Rae Ann Parker

Cover Reveal for Jenna Bennett's Fortune's Hero

2012-02-03T07:30:00.006-06:00

I'm happy to be part of today's Cover Reveal for Jenna Bennett's Fortune's Hero, the 1st book in her Sci Fi Romance series from Entangled Publishing, coming in August!

Here's a little about Fortune's Hero:

Last year, space smuggler Quinn Conlan was on top of the world. He had everything a man could want: a fast ship, a great crew, a gorgeous girlfriend, lots of money, and adventure and excitement around every corner.

That all changed when he agreed to ferry a shipload of weapons to the beleaguered planet Marica, currently under siege by Rhenian forces. Now he’s stuck in a prison camp on the moon Marica-3, subjected to weekly sessions with the camp’s “medical team,” and praying for a quick death before he breaks under the torture and spills everything he knows about the Marican resistance.

When the opportunity presents itself, Quinn takes a Rhenian med tech hostage and heads into the inhospitable interior of the small moon. There, he has to keep himself and Doctor Elsa Brandeis safe from the deadly flora and fauna, as well as hidden from the prison guards searching for them, all while formulating a plan for getting his crew out of prison, his ship out of impound, and everyone out of orbit.

But when Elsa professes her love, can Quinn take the beautiful doctor at her word, or will trusting her—and his heart—condemn him and his crew to an eternity on Marica-3?

Congrats Jenna!

To learn more about her books as Jenna & as New York Times Bestselling Author Jennie Bentley, visit her website here.

Thank You Social Media

2012-01-29T14:54:00.003-06:00

Did you miss the SCBWI Winter Conference in New York this weekend (like me)? Get the highlights at the conference blog here & on twitter by following the hashtag #NY12SCBWI.

Michelle Beattie – Moving from Historical to Contemporary

2011-11-07T20:46:00.004-06:00

The Romance Writers of America conference has lots of good stuff, like workshops and free books. Another great perk for me is seeing my friend, Michelle Beattie, each year. Michelle appeared previously on my blog here.

Thanks to the internet, I’m pleased to welcome my Canadian friend back for a visit.

1. Welcome Michelle! Your first 3 novels were historical romances about pirates (fabulous stories with fabulous covers!). Your latest book Love by Accident is a contemporary. Why did you decide to switch from historical to contemporary? Or will we be seeing more historicals from you?

To me it’s not a switch so much as an extension. It’s still my voice, my style of writing. Love By Accident has been in my head almost from the time I started writing, but I wasn’t ready to write it. By the time I was, I had written What A Pirate Desires and was in the process of shopping it around. This book was nearly finished when What A Pirate Desires sold. After that, I set it aside to write the pirate series.

Now, the timing was right to finish it and get it out there. Will you be seeing more historicals? Absolutely. I will be releasing a historical western, Another Chance, on November 25^th. I am part of a group of writers writing a series of novellas called Bandit Creek Books. My novella, a historical western entitled Heart of Mine, will be released April 15^th, 2012. After that I will finish the last two books of the pirate series. Will you see another contemporary? Yes, once those other projects are complete.

2. What is the main difference between writing historical novels and contemporary?

Less research. While you still have to ensure location, job duties and such are accurate, writing a contemporary you don’t have to worry about what clothes the characters would wear, what expressions were used in that time, what gadgets would be invented. You just picture modern day and go with it.

3. Your contemporary novel is self-published. How did you decide to self-publish this novel?

I decided to self publish for two reasons: 1) I couldn’t get any big publisher interested in a Canadian setting and 2) most publishers didn’t want me to switch genres. I had this manuscript that I believe deserved to be read and I wouldn’t accept it sitting on my computer when I could give it legs and watch it run.

4. This story deals with very serious issues. While your third pirate novel, A Pirate’s Possession, also dealt with death. I wonder if perhaps you drew on personal experience for this book.

Good observation, Rae Ann. This book is, by far, the most personal of all my writing. Unfortunately I’ve had to deal with a lot of loss in my life. Both my parents have passed away as well as one of my brothers. While I didn’t have to live through the exact experience my heroine did, some aspects are the same. My mom and I didn’t part on the best of terms and so, like Lauren, I know what’s it like to have those final words haunt you, to wish you could take them back. And like everyone who has dealt with losing a loved one, you have to find “your new normal”, so I could relate to both my characters on that one. In Love By Accident my hero, Matt, gets a chance to say a final goodbye when his best friend’s ghost comes for a visit. I’ve never had that happen, but how I envy Matt that chance. And so when I wrote those scenes, I just imagined what I’d feel like, what I’d want to say.

So, my question to the readers is, if someone you loved could come back one last time, who would you want it to be and what would you say?

Michelle is giving away a free download of her book, Love By Accident, to two lucky commenters. The contest ends at 11:00 p.m. CDT, Thursday, November 10^th.

To learn more about Michelle and her books, visit her website, here.

Thank you Michelle!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T07:22:00.003-05:00

I’m blowing the dust off of this blog to wish you all a Happy Halloween. Please excuse the coughing. I know it’s a thick layer of dust. As a kid, Halloween was my favorite holiday. 2 reasons. #1: CANDY! #2: it’s the day before my birthday. So Halloween was always like my own personal version of Christmas Eve.

There is a photo on my desk of my brother and me wearing Halloween costumes. Judging by the hair sticking out of my mask, I think I was in the 1^st grade and he was in preschool. I’m a tall-for-my-age pink rabbit with big ears and he’s Caspar the friendly ghost. The masks have big smiles on them and I bet ours matched underneath. After all, we were about to be unleashed on unlimited candy for the evening.

Tonight my costume will consist of a “Happy Halloween” shirt, a skirt, and my orange & black striped tights. I will grab a few mini chocolate bars from the candy bowl when the giant hot dog in charge of candy distribution isn’t looking. But it’s okay, because I bought extra.

Enjoy your evening.

2011 SCBWI Midsouth Conference Blog

2011-09-15T14:14:00.004-05:00

The 2011 SCBWI-Midsouth conference is this weekend in Nashville, TN. I am live blogging the conference with the fabulous SCBWI-Midsouth blog team. Follow our blog for conference news and workshop recaps.

Killer Nashville 2011

2011-08-31T21:07:00.002-05:00

I attended the Killer Nashville mystery writers’ conference this weekend. I did not solve the murder in the parking garage, but I did pick up some tips on sleuthing and storytelling.

My Literary Agent!

2011-03-30T15:15:00.002-05:00

I took another step on my publishing journey this month. I have a literary agent! I am now a client of Erzsi Deak of Hen & Ink, A Literary Salon. Please visit the Hen & Ink website here to meet my agent and learn more about the agency. Click on the Authors & Illustrators page to see a familiar face.

Selling Hope & the Wednesday Writers

2010-11-09T07:08:00.001-06:00

Three years ago, something wonderful happened. I got stuck in line. Actually I was stuck in line for the ladies’ restroom at a writers’ conference (a common occurrence). I spoke to the woman in front of me and told her I was new to the Nashville area. Her name was Jennifer Lambe. I asked if she might be interested in getting together for coffee and maybe a little manuscript critiquing. She said yes! When we returned to the auditorium, she introduced me to another writer, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb. Kristin said she would be interested in the coffee and the manuscript critiques, too. I met another writer, Hannah Dills, at an RWA chapter meeting and she wasn’t interested in coffee, but she was definitely interested in manuscript critiques. So the Wednesday Writers started meeting for coffee (and tea) and we started critiquing manuscripts.

One of the first manuscripts we critiqued is in bookstores today! It’s Selling Hope by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb. Here’s the blurb:

It’s May 1910, and Halley’s Comet is due to pass thru the Earth’s atmosphere. And thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniels and her father are due to pass through their hometown of Chicago with their ragtag vaudeville troupe. Hope wants out of vaudeville, and longs for a “normal” life—or as normal as life can be without her mother, who died five years before. Hope sees an opportunity: She invents “anti-comet” pills to sell to the working-class customers desperate for protection. Soon, she’s joined by a fellow troupe member, young Buster Keaton, and the two of them start to make good money. And just when Hope thinks she has all the answers, she has to decide: What is family? Where is home?

Congratulations Kristin!

SCBWI Midsouth Conference Blog

2010-09-25T14:56:00.005-05:00

I'm blogging with the SCBWI-Midsouth Conference blog team this weekend. Check it out here.

Skip a Starbucks Day for Johanna Faith

2010-08-23T09:26:00.009-05:00

I love writing. I enjoy attending writers’ conferences and groups to study the craft of writing. And I like the free book giveaways, too. But the biggest blessing of my writing journey is the friends I’ve made. One of those friends is C.J. Redwine. Today on the blog I’m asking you to join me in helping C.J. bring her adopted daughter home from China. To read more about the Redwine’s adoption story and to help bring Johannah Faith home, please click here today through Wednesday, August 25.

Please leave a comment on this blog before clicking through to donate at C.J.’s site and one of you will win a Percy Jackson Prize Pack! This includes Percy Jackson and the Olympians 3 Volume Boxed Set (paperback edition) and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief DVD.

Thank you for participating.

Notes from the RWA PRO Retreat’s Agent Panel

2010-08-07T11:37:00.002-05:00

I attended an awesome agent panel presentation at last week’s Romance Writers of America conference. Here’s a list of the agents and what type of manuscripts they’re interested in.

Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Interested in women’s fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, contemporary romance with small town elements, and paranormal. No inspirational.

Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency
Interested in romance, women’s fiction, sci fi, YA, & middle grade.

Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency
Melissa is the submissions coordinator for The Knight Agency. She would love to see historical YA & MG. Interested in any YA, women’s fiction, romance (from erotic to inspirational). No paranormal or sci fi.

Emmanuelle Alspaugh of Judith Ehrlich Literary Management LLC
Interested in romance, historical fiction, high concept women’s fiction, urban fantasy, YA. She says the market is strong for contemporaries with small town settings and also for YA and MG.

Holly Root of Waxman Literary Agency
Interested in commercial fiction including romance, YA, MG, women’s fiction. Also select non-fiction projects.

For a great explanation of high concept, see Holly Root’s blog post here.

RWA Conference

2010-07-27T21:33:00.002-05:00

The 30th annual Romance Writers of America conference starts tomorrow in Orlando, Florida. I’ll be there along with 2,000 other romance writers. I look forward to the workshops, seeing old friends, and meeting some new ones in the Young Adult RWA chapter.

I’ll post more info here later. You can also follow along on my twitter feed here.

The Long Players: The Music Version of Fan Fiction

2010-06-05T12:12:00.004-05:00

Fan fiction is a story written by a fan about favorite characters created by someone else. Some of the most popular fan fiction on the web expands on the worlds of Harry Potter and Star Trek. I have heard editors at writers’ conferences say they have found authors through fan fiction sites, loved their writing and signed them. But I think most fan fiction writers do it because they love the original characters and want to spend more time with them.

There is a band in Nashville that does something I consider to be a form of fan fiction for the classic rock album. But The Long Players are not newbies starting out. They are extremely talented, successful Nashville musicians who love classic rock. They perform one album (Long Play album) on a semi-monthly basis start to finish, with rotating vocalists stepping up to the mike. At a show, you can hear famous musicians and some you’ve never heard of, but they’re all fantastic.

Last night, I attended The Long Player’s 40^th show where they played U2’s The Joshua Tree album, one of my favorites so far. For history and videos of past shows and info on upcoming dates, visit their site here.

Percy & The Parthenon

2010-05-20T17:30:00.003-05:00

I recently finished reading the last book in the Percy Jackson series. I loved this series from book one as I mentioned in an earlier blog. Nashville’s Parthenon was featured in a scene in the Percy Jackson movie, The Lightning Thief (but not in the book).

I hear that the Parthenon’s tourist traffic has increased due to this moment in the spotlight. I visited the Parthenon recently and want to share some fun facts and photos here.

The Parthenon sits in Nashville’s Centennial Park. It is a full-scale replica of the ancient temple of Athena in Athens, Greece that was destroyed in 1687. Nashville’s Parthenon was built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. The building housed an art exhibition that was shown four years before at the Chicago World’s Fair. The Parthenon was built of temporary materials so unfortunately the building began to deteriorate. It was rebuilt in 1920 and opened to the public in 1931.

The ancient Parthenon was converted to a Christian church in the 6^th century A.D. and many of the figures representing gods and goddesses were removed. No one knows for sure how many figures were on the original Parthenon. Figures in the Nashville Parthenon are casts made from the original sculpture fragments of the ancient Parthenon. Those sculpture fragments are located in the British museum.

The Parthenon houses a full-scale replica of Athena standing 41 feet 10 inches tall. Work began on the statue in 1982 and it was unveiled in 1990.

For more info on the Parthenon’s hours and its history, visit the site.

Photos by: John A. Parker

Live from Nashville

2010-05-13T11:27:00.003-05:00

Last night I took the family to Music City Roots, a live radio show broadcast weekly from the Loveless Barn. A trip to see and hear Music City Roots live and in person involves some of my favorite things, live music and driving on the Natchez Trace Parkway for a bit (the Loveless Barn is located just off the northern edge of the parkway). We also threw in dinner at the Loveless Café, a Parker ritual after a trip on the Trace.

Last night’s performers were:

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Jessica Stiles

Dana Cooper

Two Man Gentleman Band

Jim Lauderdale

Music City Roots is broadcast on WSM 650 AM, the same station that is home to the weekly Grand Ole Opry radio show. Music City Roots is in its first year of life and I have heard it referred to as the Baby Opry. At $10 for grown-ups and $5 for students, you can’t beat this value for live roots music.

If you are not in the Nashville area, you can listen to Music City Roots each Wednesday at 7:00 pm CST online.

I plan to go to another show, hear more music, and buy the t-shirt.

SCBWI Winter Conference Report

2010-03-05T13:53:00.000-06:00

Hannah Dills and I report on the SCBWI Winter Conference in the current issue of BorderLines, SCBWI-Midsouth’s regional newsletter. Click here for the best quotes and pieces of advice from agents and editors.

