I DID IT!!!

I had to share the exciting news! I did it! I finally finished my work in progress and got the first draft pounded out. 410 pages and 106246 plus words and 8 1/2 months later I have it done.

I am so happy to finally have it finished. To know it is done  from start to finish. The whole shebang! I can't believe I finally did it. It is soo amazing to feel that sense of accomplishment. There were so many times I wondered if it would ever be finished but now it is.

Next I need to give it a few weeks to cool off and go and start the editing process but I am so glad to have accomplished this goal and to be able to say I didn't give up or give in and what is even more exciting is I finished it in Nano month! 

YAHOO!!   Doing the happy dance! Oh ya! Oh Ya! ha ha ha!  It's time to Celebrate!

Now to start the next story!

A glimpse into my work in progress

 
I am doing a really fun thing with a few other writers where we post a little bit about our  work in progress to share what we are creating during all those hours spent on our laptops. So here are some questions I will answer and then at the end I am going to tag five other writers who will also share what they are working on with these same questions. So sit back, kick your feet up, and enjoy a sneak peak to the inside of my mind.
 
What is the working title of your book?  "Abby Leigh", although it will not be the final title, this is the one I am using to write my first draft. But I think it will end up being "Stalker's Rules".
Where did the idea come from for the book? I don't know really, I brain stormed with my writing partners and they took my idea and made it fantastic. The idea for Abby Leigh just popped into my head and I needed to write it. I just liked the idea of a girl running and trying to escape her past but being forced to confront it head on.
What genre does your book fall under? I would say it falls under romantic suspense.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Oh wow, I need to think about that one a bit.  I never imagined them as anyone but themselves. I don't think at this stage I want to put a different name or face on them than who they already are in my imagination. They are very solid in my mind and I don't want to change that by using actors. So as for now, I don't want to name names on this one just yet.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? When Abby came home from work, the last thing she expected was her ex to try and kill her, she's been running ever since.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I don't know. I think ether way would be great. I just want to be published period. If that means making a go at self-publishing then I will.  If it get an agent and get to be published that way, then yippee! I think both scenarios could be a win.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? I started the first draft of "Abby Leigh"  about 8 months ago in between being a mom to 7 great kids, teaching fitness classes and pretending to keep up on my house and I am  still a few scenes shy of finishing my first draft.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  Some authors I think are great at manufacturing suspense are Christina Dodd, Rachael Gibson, Susan Anderson, and Teresa Medieros. They know how to sprinkle in the humor and keep you biting your nails at the same time.  I hope that is how others see my work.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? The love of writing and sitting on the edge of your seat made me want to try a suspense and see if I could keep the reader guessing to the end. I think this story has always tried to come to life and was waiting for me to realize it as it waited to be  freed by pen and paper.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? There are all kind of funny situations to make things exciting, as the characters try to figure things out. They will get you laughing, sitting on the edge of your seat and wondering how it all ends. And lots of tension and chemistry.

That is a little peek into one of the books I am working to be published. Here are some of my writer friends who you can also see and follow how their work in progress is coming along. Just click on the links below and you will get to see some amazing authors and get a glimpse into their creative minds. I know you will love them as much as I do!

 I tagged some of my author friends. Click on the links below to see what they have up their sleeves. If they aren't up yet, give them a few days to answer the questions I just sent them.

Karen Hooverhttp://www.karen-hoover.blogspot.com
Lani Woodlandhttp://laniwoodland.blogspot.com/
Nichole Gileswww.nicholegiles.blogspot.com
Gary Jonas www.garyjonas.blogspot.com
Rashelle Workman http://www.rashelleworkman.com/

when distractions get in the way

Ever feel like there are a million and one things to distract you from what you want most? That sometimes it is that very thing that ends up with the least amount of attention as everything else demands you to give it first priority?

I feel like that now. I want to finish my work in progress, to say YES!! I finally finished it, and to be honest, all I truly need is about 10 uninterrupted days to finish it. But right now, it seems like those 10 dedicated days of writing is a fantasy.

