Hi there,
In the interests of economizing, I’ve decided to do a free WP blog instead. I hope all of you will join me at my new blogging home. I have some exciting things in store for 2014, but that’s all I can say for now!
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Thursday’s Children August 1, 2013
Inspired by Sand Dollars…
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“MORE sand dollars?” My husband’s tone asked its own question (“Have you lost your mind?”).
“Why do you need to bring so many?” My older daughter squiggled her eyebrows.
“I don’t know. I just do.”
“Can I give some to Anne?” Anne was her best friend.
“Um…” I didn’t want to part with a single one. “Yeah, I’ll pick out a few for her.” I chose five of the most mundane, set them aside, and continued to swaddle the remaining delicate wafers in layers of tissue before tucking them into various containers.
I’m not sure how many minutes, or even hours, I spent packing my collection, knowing their fragility would be a poor match for the thousand mile truck ride from Maine to North Carolina. In the last few weeks before our move, my sand dollar-hunting gained urgency. If I spied one, I couldn’t leave it on the sand. After every walk my jacket pockets were damp and sagging with loot. Once home, I laid them on towels. Only after they were dry could I rid them of the sand trapped inside by tapping them ever so gently. Did you know sand dollars have a mouth, and a um, “butt”?
My obsession was rooted in panic over leaving Maine, and the beach.
Understanding the source of an obsession doesn’t loosen its grip.
I opened the boxes and containers a couple of days ago. As you can see, not all of their contents survived the trip.
My sadness was fleeting because when I lifted the lids, ocean scent rushed out to kiss me.
Do you collect anything from Nature that has special meaning for you?
Here are the codes for this week’s linky list. If you have trouble getting the link to show up on your post, try deleting the ” marks and retyping them when you paste the code into your post.
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Thursday’s Children July 25, 2013
Inspired by craziness…
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So, here’s the image that got me thinking this week-
No, not the birth of the new Prince. Though if a Royal happens to read my blog, may I wish heartfelt congratulations!
If Tony Appleton hadn’t landed the “official” town crier gig, that officer behind him would probably be summoning the loony limo, instead of looking professionally disinterested. I lived in Boston for ten years-a city with no shortage of lunatics. Wander around the Public Garden, Boston Common, Kenmore Square, Quincy Market or ride the T and you’re sure to be entertained, perhaps shocked, maybe even a bit frightened.
Crazy is fascinating. OCD, bipolar, manic, schizophrenic. Labels don’t tell the whole story. Not even close. But they sometimes help the rest of the world understand why the person who “looks” more or less normal on the outside seems to be anything but on the inside.
I’m certainly not alone. Writers from Shakespeare to Stephen King share my enjoyment of the unhinged character.
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People whose perspective is warped, a little or a lot, harmlessly or not, lend unpredictability to a story. Exploring their psyches takes a reader on an adventure–maybe a magical stroll through an enchanted forest or a terrifying race through a haunted house, whose closets conceal hideous, blood-thirsty monsters.
People whose perspective is warped, a little or a lot, harmlessly or not, lend unpredictability to a story. Exploring their psyches takes a reader on an adventure–maybe a magical stroll through an enchanted forest or a terrifying race through a haunted house, whose closets conceal hideous, blood-thirsty monsters.
My current WIP has two major characters and two minor characters (so far), whose operating systems are a little screwed up. When a person’s motivations are based on a distorted inner reality, there’s plenty of opportunity for mayhem. Or, “fun”, as I like to call it.
Do you like a little crazy in your stories?
Here are the codes for this week!
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Thursday’s Children July 18, 2013
Inspired by Firsts…
So, last week I screwed up and didn’t do my “Firsts” post. What can I say? I was a virgin when it came to co-hostessing an online writing contest. All inept and blush-y.
Which makes now the perfect time to publicly acknowledge Kristina Perez as
The Goddess of Coding, Subdomains and a Whole Bunch of Other Techy Stuff.
She was extraordinarily patient too, because I’m sure, especially after I tried to be helpful and ended up bollixing up a page, she was feeling like this…
Thank you, my dear, for not turning me into a llama.
As my First, I’ve decided to share a Cautionary Tale.