Game Day Stories from New Orleans

2010-02-12T12:42:00.004-06:00

In a house full of lifelong New Orleans Saints fans, last Sunday was a pretty exciting day. Like many members of the Who Dat Nation scattered all over the country, we wished we were in New Orleans when the final seconds of the clock ticked down Sunday night. To celebrate vicariously through my New Orleans friends, I asked two ladies to share their stories here. Many thanks to Alyson Smith (school teacher extraordinaire) and Evelyn Cathey (owner of Creations Galore).

Welcome Alyson! Where did you watch the game?

I watched the game in my home with the family - Donna Johnson spent the weekend with us and was here, too.

What did you do after the game?

Donna and I watched a few minutes of the postgame show then went as quickly as possible to Gretna to Academy Sports and Outdoors. Our neighborhood was lively - fireworks, airhorns, people in the streets hugging and dancing around - but it was nothing compared to Carol Sue Blvd. When we turned onto Carol Sue, there appeared to be a crowd waiting for a parade. The closer we got to the crowd, we saw they were not only on the sides of the road - they were IN the road. WE were the parade. Donna and I did as the cars ahead of us and rolled down the window, honked the horn, and slapped "five" to the revelers in the streets. It was unbelievable.

We made it to Academy to find the parking lot quite full. We parked near the Casey Jones grocery store and got in line. After about an hour in line, we made it to the corner of the building. When we made the left turn to what we thought would be a short line to an open door, we found a queue line instead. It was like being in line for Space Mountain at Disney World.

The parking lot, however, was a mini-parade in itself and quite entertaining. Young and old alike were in their cars with music blaring (mostly "Stand up and get Crunk"). It was a fantastic sight! I can't adequately describe the euphoria of the crowd. "I can't believe it!" We finally did it!" and more "Who Dat" that you can imagine. I've only been a New Orleanian with Saints Fever for nine years; seeing these lifelong fans living a dream is almost indescribable. It was enough to make you forget about the extremely cold temperatures that were causing frostbite in your toes.

What is your favorite memory of this week?

My favorite memory will be the Super Bowl Parade on Tuseday, February 9th. Several friends from school all packed up after an early dismissal and rode the Algiers ferry over to the East Bank. We chose a spot on Convention Center Blvd. across from the Hilton. It wasn't crowded at all, so our whole gang took up the curb space on the corner of the Harrah's parking garage. After a 5:00 start, the parade finally reached us about 7:00. We were so close to the players, it was unreal. Even though we were very near the end of the route, the team seemed to be eager and fresh. They were still throwing beads and signing autographs. Drew Brees' float stopped in front of us for a full five minutes. It was awesome!

The kids at school have also been in a frenzy all week. I've managed to pull lessons from the newspaper, internet, and even from the pictures I took at the parade, etc. just to keep kids' interest and keep them working this week.

My family thinks I'm crazy to have been out until midnight just to get T-shirts and to enjoy a parade, but I can't imagine being any place else. The Saints may win more Super Bowls, but there will never be another first one. I sure wish you could've been here!

Me too, Alyson. It sounds crazy and wonderful!

******************************

Welcome Evelyn! Where did you watch the game?

My husband, Sonny, and I watched the game at the American Stage Theater at the WWII Museum. It was an experience since the projection TV was the size of the stage, more than lifelike. We had a tasty meal at John Besh's Restaurant and Bar located inside the museum.

What did you do after the game?

We left hurriedly on foot with the throngs of others with our destination Bourbon Street in mind. We found a taxi, jumped in for a quick ride to Rampart. We worked out way to Bourbon via Conti, with a short stop at the Bombay Club, one of my old haunts. Said hello to some friends and off to Bourbon, so we thought. The crowd was backing towards us on Conti, but we finally made it into the crowds of happy, tearful, gleaming Who Dat fans! Joy was everywhere. Beads were flying from balconies, folks singing, cheering the Who Dat chant everywhere. The Quarter was a wonderful, friendly, Who Dat sea of folks just trying to absorb that we were really World Champs!!

What is your favorite memory of this week?

As for my favorite memory, there were so many...the Saints winning, sharing the win with friends and those I did not know. The Quarter is a unique melting pot and I will always remember being there when the Saints became World Champs!

It sounds amazing, Evelyn. Thanks for sharing your story!

SCBWI Winter Conference Blog

2010-01-19T13:54:00.001-06:00

The SCBWI Winter Conference takes place in New York City next week. I will be attending for the first time! The official conference blog is online now with interviews with conference speakers and tips for newbie conference goers. Anyone interested in writing or illustrating books for children can follow the blog while the conference in underway to keep up with each day’s events. Click here for the Official SCBWI Conference Blog.

I had the great experience of being on the blog team for the SCBWI-Midsouth 2009 Blog. I know the conference blog is a time consuming project, but one that is greatly appreciated by conference attendees and SCBWI members who cannot attend the conference. So many thanks to the SCBWI Blog Team for taking the time to provide this great information.

Books Before Movies (I heart Percy Jackson)

2010-01-06T08:23:00.002-06:00

I want to know why no one told me about the Percy Jackson books before now. Oh wait. They did. I’m just slow on the uptake sometimes. My daughter is a big Percy Jackson fan. She has talked about the books so much at the dinner table that my son and I were both convinced we must read the books or die. Well almost. Earlier this week, I went to my local bookstore and bought a box set of the first three Percy Jackson books. It’s finally my turn to read book one, The Lightning Thief. (My son is a fast reader.) After reading chapter one of book one, one word: Wow! It was possibly the best first chapter I have ever read. Amazing. I’m a few chapters in now and I want more.

I’m glad that Percy Jackson & The Olympians is coming to a theatre near us on President’s Day. I might not have been compelled to read the book now if the movie release were not a few weeks away. As I’ve mentioned before in a previous blog post, I’m a books-before-movies reader. I also read the first Harry Potter book before seeing the first movie. I was hooked.

Are you a books-before-movies reader? Have you ever heard other people talking nonstop about a book, thought they must be exaggerating, finally gave in to read the book and got hooked yourself?

Books Read in 2009

2009-12-30T17:27:00.002-06:00

It’s time to close the excel spreadsheet on my computer titled ‘Books Read in 2009’. Yes, I am one of those geeky writers who keeps a list of every book I read with author’s name and sub-genre/target age group. Reading over the list at the end of the year makes me smile when I see the name of a favorite.

Just a few of my favorite reads this year:

KidLit:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (all four books in the series) by Jeff Kinney
Swindle by Gordon Korman
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman

Teen Fiction:
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Books for grown-ups:
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Favorite Re-read:
Holes by Louis Sachar

As a writer and reader, I am always looking for new books by new authors to try. Care to share your favorite books of the year? Book recommendations are welcome in the comments section.

Setting the Scene's Season

2009-11-04T14:48:00.007-06:00

When you start writing (or reading) a new book, do you know what season it is set in right away? If it is a holiday story, the obvious answer is yes. If not, this may not be important to you at first. What if the story is set in a place where temperatures vary only slightly year-round? Will a reader notice which season the characters are in if only subtle hints are added? If a story is set in a place where there are four distinct seasons, weather is a detail that will probably make its way into the story.

I started thinking about this when the topic of seasons came up in my critique group recently. Last week I took a drive on the Natchez Trace to see the colors of the fall leaves. It was raining that day, which made some of the paths slippery. A rainy fall setting might provide a few changes from the spring road trip setting where my Natchez Trace novel is set. Take a look at the photos below. Do you see any differences?

Spring Photos

Fall Photos

Top 10 Best Things about the Rutgers One-on-One Plus Conference by Hannah Dills

2009-10-28T08:15:00.006-05:00

The Rutgers Council on Children’s Literature sponsors the Rutgers One-on-One Plus Conference each year to help aspiring children’s book authors and illustrators. My friend, Hannah Dills, attended the conference this year. I am pleased to have her share about the experience.

Welcome to the blog, Hannah! What is the Rutgers One-on-One Plus Conference?

Thanks! It’s great to be here!

The Rutgers Conference provides authors with a unique opportunity to receive individual feedback on their work directly from one of nearly eighty industry professionals. The list of the 2009 Rutgers mentors, including editors, agents, and published authors, may be found at: http://www.ruccl.org/mentors_2009.html. Authors start the day with an individual one-on-one session. I was extremely lucky – my session was with Bloomsbury editor Caroline Abbey and she was fabulous! Caroline reviewed the first few pages of my manuscript, a synopsis and query letter. Her suggestions helped me enhance the materials that are key to catching the attention of an agent or editor.

Authors also get to participate in a five-on-five session with their mentor and four other publishing experts. I was excited to meet and hear advice from Shauna Fay (G. P. Putnam’s Sons), Annette Pollert (Simon Pulse), Alison Weiss (Egmont), and Becca Stumpf (Prospect Agency).

The day also includes a panel about trends in the publishing world and author guest speakers. Lunch provides yet another opportunity to personally meet and learn more about publishing professionals. The conference is held at Rutgers University in New Jersey and makes a fun fall trip.

How can someone sign up for the conference?

Information about the registration process for the Rutgers conference may be found online at http://www.ruccl.org/One-on-One_Plus_Conference.html. Interested authors should complete the application and mail a three page sample of their work to the appropriate contact for one of the three categories: Picture Books, Middle Grade, or Young Adult. The application deadline was in early July this year and notifications were made for successful applicants in early August. The conference was held October 17th.

What was the best thing about the conference?

The best thing? That’s a tough question! How about the top ten best things : - ) ?

1. I really appreciated the individual feedback on my work; Caroline Abbey provided some fabulous input that helped enhance my query, synopsis and first pages of THE GUARDIANS: DESTINIES REVEALED that I hope will someday turn me into a Rutgers success story…
2. I loved the Success Story author, Karen Rostoker-Gruber, who inspired all of us at breakfast with her account of how she became a published author as a result of the Rutgers Conference…
3. I was happy to meet several of the wonderful Rutgers Council members who devote countless hours to making this event possible every year, including Marcie Aboff, Caroline Abbey, Courtney Bongiolatti, and Samantha McFerrin…
4. My five-on-five session (mentioned above) was entertaining and informative…
5. Little Brown editor Alvina Ling introduced me to one of my favorite middle grade authors, Wendy Mass in person (big fan!)...
6. I met authors from across the country and shared their hopes…
7. I traveled with a great group of writers from Nashville’s Mid-South SCBWI chapter – Sharon Cameron, Jessica Young, and Howard Shirley (or should I say the Charlie’s Angels : - )?)...
8. The trip to New Jersey was fabulous – we got a fall leaf tour of the northeast included in our conference trip thanks to Sharon’s navigation skills…
9. I was excited to see Candlewick editor Kaylan Adair (a fabulous critiquer) and Nancy Gallt agent Marietta Zacker again only three weeks after meeting them in Nashville…
10. And, the dream that Rutgers makes seem possible…that someday I may get my book published!

Would you recommend it to other writers and illustrators?

I would highly recommend the Rutgers Conference to my fellow writers. It is one of the best conferences I’ve ever had the opportunity to attend! I am very fortunate that one of my favorite fellow writers recommended this conference to me…thanks Rae Ann!!!

Thank you Hannah!

Inspiration (and fun) at the Southern Festival of Books

2009-10-21T09:24:00.003-05:00

The Southern Festival of Books was held this month in Nashville. The highlight of the festival for me was hearing Kate DiCamillo speak. She is the Newbery award winning author of Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux and other fabulous books. The path to publication must have been easy for her, right? Wrong. She received 470 rejection letters before her first book sold. Four HUNDRED seventy. She talked about the importance of learning to write by reading good books. She also emphasized the importance of persistence in writing. To summarize in my own words: Keep writing and don’t quit.

I also attended the Sisters in Crime panel discussion, Researching the Mystery, talked to writer friends, and bought books. Since this book festival is held in Nashville, there is also music. I enjoyed some music at the Café Stage by Will Kimbrough and author/musician Tommy Womack.

For more info on the festival, click here.

[photo by John Parker]

Meriwether Lewis Commemoration Ceremony

2009-10-14T15:41:00.008-05:00

This week marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Meriwether Lewis, co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Meriwether Lewis died at Grinder’s Stand on the Natchez Trace on October 11, 1809. He died without family and friends at his side. Some say he was buried where he fell. Lewis never had a funeral. Last week, that changed.

The Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail Foundation and guests gathered on October 7 to honor Meriwether Lewis in a ceremony “Undaunted Courage: The Final Journey”. It was a beautiful ceremony with music from the 101st Airborne Infantry Band, dedication of a bust of Lewis that will be displayed at the Parkway headquarters, and words from descendants of Lewis and William Clark. There was a reenactment of Meriwether Lewis’s arrival at Grinder’s Stand followed by a procession to his gravesite with flag bearers carrying state flags of every state Lewis & Clark traveled through on the Corps of Discovery. Cub Scouts assisted in a wreath laying ceremony and also presented plants that Lewis discovered on the expedition.

For more information on the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation and the Lewis & Clark Expedition, click here. To see the photos on the Foundation’s Flickr page of the commemoration ceremony, click here.

Interview with Author Shauna Roberts

2009-10-07T09:01:00.004-05:00

I am pleased to welcome my friend, Shauna Roberts to the blog today to celebrate the release of her third book and first novel.

Shauna, congratulations on the publication of your first novel!

Thank you so much, Rae Ann, and thank you also for inviting me to visit your blog.

Like Mayflies in a Stream is a historical novel set 4,700 years ago in Sumer, in what is now southern Iraq. How did you choose this unusual setting?

I have been fascinated by Sumer since high school. Imagine building civilization from the ground up, without any previous civilization to draw on, without even knowing if it was possible! The ancient Mesopotamians invented so many of the basics—writing, accounting, literature, schools, laws, beer, mass production, the pottery wheel, irrigation, the big city—the list goes on and on. Look around today, and you’ll see little in our culture that is original or new. In Sumer, everything was.

