for at Barnes & Noble; the package on the left with the yellow sale sticker on it was $9.99 at Office Max).  Seeing them selling so many of them at a reduced price has all the makings of a closeout to me, which means it might be available nationwide...

Until next time, and remember...it's not what you make.  It's what you keep.

December 31, 2013


Lessons learned and plans for 2014

This New Year's Eve has me preparing Secrets & Sins for epub, hopefully on Friday the 3rd.  I missed the fall, missed Christmas week, and missed 2013 entirely.  This will be the last time I roll out a book so haphazardly.

At the time I published the prequel to this eBook, Sinner Man, in late October, I planned to have Secrets & Sins published by late November/early December.  It was coming along nicely.  But then things started to happen...

In early November we took a vacation to Florida to celebrate my niece's engagement and my mother's 95th birthday.  Mom had recently tripped and sprained her ankle, so she was using a cane and walking very slowly.  She flew up to spend a month with us a few days after we returned home.  Normally during my mom's visits, I keep her active by bringing her to the Y a few times a week for her low-impact workout, during which time I would work on my book (I have since joined the Y myself, so I figured I would work out while she works out, but of course with a sprained ankle she wasn't working anything.  She also enjoyed cooking, dusting, vacuuming, and other housework, most of which were also out of the question due to her injury...she needed to spend most of her time with her foot elevated so the swelling would go down.  Because she was bored, she asked me to take her shopping...every couple of days.  Naturally I did as she asked.  I pushed her around the stores in a wheelchair for entire afternoons at a time, and in the process I saw my writing time diminish...I sometimes went two and three days without writing a word and realized I was looking at possibly mid-December. 

Mom went home on December 7th.  That same day we went out of town to attend a party, because we both needed some fun time. The day after we returned there was a death on my husband's side of the family.  The funeral was not being held in their hometown in northwest Indiana (just two hours from us), but in Indianapolis, which is four hours and in a different time zone.  Because of snow, we left the day before and stayed until the day after.  I brought my laptop with me but got precious little work done those three days.  I told myself that maybe I could get it published by the winter solstice on the 21st.

That didn't happen, either.  I was busy baking cookies to send to our various family members all over the country, which I hadn't had time to do with two consecutive weekends of travel, as well as getting gift cards and preparing packages.

The last weekend in December was my husband's birthday, and it meant a trip out of town (this trip was, at least, planned for).  I am finally winding down my work on Secrets & Sins.  I've been getting emails almost daily asking when this book will be published, and I know I'm running out of time; readers will lose interest if they can't read it soon.

I am, therefore, changing the way I roll out a book.

• I will not publish a prequel until the main book is finished and in the editing stage, so that there will not be any more than four weeks between the publication of the two.  Readers shouldn't be kept waiting two months or more.
• I will try to do "Hollywood" style releases, i.e., like the movies.  Movies are completed months before they are actually released, and there are promos, coming attraction, advance screenings, etc. type of media attention/advertising to build interest and help get the word out. By the time it's released the next movie is being filmed.  Substitute "books" for "movies," and "written" for "filmed," and there's my plan.
• At the very least (if the above isn't practical), I will have the book completed for two to four weeks while I give advance reviewers a chance to read and get their reviews completed and ready to post.
• I will continue to release my eBooks on Fridays, until I make a determination of whether or not this makes a difference (my last release was a free prequel, so there's nothing to gauge).  My gut just tells me this is worth experimenting with.
• The release date I announce will be for my eStore only.  I cannot control what Amazon and Barnes & Noble do.  On the other hand, I have never had a problem with my eStore.  I can upload the book prior and simply not announce the link until I'm ready.  My eStore pages do not include publication dates.  Books sold through my eStore will be discounted by at least $1 (because my earnings are higher there, I will still be making more money for sales here than from sales at eTailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble).
• No more uploading to Smashwords unless it's a book I want to offer for free.  Readers with Sony devices or who need PDFs can order from my eStore.  I just don't need them anymore.
• I will upload the book file after midnight Pacific Time, so that the publication date I've advertised matches the publication date that shows on the product page (a personal idiosyncrasy of mine; I honestly don't think anyone but me cares about this one).

 

Back to my edits/polishing.  Join me tomorrow for a look at what readers can expect from me in 2014.

