Last Friday we went out to shoot at high noon. The birds were singing and the sun shining.
I’ve also added a photo my friend Cherryl Pape took of me to my sidebar.
Hope you’re having a great week.
Blog
Launch!
Wow. So, a little dizzy here after a busy week. My husband and I are doing massive yard work thanks to the end of the California drought! (At least as far as the plants are concerned.) There are some downsides to all this fabulous water, and you know I’m grateful. But it’s a jungle out there.
Well, exactly eight months after I submitted it to The Wild Rose Press, Third Strikes the Charm was born. Yay!!!!!
It has thankfully been well received so far. I love the reviews. You know how it is, or you can imagine, holding your breath to see if anyone else besides your critique group, beta readers, and editor like it. No matter how confident you felt when putting on the finishing touches, release day is a little nerve-wracking. I’m actually hugely relieved. There. I admitted it.
But woot! One reviewer was really moved by the story line, in just the way I hoped when I wrote i
t. She even said that the way it was written, the author must have personal experience with the situation (which is true).
And then one of the most amazing moments was when my mother-in-law called me. I gave her the print copy yesterday, and a few hours later, she called me and was all excited. She wanted to know if it was a continuation of the previous book! I had never mentioned it was a series, and her voice was filled with joy at opening the new book and finding characters she already knew.
That was so amazing to see how happy she was that it’s a continuation, showing me on a personal level the common knowledge that readers love series. Also it was great to see my family member as a reader.
A book birthday is when the book you wrote is grown up and goes out into the world to meet its fate.
I am scheduling this post ahead of time. On Friday morning, or Saturday if you are in Australia, I will be out taking more photos. But I did take some shots of the *ahem* bounty of our yard. Hope you enjoy.
Sedum covered mound
Fig tree leaf
Bee feeding
Reflection I
Reflection II
Reflections on relaxation
Happy Monday! I’ve been busy resting, LOL! Me, my husband, our son, and several of our friends have all had health issues that have forced us to slow down. I guess those who are already taking care of themselves and not pushing themselves too much, have fared better during this Mars in retrograde period.
Speaking of Astrology, I just finished reading An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears, and it’s now my favorite book. Here’s my review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1548715711. In this historical mystery, the budding new field of medicine included consulting the stars before performing any medical procedures. While I find Astrology fun and sometimes remarkably helpful, I really don’t want my doctor relying upon it, so I guess I’m glad that they don’t. (Although perhaps some of the diagnoses would be more accurate…)
My second novel is coming out on Wednesday, woo hoo! Unlike An Instance of the Fingerpost, no animals get hurt in Third Strike’s the Charm.
Today’s images are from my treasure trove. I’m on for a photo outing on Friday. I can’t wait to get fresh shots for you.
Have a great week!
Statue of Los Altos
Happy Friday, my friends! I hope you have had a great week and that you have a wonderful weekend. California is getting rain and snow, AGAIN, which is wonderful.
Here is an image I worked up for you. Hope you like it.
I — Inquiry and Chronicles of the #CaliforniaDrought
Real quick, this is how Lake Tahoe looked in March. The water was getting closer but not reaching the Truckee River.
Well big news, it just flowed over its natural rim and has reached the mouth of the Truckee River.
Wow just when I was thinking I was running out of time to do my Monday post and couldn’t think of anything, but when I signed in to start a long overdue visitation round for my blogger friends, I discovered to my amazement a comment from Sheri Kennedy who writes as Kennedy J. Quinn with an invitation to do this interview, tag a few other writers, and read her amazing interview! Her answers really are good; please do yourself a favor and read through them. Sheri does everything a hundred percent, and her interview is no exception. And Sheri, thank you for reading and mentioning The Last Straw. I’ve been meaning to get that book up here on my blog, but for now, here are my answers to your great questions
- If you could write full time, would you? Why or why not. If you already do, would you want to change that? Why?
I write full time now, and I wouldn’t change it, I’m so grateful every day for getting to write fiction and my blog. - Tell me about your favorite character in literature. Why are they your fave?Sherlock Holmes. He is so logical. I love logic and logical characters. I’m also a huge fan of Spock in Star Trek and Seven of Nine.
- How long did it take you to write your first book? How long to get it published? Six years (I was working at the time, and had a lot of learning to do!) I didn’t publish it.
- What do you think the best books have in common? Great question! I have no idea how to answer it! But for me a book is great when I lose myself in it, when I am more in it than in my life as I bumble through the rituals of the day thinking about the book the whole time until I can return to it. I’m reading one like that now, and it brings me so much enjoyment, especially since several friends are all reading it and we are talking about it.
- What do you like to eat or drink while writing?Organic unsweetened almond milk (yes I actually like it), nuts, water. When I’m really on a hot streak, slide it under the door. When I’m struggling I spend most of my time at the refrigerator grazing, with the expected consequences.
- Did you ever have one of your characters surprise you? In what way? If no, why not?Oh, I love this question because it just happened to me for the first time in the book that is coming out this month, Third Strike’s the Charm. The hero had a secret I didn’t discover until the end of the third draft. Then I knew why I’d had so much trouble with his character. I didn’t understand Jason Ward until then.