As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, I often went to and from my anthropology classes by walking through the galleries of the University Museum. I lingered in the gallery displaying artifacts from Ur (a Sumerian city) and can still picture the bull-headed harp, the queen’s headdress and jewelry, and the matching silver and gold fluted cups

When the opportunity arose to write for Hadley Rille Books’ new series of novels related to important archeological eras, I jumped at the chance. I had recently reread the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” so the idea of retelling the story from a woman’s viewpoint came immediately to mind.

It must be a challenge to research a society in the distant past. What type of research did you do for the book?

My first move was to dig out 30+-year-old notes I took in undergraduate classes on ancient Mesopotamia. (Yes, I’m that much of a pack rat.)

Next, I read the “Epic of Gilgamesh” yet again. After I had an outline for my novel, I noted what I would need to learn more about and started searching the Web and ordering books, a process that continued until the end. Actually, it continued beyond the end, because I was so fascinated by what I was learning.

As I’ve done for other topics, I bought a children’s book on ancient Mesopotamia. It was a wonderful source of color pictures and basic descriptions that didn’t appear in scholarly sources.

One surprisingly useful resource was a dictionary of Sumerian that I downloaded from the Internet. It came in handy in many ways. If I wanted to know whether a particular animal or plant was known to the Sumerians, I checked to see whether they had a word for it. By searching on “beer,” I was able to make a list of several of the numerous types of beer they had. I based menus on foods listed in the dictionary. The dictionary also gave me insight into how the Sumerians ordered their world; for example, they had more than a dozen words for “sheep,” showing the importance of sheep in the economy.

What advice do you have for unpublished writers?

First, I believe anyone who wants to be a genre writer should join the Romance Writers of America as early as possible and attend the yearly conferences. The organization is an unparalleled resource for learning about every aspect of genre writing at every level, from the basics of storytelling to making book videos. I could never have written a salable story or novel without what I learned in RWA.

Second, unpublished writers should make friends with other writers, published and unpublished. Publishing is a business that runs on personal connections. The more friends you have in the industry, the more breaks that will come your way. Belonging to an RWA chapter is a great way to start.

Third, at least try out a critique group or two. Critique groups are not for everyone. But they’re a great way to improve your writing and get feedback on your work before submitting to an agent or editor.

Fourth, don’t give up. I know someone whose first book hit the New York Times’ bestseller list this year within a month of publication. Overnight success? Hardly. She’d been writing for twenty years.

Thank you, Shauna! To learn more about Shauna and her books, visit her website and blog.

Blogging Live at the SCBWI-Midsouth Conference

2009-09-25T08:47:00.002-05:00

The SCBWI-Midsouth conference takes place in Nashville this weekend. If you can’t make it but want to know what’s happening, follow along on the official conference blog. Amanda Morgan, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, and I will be posting interviews and updates from the workshops.

Guest speakers for the conference are:
Kaylan Adair, Associate Editor, Candlewick Press
Patrick Collins, Creative Director, Henry Holt
Caroline B. Cooney, Award-winning Author
Shelli Johannes-Wells, Marketing Expert
Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor, Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic imprint)
Chris Richman, Agent, Upstart Crow Literary

You can find us at the Official Midsouth Fall Conference 2009 blog here.

Interview with Debut Author Kit Wilkinson

2009-09-23T09:28:00.010-05:00

I am so pleased to welcome debut novelist, Kit Wilkinson. Her book, Protector’s Honor, a sweet romantic suspense, is a Harlequin release this month.

From the back cover:
AGENT TO THE RESCUE!

It’s instinct. When NCIS agent Rory Farrell hears a woman scream, he reacts. But even after he saves her from abduction, Rory can’t get the beautiful and fragile Tabitha Beaumont out of his mind. Especially when he finds a connection between Tabitha and his latest murder investigation. She needs protection—Rory’s protection—while Rory needs answers Tabitha doesn’t even realize she holds. Yet how can he find the truth without betraying Tabitha’s trust? Soon, Rory must decide what matters most—keeping his objective distance, or keeping Tabitha, in his arms and under his protection, forever.

1. Welcome to the blog, Kit! Congratulations on your debut novel. This story won RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart award in 2008 for Best Inspirational Romance before its sale to Harlequin. Your story sounds like an overnight success story, but I know it’s not. Will you share a bit of your writer’s journey?

Thanks, Rae Ann. What an honor to be on your blog!!
So…let’s see…My story, Protector’s Honor, which sold to Harlequin, was actually my third completed manuscript. But truly the first, which had any chance of selling.
It was requested through an RWA contest (the Golden Acorn, I think). I scrambled to finish the story. Sent it in and it was promptly rejected. BUT sent home with a nice letter suggesting some revision ideas.
So, I pouted for about ten minutes and then I decided to take the editor’s advice. I even wrote her a thank you note—after all, she’d taken the time to read the whole book and make comments. I entered the revised ms in the Golden Heart and began to query agents at that time. The ms was requested again, by several agents and by Harlequin. With a few more revisions, it sold. And, yes, it did all take place in one year, but it didn’t seem fast at all. It seemed like it took forever.

2. All writers dream of seeing our stories in print. What was the biggest surprise about the publication process?

Okay. There were a lot of surprises. First of all, the work is just starting when you make the sale. There are still a lot of edits to follow. Secondly, I had no idea that the editors actually title the book (yes, the author gets some say but not the final say). And this makes sense. They know more than authors about marketing. Still, I was a little surprised by that. And a third surprise would be that learning the second sale was no easier than the first. (And in my case was actually more work.)

3. What advice do you have for unpublished writers?

Well, first of all, you have to write a great story that someone will want to buy. Once you’ve done that then the next most important thing to do is network. Go to conferences and meet editors. Meet other authors—people who are further along than you and can give you advice. And finally, be flexible about your story. Be ready and willing to change it in order to make it better. In other words, embrace the editorial process. This is part of being a writer. If you don’t like it, then maybe you don’t like being a writer.

Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your journey from manuscript to published book, Kit!

For more information on Kit’s books or to try one of her fabulous recipes, please visit her website here.

I will give away one copy of Kit’s new book, Protector’s Honor. If you would like to be entered for the drawing, please leave a comment and let me know. A winner will be drawn next Tuesday.

Dragon*Con Report by Lara Hansen

2009-09-16T07:55:00.007-05:00

My friend, Lara Hansen, attended Dragon*Con 2009 in Atlanta recently. She graciously agreed to share her experience by answering a few questions for my blog.

1. What is Dragon*Con?

The exact definition from the Dragon*Con website is: The largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music and film in the US. My definition is...an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals (people who love the same crazy stuff as me), see some amazing (and frightening) costumes, listen to music, see spectacular art & comic book artists in action and STAND (or sit, lounge or shuffle) IN LINE. Hours and hours and hours and miles and miles and miles of lines! Our saying for the weekend..."It's not Dragon*Con without lines." or better yet, "Hey, what's this line for?" (Normally this statement was made after standing in line for a while.) I heard later fans started lining up to see Patrick Stewart from Star Trek 7 hours before his panel.

2. What is the craziest costume/person/thing you saw at the convention?

There is all kinds of craziness going on all 4 days. You never knew what you're going to see when you round a corner, step off an escalator or walk through a door. I saw a man dressed like Elasti-Girl from The Incredibles - platform boots, body suit, bobbed wig and boobs! He actually looked pretty good...as far as costuming was concerned. There were some people who stretched the Georgia state laws on nudity to its limit. Hundreds of stormtroopers, several women dressed in Princess Leia's slave girl outfit, tons of members of Star Fleet and a great group of Spartan Warriors from the movie 300. Whew! They were hot! *fans self*(And a set of Spartan Warriors that had no business letting their hairy beer bellies hang over their leather underpants.) My favorite costumes by far were the Steampunk fans. They were amazing. Each costume looked professionally custom made and so incredibly intricate. I wish I had been bold enough to ask to take their picture. But by the time I was so bold they seemed to have disappeared. I later found out they had a Steampunk Ball Friday evening and they had all wore their costumes that night.

3. What was your favorite thing/event?

Jason Momoa! I must preface this by saying I went to Dragon*Con solely for the Stargate Multiverse Panels/Events...and those events gave me the opportunity to get my photo taken with Stargate Atlantis actor Jason Momoa. His character, Ronon Dex, is my favorite from the series. For those who don't know, a Panel is the opportunity for the fans of a TV show or Movie to ask questions of the Stars. The actors sit at a table at the front of a large ballroom and participate in an hour long Q&A. I attended all of the Panels with members of the Stargate Atlantis cast. To get the best seats in the house, it is necessary to get in line at least two hours early. In those lines, I met a group of fellow SGA fans who quickly became close friends. We helped each other get that elusive 'best picture' of our favorite stars and relived the best moments after each panel was finished. (Oh and I attended a couple of writer workshops as well...at least I sort of tried to learn something while I was there!)

Jason Momoa & Lara

4. This was your first trip to Dragon*Con. Was it your last?

Yes, this was my first trip to Dragon*Con. Is it my last? NO WAY! I've already booked for next year. I'm going to stay in one of the host hotels so I'm in the middle of all the action. I never dreamed I would have as much fun as I did. Dragon*Con is something - if you’re a SciFi or fantasy fan - you have to experience. As my new Dragon*Con friends say, "Post-Con letdown bites." The excitement and sensory overload keeps you going over the 4 days of bad hotel food and lack of sleep but reentry into reality is a serious letdown.

Thanks so much, Lara!

An Interview with Author Michelle Beattie

2009-09-02T14:01:00.008-05:00

I am thrilled to have historical romance author, Michelle Beattie on the blog today. I love pirate stories in books and on the silver screen. When Michelle announced the sale of her first pirate book on one of the RWA loops, I knew I had to read it. I had the pleasure of meeting Michelle in person at the RWA conference in Washington, D.C. this summer.

1. The main character in your debut novel, What a Pirate Desires (which is on my keeper shelf) is a female pirate! There’s also a talking parrot that almost steals the show. What unique characters do you have in store for us in your second novel, Romancing the Pirate?

I have two wonderful best friends for the hero, Blake, that act as his first mates. Nate is tall and gorgeous (the hero of book 3) and Vincent is a dwarf. He's fabulous too and the interaction between the three men is great fun! And Carracks the parrot returns for more laughs!

2. Your book covers are gorgeous! They both feature the heroine wearing great jewelry while grasping a weapon of choice. I think it gives the books a contemporary feel in a historical setting. Do you have any input on the covers?

Somewhat, yes. It was my editor's idea to put women on my covers because she feels I write strong women. Initially I didn't want any people on my covers because they never look like what you picture, but I feel they did a great job for both covers. For What A Pirate Desires, I chose the red dress because it's a major point in the book. They chose to put the pistol in her hand, but it works becasue she's a pirate.

For Romancing the Pirate, I chose the yellow dress and asked that they put a sword in her hand as Alicia is a blacksmith. Also, initially they had Alicia standing on an open treasure chest. I immediately asked to take that out because there is no treasure in book 2 (that comes in book 3!). They complied without fuss. It's been a great partnership so far on my covers. We both agree that the colors of the Caribbean and the ships are important and I think they've reflected that well.

3. What type of research do you do for the books? Do you enjoy the research so much you have a hard time stopping the research to start writing or like me, do you just wish the research would be done so you can write?

Oh, Rae Ann, I'm very much like you, I hate research! Although, I did enjoy it this time because I learned a lot and it was interesting. I researched ships, the Golden Age of Piracy, weapons used, etc. I made a binder and I bought dividers and sectioned off the research areas; ships, language, money, etc. I researched the islands as I needed them and only the ones I needed to (that goes back to hating research!)

4. The pirate books are a series. Can you share anything about the next book?

Well, originally it wasn't supposed to be a series. My editor decided to make it so 5 months after they bought the first one, so it was a bit of a scramble to turn it into a series. In the end we decided to have some of the same people come back. Romancing the Pirate is the story of Sam's sister (Sam is the heroine in What a Pirate Desires). In What a Pirate Desires Sam believes her sister and the rest of her family died in a pirate attack but in Romancing the Pirate we learn that Alicia is alive and has amnesia. Alicia quickly learns at the beginning of the story of her sister and the book revolves around Alicia finding Sam. But to do so, she needs the help of Blake, a man who loathes her and her "family", though he won't tell her why. As the wonderful people at Berkley put on my cover, "She searched for a loved one and found one to love."

Please visit Michelle’s website here for more info on her books.

I will be giving away a copy of Michelle’s brand new book, Romancing the Pirate. For a chance to win, leave a comment. A winner will be drawn at random on Sunday evening.

Giving Thanks for the Internet (& Conference Blogs)

2009-08-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

I can’t imagine my life without the internet. It’s hard to believe that I made it through college, and yes even graduate school, without the internet and a laptop computer. I’m not sure that I could write a book without these lifelines.

I was thinking about a lot of What If questions on writing yesterday. What If: I had to live in New York City to be a writer striving for the goal of publication? Could I still write? Thankfully, the internet makes that question obsolete. Through my laptop, I can connect to publishing houses, literary agents, writers, and conferences worldwide.

The 38th annual summer conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) was held earlier this month in Los Angeles. I wasn’t able to attend, but through the blogging efforts of a team led by Alice Pope, editor of Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, anyone can get that almost-there feeling of attending the conference.
Click here to read The Official SCBWI Conference Blog.

Killer Nashville 2009

2009-08-19T13:52:00.001-05:00

I attended my first mystery writers’ conference this weekend. Killer Nashville is a great place to be for writers of any genre who want to study the craft of writing or for anyone who wants a beginner’s insight into the science of forensics.

In some ways, it was very different from a romance writers’ conference or a kid lit conference. I attended panels on surveillance, the legal system, and investigators’ interview techniques. There was a mock crime scene in the hotel boiler room. The conference opened with a presentation of a retelling of a real murder investigation by Lee Lofland, author of the Writer’s Digest book, Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide For Writers (which I purchased).