July 12, 2013

Anatomy of an eBook:  Secrets & Sins

Now that Love Will Follow is published and I've re-published A Love of Her Own, I'm busy working on my women's fiction project, Secrets & Sins.  Most of the action of this story takes place in present-day Zion, Illinois, and Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with flashback scenes to mid-century Chicago, other scenes take place in the fictitious town of Eighty-Eight, Mississippi, which I've come to think of as my little town (I heard the Simon and Garfunkel song with that title on satellite radio the other day).

I've actually changed the name of my little town several times. It's important that it have just the right name, because while it doesn't play a major role in Secrets & Sins, it will be the setting of a series of books I'm planning to write after its introduction.  The South in general is known for having towns with unusual names (Due West, South Carolina; Evening Shade, Arkansas).  Mississippi has a boatload of nutty names, like Itta Bena and my personal favorite, Whynot.  There is a reason for the name Eighty-Eight, which you'll see in the finished book.

Six years ago, my husband and I took a "blues vacation."  We went down to Clarksdale, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee, and listed to some authentic (and fabulous!) blues.  We were only in Mississippi for two days, but I remember my first look at miles and miles of cotton fields along Highway 61 (a sight I won't ever forget), the dozens of casinos in the Tunica area, and the pleasant surprise at seeing African-American law enforcement officers in an area where less than 50 years ago, crimes against blacks were openly ignored by police and sheriffs.  When I visited the Clarksdale Walmart I asked the manager to announce that I was in the store, since they had a healthy supply of my print titles.  People came to the book section to meet me, and I sold all the books they had in stock, some to shoppers and some to store employees.  I knew then that I wanted to set a small town series in that area.  My personal family roots (the Southern ones) are in North Carolina, but there is not a dearth of people from there living in the Midwest (most people from this area escaped to the Northeast).  Besides, looking at those cotton fields and huge oak trees, you can't help but feel the history in the air.  The racial discord and the emergence of the so-called "New" Mississippi--even Myrlie Evers-Williams returned to the area to teach at one of the colleges over 40 years after her first husband, Medgar Evers, was shot to death in the driveway of their Jackson home--provides groundwork for dozens of stories. 

When I did research, I decided to set my little town not in the Clarksdale area, but closer to the college town of Cleveland, 35 miles away.  The problem is, I've never been to Cleveland, and while we are planning to stop in Clarksdale on our way to our family reunion in New Orleans and take in some more live blues at the local juke joints (and munch on the wonderful catfish BLT sandwiches at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club), we won't have time for a side trip to Cleveland.  So, in essence, I'll be writing about a place where I've never been.

In fiction, it always drives me crazy when I see small towns that are entirely self-sufficient, where it isn't necessary to leave the town limits, no matter what service is needed, which is highly unlikely in real life.  For this reason, it's important that I get a feel for the real area, specifically the city of Cleveland.  In Mississippi, towns are really small, I mean hundreds of people, not thousands, and there are usually no chain stores.  The Internet is a huge help in capturing the essence of the area.  For instance, the stores of the Target chain in Mississippi are located mostly in the northern and Gulf coast areas of the state.  There are no Targets in Cleveland, although there is a Walmart.  General services, like hospitals, are easy to identify as well.  Just this morning I wrote a flashback scene taking place at the Bolivar Medical Center.  It occurred to me that in 1995 (the year of my flashback), the medical center might have been called something else.  I went to the hospital's website and looked up their history, and sure enough, it didn't take on its current name until 1997.    
    
The absolute best way to capture the feel of a place you're writing about, though, also involves the Internet:  reading their  local newspaper.  Obituaries and wedding announcements that go into detail (not the ones with just a few sentences) about the lives of the parties involved can be particularly useful.  I'm tickled to see how many elderly people from Cleveland, Mississippi, who pass away have children living locally, but also in the Greater Chicago area...northwest Indiana, the north and south suburbs, the city itself, and in my area of southeast Wisconsin.  That lends a special air of realism for me.

So there are my research tips. Welcome to my little town.  I hope you'll want to read about it.

May 16, 2013

Thrifty Thursday tip

When it starts to warm up, remember that our parents (and many of us) didn't have central air back in the day. Do what they did: Open the windows and turn on the fans. If you must turn on your air in the springtime, see if you can manage to sleep with an oscillating fan by your bed (ceiling fans work well also), since it's usually cooler at night. Remember, fans cool people, not rooms, so if you're leaving the room for more than a few minutes, turn them off. When the heat becomes unbearable, set the thermostat that controls your air at 83 degrees when you're not home, and remember to change your filter once a month (make it the same day you pay your rent or mortgage for easy remembering). Keep cool!