About three years ago I’d finished my first book. Only my husband, a coworker of his, and the coworker’s brother read it before I began querying. No CPs, no betas. I didn’t even know they existed. I discovered QueryTracker and sent out ten queries. I got a couple of requests for fulls and partials. I thought, “Hey, maybe this won’t be so hard after all…”
Right. Ultimately they all ended in passes. I squared my shoulders and soldiered on. A couple of months later, a few more requests – one of them from a BIG DEAL agent. She’d repped PILATES WIFE, brokered the MIB and WITCHES OF EASTWICK movie deals, film/tv rights for Tom Clancy, John Updike and the list went on.
She emailed to say she wanted to talk. I narrowly avoided cardiac arrest.
It went well. She said, and I quote, “This book is going to huge, but…” Yes, there’s always a “but”. Apparently because I was new to writing, there were things that needed fixing before she offered representation. She suggested a freelance editor. The agent said if I implemented even half of what the editor advised, the ms would be “there”. I did them all. The agent felt it still needed tweaking. Her assistant got involved. More changes. Still not quite right. Still no contract. The possible sub date kept moving into the future. A mysterious third person appeared on cc’d emails. The agent stopped returning my calls.
You can see where this is going, can’t you? You’re cringing, I know. Eventually, in response to my frantic emails, she emailed me. “I’m sorry, but I think your time would best be spent finding another agent.” Ouch.
I felt super SUPER crappy for quite a long time. If I hadn’t been taking a writing course at the time I probably would have quit writing altogether, but I had assignments due. And ultimately, I have a fairly wide stubborn streak.
Every so often I checked the agent’s website. You know what? She got out of the business shortly after jilting me. She’s doing marketing for non-profits now. That made me feel better, like maybe it wasn’t just my failure to fix the ms.
So, if you’re waiting for a first call with an agent this isn’t meant to discourage you, just a reminder that sometimes things don’t go the way you want or expect them to. But don’t let that be a reason to give up, getting a call is still a HUGE validation that you’re doing something right.
Here are the Codes for this week. I hope some of our Like A Virgin people will join us!
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Thursday’s Children July 4, 2013
Next week, I hope you’ll all join in for the Like A Virgin Contest “Getting to Know You” blog hop! Go here to see the list of questions to answer. Think of it as Truth or Dare (without the dare…)
This week I am Inspired by Author Kimberly P. Chase…
A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us!
I’m delighted to offer the APOLLO ACADEMY cover reveal as my Thursday’s Children post. I met Kim last year when I was pre-agent and just entering the world of CPs, contests, and in short, sharing my writing with strangers. She had an agent and therefore in my view, had at least one foot in The Promised Land. She was a judge/mentor in two contests I entered and was unfailingly gracious, enthusiastic and encouraging-a perfect role model for giving back. Writers like Kim made me want to host a writing contest too, and fortunately my partner in crime, Kristina Perez, was eager to do the same and we’re about to launch the Like A Virgin contest!
Now I get to say “thank you!” to Kim in a meaningful way. Without further ado…
THE APOLLO ACADEMY by Kimberly P. Chase
Launches: 8.6.13
Cover Art by Cliff Nielsen
ABOUT: As the heiress to Titon Technologies, eighteen-year-old Aurora Titon can have whatever she wants—clothes, expensive gadgets, anything money can buy. All she really wants is to escape her pampered, paparazzi-prone life for the stars. Becoming the first female pilot to train as an astronaut for the Apollo Academy is exactly the chance for which she has been waiting. Everything would be perfect if it weren’t for her unreciprocated crush on a fellow student, the sexy astronaut bent on making her life hell, and the fact that someone keeps trying to kill her.
Early praise for The Apollo Academy:“I am obsessed with this book! Suspenseful, sexy, and just a great read!” -Cora Carmack, New York Times Bestselling author of LOSING IT.
“Exquisite worldbuilding, thrilling suspense, and a sexy flight instructor! Chase’s exciting debut novel is one you don’t want to miss.” – K.A.Tucker, Author of Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny LieAdd The Apollo Academy to your GoodReads Shelf!