Some things were familiar, pitch appointments (with the usual jitters) and workshops by agents, editors, and authors. Two of my favorite panel discussions were on using backstory and setting in your novel. Guest of Honor author, J.A. Jance’s speech was inspiring.

Killer Nashville is a great conference for writers starting their first novel who are primarily interested in learning the craft of writing and for writers with complete manuscripts looking for a home.

For more information on this conference, go to the website for testimonial videos and to sign up for conference news.

Favorite Summer Reads from the Family

2009-08-12T08:40:00.004-05:00

Summer draws to a close this week with the Parker children returning to school. Since I started the summer with a blog on Summer Reading Lists, I thought it would be good to close with favorite summer reads.

I polled the family with 3 questions:
1. What was your favorite read of the summer?
2. Why did you choose to read it?
3. Why was it your favorite?

Here are my scientific results.

DH’s answers:
1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
2. I was looking for an audiobook at the library and the title just caught my eye.
3. The book turned out to be completely different than I thought it would be. I thought it was a life story, but it was the story of a teenager who was in a shipwreck and lost at sea for 9 months. The end of the story gives you two interpretations of what happened when he was floating on the sea with animals. I liked the theme of looking for the better story of life. It was a captivating, entertaining survival story. That’s why I enjoyed it.

My answers:
1. Perfect Chemistry, a YA romance for older teens by Simone Elkeles.
2. I bought the book because of the fun book trailer you can see on the author’s website here.
3. This was my favorite read because I was completely drawn into the character’s story from the beginning. The alternating chapters told in first person from the point of view of the two main characters made this a fast paced read. The author didn’t gloss over the characters’ problems, so this felt like a realistic story. I love a book where I can root for characters who face adversity and triumph in the end.

Due to uncooperative interview subjects, I will summarize the rest. The teen & tween in my house both chose series books as their favorites. My teen daughter chose Extras, the fourth book in Scott Westerfeld’s YA series, Uglies because she liked the characters and the technology in the story. My tween son chose Eragon, the first book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance series (read for the 3rd time this summer) because “It’s actiony.”

Do you have any favorite summer reads? Feel free to post your answers to my 3 questions.

Reference Photos (A New Orleans Visit)

2009-08-05T09:36:00.009-05:00

My current Work In Progress is set in my former home of New Orleans. I was recently writing a scene set in the French Quarter. My character walked through Dutch Alley on his way to the Canal Street Ferry. He passed the charming statues of people who lived and worked in the Quarter when the French Market was new. But I couldn’t remember if he would pass the woman seated on the bench or the butcher displaying a fine cut of meat first. Not to worry. I knew I would be in New Orleans in a few days for an end-of-summer visit. I would take some reference photos.

I’m not sure what the official term is, but I call these pictures reference photos. Reference photos are rarely displayed in frames or photo albums. These snapshots are usually of places, not people. They are a writer’s reference to make sure details are correct when a story is set in a real place.

I must have a thing for National Parks, because in the new version of my story, the guy character plays at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. He walks through Dutch Alley past Café du Monde towards the ferry.

Now I can rewrite my scene with a little help from my reference photos.

Agent Panel Wish List at RWA Conference

2009-07-29T08:23:00.002-05:00

The PRO Retreat at this year’s Romance Writers of America national conference featured an agent panel. As a writer still on the agent hunt, I always find this to be one of the most beneficial parts of the conference. It is great to see the agents in person as they talk about what they are looking for in a story. For the record, all of them are looking for a great well-written story! But for more specifics, I am recapping their What-I’m-Looking-For lists below:

Holly Root of the Waxman Literary Agency – paranormal and contemporary romance, young adult, women’s fiction, and mystery.

Ethan Ellenberg of The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency – paranormal, historical, and contemporary romance; urban fantasy.

Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency – category romance (both short sexy and family stories, classical plot lines with a new way of telling), historical romance, women’s fiction with lighter tone (humor), lighter paranormal. She enjoys fish-out-of-water stories.

Becca Stumpf of the Prospect Agency – edgy stories, middle grade, young adult, paranormal romance, steampunk

Emmanuelle Alspaugh of Judith Ehrlich Literary Management – dark paranormals and historicals (Regency and Victorian)

Barbara Poelle of Irene Goodman Literary Agency – historical romance, some paranormal, thrillers, mysteries, humorous non-fiction. She would especially like to see a post-apocalyptic paranormal romance.

RWA 2009 – Washington, D.C.

2009-07-22T13:39:00.007-05:00

The 29th annual Romance Writers of America conference was held in Washington, D.C. last week. It was a whirlwind of workshops, booksignings, and social events. Some of the highlights for me were:

The Readers for Literacy Booksigning Wednesday night raised over $60,000 for literacy.

Janet Evanovich opened up the conference with an inspiring speech. She wrote for over 10 years before she was published.

The PRO retreat (for unpublished members who have completed manuscripts, like me) featured information on publishing from authors, agents, and an editor.

The Elements of RWA breakfast where I saw my online chapter mates in person.

The biggest thrill was the RITA/Golden Heart awards ceremony on Saturday night where my friend and conference roommate, Kim Law, won the first Golden Heart of the evening in the Best Contemporary Romance Series Manuscript category! Click here for a complete list of the winners.

photo of MCRW members celebrating after the ceremony: Betsy Gray, Lara Hansen, Kim Law (wearing the Golden Heart necklace), Rae Ann Parker, Haley Elizabeth Garwood

Preparing for RWA Nationals

2009-07-08T07:35:00.001-05:00

There are several things romance writers do each year to prepare for the national conference. Here are a few:

* Register for the conference and make travel plans.

* Prepare the professional writer wardrobe, including shoes and purse(s).

* Make a list of the workshops that will be the most fun/beneficial at this stage of writing path (either on paper or by excel spreadsheet).

* Practice, practice, practice the story pitch.

The pitch is divided into several parts:
The one line story pitch for casual conversation in the elevator and other quick meetings.

The three line story pitch for casual conversation with industry professionals who want to hear more when the one line intrigues them.

The full 10-minute pitch, which includes information about the hero/heroine, their goals, motivations, and conflicts used for editor/agent appointments.

Click here for an article on crafting your pitch by author, Winnie Griggs.

Can CSI Techniques Solve a 200 year-old Mystery?

2009-07-01T09:05:00.003-05:00

Was Meriwether Lewis, the great explorer and co-captain of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a victim of murder or did he die by his own hand at an inn for travelers on October 11, 1809? The answer to this unsolved historical mystery may lie in a grave in Hohenwald, Tennessee along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

There are many opinions on whether the body should be removed and whether it will actually provide any answers. With the support of Lewis’s relatives, researchers have filed a petition with the National Park Service to exhume the body.

For more information on the Lewis family’s quest, visit their website, Solve The Mystery.

In my recent research on the Parkway, I became interested in the question that has fascinated historians for almost two centuries now. When I started my research, I had no idea the great explorer died on the Trace under mysterious circumstances. When I typed The End on my manuscript, the mystery of Meriwether Lewis’s death played a pivotal role in my novel.

To learn more about this fascinating piece of history, plan a visit to the Meriwether Lewis site at milepost 385.9 on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Click here for a list of Ranger-led activities and talks to learn more about the explorer.

[Photo: Meriwether Lewis's gravesite.]

Revise or Rewrite?

2009-06-19T11:32:00.001-05:00

I am revisiting an old manuscript I wrote a few years ago, my Hurricane Katrina YA novel. Hopefully I have learned a thing or two (or three) about writing since I finished the first draft 3 ½ years ago.

I dug the story out a few weeks ago, along with tons of hurricane info. I was trying to find information on birds trapped inside the eye of a hurricane for my critique partner, Jennifer Lambe, because she’s working on this great non-fiction book about weird weather. I read a few pages of the manuscript, the end specifically, and had the ‘I love this story’ moment. Now I want to revise the manuscript, for myself at the very least, to see if I can make the story stronger.

I started with the synopsis (still under construction) and made some plot notes. Now I’m thinking, Is an entire rewrite in order?

Have you ever opened a blank document and rewritten the same story over again two or three years later? I did it once and the story came out so much better. I’m hoping the same thing could happen here. Only one way to find out.

Road Trip Research

2009-06-12T08:47:00.005-05:00

I took another trip down the Natchez Trace Parkway this week with my research assistant/photographer (my daughter). There were a few stops on the 444-mile trek that I needed to revisit to clear up some setting details for my book.
One of the highest points in the state of Mississippi is at the Jeff Busby site. I thought we would have to take the hiking trail up to the overlook summit, but the park service has made it easy for everyone to see the beautiful view. You can drive right up to the area and park your car. For the more adventurous, there is a hiking trail down from the summit to the campground area. We hiked part of the way down the trail. I think my daughter would have happily hiked the whole way, but my failure to pack bug spray and knowing that the hike down was the easy part, made us turn back about halfway down the trail.

This is a photo of another hiker we saw at the top of the trail.

I am glad that I made it to the Jeff Busy site again. The convenience store and gas station previously located there is now closed. The pay telephone that was of great interest to my character in the first draft of my story has been removed from the site. There is good cell phone reception at the overlook point, something I would not have known without a visit.

For readers: Do you enjoy reading books set in real locations more than stories set in fictional towns?

For writers: Do you find it easier to write about real places or made-up locales?

Dating Again (the Literary kind)

2009-06-05T07:56:00.001-05:00

I’m dating again. Not the dinner and a movie kind of date. This is the ‘Would you like to see my manuscript’ kind of dating. The Devil’s Backbone, my Natchez Trace road trip story, is ready for review. This is the part where I query literary agents. And wait.

I think trying to get a book published is a lot like dating. You put yourself (or your book) out there and wait, alternating between feeling hopeful (someone will like me) and anxious (what if no one likes me).

I am a mental health professional, even though I only work with fictional characters now. I know all about self-image and not letting anyone else influence the way you feel about yourself. But when it comes down to the submission process, all of those principles fly out the window.

So what do I do while I wait?

* I go to the Write Attitude site and watch the inspirational trailer about writers who didn’t give up. Whether you’re a writer or not, do yourself a favor and click on this link.

* Countdown to the RWA national conference next month where my friend, Kim Law, is a finalist in the Golden Heart® contest for unpublished writers.

* Start plotting my next book.

The Dreaded Synopsis

2009-05-29T08:17:00.002-05:00

For non-writer readers of this blog, a synopsis is a summary of a manuscript required by editors and agents. This means that a writer has to reduce an entire story to a few pages. If we were good at this, we would be songwriters, not novelists.

Here are a few links that have helped me in synopsis writing:

Writing the Tight Synopsis by Author Beth Anderson

Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis by Author Lisa Gardner

How to Write a Synopsis by Agent Nathan Bransford

I am fine-tuning the synopsis for my current Work In Progress. I changed my writing process to create the synopsis before starting a new manuscript a couple of projects ago. Writing the synopsis first and adjusting it as the story unfolds means that I don’t have this huge dreaded task waiting for me when I figuratively type The End.

If writing a book was like enjoying a multi-course meal, would the synopsis be your appetizer or the dessert?

Summer Reading Lists

2009-05-22T08:39:00.005-05:00

Some of my favorite summer memories from childhood include the public library. I still enjoy perusing summer reading lists, which I consider to be a gold mine of new books and authors for me to try.

The 2009 summer reading lists are out. Click here to see the Top 10 Summer reading Lists for Kids and Teens.

If kid lit is not your thing, Romance Writers of America’s website lists the current romance novels released each month.

How do you choose which books you’re going to read?
A. Reading Lists/Bestseller Lists
B. Friend recommendations
C. Bookstore/Library browsing
D. All of the Above

Late To The Party

2009-05-15T08:21:00.005-05:00

Have you ever read a book people have been raving about for months or even years to find you absolutely love it? If so, you probably were thrilled to find one, two, three or more books in the series ready for immediate reading.

I joined the legions of Harry Potter fans when the first movie was released. I try to follow the book-before-movie rule so I read Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone before seeing the movie. I was hooked.

I had the same experience recently after reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The main character, middle schooler Greg Heffley is now on my list of favorite characters. After reading the first book in the series, I had to read books two and three. Now I am looking forward to the release of book four this fall.

Is it better to find a series at book one and enjoy them as they are released? Or is it just as fun to finally cave to peer pressure to read a book you immediately fall in love with and get the benefit of a series already underway?

Free Resources for Writers

2009-05-08T08:14:00.001-05:00

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

You get what you pay for.

There are many oneliners that link skepticism with the word free. But how about free information for pre-published/newly-published/multi-published writers? There are several e-mail newsletters just waiting to make their way to your inbox on a weekly or monthly basis free of charge. Here are a few you might want to try:

Guide to Literary Agents newsletter: great information on new agents, where agents are speaking, etc.

PW Daily: news snippets on changes in publishing and a weekly newsletter with sales for the week.

PW Children’s Bookshelf: news on the latest releases in children’s books along with author interviews and publisher info. My favorite part of this newsletter is the comic strip at the bottom titled “Tales from the Slush Pile”. Click here to subscribe to these and other PW newsletters.

The Horn Book: a monthly newsletter with author/illustrator interviews and info on upcoming children’s books.

School Library Journal e-newsletters on books for children & SLJTeen for info on YA books.

Are you a sucker for a GWP (Gift with Purchase)? This can be anything ranging from an umbrella to cosmetics available at no additional charge with a purchase. If so, don’t forget to sign up for newsletters and discussion loops in your professional writing organizations, like RWA & SCBWI.

Do you have any resources to add to the list?

What Genre Am I In?

2009-04-24T08:08:00.000-05:00

When you walk into your favorite bookstore, do you roam about looking at all the books in all the sections? Probably not. I’ll bet you head for the area labeled with your favorite reads: romance, mystery, teen fiction, etc. Genre labels were created so that bookstores would know where to shelve the books to enable readers to find the books we love the most.

With the popularity of cross-genre books today, have you ever been confused about what label you should put on the book you are reading or writing? Literary agent Lucienne Diver of the Knight Agency gives a great detailed explanation of genres and sub-genres in this blog post.