School just went back into session for my kids, so the last week or so, I have run to every store in the Denver Metro area seeking school supplies for my kids going to school here from elementary to High School. Then getting all the millions of forms filled out, not to mention helping with homework, lunch shopping and all the driving. And this year as an added bonus we get to have the benefit of school prep spreading from 5 am to at times 10 am. It is really quite insane, and that is just the getting ready and dropping off schedules. Pick up is just the opposite, and when games start... well, you get the picture.

Throw into the mix, teaching group exercise classes.... which is awesome!! But time consuming. And  trying to balance classes with my families always changing schedules, and then add in a dash of reviewing and editing and life can be very full. Oh and I almost forgot... trying to clean my house out. I think that is a lost cause and only a nuclear bomb will have any effect at this point. Ha!

But there are the distractions, when life gets even more harrowing. Little crazy stresses that can slowly drive you batty. Tugs on time and money and other resources like... um sleep. Since I seem to have only the time when everyone is sleeping now to write. But then I'm sleepy too, and my brain gets a little fuzzy.

But when I do get the time to escape into my own world, when I get to let my fingers soar across the keyboard as a story comes to life under my fingers, it is heaven. I love it. I feel free of all of the crazie little things that pull me away. It's just finding those minutes to truly create an entirely new world. It is worth all the distractions to get to that.

Now if I could just figure out a good way to manage my time. I used to be awesome at it when I was in college and before I had seven kids. I'm not quite sure what happened along the way.

Anyone out there have any ideas on how to get past distractions? I'd love to hear what you have to say about how you deal with them! =0)

Author Interview : Ashley Levering and Curse of the Beast

I am so excited. Today I get to interview author Ashley Levering who wrote Curse of the Beast. It is a paranormal YA and I am sure you will love it . Why you ask? Because it is a fractured fairy tale retelling of one of my all time favorite stories, Beauty and the Beast.  

First of all, I had the chance to meet Ashley at a writer's conference this summer and I we had a wonderful time getting to know each other. She is an amazing and talented person. Now I want to give you the chance to get to know her too. So I sent her some questions and she answered them for me.

So sit back, get comfy and learn a little more about Ashley and what inspired her to become  the great writer that she is.

 Me: How long did it take to bring it all together, pre writing and the actual writing?

 Ashley: With having small children and writing only part time, I finished Curse of the Beast in two years. However, I was able to use some of that writing for Star Cursed, book 2.

 Me: How do you find the time and how do you organize yourself so you can get your writing in when you have to work around your family?

 Ashley: That is a hard one. I find that I write a lot at night, and when I can find a babysitter. Sometimes when my girls are watching a movie I’ll sneak off to my bedroom and write. As to the organizing myself, I have a bulleted outline and a calendar. The calendar helps me keep the time frame organized and the moon cycles.

 Me: Are you already working on your next book?

 Ashley: Yes! In fact, I am sending Star Cursed book 2 in the Curse of the Beast Series off to my editor in September! Very exciting.

Me: What is your most favorite thing about being a writer?

 Ashley: I love being able to create my own worlds. It is great to have an idea and be able to mold it and then breathe life into it. It is the best feeling ever! And of course, to then share it with everyone.

Me: How did you come up with your cover?

 Ashley: I wanted the rose to be a big part of it. I also thought about the other elements that make up this first book. And Tayla and Beast came to mind. So with those three elements, I hiked up the mountain with my models and we started shooting pictures until I figured out what I wanted.

Me: I love the answers to these questions Ashley. I am excited for you to have your next book ready to go. That means we get to read it that much faster, which is a huge plus for us. 

 To make this all the  sweeter, Ashley is doing a huge giveaway on her blog for a signed copy of Curse of the Beast . So jump on over to http://www.ashleylavering.blogspot.com  to enter. And click here for your own copy of Curse of the Beast.