December 24, 2012

Attention to Detail

This evening my husband and I watched a Richard Gere movie from earlier this year, Arbitrage (apparently some kind of financial term) newly released on DVD. There was a scene when an angry Gere confronts one of his partners, and he is clearly shown locking the door behind him after he enters the office.  After he says what he has to say, he leaves in a huff...and the door opens without him first pausing to unlock it.

Now my hubby is sleeping, and I'm watching Christmas in Connecticut (1945) on DVD, a movie I've seen many times. This was the first time, however, that I noticed something. Magazine publisher Sydney Greenstreet tells Barbara Stanwyck's make-believe husband, Reginald Gardiner, that the columnist for his rival magazine just announced she is pregnant, which he fears will result in the competition getting a boost in circulation and valuable baby product advertising. He states that the rival columnist's baby is due in September. For the first time that statement made a bell go off in my head, for this conversation was held on Christmas Eve, and September seemed like an impossibly long gestation.

Sure enough, I did the math on my fingers. Even if women in 1945 went public with their pregnancies the moment the rabbit died (I couldn't say, not being around then), if it was announced in December, that baby would be due no later than August.

I like it when I notice these things, and I hope I can apply that same attention to detail when writing my own books.

Merry Christmas, all!  I'm getting sleepy, but the movie is almost over, and then I'll get some shut-eye.  Tomorrow afternoon I have a date with my husband to see Django Unchained.  Wonder if I'll spot any errors in it?

Do you ever notice errors in movies?

December 23, 2012

Time For A Christmas Romance

There's something so, so comforting about sitting on the sofa after dinner, with the lights of the Christmas tree blinking, warmed by the fire going in the fireplace, the grass outside covered with snow (this is Wisconsin, after all), as I sip eggnog (with nutmeg, whipped cream, and rum, of course) and either read a Christmas-themed romance (with the lights on) or watch those Christmas romance movies on Lifetime or Hallmark (in which case just the light from the fireplace and tree will do).  Sometimes I pull out my DVDs with old movies like Christmas in Connecticut or newer ones like The Holiday.  So many utterly charming stories out there about the magic that is romance.  It makes me want to write one.

I tell myself that every year, but of course, the week before Christmas is no time to think about writing a holiday romance...or is it?

The holiday spirit is in the air.  It's hard to capture the unique magic of the holidays in, say, July.  And maybe that's my problem.  In December I say it's too late.  In July I'm not in the mood.

Gotta do something about that...

Merry Christmas, Everybody!  

December 13, 2012

Sales Resistance - Not!

I went Christmas shopping for the grandchildren last weekend.  I ended up getting a pretty sweater dress for my very feminine 6-year-old granddaughter.  I didn't see anything I liked for my grandson.  The bulk of my purchases that day were for my own household.  I bought towels and matching face cloths, plus a set of sheets that had been marked down.

I find that I can't resist bed linens (last weekend while Christmas shopping I bought a bed skirt, two sets of pillowcases for the extra pillows on the bed, more towels and face cloths, and dish towels).  Nothing says comfort to me more than a bed with a lot of pillows, soft sheets, and a nice thick quilt to curl up under.  This is especially soothing during the cold Wisconsin winters.

I also find handbags hard to resist.  On my very first day of shopping, while looking for a pair of leather gloves for my mom, I found a gorgeous leather purse at Wilson's Leather, with that fresh leather smell and large enough for all the stuff I cart around, and with my two must-haves:  a zipped outer compartment and a shoulder strap.

Some women can't have enough shoes, hats, little black dresses, or crisp white blouses.  For me it's bed linens and handbags.  What are your hard-to-resist items?

December 2, 2012

Where do my ideas come from, you ask?  Try real life...

My mom, who came up to Wisconsin a few weeks before our family reunion over Thanksgiving weekend and stayed a week after it ended, flew home to Florida yesterday.  I'm happy to say that she, plus all the other family members who came, arrived home safely.

But the details of Mom's return flight were hardly routine.  When we arrived at Milwaukee's Bradley Airport, the Departures board showed that her flight had been delayed by 65 minutes.  This was concerning because she had to make a connecting flight.  A chat with the ticket agent revealed that flights from her connecting city had also been delayed for the same reason, so there would be no problem with her possibly missing her connection.

But here's where it gets interesting:  When we arrived at the gate (I normally turn her over to an airport employee with a wheelchair, but this time I went with her to make sure she got on the plane without additional delay) I noticed that the sign behind the gate agents said "On Time."  I inquired about this and was initially told that it had been delayed, and when I asked why this wasn't reflected on the sign behind them, another agent informed me the delay had been lifted and the flight would take off on time after all.