Luck of the Draw

2009-04-17T08:57:00.002-05:00

The Nashville Film Festival is celebrating 40 years of independent films. The festival is the fourth oldest film festival in the United States. 258 films are being shown over the next week. Click here for more info.

Last night at the festival, I won a deluxe box set of the movie, Casablanca, from the Nashville Scene. Maybe my luck has turned! Can a publishing contract be next?

Reality TV in Music City

2009-04-10T12:10:00.006-05:00

Tuesday night, DH and I attended the taping of Season Two’s first episode of Country Music Television’s show, Can You Duet? Think American Idol, but with duos. We were free for the evening in Nashville. We had to go out and hear some live music, so why not take the opportunity to be part of a TV audience? You never know when this experience might be called on for research purposes.

Can You Duet? is being taped at the famous Wildhorse Saloon, a three-story warehouse turned restaurant/club/TV studio. The venue has been the host to over 4,000 TV shows. If you are writing a story about reality TV, the music business, Nashville, or anything remotely related, get down to the Wildhorse any Tuesday this month. You might be inspired, but you’ll definitely enjoy the show.

(Lance Smith, host & house band, Sixwire, warming up the crowd.)

Another Chinese Dinner

2009-04-03T08:30:00.001-05:00

Last night, the Parker family had plans to go out for Chinese food, but those plans were derailed by tornado alerts. I have confessed on this blog before that every time I finish the first draft of a manuscript, I must have Chinese food for dinner.

Why? Here’s your multiple choice quiz.

A. I am a tad superstitious, insisting on maintaining the same routine to keep up my string of Unpublished Works.

B. I love Chinese food so much that it’s the carrot-in-front-of-the-horse incentive I need to keep writing towards the end.

C. Since my manuscripts are unpublished, I need some type of reward for continuing to write and for not giving up.

D. All of the above.

If you picked D, you are correct.

The first draft of my middle grade Natchez Trace journey manuscript, complete with a ghost, is done! It’s the roughest first draft I’ve ever written, but at least I have a framework to build the story on, a place to start the revision process.

I see Chinese food in today’s forecast. Do you have any traditions you observe or rewards you look forward to at the end of a project?

First Lines

2009-03-27T08:34:00.002-05:00

How important is the first line of a book? What does it take to craft a must-read-the-rest-of-this excellent opening in a novel? I want to learn.

I am currently reading Long Gone Daddy by Helen Hemphill which opens with “The first time I met my grandfather, he was laid up on a porcelain prep table at the Hamilton-Johnson Funeral Home.” There’s no way I can stop reading after that first line!

My all-time favorite first line in a novel is from The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck: “If your teacher has to die, August isn’t a bad time of the year for it.”

I want to know: Do some writers naturally have the first line talent or can this skill be taught? Does it come easily or does it take weeks of tweaking to refine a novel’s opening line into a fantastic first line?

Do you have any tips on creating first lines? Any favorite first lines to share?

Tea at the Hermitage Hotel

2009-03-20T08:23:00.004-05:00

I am a big fan of afternoon tea. Last week, DH and I had tea at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville. Before our visit, the Hermitage Hotel brought two facts to my mind: #1: the Olsen twins celebrated their birthday at the hotel last year during a trip to the Bonnaroo Music Festival and #2: the hotel has a famous men’s bathroom voted “America’s Best Restroom” in 2008. Women sneak into the Art-Deco themed restroom downstairs when the coast is clear just to see it. And yes, so did I. Now I know the hotel is also known for its afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea at the Hermitage is on the “125 Things to Do in Nashville Before You Die” list compiled by the Nashville Scene. The Parker family, being transplants to Nashville for only a year and a half now, are working down the list to get to know our new town. Plus, we really like lists.

A few facts about the Hermitage Hotel:
Named after Andrew Jackson’s estate, the Hermitage.
Nashville’s first million-dollar hotel.
Visitors have included presidents, actors, and gangsters.
Both pro & anti-suffrage activists met here.
They serve a very fine cup of tea!

Spellcheck is My Friend

2009-03-13T08:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took a spelling challenge on my friend, Kit Wilkinson’s blog. I thought I was an excellent speller. Let’s just say I’m glad it wasn’t a real test to see whether I will be allowed to continue to write novels.

It was a test on the 25 most commonly misspelled words, so I guess I’m not alone. Last week on this blog, I mentioned my appreciation of index cards. Now I must add spellcheck. And my dictionary. And my thesaurus.

Are you a good speller? Want to find out? If so, click here. How did you do?

The Joys (or not) of Research

2009-03-06T08:27:00.000-06:00

I am working on a middle grade novel that takes place on the Natchez Trace. Since the characters are on a journey, driving up the Trace, they must stop at any sites in order. Will readers know if I get them out of order? Will anyone care enough to look it up if they’ve never been? Some might. Also, there’s the history of the Trace to consider.

This is way harder than writing a fantasy novel where the entire world is in my head (and on a map made by me) so no one who’s reading can say I got it wrong. This means that the first part of the book has been a slow-go for me. I had to stop after the first few scenes and plot some more. I made a storyboard with index cards. (I heart index cards.)

After more research and plotting, I am now back to writing. Whew. I still don’t have all of the answers to my research questions, but for now, I’m back on the storytelling trail.

A Poet in the Family

2009-02-27T08:47:00.001-06:00

DH (my darling husband) participated in a poetry reading in East Nashville last Friday. He read five of his poems, which were called “slice of life” poems by the head poetry guru. This means that the topic of life in the Parker household makes an occasional appearance, overtly or thinly-veiled. Some of this is flattering and some just plain truth, but since everyone gets a turn to make an appearance on occasion, it’s all good.

I had never attended a poetry reading before, so my first thought was I hope they like DH’s poetry and secondly, I wonder if poets are different from romance writers and children’s book writers. I consider most romance writers to be hard-core networkers, so when we gather at an RWA function, we usually start to work the room to greet our friends and meet new writers. At a gathering of children’s book writers, we talk about what we’re writing and the latest children’s books we have read. The poets were much more laid back, but maybe that’s because they were getting ready to perform.

The poetry reading was accompanied by instrumental guitarist, Charlie Rauh. Check out Charlie’s music here. I’m not sure if musical accompaniment is common at poetry readings, but we are in Music City, where great musicians are everywhere and it was a very nice addition to the evening.

Elements of RWA

2009-02-20T09:06:00.002-06:00

I am a member of the Elements chapter of Romance Writers of America. Elements writers craft stories of all sorts: mainstream novels, fantasy, women’s fiction (like me) and mysteries. The one thing all of our books have in common is a dash or maybe even a heavy sprinkling of romance.

If you are a writer writing stories with romantic elements or a reader looking for some new authors to try out, check out the Elements of RWA website. Click here for an interview with the president of Elements, Barbara Burnham, on the Five Scribes blog this week.

History of the Valentine Card

2009-02-13T08:21:00.000-06:00

The first written Valentines were shared in the 1400s.

In 19th century Britain, sending Valentines was popular.

In the 1840s, Esther Howland of Massachusetts (the Mother of the Valentine) sold the first hand-made Valentine cards in the United States. She based hers on British Valentines.

Today approximately 1 billion Valentines are sent each year. This includes cards exchanged in classroom parties.

To read more about the history of greeting cards, click here to view the site of the Greeting Card Association.

Writing Contests: Entering & Judging

2009-02-06T08:15:00.000-06:00

For the first time in several years, I am entering my latest manuscript in several RWA contests. Why? For the feedback of course, but I’m also hoping to final and get a read from the final round judges, editors and agents. Contests seem like a good way for unagented writers to get manuscripts in the hands of editors. Then it is up to the story to sell itself.

I spent most of my writing day Wednesday judging entries for this year’s Golden Heart contest, Romance Writers of America’s annual contest for unpublished writers. I also judge contests for my local chapters. Reading the entries and seeing the different styles and stages of writing is a learning experience for me.

For unpublished writers of middle grade and young adult novels, Random House sponsors an annual contest for both groups. Click here for information.

For all the writers out there, do you find contests helpful, hurtful, a waste of time?

2009 ALA Awards Announced

2009-01-30T08:20:00.001-06:00

The American Library Association announced the 2009 award-winning books on Monday. Thanks to modern technology, I watched the live webcast from the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver. It was so much fun to hear the book titles announced and hear the response from the crowd of librarians. For a list of winners, click here.

The most famous awards are the Caldecott (illustrator’s award for most outstanding picture book), the Newbery (most outstanding contribution to children’s literature), and the Coretta Scott King Awards (outstanding books by African-American authors and illustrators). By listening to the presentation, I learned more about the other awards presented. A new award this year was the William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award. The winner was A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, a retelling of the fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin.

Long and loud applause seemed to erupt after the following awards were announced:

We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (Coretta Scott King Author Award)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written and narrated by Sherman Alexie (Odyssey Award for best audio book for children or YA)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (John Newbery Medal)

After the recent discussions on whether books awarded the Newbery are actually for kids or just to please teachers and librarians, a book about a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard is this year’s winner. Do you think the committee was thinking of teachers and librarians with this one or the audience of readers?

Presidential Literature

2009-01-23T14:55:00.002-06:00

I am not a fan of conflict (except in books) so you will rarely find me engaged in political debate. However, I do enjoy watching election results unfold on television and especially the pageantry of the presidential inauguration.

One of my favorite things about these events is the opportunity to learn more about our nation’s past presidents from Pulitzer Prize winning author and presidential historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin. I am fascinated by the wealth of presidential facts in her brain. If you read my earlier blog, Mythical Dinner Party, I would definitely invite her to my dinner.

If you enjoy presidential facts, you should read one of my favorite picture books, So You Want to Be President, by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small. Both the text and the illustrations are a treat. Kids (and grownups) can find out which president was the tallest, shortest, largest, oldest, youngest, who had the most siblings, and what jobs they held before becoming president.

This book won the 2001 Caldecott medal. The American Library Association will announce this year’s winners of the best books in children’s literature next week. Stop by next week to discuss.

Arrival of the King Cake

2009-01-16T09:14:00.001-06:00

Traditionally the Parker family enjoys our first king cake on January 6th, the first day of the Carnival season. Even though we no longer live in the land of Mardi Gras, we still need the king cake.

I did not plan ahead appropriately, so this year we received our king cake one week late. It arrived in the box with a packet of icing and three little cups of sugar, purple, green, and gold. It was a decorate-it-yourself king cake, which stunned the grownups in our house and delighted the children. We must have done okay with the decorating, because it tasted just as wonderful as usual.

If you’re not familiar with the king cake, here are a few fun facts:

*The king cake is named after the Wise Men who brought gifts to baby Jesus.

*The colors on the cake are the colors of Mardi Gras.
Purple stands for justice
Green stands for faith.
Gold stands for power.

*There is a plastic baby inside each cake. The person who finds the baby in his/her piece of cake should buy the next king cake.

*King cakes are plain dough with icing and colored sugar on top, but they can also be filled with cream cheese, praline or fruit filling.

*The Parker family prefers praline and cream cheese.

Have you ever enjoyed king cake? What is your favorite flavor?

Required Reading

2009-01-09T08:03:00.001-06:00

I read a lot of books in 2008. But it’s required right? Writers must read to keep our fingers on the pulse of the current market. A few years ago, I started keeping a log of books read for the year, so I could go back and check a forgotten title of a book I wanted to recommend to a friend or see how long ago I first read a favorite book (Outlander in 2006). Reading through the lists of titles today felt like looking at photos of past holidays, a few bad ones, but most of them are good memories.

I now keep the list in an excel spreadsheet and it grows from year to year. My number one reading category this year was historical romance with middle grade novels coming in second. I love reading historical romance, but do not ever expect to write in this sub-genre. I think that is one of the main reasons I like it so much. It is just a pleasure to read. And I love middle grade novels because they’re wonderful! Hopefully mine will be on your reading lists one day.

Just a few of my favorite books read in 2008 were:

*The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck (middle grade historical)
*The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (middle grade mystery) [This novel deserves its very own blog post. Stay tuned.]
*Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra (young adult)
*Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs (women’s fiction)

Books I look forward to reading in 2009:
The Associate by John Grisham
What I Did for Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

What were your favorite reads of 2008? Are there any books you look forward to reading this year?

A Year of Blogging

2008-12-31T09:06:00.000-06:00

Many thanks to all of my blog readers, those who read this blog from the beginning and to the ones who’ve joined me along the way. If you’ve been reading since my very first post last December, you’ve read one year of my blog about “writing, reading, and living”.

New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite days of the year. I am the eternal optimist as I think most unpublished writers must be, although I will admit to a wave of doubt as I slid my latest manuscript submissions across the counter at my local post office this week. So here’s to the possibilities of a new year, whatever it may hold.

Stories behind Holiday Songs

2008-12-19T09:19:00.001-06:00

Book writers are frequently asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” Do you ever wonder about the ideas behind some of our most famous holiday songs?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by Montgomery Ward employee, Robert L. May, in 1939 as an assignment. The department store chain commissioned May to write a story to be printed and given away to Christmas shoppers that year. Rudolph’s story was turned into the Christmas song we know today when May’s songwriter brother-in-law adapted the story to song and added lyrics. For the full story, click here.

Silent Night was written in 1818 by Father Joseph Mohr, parish priest of the Church of St. Nicholas, and the church’s organist, Franz Gruber. The church organ was out of commission and the men wrote Silent Night for the congregation to sing along with a guitar at the Christmas Eve service. Various accounts point to different reasons for the organ’s temporary disability. The most prominent reason told (and my favorite as a young music student and now) is that a rat chewed through a part of the organ and disabled it. If this is true, a rodent was the inspiration for one of the most famous Christmas carols of all time.

Do Christmas carols fill your car, office, or home at this time of year? Do you have a favorite?

Holiday Stories

2008-12-12T10:24:00.005-06:00

During the month of December, I look forward to revisiting favorite holiday books and movies.