AND WE’RE ALSO REVEALING THE BOOK TRAILER! About the author:
Kimberly P. Chase holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which basically means she’s kind of a geek and loves flying airplanes. Naturally, her books tend to include aviation, hot flight instructors, aviator glasses, and—let’s not forget—kissing! When Kimberly’s not writing or reading, she’s hanging out with her husband, four-year-old son, and two dogs.
website: www.kimberlypchase.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyPChase
twitter: https://twitter.com/kpchase817
WAIT! THERE’S EVEN MORE AWESOME….AN APOLLO ACADEMY SWAG BAG IS UP FOR GRABS! ENTER BELOW:
And now here are this week’s Thursday’s Children codes…
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Thursday’s Children June 20, 2013
Today I have no inspiration to offer…
A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us!
Tomorrow we will say final good-byes to the Old House in Maine
“Old House”
And if all goes according to plan on Saturday we will say hello to our New House in North Carolina
New House
I will try to check in with other bloggers this week but it probably won’t be until Sunday or Monday. Meanwhile, here are this week’s codes-
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I’m a Guest!
Angie Sandro was kind enough to invite me to visit her blog this week for her Share Our Voices series. Thanks again, Angie! Jump on over and hear about the weird and wonderful way my own fiction collided with my real life at the intersection of culture and environment.
You’ll also get to find out what purpose this rock (which is about two miles from my house) served in the early 18th century.
Thursday’s Children March 14, 2013
Inspired by Surfers…
A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us!
No, not the bronzed demi-gods who frolic under the summer sun.
Maine winter surfers. The wave-junkies clad in thick rubber suits. I see them before, during, and after every winter gale. Out there in the seething gray ocean, with the wind shearing the tops off the whitecaps. In fact, I was watching surfers last Friday at the beach near my house and that’s what got me thinking. Some are young dudes, but many are guys in their 40s and 50s. They live for the thrill. Not even freezing cold water can stop them. And believe me, that water would be frozen – except that moving salt water simply can’t freeze.
Some might call them brave. Others might call them crazy. I think the same adjectives might be applied to writers. We can’t give up the rush either, not even when conditions are, um, gnarly.
I’ve just plunged into writing a new book. It’s exciting and scary. I’m not in the water literally, but I am floundering around in a sea of words. It’s not so much that I’ll be searching for perfect waves – I’ll be trying to create them. Individual words, that when combined, offer speed, amplitude, and a glassy face that is both superficially beautiful and translucent enough to let the light shine through. The waves that will carry my story to its final destination with power and grace.
I’m no longer a “kook” (newbie just starting out) so I know what to expect…
Wipe outs–massive deletions of entire chapters and character eliminations.
Riptides–wayward characters and unanticipated subplots that threaten to carry my story far out to sea, or onto jagged hidden reefs.
Acid drops, when the lovely wave drops out from under me and I’m suddenly free-falling — aka plot holes.
And let’s not forget about undertow — that writerly crisis of confidence–those this whole freaking thing SUCKS moments.
But, I’ll take my chances, for the moments when magic flows through my brain and onto the page, when thought and language form a perfect union, when writing is a transcendent experience.
So, who’s ready to hang ten (fingers on the keyboard) with me?
Here’s a video about winter surfing in Maine. This beach is about half an hour from me.
And here’s one shot at the beach in the town next to mine
taken at Kennebunk Beach
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Thursday’s Children February 14, 2013
A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us!
Inspired by blizzards, and local history…
Last week I lost track of time and had to scramble to get my TC post up. This week Snowmaggedon/Snowpocalypse/Nemo made it virtually impossible to leave my house for the two days of the storm, except to shovel and drag my reluctant doggies outside to do their business.
I’ll be going stir-crazy by Monday, just itching to fly the coop. So, I ‘m actually writing this on Saturday the 9th.
Storms make for great writing opportunities within stories too. They’re dramatic. Primal. The wind screeches and trees snap-and if you live by the ocean, the waves roar like a raging sea monster. Bad weather forces people out of their comfortable routines and behavior patterns. The isolation of a storm may lead some to feel more vulnerable, and some to feel less accountable. Being trapped in a house by a Nor’easter is akin to being marooned on an island. It’s just you and the people trapped with you, or with whom you are trapped.