This was fine for Mom, but my "what if" writer's mind started working overtime.  What would happen if a passenger checked, found out that their flight would take off an hour past the scheduled time, and did some things before going to the airport, only to find that the delay had been lifted and the plane had taken off on time? 

I'm already jotting down notes for a story...

November 10, 2012

All Listed Out

Lately I've been reading a lot about setting writing and publishing goals for the rapidly approaching new year (yup, it'll be 2013 before you know it).

Goal-setting and progress-checking are important for indie writers/publishers, because we are in charge of our careers.  At some point our past accomplishments have to be checked to determine what is working and what's not, and our future accomplishments checked as well...looking at our output studied to determine whether we need to speed things up (or slow things down), check that idea file and outline which projects are anticipated to be completed and published over the next twelve months, etc.

The problem is, I can't handle another list right now.  My life is full of lists at the present, including:

• A list of just who is attending my family reunion, which my husband and I are hosting over Thanksgiving weekend.
• A list of where those who are planning to stay at the house are going to sleep; who gets a bedroom and who will be staying at Camp Griffin in the basement.
• A list of the menu for Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving breakfast, and Thanksgiving dinner, which I'm preparing.
• A list of "teams" who will work together to prepare one meal each for the rest of the weekend.
• A list of things I need my handyman to either fix or install before everyone gets here.
• My Christmas shopping list.
• My Christmas card list.

I have a feeling I'm going to be working on my plan for 2013 on December 26th...

What about you?  Are you all "listed out" with things that have to be done by year's end?

July 15, 2012

I remember reading somewhere once that twins are more prone to be born in black families, and from the time I was a kid I always thought it remarkable that the wife of one of my cousins gave birth to two sets of fraternal twin girls.  But then there were no twins for something like 50 years.

That all changed last year, when my nephew's wife gave birth to boy-and-girl twins, who recently celebrated their first birthday.  I spent a lot of time with them when I was in Florida last February (and was automatically given a senior discount while shopping with one of them in my cart...I suppose the cashier reasoned that I couldn't possibly be the mom, so I must be the grandmother!)  This was taken around the time they turned 1:

We were all delighted when my niece announced that she and her husband were expecting identical twin girls in July.  I hoped they would make their debut in time for my birthday, but they did even better--they were born on the 101st anniversary of the birth of their great-grandfather (my dad), which pleased all of us, especially my mom.  I hope to see them this fall, and I can't wait! 

So, after no twins in the Griffin family for half a century, we have had two sets within 14 months, and our first identicals.  We're already wondering who will be next, and if it will be yet another multiple birth...

June 26, 2012

Marking another year

Today marks three years since I published my first independent project, Save The Best For Last.

I still remember how excited I was when I saw my baby listed for sale on Amazon. Not only was I an author, but a publisher under the name of Bunderful Books. Of course, that was just the beginning. I didn't publish it in eBook format until several months later, and three original titles plus one eBook backlist title and one bundle followed. I am presently working on two new projects, including my first women's fiction to be indie published.

It's been an exhilarating ride, one in which I've been largely self-taught. I made many stumbles along the way, but I'm proud that I didn't miss a beat in transforming from traditionally published author to indie author and publisher. When I published Save The Best For Last I was still working on the manuscript for what would be my final traditionally published novel, Trouble Down The Road, which was released the next year, 2010. When I learned that Dafina would not offer me another contract, I just kept writing...and kept publishing. Now the life of a traditionally published author is but a memory that gets dimmer with every passing year. I never really thought of myself as being the take-charge type, but the truth is that I absolutely love doing it all myself and reaping the rewards.

I don't do it all myself, of course. I use a professional cover designer and work closely with her to get the "look" I want.  With the publication of Isn't She Lovely? this past March, she created a brand look for me (specifically the hero, heroine, and a dented front end of a vehicle, since a car crash plays a pivotal role in the plotline) that I intend to keep...at least until it's time for something new. I also use an editor, not a professional, but one who is very knowledgable and perceptive, and we also work closely together to ensure that the characters' motivations are clearly put across for readers. But it's wonderful to be so involved in the process, and it's wonderful to see results on an immediate basis.  Isn't She Lovely? has met with thumbs-up from the majority of readers, and it was a mainstay on the Amazon Top 100 bestsellers of multicultural romance for over three months, and occasionally still squeaks in there.  So Happy Birthday, Bunderful Books...and many more! With any luck, the stumbling period is over and it can now, well, run.