Some favorite books:

The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas Story by Terri Hoover Dunham
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Favorite holiday movies:
Scrooged
It’s a Wonderful Life

If holiday traditions aren’t enough to put a person in the Christmas spirit, it snowed here last evening.

Do you have favorite holiday stories you revisit year after year?

Mythical Dinner Party

2008-12-05T08:19:00.000-06:00

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone living or dead, who would be on your guest list? How many times have you heard this question?

The first thing I do when I unwrap the Nashville daily newspaper each morning is scan the front page headlines. The second thing I do is read Beverly Keel’s column on page 3. This week in her Tuesday column, she mentioned Ken Burns. When I read the column, I told DH, you know that mythical dinner party question, I would invite Ken Burns to my dinner party.

When I hear the name Ken Burns, I think of the PBS Jazz films and fascinating liner notes tucked into albums, but his body of work is so much more than that. Click on this link on the PBS site to read more about his work.

Storytellers make great dinner companions, especially those who chronicle the stories of our past. I have a feeling all of the guests at my mythical dinner party would be storytellers.

Who would you invite to your dinner party?

A Writer's Guide to London

2008-11-21T07:29:00.004-06:00

This is my last post on my trip to London. I promise. When I travel, I like to see the places frequented by writers, living and dead. I already posted about the Globe Theatre, here and here.

On our last day in London, DH and I visited Waterstone’s, the largest bookstore in Europe. Six of the store’s eight floors are packed with books. I perused the children’s section and romance section. I saw many of my favorite children’s books there, including the British editions of the Harry Potter books. The romance section was stocked with mostly vampire books and historical romance. I was surprised to see contemporary romance missing.

That same day, we went to afternoon tea at Brown’s Hotel. This was the first hotel to open in London in 1837. It has hosted several famous visitors including Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, who stayed there on their honeymoon, Alexander Graham Bell, who made the first telephone call from the United Kingdom at the hotel in 1876, and Rudyard Kipling, who wrote part of The Jungle Book there.

But that is not why I chose Brown’s Hotel from all of the establishments offering afternoon tea. One of the English Tea Room’s most famous frequent visitors was Agatha Christie. She wrote At Bertram’s Hotel in the tea room, inspired by the hotel and its patrons. While we were there, I wondered if she sat near the same fireplace, observing the other guests, penning her novel in longhand.

Well, okay, and I also wondered if anyone would ever care where I sit to write my stories. Are you inspired by the haunts of famous writers? Can you pass a bookstore without going in to see what treasures are shelved inside? Are you a travel guide planner or a wander about visitor?

Deadline Incentives

2008-11-14T13:20:00.001-06:00

What “carrot in front of the horse” measures do you use to trick, I mean tempt yourself to keep going when faced with a deadline? My current deadline is a manuscript that needs to be finished in time to submit to a contest. Maybe you’re trying to finish a manuscript that has an appointment with your editor’s desk, finish a home repair project or write a proposal for your small business.

When the project is enormous, sometimes we lose steam in the middle or when the light is at the end of the tunnel, but it’s only a tiny glimmer, we may still think of giving up.

Do you scold, reward, chain yourself to your computer/ladder/desk? Here are a few things that work for me.

* Keeping a daily log of my manuscript page count. I downloaded a free monthly calendar, printed it out and write the page number I end on each day in the blank square. Seeing the numbers climb as the calendar progresses gives me a little thrill.

* Coffee. Lots of coffee. I make a deal with myself: unlimited coffee after lunch as long as I am writing. Maybe too much caffeine intake is a bad idea, so use this one in moderation.

* A few pieces from the bag of chocolate that I hide in the kitchen cabinet are a boost when a scene is being tricky. (My hiding place is no secret to my family now, so I guess I’m really hiding it from myself until I can’t resist.)

* A book by a favorite author sitting on my To Be Read pile that is off-limits until the project is finished. In this case, Lisa Kleypas’s Seduce Me At Sunrise.

You might be thinking that this sounds an awful lot like the Treat Box elementary teachers keep in their room for good students. I say whatever works, use it.

What works for you? Accountability with a project partner? The reward system? Tips are always welcome.

Fall Colors on the Natchez Trace

2008-11-07T08:04:00.006-06:00

In case you wandered onto my blog for the first time, let me start with this: I have a fascination with the Natchez Trace Parkway. If you missed the posts about my trek along the entire 444 miles of the Trace from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN last spring, click here and here.

Last weekend, DH (aka Mr. Parker) and I drove on the Trace to view the leaves. As residents of Tennessee for just over a year, we are totally fascinated with the changing colors of the leaves. Just to contrast, in our former home of New Orleans it was very common to see Christmas lights strung on azalea bushes blooming with beautiful pink flowers during December.

No trip up the Trace would be complete without a stop at the Loveless Café on Highway 100 as you exit the end of the Trace in Nashville. They are famous for their biscuits and celebrity diners whose framed photos cover the wall in the foyer. If you arrive at lunch, I recommend the BLT with fried green tomatoes.

Groundlings and Winchester Geese

2008-10-31T08:32:00.001-05:00

In a post about my visit to the Globe Theatre in London earlier this month, I promised a later blog about the theatre’s patrons. Here we go.

In the days of the original Globe Theatre, patrons could pay one penny to stand or two pennies for general seating. The theatre-goers who stood in the yard to watch the plays were called Groundlings. Visitors to today’s version of the Globe can still purchase a Groundling ticket for five pounds. In case of rain, no umbrellas are allowed.

In William Shakespeare’s day, it was considered socially unacceptable for women to attend the theatre except in the company of a male family member. Members of polite society sat in the lower or middle galleries. Business was conducted in the upper gallery where prostitutes waved white handkerchiefs to attract customers, presumably to arrange for a meeting elsewhere. Prostitutes in the neighborhood were licensed by the Bishop of Winchester which earned them the nickname Winchester Geese. Now you’re probably wondering why they were licensed by a bishop. Answer: most of the brothels were owned by the Church of England. On our visit to the Globe, we sat in the Upper Gallery among tourists and a few locals. No business was conducted. As far as I know.

A Visit with Debut Author Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

2008-10-24T08:12:00.004-05:00

It is my pleasure to have Kristin O’Donnell Tubb on the blog today. Kristin’s debut middle grade novel, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different was released last week. About the book: Autumn Winifred Oliver has charmed a hive of bees, wrangled a flock of geese, and filched a stick of dynamite from the United States government. But it’ll take a whole new kind of gumption to save her Cades Cove home.

Welcome Kristin!

Thanks for having me, Rae Ann! I’m delighted to be here.

In the book world, book titles are often condensed to three words max, so the title of your book is a treat in itself. Did you choose the title? [if not, did you provide suggestions, etc?]

I’m glad you find the title a treat! I did choose the title for Autumn; in fact, they were the first seven words of the manuscript I typed. I had the idea for a book set in Cades Cove back in 2002, and I started researching the text shortly thereafter. I started writing a year later, and I knew by that point that the protagonist would be named Autumn Winifred Oliver, and that she’d be a funny, feisty prankster. The title popped onto the page, and then I knew I had to write a character to live up to it!

Side note: The title is grammatically incorrect, and whenever those ever-so-practical legal eagles were involved (like, on the contract), they inevitably changed it to read “differently.” It was such fun to point out, “yes, that mistake is supposed to be there!”

You are fabulous at research. What types of research did you do for Autumn and how do you know when to stop researching and start writing?

Ah, research – my first love! As for the types of research I did for Autumn, I read seven or eight books about the history of Cades Cove and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and took extensive notes the old-fashioned way, on 3 x 5 notecards. (Makes outlining so easy!) I also traveled to Cades Cove (I had many times before, but this was specifically for research) and took notes on everything – the tiny size of the cabins, the gentle swish of the wheat fields, the chilling spray of the waterfalls, the feeling of protection that the ring of mountains provides. And the best resource of all was the library housed in the basement of the Sugarlands Visitor Center at the National Park. The library was created by park volunteers who realized that the unique Appalachian culture that had evolved in the Smokies would disappear once tourists arrived. Soon after the Park was formed, they roamed the area, taking pictures and conducting interviews. They cataloged everything: clothing, farm equipment, songs, stories, church sermons – so much of what makes a community unique. It was a goldmine. Still is.

And now, since we all love stories of The Call and yours is especially unique, would you please share your story?

Oh, lawsy, I think my Call story might go down in the annals of publishing history as one of the most embarrassing things a new writer could possibly do! But hey, it makes for a great story! (A good writer uses everything, after all!)

The scene: Early February, 2007. My editor calls my cell phone. I am nine months pregnant. I am AT THE OB/GYN.
Wendy: "Hello, Kristin? It's Wendy Loggia from Random House."
Me: "Oh my gosh! It's so good to hear from you! I'm at my gynecologist’s office right now."
Wendy: silence
Me: "Oh, um - I should say, I'm not in the office right now - I mean, I am, but I'm checking out. I'm done." Shut up Kristin. "I mean - I'm scheduling my induction for my new baby. I was newly pregnant when we met, remember?" Shut UP, Kristin. "Everything's great! Healthy baby! I'm scheduling his arrival right now. That's why I'm at...my...OB's office..."
Wendy: laughing "I think this is a first for me."
Me: unbelievably mortified "Uh, me too?"
Wendy: "So I wanted to talk to you more about this wonderful revision you sent me..."
And that was that! There, in my OB/GYN's office, I was offered my first book deal. Two weeks later, my son was born. It was one heckuva month.

Thank you, Kristin, for visiting!

Click here to view the book trailer for Autumn. Click here to visit Kristin’s website.

Southern Festival of Books

2008-10-17T08:33:00.001-05:00

I attended the 20th annual Southern Festival of Books in Nashville last weekend for the first time, but definitely not the last. The three-day event is held at the War Memorial Plaza in downtown Nashville.

As I waited in the lobby of the auditorium for the previous sessions’ attendees to exit, a steady stream of people walked up to the ushers at the door asking, “Is this where Sherman Alexie is speaking?” As the ushers pleasantly answered yes over and over, I thought how awesome it was to see that type of excitement over hearing an author talk. Once I heard Sherman Alexie speak, I understood. He is the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the 2007 National Book award for Young People’s Literature. He was funny and inspiring.

Another treat was a panel of three debut middle-grade authors from the Class of 2k8, Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, Laurel Snyder, and Jenny Meyerhoff. They talked about group promotion and how a writer’s role expands upon becoming a published author.

When I told the moderator for the panel that this was my first time to attend the festival, she insisted that I come back next year. I’ll just have to do that.

A Visit to William Shakespeare's (New) Place

2008-10-10T09:41:00.004-05:00

When DH and I visited London recently, I just had to see the Globe Theatre, the home of William Shakespeare’s company. The Globe we visited is actually the third Globe Theatre, built a few hundred yards from the foundation of the original.

The current reconstruction of the Globe was the brainstorm of American actor/director Sam Wanamaker. On a visit to London in 1949, he was disappointed to find that there was no great memorial to Shakespeare at the site. He started a foundation and spearheaded the rebuilding of a new Globe. Sam Wanamaker died in 1993 while the construction was underway. The building was completed in 1997.

We enjoyed the play, The Merry Wives of Windsor from the upper balcony. We had great seats, facing the stage. In the lobby, theatre volunteers were renting seat cushions for one pound each. We decided it might be a good idea to rent them. Good move. The theatre is generally a historically-accurate recreation of the original Globe, which means you sit on tiny wooden seats in the open-air theatre. But it was worth it! The play was fantastic and a very fun experience.

Two school groups were sitting in the lower area near the stage. They looked like they had come straight from Hogwarts, minus the robes, but with navy blazers and ties for boys and girls.

Tours of the Globe are held in the morning, so DH graciously accompanied me back to the Globe (the only site we visited twice during our trip) for the next morning’s tour. The theatre is in the Southwark neighborhood, across the Thames River. I pronounced it South-wark (in my Southern accent) until I heard the message on the Underground announce we were approaching Southwark station (pronounced Su-therk as in Southern with a K at the end instead of an N).

The first Globe Theatre was built in 1599 and stood for 14 years until a fire started by a cannon fired during a production of Henry VIII caused the entire structure to burn to the ground. The second Globe was built in 1613 with a tiled roof. William Shakespeare died two years after this Globe was built. The Globe met its demise in 1642 when the Puritan government closed and demolished all theatres calling them “nests of the devil”.

I’ll stop for now, but more on the Globe’s original theatre patrons later.

Conference Report

2008-10-03T08:06:00.001-05:00

After the SCBWI-Midsouth conference, I was away on vacation for a week (more on that later). Finally, I have a report on the conference.

Over 100 people from ten states attended the regional conference in Nashville. It was great to reconnect with other writers and meet new people.

The highlight of the conference was hearing Bruce Coville give the keynote address and attending his workshop on writing fantasy. I certainly hope some of that great info seeps into my brain and pours out through my fingers onto the keyboard. During his workshop, he mentioned the importance of humor and secondary characters. This is something I have been trying to layer into my work as I discussed before on this blog. It is always interesting to see how good storytelling techniques translate across different genres of writing.

Picture book author, Alexis O’Neill, did a great workshop on getting published without an agent. It was very well attended by many of the agent-less writers trying to sell our work.

First page critiques by faculty editors, Amalia Ellison and Harold Underdown, were very popular. Unfortunately, my page was not pulled from the box for a public reading. This is a sure sign that I want feedback, if I am disappointed that my anonymous writing was not read aloud to an auditorium full of people to be dissected (in a very nice way).

Next week: tales from my travels.

Americana Music Awards

2008-09-19T08:53:00.000-05:00

The 9th annual American Music Festival and Conference is being held this week in Nashville. Last night, DH and I attended the American Music Awards at the historic Ryman Auditorium.

In a front-page article in today’s Tennessean newspaper, writer Peter Cooper calls Americana music genre-blurring. Click here for the article, including a list of winners.