Tension builds. Anything could happen.
In 1978, a very dramatic incident happened at Goat Island Light, which is about three miles down the road from where I now live. Here’s a photo from the late 19th or early 20th century. I’m not sure when the one below it was taken, though clearly it was taken after the invention of airplanes!
US Coast Guard Photo
Below are photos of Goat Island Light taken this past weekend by their webcam. That tall white structure is the new fog bell tower. You’ll be relieved to know the lighthouse is no longer “manned”, because in the middle photo all that black stuff is sea water that’s breached the rocky base of the island. As is the foamy white stuff in the last photo.
The passageway on the right connects the lightkeeper’s house to the lighthouse, which is out of view in the picture above. The passageway is quite new. It wasn’t the first one to be built.
Back to 1978, or more specifically the Blizzard of ’78.
Martin Cain was the lightkeeper at that time. He had just stepped from the passageway into the kitchen when the entire passageway was swept out to sea. I used that incident in my book TENDRIL (but with different characters, a hurricane not a blizzard, and a different, fictional lighthouse). In real life, a rescue helicopter came to evacuate the Cain family, but there was room for only one adult and one child. Martin’s wife took the baby, leaving her husband and two year old son behind. Can you even imagine?
By the way, many claim the lighthouse is haunted by its last resident lightkeeper, who died in 1992. Presumably a rogue wave capsized his boat when he was a short distance from home. But that’s another story…
A few days ago, on neighboring Vaughn Island, human bones were found by a person walking his dog. They may belong to the college students who went missing just before Christmas. Some of their clothing was found on Goat Island, shortly after their disappearance. The bones were found above the usual high tide mark, probably deposited there by the the thirty foot seas we had during the storm.
Yet another tragic and mysterious story…
Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Staff Photographer
Portland Press Herald
Are there any events from local history that have inspired your writing?
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Thursday’s Children 1/24/13
A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspiration. Please join us!
Inspired by china.
I’ve been to China, and there’s plenty there to inspire any writer. But this week I’m talking about porcelain.
The first, and to date only, paid writing job I’ve had was as a marketing copy writer for a retailer of kitchen and dining products.
I worked my way up through the ranks, starting as a CSR, then moving to the advertising department as an Assistant to the Director. When the Copy Writer position was posted, I was anxious about applying. It was the first time I’d shared any of my writing since college. But the previous copy writer was pretty terrible at it, which helped.
Once I got the job it didn’t take me long to realize that marketing is story-telling.
My MC might be a spatula that cost a buck twenty-nine. Or a five piece place setting of Gorham sterling silver that cost hundreds. The MC might be a grandmotherly type, let’s say a crockpot. Or a stylish, sophisticated Italian (espresso machine).
To sell the product required more than telling the consumer about wattage, warranties, and whether or not the item was dishwasher-safe. The consumer had to be romanced – made to feel that her life was incomplete without that product, or that her life would be immeasurably better with it. That she wanted to be the kind of person who owned Villeroy & Boch dinnerware or Calphalon cookware. I say “she” because the majority of our customers were women, somewhere between twenty-five and fifty-five: brides-to-be, stay at home moms, career women, empty nesters.
As with nearly every kind of story, sensory detail invites the reader in and provides her with a rich experience. So, I talked about the visual – for example, the ancient Chinese love story behind the Blue Willow china pattern. The auditory – the shrill whistle of a tea kettle signaling the tea-lover it was time to pour. The olfactory – comparing the aroma of baking bread to a hug. Touch – the satisfying weight of a Waterford lead crystal goblet. And of course, taste – imagine the shrimp scampi to be savored, once our handy shrimp deveiner had gotten rid of that unappetizing digestive tract.
Wedgwood Blue Willow
I truly loved my work. It was the first time I felt any sense of creative fulfillment at a job. Part of it was because I love tableware and my art background allowed me to appreciate the aesthetics and the design history behind the items I handled every day.
But more than that, I discovered my love of telling stories.
It was a horrible shock to discover that the company had filed Chapter 11 while I was away…in China.
Please join in and tell us what has inspired your writing.
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Rhiann Wynn-Nolet 