So Much Joy and Pain

I've been a little reluctant to write a new blog lately, if you haven't noticed. I love looking at that box of books, ARCs or not, though life has been full of many adventures the past four weeks.

First, the pain: Think back to three days before Christmas. The snow had just started to fall and the air was brisk, the feel of Christmas in the air. I had made plans to take my kids to visit my friend Elizabeth a couple of hours north of me. The car was packed and warming up when the neighbor stopped by looking for something I was going to loan her. I walked very carefully down the steps (I'd already fallen once that morning), commented to my neighbor about how careful I was being, then when I hit the flat part of the walk my feet started to slide. I tried to lock them in place so I wouldn't fall, but my legs scissored and I went down, my ankle and foot popping twice.

As I lay there crying in pain, my neighbor ran to get my husband and the two of them got me into the house. At that point I realized this was serious and asked them to get me back out to the car. I needed to go to Urgent Care. After much maneuvering and sending my sweet boys over to my friend Shari's house to see if she could watch them while I went in for x-rays, we were on the way.

To make a long story short. Well . . . shorter, they x-rayed my ankle and pronounced it a really bad sprain, basically saying that the pops I felt were my ankle dislocating, then popping back into place. They gave me a brace and sent me home, my plans for the day dashed to pieces.

I wore that brace for 3 weeks and was still in pain. I felt things moving that shouldn't be and went back in to Urgent Care and asked them to re-examine my foot. This time around they actually x-rayed my foot as well as my ankle, gave me a new brace (since I'd broken the last one twice), and told me they would have the radiologist look at it and call me if there was anything wrong.

So, off I went on Thursday night for Author Training with Valor Publishing Group, spending the night at my friend's house. The training was phenomenal. We even got to go on a tour of the printer who does their ARCs and small softbound print runs. It was fascinating. Well, that afternoon, I got a call from Urgent Care telling me my foot was fractured and I needed to come in to have it splinted. My kind friend Candace and her husband drove me and my car the 60 miles home, dropped off the car, went to Urgent Care, had a different splint put on, then drove me back to their place for the next day's author training. This time Urgent Care said not to put ANY pressure on my foot. After three weeks of walking around with crutches and a splint, but WALKING, they tell me not to use it at all? That particular bandage hurt BAD. Didn't like it at all.

Monday morning I call a podiatrist and get in the next day. They say, yes, I had a fracture, but it's healing perfectly. The main thing I had was a "really GREAT sprained ankle." So they put me in a big, black boot, which I adore and have already broken one of the straps. What can I say. I like it tight. I'm healing. The nurse said by the time my tour comes around I should be running, but just to be sure, my husband is insisting on physical therapy as soon as possible.

Second, the Joys: Author training was two of the most amazing days I've had in a long time. I have a much greater understanding of the publishing industry and how to be the best author I can be. I can't go into details, as it's proprietary information, but it was fantastic. Any author who publishes with Valor is very, very blessed. My fellow classmates were awesome. There was Tristi Pinkston, Valor's Editor, who helped teach. Candace Salima, of course, president of Valor. BJ Rowley, who handles the typesetting and knows just about everything under the sun. Other members of Valor's staff as well, and my fellow writers. Michelle Ashman Bell, Abel Keough, Daron Fraley, and Jenni James. Wow, it was awesome. Hope I didn't forget anyone.

I am getting some good reviews as well, which is nice. I was interviewed for an article in the local newspaper. That was an experience. Very exciting, but I'm seeing that I need to work on my interviewing skills. lol If you want to read it, go HERE.

My book became available for pre-order on January 15th, so put your order in early! Go HERE to reserve your copy.

I'll continue the joys tomorrow. Life has been full of ups and downs for a few months now and it finally feels like it's coming together.

ARC Pictures At Last!!!

Here you go, guys. Finally got the camera figured out, with the help of my darling husband, so here are the pictures!

Catching Up . . . AGAIN

Well, 2009 has come and gone, and now we're on to 2010 and lots of exciting things coming up for me. Things seem to be on track for the release of The Sapphire Flute on March 16th. My blog tour has been arranged and that will be posted on the sidebar here shortly so you can keep track of what people are saying. The response I've gotten thus far has been very positive.

On Tuesday the 5th I had something really neat happen. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it much recently, but I volunteer and co-teach a writing class/club for one of the local junior high schools after school with my friend Shanna, who is a REAL teacher. ;) Well, on Tuesday I was honored at the board meeting as Volunteer of the Month, got a certificate and gift card to the local book store, and they talked about me and my book in front of the school board and the superintendent. It was really neat and such an honor. I love these kids and love being able to teach them something I so desperately wanted to know when I was their age. We've got some great writers in the class too. I am rewarded every week just by being able to go and be with them. The award was a nice bonus, but it's the kids that make it so wonderful.

As if that wasn't enough to make my week amazingly wonderful, yesterday I was able to drive to Provo to pick up the Advance Reader Copies of my book (ARCs)! It was the very first time I've seen my book in print in anything but what comes off of my printer. It's a REAL BOOK, with a cover, and amazing art work, and words that I wrote! It is strange looking at those words in book form though. Like they aren't mine. Like somebody else wrote them. It's totally surreal. But I love it! I sat at my editor's house last night visiting for a couple of hours and my book never left contact with me nearly the whole time. I couldn't stop touching it and holding it and looking at it. It blows my mind that after all these years of hard work my dream is finally happening.

Then, the last little bit of coolness came in delivering copies of my ARC to my hat sister, Shari, and letting her see that she was in the acknowledgements, and seeing her eyes light up when she handled my book. Then I ran Shanna's copy over to her and she wanted me to sign it. I'd never signed a book before and I spent five minutes giggling, absolutely giddy about it. I autographed my first book! I have to practice now so I don't giggle every time I sign a book at a signing. That would NOT be professional. lol

I took some pictures of my ARCs last night and was going to post them with this blog, but unfortunately I can't figure out how to upload the pictures from my new camera. As soon as I get it working, I promise to post them.