In the romance writing community, we are told to stick within the rules of the genre. It is hard for a first-time author to find an editor willing to take a chance on a cross-genre book. One of my favorite books, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon was labeled as a time-travel/adventure/romance/historical fiction on the book’s debut.

When genres blend, whether it’s a mixture of alternative country, folk music, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll on stage, or a novelist mixing different storytelling traditions between the pages of a book, sometimes different is better. Sometimes it’s pure magic.

Shout out to Squi-bee!

2008-09-12T07:19:00.001-05:00

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is affectionately known by several nicknames. Some members refer to it as The Society. Others (like me) use the initials, SCBWI, and possibly more creative types, give it the moniker, Squi-bee (the spelling is mine).

The annual conference of the SCBWI-Midsouth region takes place next week. This is the annual gathering of writers and illustrators from Tennessee and Kentucky. I am looking forward to attending this conference for the second time. It was a great experience in both knowledge gained and networking opportunities last year. I met two of my critique group members at this conference and another great writer friend.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Bruce Coville. I hear he was a big hit at the national SCBWI conference in Los Angeles this summer. At last year’s SCBWI-Midsouth conference, SCBWI executive director, Lin Oliver shared a quote from Bruce Coville. The quote is on my desk. It says: “Follow your weirdness.”

So every (week)day when I sit down to write, I try to follow my weirdness or write the stories of my heart.

Girl Books

2008-09-05T07:56:00.004-05:00

In the interest of equal time, after last week’s blog on Boy Books, here is a post on Girl Books. Girls tend to read across the spectrum, books that appeal to both boys and girls. I guess a Girl Book is one that appeals primarily to female readers.

A book with both male and female main characters may appeal to primarily girls due to the relationship aspects of the book. Not necessarily romance, but books with friendship as a theme.

A bookseller recently told me that middle school girls are asking for middle grade romance books. An elementary school librarian told me this week that many of her female students gravitate to the animal books and the classic, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, is a favorite.

Some favorite girl books per an informal poll:
For Middle Grade readers:
Judy Blume books
Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn Dixie

For Young Adult readers:
Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series
Ann Brashares’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series

For the 2007 summary of Accelerated Reader books read by students click here. Section 1 separates books read by gender.

On a side note: As I mentioned in my second blog post, I gave my daughter my treasured boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series. My child read one book and part of another before putting them aside. Recently I mentioned the popularity of the stage adaptation of the books. During the discussion, my daughter burst out with, “You mean they were real people?” Since she found out the Ingalls family were indeed real, she is plowing through the books and enjoying them. So I must add that some girls also like historical fiction and biographies.

Boy Books

2008-08-29T08:04:00.001-05:00

I have heard a lot of discussion lately on Boy Books (books read primarily by boys). The topic came up during a YA workshop I attended at the Romance Writers of America conference, in an article I read recently, and in a discussion I had with a bookseller this week.

The bottom line is that publishers, booksellers, teachers, and librarians are looking for boy books. What makes a boy book? This means the main character is usually male and the topic is favored by male readers such as horror, humor, adventure, sports, etc.

A website by Jon Scieszka, author and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, called Guys Read offers suggestions.

Two of my All Time Favorite boy books on my keeper shelf:
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Holes by Louis Sachar

Boy books on the keeper shelves of my children that they have read numerous times:
Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney
Eragon & Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
A Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket
Goosebumps (very large collection) by R. L. Stine

Next week’s blog: Girl Books

Writing Humor

2008-08-22T08:21:00.001-05:00

I love books, movies, and people that make me laugh out loud. I think/hope that my women’s fiction manuscripts are humorous, but it never hurts to go back to my writer’s tool chest to pick up some new skills. I looked through my RWA National Conference cds from last year for workshops on writing humor.

A workshop by NYT bestselling author, Karen Hawkins, was very helpful. She has several great suggestions for infusing your work with humor. My favorite is to add over the top secondary characters. This allows your main characters to be somewhat sane while others take on larger-than-life characteristics. It makes sense. Doesn’t everyone have an eccentric aunt/grandmother/cousin? Or several.

The Hazards of Book Research

2008-08-15T07:26:00.004-05:00

I am working on a new women’s fiction manuscript where the main character is a professional baker. I interviewed a very nice baker who gave me lots of great information. After turning to television and the internet for more info, I have decided one thing. I’ve made a big mistake!

I can’t watch episodes of Ace of Cakes on the Food Network (which comes on at 9pm my time) and view sites with beautiful creations from Sugar Art Shows without being hungry. All. The. Time.

I’m not sure who the main character will be in my next book, maybe a teacher, lawyer, or librarian. But no bakers, chefs, and definitely no candy makers.

For fans of cake baking or the boy wizard, check out this video of Chef Duff’s cake at a Harry Potter premier.

RWA Conference - Part Two

2008-08-08T11:15:00.001-05:00

The RWA conference was a whirlwind of activity. My online chapter, Elements of RWA gathered for breakfast on Friday morning. It was great to see chapter members in person. Elements of RWA is a chapter for writers of novels with romantic elements. This includes mystery/suspense writers, writers of paranormal fiction, and women’s fiction writers (like me).

Friday continued with more workshops, agent and editor pitch appointments, publisher book signings, and the awards luncheon with speaker, Connie Brockway. I attended some great workshops, including one on how to make your own book trailer. I’m hoping that I’ll actually need this skill one day and I’m pretty sure I’ll have to call on DH to help with this.

My favorite workshop of the conference was Save the Cat! by screenwriter and producer, Blake Snyder. Blake taught us the secret to telling great stories. The Blake Snyder Beat Sheet (available on his website) outlines the 15 beats of a story. As a musician, I like to think of these as musical beats in the story. This was a fantastic workshop with a great speaker.

The conference wrapped up with the 2008 awards ceremony. Congratulations to Kit Wilkinson for winning the Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Romance! For a complete list of winners, click here.

RWA 2008 - San Francisco

2008-08-01T07:43:00.001-05:00

Greetings from the city by the bay. The 28th annual conference of Romance Writers of America is well underway.

Wednesday night, the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing event raised over $58,000. The proceeds are divided between national literacy programs and services in the host city’s state. I volunteered at this event, selling raffle tickets for baskets of books. I have never been in sales and this is a bit outside of my comfort zone to walk down the very long lines of people waiting to get into the signing and ask them if they want to buy tickets. But it is great to help raise money for literacy and people are usually very excited to be at the event.

Thursday kicked off with a new addition to the conference, an opening session by a motivational speaker and professional pianist, Theresa Behenna. As a pianist, I am in awe of anyone who can play like Theresa. You can tell she practices a lot.

The conference keynote address was delivered by author, Victoria Alexander, an entertaining and inspiring speaker. The address is held during the first luncheon of the conference. I like the luncheons for several reasons. First, it’s a time to sit with friends and catch up and also meet other writers for the first time. When you arrive at your seat, books written by the luncheon speaker and dessert are waiting for you. What more could a writer want? I also got the opportunity to sit with a blogging buddy, Kit Wilkinson, that I met for the first time in person.

After lunch, I attended the PRO Retreat. This is one of my favorite workshop times at the conference. I am in a room with a bunch of writers like me, writers with completed manuscripts who are still trying to sell. At the beginning of the retreat, they had people wearing First Sale ribbons stand. There were four people present this year and there are more who were not there in person. It gives me hope that I’ll be wearing a First Sale ribbon one day.

I haven’t had much sleep, but to give a little twist on a popular country song (I am a member of Music City Romance Writers), I can sleep when I get home.

More later.

Music City Romance Writers at B & N

2008-07-25T08:06:00.004-05:00

I participated in a panel discussion with three fellow members of the Music City Romance Writers at our local Barnes & Noble this week. It was a great experience, even though it was a bit nerve-wracking at first. Seeing so many members of our chapter there to support the group went a long way towards settling my jitters.

The topic was How A Professional Writing Organization Can Benefit Your Career (Or Not). We talked about the advantages of writers’ groups, conferences, and critique groups.

(photo: Ramona Richards, Jody Wallace, Annie Solomon, and me)

Here’s a short summary from part of my talk. My writing has improved with each of these steps, joining RWA & SCBWI, attending national conferences, and joining a critique group. Finding my current critique group has been a big plus in my writing this year.

I first met my critique partners in an unusual way. I attended the SCBWI-Midsouth regional conference last fall in Nashville. I knew no one at the conference when I arrived. On our nametags, our hometown was listed, so I spent a lot of time staring a people’s nametags, looking for people who lived in my area. While I was in line for the ladies’ restroom (a line that can be Very long at writers’ conferences), I met my critique partner, Jennifer. She introduced me to another member of our current group (after we exited the ladies’ room).

The moral of this part of the story is: Take advantage of time spent in line. You never know who you’ll meet. This advice should come in handy next week. I’ll be attending the RWA national conference in San Francisco. I am looking forward to networking, workshops, and catching up with friends. And Yes! My manuscript is ready to pitch.

Next week: Reporting from RWA 2008 in San Francisco.

Interview with Jody Wallace

2008-07-18T08:41:00.008-05:00

I am thrilled to have my friend and fellow writer (and designer of the really cool heading on my blog) Jody Wallace, aka Ellis Marvel, on the blog today.

Welcome Jody! Your second novel, Survival of the Fairest, was released this week. It is the story of a fairy who heads to Las Vegas during a mandatory no-magic period of two weeks. How did you do the research for this story? Do you have hidden talents we need to know about?

Sometimes I sucker into a family vacation that involves no electricity, no running water and stinky outhouses. Since the loss of modern conveniences pains me so, I figured it would pain someone who was used to even more conveniences -- like doing everything with magic -- even more so. And a person who's in pain is always a good place to start a story, right? Especially when it's funny pain instead of depressing pain.

Wait, that answers the question about where the idea came from -- which you didn't even ask -- and not the question about research. Unless my journey into pain each summer counts as research? For research, I also got married in Vegas in 1999, surfed the internet for weeks on end for more Vegas information, and read a bunch of books about alien conspiracy theories and Area 51.

I have learned to crochet gnomes. But I haven't hidden that talent; I'm quite proud of it. Oh, I've successfully hidden my talent of being an efficient and cleanly housekeeper from my husband. He has no idea what I'm truly capable of, and I intend to keep it that way!

Your Jody Wallace books are e-books. Is this all about being green? What does this mean? (Oops, I slipped into Dr. Seuss speak.)

Being green is part of it. A lot of what I read is in electronic format, even when paper is available. Elecronic books have a much smaller carbon footprint than paper books, even when you take into account the technology required to create electronic books and readers. Another part of it is that certain types of fiction fare better in small press than in mainstream press.

You share a household with a cat by the name of Meankitty. Who is she and how did she get so famous?

She is a little punk who insisted on being put on the internet in 1999-2000 to share her snark and wiles with the world. After a divine -- make that feline -- inspiration, I created the site around about then, and all by itself it went viral. I did nothing to promote it, but suddenly I was getting hundreds of emails and visitors a day, the site was on the Art Bell show, it was a Yahoo pick of the day--I could NOT keep up! But I loved it.

With the onset of sites like LOLCATS and other image-oriented sites, Meankitty has declined in traffic and email. It's more text-intensive and less interactive--it doesn't cater as much to web surfers with shorter attention spans who like to leave their own comments and vote on cheezburgers. I appreciate all the cat humor sites and the fact that they have different approaches, so that's not meant as a criticism. Lately she's been clamoring for a book deal. That Meankitty is never satisfied!

Thanks for visiting, Jody! To learn more about Jody and her books, go to www.jodywallace.com.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Jody’s newest e-book and some cool promotional stuff. The drawing will be held on Tuesday.

Countdown to Conference

2008-07-11T13:50:00.001-05:00

The annual Romance Writers of America conference starts in nineteen days. During the month of July, I am usually writing fast and furious trying to finish a manuscript to pitch at the conference. This year is no exception.

I have a short women’s fiction manuscript I wrote last year that has received one rejection and has been on my hard drive collecting imaginary dust. This is a definite no-no in the aspiring writer’s world of trying to get published. No one will buy your manuscript if it sits in your desk drawer, computer, etc.

I wrote a few chapters of a second story set in the same fictional town, then set it aside to focus on my children’s stories. I had no problem with this for a few months. Then I started thinking about the main characters in the second book. I wondered what happened to them, but I didn’t know because I never finished the story. They wouldn’t leave me alone. So I printed out the first story again and asked one of my critique partners to read it. She did and gave me lots of wonderful comments. I talked to another writer friend about the manuscript and decided to expand the story, make it longer, so I can pitch it to someone else at the upcoming conference.

I have quite a few pages left to write. Here’s hoping I make it. I’ll just have to do it one page at the time.

Ten Years Ago (a partial meme)

2008-07-03T18:04:00.001-05:00

My friend, Shauna Roberts, tagged me for a meme. I am going to break with meme tradition and blog on only Question #1: What were you doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago, I worked full-time as a social worker in New Orleans. I was the mother of a preschooler. My daughter’s favorite read-aloud books from that period included Sandra Boynton’s board books, especially The Going to Bed Book and But Not The Hippopotamus. Now my daughter and I read a lot of the same books, separately. Then we discuss.

Here is a list of a few books we read together separately this year:

City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Kid Lit as a Travel Guide

2008-06-27T08:15:00.006-05:00

The hubby and I went to Chicago earlier this week. When we discussed our travel plans, DH asked me if there was anywhere special I wanted to go. I quickly answered, “Yes! I want to see Sue.”

Sue is not a person. She is the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered. Visitors to the Field Museum in Chicago can see Sue in the main entrance hall. I read about Sue in the picture book, The Field Mouse and the Dinosaur Named Sue by Jan Wahl several years ago. Since then, I have wanted to go to Chicago to see the giant skeleton.

Sue is named after Sue Hendrickson, the fossil hunter who discovered the skeleton in Faith, South Dakota in 1990. The skeleton was purchased at auction by the Field Museum for $8.3 million. Wow!

Sue’s 600-pound head is in a separate case on a balcony overlooking the skeleton since its weight prevents it from being supported with the display. A 200-pound replica of her head was made and mounted with the rest of her skeleton.