I can't believe it!

It is hard to believe that another year is gone and that it is time to start looking forward to a new opportunity of new beginnings.

I also want to say that with this post I have accomplished writing 50 entries this year in my blog. Now that may not seem like a lot to some of you die hard bloggers out there, but I am pretty impressed. I way surpassed the amount I wrote the previous year and I feel like I know more about the blogging world than I used to.

now that doesn't by any stretch of the imagination mean I am an expert. I still have a ton to learn, but I hope in the coming year to keep growing as a blogger. And more importantly a writer!~

Well off to celebrate what's left of this year with my family and with that said~

HAPPY NEW YEAR~!!!

blogging and writing goal

I must make a confession. One that I think was a long time in coming, and quite frankly one I need to admit to myself. My daughter Danielle has out blogged me! She has laid down the gauntlet and shown me up quite a bit!

Not only is she having the best fun of her life traveling through Europe, but she also started her blog in May and has written in it just about everyday since then all while traveling all over Europe. Sure it is an assignment while she studied abroad this summer,and ya it's required, but really that doesn't matter. She has blogged her heart out! What I have I done while she's been gone? Well, read her blog of course http://aportraitofdanielle.blogspot.com How could I not?? But certainly not blogging myself.

Dani has had some pretty great adventures and have to say she has shown me that I have been making blogging way harder than it needs to be. Maybe it's because so many of my Friends are soo good at it, that I feel like it's tough to keep up at their level, but really now I see it was just an excuse. That if my amazing daughter can show me up in a heartbeat, then maybe I need to get on the ball, and show her that I can keep up. Or at least make an attempt...an honest attempt.

I used to wonder how all my friends managed it, how they were able to blog so much, but now I think I am going to challenge myself to blog like they do! I am going to take the month of July and blog it like I've never blogged before! OK, not everyday, but I will commit to at least three times a week! I will attempt to blog everyday from here out, but since July started um 3 days ago, I sort of missed that particular boat. But blogging I will do from here on out.

I hope to gain a few more followers and I hope to learn something more about myself and what I can accomplish, because I am also going to add a writing goal for my novel here too. I will write at least 15 pages a week. No less and I will come back on Sunday to report my results of blogging and writing.

Hey I have to be accountable to myself somehow, and since I have been a pretty big bump on a log lately, not motivated to do much more than find ways to avoid everything I love to do, I am kicking my own butt. And giving all my friends to kick it along with me!! If you want to add your butt kicking motivation to the comments... please please go for it!! Heaven knows I really Really REALLY need it!

I need to get back to the land of the living instead of wallowing in the land of the forgotten and feeling lost all the time while I wander aimlessly(metaphorically speaking) all over the place getting absolutely nothing accomplished. So here I go, with the first entry! Keep your fingers crossed that I will accomplish what I am setting out to do! I think it will be really cathartic and get me back on track, and moving forward like I need to!!

So here it goes!! Let the fun begin!! The Official Goals for July : 1) blog at least 3 times a week, everyday if possible 2) Increase my followers and maybe break 100 if really lucky! 3) write 15 pages of Into The Crimson Sun every week! 4) Report progress on goals truthfully every Sunday.

Writing is Life

Sometimes when I am frustrated or just need to figure things out, I find it helps to write. Writing anything at all, it doesn't seem to matter what it is as long as it is something. It has a cathartic ability to release stress, help manage anger, hurt or pain. It can even bring about a sense of accomplishment, joy, or a sense of euphoria . . . especially if you get published. Maybe being published isn't necessary to feel that happiness, but it doesn't hurt either. And it fills a deep seated need to create.

I find that when I am working through something important in my life that writing it out helps a lot. And what I am finding now, is that I can get a lot accomplished if I just write. I feel more settled and ready to hit things head on, well maybe not head on, but at least I take a step forward.