Next week I'll be celebrating a personal milestone...my 55th birthday. It seems odd to think of myself as being 55 years old (if anyone tried to put in a candle on a cake for each year, it would look something like the picture above). Where did the time go?

I'm certainly grateful to be here.  Two of my four siblings did not get to see 40, much less 55.  But the actual day will seem rather anticlimactic.  I used to look forward to qualifying for those 55+ discounts certain restaurants and stores give. When I was in Florida in February, my sister and I took her twin grandchildren shopping with us, each of us putting a baby seat in our shopping carts. When it came time to check out I was charged less than the actual cost of the item I purchased, even after tax. When I looked at my receipt, I saw that the cashier had automatically taken off 10%. I guess she took one look at the gray in the front of my hair (I don't use color, at least not yet) and at the nine-month-old baby (at the time) in my cart and figured I couldn't possibly be the mother, so I must be the grandmother. That's certainly a reasonable assumption, given that my eldest grandchild will be six years old later this year. So I got the discount five months ahead of time.

Similarly, when my husband and I stopped at IHOP for breakfast while out early last Saturday, we both ordered from the 55+ discounted menu (he already meets the age requirement) and I was not questioned.

I'm not worried about getting older, other than trying to retain good health and hoping to get all my ideas put into book form before I check out.  But I am concerned about staying relevant, about being able to write younger characters without showing my age. My current work-in-progress is about women in their late 20s...an age I haven't been in over 25 years.

Something Real, my work-in-progress, isn't my first attempt at trying to write young characters.  Since this is a sequel, these characters were even younger the first time they made an appearance in Save The Best For Last.  But I wrote and published that just before I turned 52. I find myself wondering if I can really pull this off.

How about you? If you're a reader, have you ever noticed characters who are written too old (or too young) for their given ages?  If you're a middle-aged writer, do you worry about being able to capture the emotions of characters under 30 or over 70?

Anyway, to celebrate my third year as an indie author and publisher, I am offering a half-price sale on Save The Best For Last .  Simply go to my author page at Smashwords, where all my Bunderful Books titles are listed, click on Save The Best For Last , choose the file type (Mobi for Kindle, ePub for Nook, etc.) that corresponds to your device, add to cart, and at checkout enter this code:   RR54J.  It will automatically take 50% off the list price of $3.49. 

This special is only good for today, so enjoy!

June 14, 2012

Thrifty Thursday tip

Last month I had a call from Sears, from where we had purchased our refrigerator as well as washer and dryer, informing me that it was time to renew my service agreement for another year.  The cost of this would be in excess of $400.

I was reluctant to do this even last year, although I ended up doing it.  This time it occurred to me after I hung up that with the money I was spending for appliance protection since the year of purchase, I easily could have purchased a replacement, if not all three, for either the fridge or the washer and dryer set rather than pay for an expensive repair (particularly for the washer and dryer, both of which have numerous sensors that can easily run into the hundreds to repair).  That just didn't make sense to me and made me feel like Sears was getting rich on my nickel.

I told them I wasn't going to renew. After listening to the rep drone on about how much repairs cost, etc., I stuck to my guns.  I then arranged for one last service call before the current coverage expired.

When the man arrived, I asked him what I could do to prevent the need for service.  He told me that with the refrigerator, it's all about keeping the coils clean, and with a washer and dryer, it's all about protecting the sensors against lightning, avoiding mildew in the washer, and avoiding lint buildup in the dryer.

He instructed me to leave the washer door as well as the drawer where detergent and bleach go in the open position when a load is not running to keep them aired out, to clean the lint catcher regularly and to try to keep the lint drain clear as well (my laundry room is on the second floor with my bedrooms, so I'll have to get my handyman to do that).  Finally, he suggested a surge protector to keep lightning from burning up the sensors, or to simply unplug when not in use.

As for the refrigerator, the repairman said to continue keeping the kitchen appliance rug in place in front of it because it blocks out dust from getting underneath.  When he removed the bottom grill and vacuumed under the fridge, he said there was very little dust becuse the rug kept it out.  He showed me how to remove the grill and how to put it back so I could use my vacuum attachment to gather any dust that will eventually settle on the coils and make the fridge not as cold as it should be.  He pronounced the sealants in good condition, and that was that.

