Adventures N Writing

At the beginning of every year people seem to get caught up in setting goals and making up for lost time the previous year. It is good for everyone to take a step back and remember that life is a marathon not a sprint. I found myself being a victim of getting caught up in the rush of life and its struggles. Holidays brought a lot of expected bills and plenty of unexpected. I’ve been trying to catch everything up in one month but now I realize it is impossible. I always tell my friends that rewarding one’s self is important, and now I realize I have forgotten to take my own advice. This weekend I’m going to set aside a moment for me, myself, and I. I think you should do the same for yourself. Maybe read a book... In fact maybe I'll read a book. Also a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to get Michele's books on Kindle for 0.99 cents! A great way to take a break is with a great book. http://www.amazon.com/Death-Michaela-Bancroft-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0037Z6YHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8...

The writing career is interesting. Everyone has an opinion (especially these days) on big house publishing, small house publishing, self-pubbing, p.o.d., electronic publishing, etceteras. As the industry tries to manage through a roller coaster of change, the writer either needs to get off the roller coaster and take charge of her writing career--deciding what is best for her--or buckle in for the ride and see where it takes her. I hate roller coasters. I used to like them when I was a kid, but not so much anymore. I usually get dizzy and feel like I'm going to puke. I think this has to do with getting older. My oldest son tried to get me to go on this loopydeloop dealio at Universal Studios with him at like 100 miles an hour or something insane like that. I was perfectly content to sip my lemonade and wait on the sidelines as the kid rode the ride. Just not into it. Therefore, you can imagine how I feel about the publishing industry's roller coaster ride ...

I spoke the other night to a women's group here in town and had a great time. They were a gracious group and I sold a bunch of books, which is always a great thing. My favorite part of speaking is the Q & A session. I'm not sure why but it is. People usually have really good questions and it's a lot of fun. The one question that I always, always get and that I am never prepared for is: who is your favorite author? Oh jeez. I honestly have no clue. I like so many authors and I like so many writers that are unpublished and I just respect anyone who takes a leap and writes because they have a story to tell. I can tell you the writers I have a lot of respect for and why. 1. James Patterson. I know that some of you may be shaking your head but just "listen." Patterson is a genius at branding Patterson. He may not be the most amazing writer in the world, but he is a darn good storyteller. There are not many books that I can read in a few hours or even want to ...

Everyone knows New Years is the time when everyone makes New Year’s resolutions; work at them for a month and by February a slim few are still keeping to them. Instead of doing the typical New Year’s Resolution I’d like to propose something different. Create a vision board for 2011 and even beyond. Clip pictures, words, anything out of magazines that pictures what you want for your future. Arrange the clippings on a large poster board. You can make it collage style or super organized. Michele, myself and our good friend Gilly made our boards this weekend and each was vastly different but all turned out beautiful. I took the uber-organized approach and separated mine into three categories: career at the top, hobbies and personal in the middle, and my dream home at the bottom. Our vision boards were goals for 2011 and even longer term goals distributed throughout. Michele and Gilly took the more collage approach and theirs turned out just as great! It really showed off the differences in...