I write about my family, my kids and events around me and most of it is in a private journal not meant for other's eyes. I would feel to vulnerable writing my deepest thoughts for all to see, and judge me. I would feel too exposed and raw. Those things I write out long hand in a spiral notebook, that I share with my husband, sometimes my children, and once in a while a few close friends.

I write adventures, and stories and fantasies that bring a happily ever after -- most of the time. Sometimes I write the gruesome and scary, to see what dark road it winds down.

If I don't write, don't get my feelings out some how, I get restless. Sometimes it is hard to identify what is causing it, but when I finally get that pen in my hand, or the computer in my lap to write, I settle down. Then I write and write until the words no longer speak to me, no longer call me to head what they want me to say. Until emptiness is all that remains and I am purged and then I feel so much better. Emotions spent and words played out how they may.

Then there are the times when I write and all my dreams and yearnings pour out on the page. I can be free then, say what I wouldn't in real life. To have courage and conviction. To wish and hope and soar to the skies and back as I make wishes come true with a swish of a fairy wand or a bit of magic. Things that real life doesn't always grant, I can with my pen. It is exciting, fun, and wonderful to escape within the words of my own making.

I am forever grateful to have found my voice, to have freed it. To use it how I will to push me forward in my dreams for the future.

I will write always, for the rest of my life and in that writing I can release who I really am. And at times, I share that part of me no one else knows about when I write with others. When I create I live in freedom. I write life, because to write for me is to live.

So I turn it to you now and wonder, what do you write and why? Have you ever thought about it? Maybe you should and then you can discover what writing really means to you.

Yes I am a Ninja!!

I am a Ninja! What does that mean? That I can do cool funky martial arts? You know it! Kick boxing and bowing to a sensai in a dojo? ABSOLUTELY! Chasing hidden warriors in the light of the moon, waiting with eyes dilated and ears open for any slight movement, relying on my inner instinct to know when I am about to be attacked. YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! I do those things, I can take some one down in a fight if I have to, I have worked hard to teach others to kick butt and teach them to yell from their gut a resounding HIYA! Soothing, energy filled, and tension relief all in one. But that is not what I mean when I say I am a ninja.

I am a ninja in that I am now a part of Feb NiNoWriMo. I am joining in with other ninjas, writing ninjas to accomplish a goal. The goal to keep writing in my book, to get it finally finished, so I can work on edits. So the way I plan to use my mighty stealth and slay some major word counts and move steadily ever closer to finishing my manuscript, is to write everyday, to work toward a min of 1000 word a day word count. And if I am a mighty warrior with words and get more done and write 5000 words in a day, I will bow to my sensai (Ali Cross) and bow to my dojo at alicross.blogspot.com and say thank you my honorable sensai for teaching me the ways of words and writing with a warrior spirit. Now I must be off to slay the word dragons and bring honor to those who have taught me to show my fighting prowess with a determination to not fail and bow to them as I leave to honor my promise and kick some major writing butt!

Interview With Author Michael Knudsen

I am very honored to have the opportunity to interview Michael Knudsen today. He new book The Rogue Shop, just released and it is pretty exciting. Thanks for coming to my blog and letting me ask you some questions, and for taking the time to answer them. It is super cool for me because you are my first interview, and I can't wait to find out the answers to my questions. So let's get started!

Me: How long have you known you wanted to be a writer?

Michael :When I was four months old, I pulled dad's bic pen out of his shirt pocket when he was burping me. It was love at first sight. Later I progressed to picture books on kindergarten-lined pater and sending lengthy stories to my aunt who was on her mission. In third grade I was put in the "resource" class because my teacher thought my imagination was "hyperactive". I lived out entire Apollo missions and Godzilla movies in my ind, with friends or without. After seeing "Jaws" I couldn't take a bath for two weeks. I was the kind of kid parents worried about.

Me: It sounds to me like you had the makings of a great author even when you were little, and I think imagination in kids is an important part of what makes us creative. What lead you to write the story you did?