In four years, I've only called out the repair to do an annual checkup but have never needed repair work for any of these three appliances.  I figure the worst that can happen with the fridge is that my icemaker in the freezer might act funky, in which case I'll have to make my own ice...hardly the end of the world.  As for the washer and dryer, the set is made by LG, an excellent brand (the hatches holding the doors to the units are metal, whereas other brands we looked were held together with plastic, which is a lot less sturdy and more prone to cracking and breakage). Of course, one never knows if your appliance was slapped together fifteen minutes before quitting time before a three-day summer weekend.  Still, I'm confident that I can manage without having to spend $400 a year on "just-in-case" repair coverage that hasn't yet been needed.

Something to think about!

April 7, 2012

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

It's been a very busy year.  I began 2012 on schedule...by submitting chapters to my editor the end of that first week.  My editor, unfortunately, had some personal issues that landed her in the hospital a few weeks later.  This put her behind in her own to-do list, and we worked feverishly to get Isn't She Lovely? edited for ePublication.  The situation wasn't helped any when my laptop "passed away" unexpectedly after a sudden illness.  I had to buy a new one (thank heavens Office Depot always has good sales) and get my files loaded on it, plus the daunting task of learning Windows 7.

My editor and I managed to get in a three-hour dinner at the Outback when I visited Jacksonville in February, and that leisurely evening somehow gave us motivation to speed things up.  The book was uploaded on March 5th.

I've gotten very little writing done in the month since.  There are a few reasons for this.  One, after releasing a new book I have to let everyone know about it, and that takes time.  But usually after two weeks I'm ready to start writing again.

I didn't this time because, although all my files were reloaded on my computer, I had to re-load my software, including my Dragon dictation software, and re-train the software to recognize my voice. I've loaded the software, but haven't re-trained it yet.  I've been busy, which brings me to the third reason I haven't done much writing.

My mother flew home to Wisconsin with me after my visit to Florida in late February, and she visited with us for six weeks.  My husband and I both loved having her here, but you simply can't keep your regular routine when someone else is staying at your house, even someone who isn't really a guest.  Those first weeks I would bring my laptop with me when she wanted to work out at the Y, and I'd sit and read over and revise text while she got on the machines (my mom will be 94 later this year, but she's always been a big believer in physical fitness and has been blessed with good health).  After the book was uploaded I stopped dragging the laptop and usually ran errands while Mom worked out.

My mother flew home last week, and while I do miss her, it does feel good to not have to worry about keeping her occupied.  So now it's just my hubby and me, doing our own thing...and I'm writing again.  Before this weekend is over I'll have my Dragon software and will autotranscribe all the files I dictated prior to my laptop's demise.  Right now I'm going over the manuscript for a backlist title.

It's good to be back!

Another 

January 3, 2012

It's good to be alive and (almost) 55

Ah, 2012. It still sounds weird to my ears, in that way new years always do until I get used to them.

Looking back on 2011, in terms of accomplishment, it was definitely one of my better years.  I changed my eating habits and dropped enough weight to fit into single-digit-size jeans...and I'm keeping it off. I finally got a good portion of my garage cleaned out, courtesy of warmer-than-usual temperatures through year's end. I started an exercise routine. And I bit the bullet (or, perhaps more appropriately, swallowed the prep) and underwent that colonoscopy I've been putting off for nine years.

On the writing front, I found a writer's software package that I simply adore (Scrivener for Windows). I finally completed and ePublished a storyline that first formed in my head back in 2006, when I saw a report on NBC News about the bounty of jobs in North Dakota while unemployment elsewhere soared. That gave me the basic plotline for an interracial romance, but a basic plotline does not make a book. It didn't all come together until about a year ago, shortly after I'd published The Heat of Heat and was trying to decide which project to work on next.

Now on to 2012. God willing, I'll celebrate my 55th birthday in six months (usually smack dab in the middle of the year, but this being a Leap Year, the first day of the second half of the year). I'm looking forward to shopping during special senior days and picking up that extra 10% to 15%, and ordering off the 55+ menu in restaurants!

Not only is A Kiss of A Different Color completed and selling briskly (with low-key promotion that didn't involve making a pest of myself on Facebook), to mostly favorable reviews (the first review I received was just 1-star, followed by mostly 4's and 5's), but less than three months later I am now completing a new eBook, which I may have up for sale as early as by the end of this month (you can read an excerpt of Isn't She Lovely? here). From there it is on to a mainstream project I'm very excited about, which will be my first project done entirely with the Scrivener software. My goal is to have it done by the fall.

Will I make it? I don't know. But I'm sure going to give it my all!

Wishing you all the best in 2012!  What do you hope to accomplish this year?