So life has been crazy, but things are looking good!

Quote of the Day: There are so many different kinds of writing and so many ways to work that the only rule is this: do what works. Almost everything has been tried and found to succeed for somebody. The methods, even the ideas of successful writers contradict each other in a most heartening way, and the only element I find common to all successful writers is persistence-an overwhelming determination to succeed.

Sophy Burnham

Christmas Memories

My friend Tristi has this awesome thing she's doing on Facebook and I wanted to continue it here, as it's the first little bit of the Christmas spirit I've felt this season. In the comment thread, share a favorite Christmas memory or tradition. I'd love to hear them.

One of my favorite memories was the year I was 5 or 6 and we were living in a trailer while our house was being built. When we got up Christmas morning there was hardly anything under the tree and NOTHING from Santa. I was sooo disappointed and near to tears when Mom said that maybe Santa thought we were in the new house already and had delivered presents there, so we went to the house ... See Morethat was basically a shell and there were all of Santa's presents. It was thrilling to play with them there on the plywood floor and enjoy the moment together.

And my favorite tradition is our Christmas breakfast. We always have orange rolls. My daddy started the tradition when he and my mom were first married, and we carried it on to remember him all these years, and now I continue it to remember the both of them. Merry Christmas, Mom and Daddy, and to each and every one of you.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

I have this strange habit when I write. Before I can write a single word, I have to know what my characters look like. You know the old saying, a picture says a thousand words? Well, I've found it true. The other saying that has hit me with this is that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It has been a fascinating process to me, but I've run into a bit of a dilemma.

I'm running out of pictures.

So, to fix this problem, I've come up with what I consider a brilliant solution. I''m turning to you, my readers, to help me fix it. Now, I know I'm taking a chance here, because there are some people who are determined to show much more than I'm willing to see, but I'm not asking for those kinds of pictures. I'm asking for HEAD SHOTS. Pictures of people's faces--yours in particular, and I am not asking that you be model worthy for this project. Actually, I'd prefer that you NOT be model worthy. I want angry pictures, crying pictures, laughing, scared, and threatening faces. I want angelic and devilish expressions. I want VARIETY, and the more unique your features, the better.

Now, in exchange for your head shots, here is what I will do. Sometime in the near future I will have a web site. It is being designed at the moment, and as soon as it's up I'll post the link. If I choose your face for any of my future books, I will post it there, will put your name in the acknowledgements section, and if I can finagle it with my publisher, might be able to get you an autographed book. I can't promise that until I talk to them, but I'll certainly try.

But still, to have your name in the acknowledgements? That's got to be worth a picture, don't you think?

So, if you are willing to send me a headshot, put it in the text of the e-mail (no attachments!) and send it to picsforkaren@hotmail.com. And remember, HEADSHOTS ONLY. I don't want to see anything below the neck.

Thanks in advance! I knew I could count on you all!

Quote of the day: “Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.”

E.L. Doctorow

Double Digits

I would like to draw your attention to the countdown timer on the sidebar. Yes, that's it, look to your right. You see it? Now check out those numbers. Do you notice something different? Yep, I lost a number.

I'm in the double digits, baby!

Just a little over 3 months and The Sapphire Flute will his bookshelves everywhere and I'll be having an amazing launch party with 5 other fantastic authors. Holy cow, it's just around the corner!

I'm in the process of having a web site created, so that will give you the chance to keep updated more than just my sporadic blog ramblings and also let you read some chapters, maybe some poetry, and definitely all the news about where I'll be and when.

I'll get you some updates on that just as soon as it's done. Until then, keep writing!

Reading for the Dead

My mom and I have had a tradition for years that when I finished writing something, or even sometimes if it was just a snippet of a scene, I would come downstairs and read it aloud to her. I knew when my writing was good by the emotional response I got from her. Laughter was good. Nodding head definitely good. Tears were best of all. I knew if I could make Mom cry that I'd done some darn fine writing.

I didn't write for a year after she passed. I couldn't. It was our dream. How could I carry it on without her? She was the one who dreamed of writing long before I was born. It was a dream and a love she passed on to me, but it didn't feel right to do it without her and how could I gauge if my writing was any good or not without her there to show me?

I was bemoaning this to my sweet friend Laura one night that one of the things I wanted to do the most was impossible. I wanted to sit down with my mother and read my ARCs to her. I wanted her to see this finished thing we'd done. Laura's response? "Then do it! My grandma talks to her mom all the time. She sits down with her picture and tells her all about her day."

It really got me thinking. Would it really be so crazy to read my story to my mom? The picture above was so her, it's almost like she's sitting in the room with me listening. It's so real it almost moves. I can imagine her nodding at me. Can feel her hand on my own telling me I'd done a good job, just looking at it, so why not give it a try.

Tonight, I did just that. I opened up the picture of her on my desktop and put my ARC right next to it and started reading aloud. It has been one of the most therapeutic acts I have performed, aside from writing letters to her. See, it doesn't matter if she has a body or not. I believe in an afterlife and I know with all my heart that she's not far away, and though she may not be able to sit through all of my reading, because I'm sure she's a busy lady, I know she hears parts. I can feel as if she is here as I read.

That may sound completely wacko to somebody else, but I don't care. It makes me happy to read to my mom and that's all that matters to me. It's just one more way I can connect with her and ease the ache of her loss, and for that I am extremely grateful.

Quote of the Day: "The pen is the tongue of the mind."

Miguel de Cervantes