Michael: The Rogue Shop came out of a time and a place --Downtown Salt Lake City, in the early 1990'. I worked at a tuxedo shop there, and we had a ton of old mannequins and stuff from the 50's and 60's in the cellar. Those things evoked a sense of time and place that just cried out for a good story. Later, my viewpoint character, Chris, became more of a real person and he started giving me a hard time about not finishing his story. I didn't finish a draft until 2008, and by then I was driven to see it published. Chris was mollified, and hasn't actively bothered me since.

Me: I totally get that, I think sometimes our characters take on a life of their own, they have whole conversations and if you don't act quickly then you lose what they are saying. I love that Chris kept at you until you wrote his story. I was wondering what super hero you would be if you could choose and why?

Michael: I'm going to go with Aqua man because I think swimming fast underwater and having gills is cooler than flying through the air.

Me: I think this is a great choice! So how long did it take you to go through the whole process of writing, editing, and getting The Rogue Shop published?

Michael: 20 years total. I wrote the first chapter for the first time in 1989 while still working at the tuxedo shop. I thought about it off and on over the decades, and had five chapters at some point in the mid-90's. Only in 208 did I get serious. on January 1, 2010, I submitted the manuscript to several publishers, and it was accepted May 14. Editing was not bad at all. While finishing my final draft, I put countless hours into scouring the MS for every little typo and bad adjective that it was fairly clean when I submitted. I spent about 6 hours going over my editor's suggestions and that's about it.

I look back on it and call myself an idiot for procrastinating so much and wasting so much time without developing my talent. But I won't do that. The truth is, I just didn't have the maturity and life experience before NOW to write this particular story. Finishing it just felt wrong until the past couple of years. Of course, there is a ton of OTHER stuff I should have been writing all those years, but all I have now is the present.

Me: I think that is great advice about not beating yourself up for not getting things done in the past. I think we can all take that to heart. Did you ever get discouraged along the way and what kept you going?

Michael: Many times. Before having any success as a writer, the tendency is to spend a lot of time in denial. The over active imagination kicks in again. "I'm not that good," "this writing is a waste of time, I could be watching TV", etc. Finally, I had to just will myself into believing that I could do it, and it was possible because of that same imagination. I could see myself getting a novel published. When I finally combined fantasizing about it with actually working toward it on a daily basis, I eventually KNEW I would have a novel published. At some point, you need to get that certainty to get it done.

Me: I think that visualization is truly powerful, and had a powerful effect on you. I think if we visualize our successes more, we might have more of them too. So what is the craziest thing you have ever done?

Michael: One Tuesday in July 2003 I took a day off work and drove alone to the base of Lone Peak, and 11,000 foot mountain near my home. Having never done any mountaineering or even much hiking, I set out to reach the summit, alone. This was not wise. There was no one else on the mountain and I didn't have a cell phone. I reached the summit surrounded by 300 foot cliffs on all sides. The wind was blowing hard. I could have been killed a dozen times. On the way back down I got bad blisters on both feet and lost the trail. It was almost dark when I literally crawled the last half-mile to my car and drove home. I would like to say I'm proud of that achievement, but I would sound like an idiot.

Me: I don't know it sounds pretty darn impressive to me that you were able to do what you did. And it is a darn great story! If you could do anything knowing you couldn't fail what would it be?

Michael: Jump off of Lone Peak. No, really I would dive into writing a huge, epic world-building fantasy series like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Wouldn't it be cool to have scads of people living in a world of your own creation as they read your books and follow your characters over thousands of pages? How would it feel to have people line up in anticipation of your next book? Intend to find out, by eventually developing the knowledge that I cannot fail.

Me: Personally, I think you should go for it Micheal! I think you would be more successful than you would ever imagine. I say take the jump! Not off Lone Peak, but into your dream! Thanks so much for stopping by today Michael. I had a great time getting to know you better. I can't wait to get my hands on The Rogue Shop!

Michael: Thank you Debbie for hosting me today.