- Regarding writing environment: Quiet or Noisy? Alone or With Others? Indoors or Outdoors? Hot or Cool?Okay, both, both, indoors, just right. LOL! I’m picky about temperature and light, otherwise, I’m flexible. I LOVE long plane rides. I get so much done!
- Regarding preferred stories: Happy or Complicated? Fantasy or Reality? Character-driven or Plot-driven? Scary or Funny? Classic or Modern?Happy, reality but a dramatic version, mix of character-driven and plot-driven, funny, modern.
- Tell me about your favorite character in your work in progress. What’s your favorite thing about them?Devin York is an arrogant emotionally disconnected billionaire CEO who scowls and broods which is interpreted by others as being domineering and tyrannical but is really caused by the tragic death of his wife for which he blames himself. He’s emerged as a Gothic character set in contemporary times, and I adore him. He breaks my heart, makes me angry, and makes me laugh, sometimes on the same page. I am finding I love writing these over-the-top characters and am very grateful Devin arrived in time to save my manuscript from the previous hero… who was a lox.
- Why do you write?If I had a choice, I wouldn’t. But I’m incredibly grateful that I can and do. What can I say? It’s a love-hate relationship, like every good romance!
Okay, enough about me! Here are my questions to any writer who happens to read this but specifically for the writers linked at the end, should they choose to participate:
- What is your favorite project that you have completed? Why?
- If you had to pick one book to read while you were stranded for a long time on a desert island, what would it be?
- What do you do when you get stuck with a story or article to get unstuck about the story or article and going all the way to the end?
- Do you ever write with pen and paper? If so, why? If not, why not? What do you like more about writing on the computer or about writing longhand?
- Who is your favorite character in literature?
- Do you believe in “muses” or inspiration? If so, how do you cultivate the inspiration?
- What made you want to write?
- Do you prefer reading or writing fiction or nonfiction? Why?
- What book, author (including blogger and journalist) has most influenced or inspired you?
- What would be your favorite place to write if you could write anywhere in the world?
Here’s some inspiration for that thought!
Tagging:
Waiting…
From my outing with my friend in downtown Los Altos…
Getting to the next thing, keeping busy, getting organized…
Not just waiting around for someone to buy my creation…
And having fun with hobbies and friends…
How was your week and what do you plan to do this weekend?
Lake Tahoe
Sorry for the delay in my Friday post, and thank you for waiting. I knocked off early from writing today and went out to get these photos of Lake Tahoe. Enjoy!
We’ll be driving home tomorrow. We are probably done skiing for the season. We are so happy to have had a winter with snow and are feeling good that we appreciated it by skiing a lot. I’m looking forward to getting back home. We have a few social things planned. I’ll be meeting friends to write at a cafe on Monday, then there’s a wonderful celebration on Saturday, my mother-in-laws 90th birthday. I am going to make two cakes, an angel food with strawberries (no whipped cream because she doesn’t like it) and a lemon bundt cake with powdered sugar sprinkled on top. I plan to use homegrown meyer lemons to make it.
What do you have planned?
Special alert: Facebook party at 6:30 tonight!
Six authors are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party tonight on Facebook. It’s going to be fun with games and prizes. I’m hosting at 6:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
In addition to the overall prize which will be awarded to one winner, during my half hour, I will be giving away a door prize just for showing up and two more prizes for games.
If you do Facebook (you’ll need to have an account), just go to this link and click on the button that says you’re attending. I think you’ll get a reminder! The festivities start at 4, and I’ll be on at 6:30.
Here’s the link!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1043567735705356/
And here are some photos to put you in the mood for Irish fun.
Monday blues and what to do about them
I went a little off course because I became caught up in worry about things I can’t control. Today I remem
bered a great trick: take a break from the news. I don’t really need to know everything right now. I know enough. When I read the headlines, it is triggering a domino effect of thoughts and feelings that really aren’t helping me or anyone else.
I saw this photo meme going around social media, a picture of a buff woman in a weight lifting situation and the quote was: control your mind and the body will follow. I thought, sure, easy for you to say! LOL! Our minds are a little hard to control. Exercise and routines are healthy, and remembering to do the things you can do and not worry about the rest.
There’s a lot of intensity in the world right now as we all struggle with all the information, all the chatter, and saturation, especially of distressing things over which we have no control. Then turn it all off.
I took the weekend off from work and played. Remember how to do that?
Today to get going again, after feeling overwhelmed, I made a list of all the stuff I was supposed to do and forgot about and the things I have to do today. Then I started working through them. If I can’t complete the item because I don’t have something for it, I find a work-around, get in communication with the affected people, and put future To-Do items on my calendar so I won’t forget them again. I’m starting to feel better.
As for writing, here’s the thing about a book. You have to do your best, keep doing your best, then turn it in, let the chips fall where they may, and get to work on the next thing. If the first book doesn’t work out, keep working and sending things out for the opinion of others. That is the only way to get across the bridge between where you are and where you want to be.
I hope you have a good Monday and a great week! See you Friday.
Nicci Carrera 