Me: I had a blast getting to know you! I'm glad you could be here. Just a note, you can get a hard copy or e-copy of The Rogue Shop by clicking here. You can also visit Michael's website at http://www.michaelknudsenauthor.com/

Keeping Committed~No Matter What!

Nanowrino has me caught in its tight magical grip, and I hope it never releases me! New unexpected plot twists are being unveiled and it is so much fun to see what will happen next as the story I have worked on for a year, shares new secrets with me. It has captivated me and I have loved every minute of it.

With most amazing month of nanowrino half over I have had such wonderful success with holding to the goal of writing 50,000 words. So far I am already past 30,000 words heading for the home stretch. So all of my writing time is taken there.

For this reason, I wanted to publish a post I wrote a while back about making goals on writing. It is focused on committing to writing every day for an hour, but I found another way that has been hugely inspiring and that is meeting a word count goal for the day. In doing so I have written over 100 pages in my book in 17 days. I can't wait to see what I can accomplish by the end of the month.

So, for all you nanowrimo people out there! Keep the faith, you are awesome! And hold true to your word count goals, or time goals. Here is my post, I hope you enjoy it! I feel it hold so much of what I am going through with writing for nanowrimo, it really speaks of holding on and never giving in!

~*~*~*~
Last September I took a huge leap of faith, I decided that the writer inside me dying to be let out and be heard, could be. I began to write my first novel even though I was afraid of being found out and exposed by the inner workings of my mind.

Besides, who was I, a crazy busy mom of seven very active kids to think I could be a writer?

This summer alone I had to get my boys to basketball, football, lacrosse, and track practices, camps, games and meets. I was teaching 3 to 4 plus group exercise classes a week, and leading a bunch of energetic fun 12 and 13 year old girls for our church's young women's youth group. Not to mention getting my second daughter ready for college, and keeping my little children entertained too all while my husband was going to be gone most of the time.


But, I figured if I could commit myself to the incredibly difficult goal of running a full marathon with all the training it required and raise over 2200 dollars for charity (which I ended up finishing in a little over 7 hours through hail, rain, snow and winds that blew me off the road) and do another one that same year, then I could commit to being an author and this goal I set for myself.

So I took up a challenge to write every day in the month of July for an hour. I was committed, no matter what. It would be a piece of cake, right? After all it was just an hour a day.

Well, I was way wrong on this one.

It turned out to be more difficult than I could have ever imagined.

Not thinking, I chose to take on this challenge that would be in effect during a caving trip , going out of town to visit family that had plans of their own that I was expected to be a part of for 8 days, taking care of kids on my own while my husband was either traveling for work or serving the Lord at Scout Camp or cooking for over 250 people on a four day Pioneer Trek, most of the month of July. In addition, I was traveling on my own with all seven of my kids (ages 19 to 6 years) to Utah to see my mom, brother and to take my daughter to college orientation in Logan.

Not a single day of this challenge went by that I haven't started writing before 12 am. It is so hard at times. I'm sooo tempted at times to just quit and not keep at it. But I told myself that I was writing no matter what, like I promised myself. And so with bleary eyes and jumbled brain waves, I stayed committed.

I can honestly say I haven't missed a single day of writing and kept my goal alive, beyond my expectations, even when it was as late (or early) as 1:30 am when I finally hit the keys. After finishing my writing time for the day, I always feel a huge sense of accomplishment for not giving up on me.

I have made more progress this month than I ever thought possible. I know that some days my eyes are held open with extra help, when all they want to do was head off to dream land. But I am somehow able to rouse myself enough to finish what I am writing on, hit save and stumble off to bed.

So I say, if me and my crazy self can keep committed to writing everyday no matter how out of control life can get, then I believe you can do it too.

So experiment! Try it out for yourself. Make a goal, stay with it, and come tell me what it was and how it went. I'd love to hear about your writing experiences. Besides, I know one thing for sure, you definitely won't be sorry, when you look back at your accomplishments.