Who needs a travel guide when children’s books are available?

Hindsight is 20/20

2008-06-20T07:38:00.001-05:00

I will be participating in a writers’ panel next month. We will be speaking to a group of writers on the benefits of belonging to a professional writers’ organization. I of course represent the writer on the road to publication. I started thinking about what experience (not wisdom) I might impart to the group. My first thought was – if you are a serious writer, join with other writers.

I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) after I had completed a few children’s stories and started attending local chapter meetings. I joined Romance Writers of America (RWA) and my local RWA chapter after completing a draft of my first novel-length manuscript. I thought that a completed manuscript was required to join!

My writing skills were not improving while I sat at my computer and wrote in a vacuum. I started to fill my writer’s tool chest when I talked with other writers -- one-on-one, in small groups, and at large conferences.

My writing tip of the week: Join with other writers. Not only will you improve your craft, but you’ll meet some really cool people.

Books and Movies

2008-06-13T08:32:00.002-05:00

After reading a string of books for research, I treat myself to a laugh out loud contemporary or historical romance. A great book sometimes makes me want to see a favorite movie again. A new movie will remind me of another movie that has to be added to the must-see list or a book I must tack onto the to-be-read pile.

I recently read Whispers of Heaven by Candice Proctor (aka C.S. Harris), set in 1840 Tasmania. This wonderful book that is now on my keeper shelf reminded me of another favorite, The Thorn Birds, set a century later in New Zealand. My copy of the book is on a shelf in my mom’s house so I asked the young clerk at my local video store if they had any copies of the DVD. I could tell by her puzzled look that she had never heard of it. And unfortunately, the answer was no.

The movie, Nim’s Island (based on the book by the same name), was a must-see after the previews showing Jodie Foster’s writer character. This fun family movie added another film onto my future viewing list, Romancing the Stone. Anytime Romancing the Stone is mentioned or clips are shown at the Romance Writers of America conference, it gets a huge amount of applause. Not sure if all of the writers in my area are checking the movie out, but it looks like I will have to buy my own copy if I want to see if anytime soon. Such a hardship.

Am I the only one in this book reading-movie watching cycle? Is it summertime fever? Do you have any favorite books or movies that you pull off of the shelf at this time of year?

Mirrors in Storytelling

2008-06-06T08:26:00.001-05:00

What do mirrors and storytelling have in common? I think of magic mirrors in fairy tales first. “Mirror, mirror on the wall . . .” from Snow White or the magic mirror from The Sister’s Grimm by Michael Buckley. I have to add the Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Characters can also mirror each other. I have been brushing up on some craft info lately and read a passage about mirror characters in Darcy Pattison’s Novel Metamorphosis (a great workbook on revision). She said Mirror Characters “are used to highlight similarities or contrast differences” and gave one example as Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl’s characters of pirates Pintel and Ragetti mirroring the two bumbling British soldiers.

I mentioned this at the dinner table one night. The Parker children are taking their Summer Rights seriously by watching the entire Star Wars series (again) this week. They told me there are mirror characters in Star Wars also and gave these examples:

Anakin’s arm cut off (Episode II)
Luke’s hand cut off (Episode VI)

Anakin electrocuted by Count Dooku (Episode II)
Luke electrocuted by Emperor/Darth Sidious (Episode VI)

In the Harry Potter series, I see Harry and Tom Riddle/Voldemort as mirror characters.

Do you recognize any mirror characters in your favorite books or movies?

Word Choice and Lightning Bugs

2008-05-30T08:25:00.001-05:00

Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”

We must make word choices everywhere. Maybe word choice is not so important in conversations where specific words are soon forgotten and only the overall message is saved in the brain, but word choice becomes more important when it is delivered in writing. Have you ever read something you wrote the day before – a sentence, a scene, an entire chapter – then realized it makes no sense?

I buzz through a first draft and leave word choice repair for the revision (which I’m currently working on with my middle grade mystery). After critiquing a friend’s manuscript this week and marking Word Choice in many places, I started to think I was being too picky. Then I read Mark Twain’s quote, on the same day that I saw the first lightning bug of the season. Word Choice is only one tool in manuscript writing. But I don’t want to turn any cute lightning bugs into lightning in my manuscripts.

Summer's Here!

2008-05-23T11:20:00.000-05:00

Things I will not miss about the school year:

*assisting child in completion of a school project at 9:30 p.m.
*inquiring why project is being completed at the last minute and being asked by my child: “Do you think YOU could write a book in 4 ½ months?”
*after replying in the affirmative being told, “Do you think you could write a book in 4 ½ months AND take care of other responsibilities?”

Things I look forward to about summer:

*taking my Alphasmart to the pool and sitting in the shade to write while children swim
*exploring summer reading lists to find new books/authors

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Six Unremarkable Quirks

2008-05-16T07:13:00.001-05:00

My friend, Shauna Roberts tagged me for the Six Unremarkable Quirks meme. Here are the rules:

* Link the person who tagged you.
* Mention the rules in your blog.
* Tell about six unsuspecting quirks of yours.
* Tag six bloggers by linking them.
* Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
(Even though I am generally a rule-follower, I skipped the last two.)

After I told DH about the meme he said, “But you don’t have any quirks.” (cue maniacal laughter). Truly, the real problem with this post was narrowing the quirks down to only six.

1. I sing in my car (when I am alone). If I start tuning up with my daughter in the car, she cringes. I am a classically-trained pianist, but unfortunately, my musical talent does not translate to my voice.

2. Within twelve hours of completing the first draft of a manuscript, I must have Chinese food. Is this a well-deserved reward or superstitious behavior, similar to baseball players wearing the same socks for every game? And does it help for an unpublished/yet-to-be published/pre-published writer to have writing rituals? Hey, it couldn’t hurt.

3. When I accompany a family member to the hospital for surgery, tests, etc., I must have one week’s worth of reading material in my possession. Even though I may only be in the waiting room for two hours.

4. Trident gum in my vicinity helps the writing process. If the last piece is gone, my computer is abandoned until I find more gum in my purse, car, etc.

5. My cell phone must be near or on my person when DH and the children are at work/school, even when I go out to the mailbox.

6. I sometimes use different bookmarks for different types of books. Bookmarks with inspirational quotes and bookstore bookmarks are for non-fiction books. Bookmarks from favorite authors are for novels. The Dr. Seuss bookmark is for special books. Yes, I love bookmarks.

Tennessee Renaissance Festival

2008-05-09T07:25:00.005-05:00

Last week I stepped into my time-travel machine (a big yellow school bus filled with middle school students) and journeyed to the 16th century, aka the annual Tennessee Renaissance Festival. This was my first encounter with a renaissance festival. Wow, it almost seemed like I had stepped back in time, sort of like reading a favorite novel.

After alighting from our time-travel machine, our first stop was the jousting field. This was the most popular event with the crowd. Knights on horseback raced across the field in full armor. I immediately thought of one of my favorite movies, A Knight’s Tale. My younger companions must not be great fans of the movie because they were done with the joust quickly and ready to move on to perusing the vendors’ wares, mainly the jewelry.

The fire-eating comedian was a big attraction. I must say this is the first time I have ever seen someone perform this feat in person. Very impressive. I wonder if he had to go to school to learn this or if he apprenticed? My companions were completely enthralled with this, perhaps because lots of middle school boys were also at this show.

Queen Elizabeth I was in attendance to take commoner’s questions on life as a royal in her day. To take a quiz to learn more about the queen, click here.

There is also a real live castle on the grounds open for tours.

If you could travel to any time period in a real live time machine, where would you go?

Rejection Accessories

2008-05-02T07:10:00.002-05:00

Rejection is a part of everyday life. It starts with playground politics, then advances to dating and relationships before proceeding to workplace advancement. We each have different coping mechanisms to deal with this.

Rejection letters (the thanks, but no thanks letters from publishers and agents) are an expected part of my writing life. I log them in and tuck them away with my growing collection. Occasionally, the letters arrive in groups or happen to show up on the same day that I encounter other excitement such as running into the steps in our garage crushing the bottom one and/or burning half the dinner I made from scratch because the bottom rack of my oven is too close to the burner (something I would know if I used the oven more often).

On days like this, there is only one thing to do. Accessorize. I put on every single piece of jewelry that I own, well almost. Why does this make me feel better? I’m not sure. But I do know that women have been adorning themselves for many years. Shells that were pierced to be strung as beads dating back to the Middle Stone Age have been discovered. Egyptians fashioned gold into many forms of jewelry over 5000 years ago.

So what keeps you on an even keel when rejection shows up?

Everyone writer faces rejection. Click here to read snippets from rejection letters received by some famous authors.

Blogger’s note: I did not receive any rejection letters this week, but the running into the steps thing and burning half the dinner were both all too real.

Speaking of bling, click over to author Brenda Novak’s annual Online Auction to benefit Diabetes Research. The auction takes place every May and offers handmade jewelry, autographed books, and lots of other fun stuff for writers and readers.

Interview with Farrah Rochon

2008-04-25T07:08:00.003-05:00

An aspiring writer recently asked me a few questions about the writing process. Her #1 question was “How do you make time for writing?” Time management is an area where most of us would like to improve. I decided to ask someone that I consider a time management guru when it comes to carving out writing time to share a few tips here.

I am pleased to have romance author Farrah Rochon on the blog today to answer a few questions about time management for the writer.

Interview with Farrah:

1. Do you have a writing plan for the week? How important is flexibility as the week progresses?

When I first began to seriously pursue my writing career, I started with a three-pages-per-day writing goal. I worked a full-time job at the time, and found this to be the most manageable. As time (and my career) has progressed, I've had to increase that goal. These days, I vacillate between a time and page quota. I try to write at least six to eight pages per day, or for three and a half to four hours per day, whichever comes first.

It is extremely important to be flexible. You never know what is going to pop up on you. For example, I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my very first niece for the past week. I know that at any moment I may get a phone call saying that my sister-in-law has gone into labor. My writing will take a back seat, but I will eventually have to make up for those hours I will miss. That's why I've tried to incorporate a weekly goal, as well. I strive for 30 to 40 pages per week, and if I'm not able to accomplish that during a five day work week, I make up for it on the weekends.

2. Has your writing schedule changed since your first book was published?

Before being published, I could spend days reworking the same scene over and over and over again, then decide it was better the first time around. Well, I now have these nasty little things called deadlines, which don't give me the luxury of toying with my words the way I used to.

Thankfully, the two novels I've sold were already complete before the contract was finalized. However, I had my first taste of what it's like to write under a strict deadline with my Christmas novella, which will be out this October. I had two months to develop, write, and edit the story. This changed my normal writing routine drastically. I had to table my current work-in-progress and devote all of my time to the novella. Then, that flexibility thing became extremely important. A few weeks into writing the novella, I received the revision letter for my second novel. It had a super fast turnaround time (three weeks), so I quickly devised a split schedule for working on both books at the same time--the novella in the morning and the revisions in the afternoon. Sleep became a luxury during those days. As I look back on it, I probably could have come up with a better plan, but you live and learn.

3. What other tips or suggestions do you have for writers to maximize their writing time?

Don't waste a single minute. I always carry a small tablet with me. When I'm standing in line at the grocery store, bank, or post office, I take it out and do a little plotting. Most cell phones have voice recorders these days. So, when I'm waiting in traffic, I dictate dialogue between my characters.

One of the most important things writers need to realize is that their writing time is just as important as anything else. It's not the time to run errands, check email, or volunteer for yet another committee at your kid's school. You must learn to be more selfish. If this is really what you want to do, commit yourself to finding the time to develop your craft.

Thank you Farrah for taking the time to answer my questions! I really needed to hear this.

To learn more about Farrah and her books, please visit her website at http://www.farrahrochon.com/.

One lucky person who leaves a comment will win a copy of Farrah’s debut novel, DELIVER ME. I will draw the name next Wednesday evening.

Red Herring

2008-04-18T08:37:00.002-05:00

My research question for the week: What is a red herring?

A red herring is a misleading clue, usually used in mystery novels. The author is pointing the finger at an innocent party to keep the reader in the dark about who the real villain is until the end. After all, who wants to read an entire book if everything is explained by the middle of the story?

In the first Harry Potter book, the character of Snape is the red herring, pointing us away from the true villain, Professor Quirrell.

The Nancy Drew mystery series (some of my childhood favorites) are classic red herring stories.

I am working on a red herring for my Work In Progress, a middle grade mystery. A friend recommended an Agatha Christie mystery, “And Then There Were None” as a great example of the red herring device. Agatha Christie must be a good writer to emulate. There are two billion copies of her books in print and her play, “Mousetrap”, is the longest continuously running play in the world. It premiered on the London stage in 1952 and is still going strong.

Just for fun, a quote by the author:

“The best time to plan a book is while you’re doing the dishes.”--Agatha Christie.
(I like this one because no house elves have shown up to clean my kitchen yet.)

Do you have any favorite books or movies that use the red herring device?

Critique Group Magic

2008-04-11T08:47:00.001-05:00

Writing is a solitary activity. Or is it? I have heard the comment that actors are the only artists who must have others around them to work on their craft. Writers, musicians, and painters can work in the privacy of their own home, studio, personal space at their favorite coffee shop, etc.

I may create the first draft of a new manuscript alone, but fortunately, Help is on the Way. Writers may be solitary individuals by personality or by necessity, but there’s nothing most of us like better than talking to other writers. So we form critique groups. I am fortunate to participate in a critique group with three other writers. This has been an amazing experience. Besides the obvious fun of talking with other writers while drinking coffee, I get professional, helpful comments given in a kind manner.

This week I wrote some additional pages on a manuscript I am revising and asked for a quick read. The members of my critique group all replied the very same day with comments.

Some writers say that the key to writing is rewriting. A good critique group can only improve the rewriting. Hopefully, joining a critique group is one step in the right direction on the road to publication.

C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were members of a group called the Inklings where they read works in progress to the group for critique.

Are there any other writers out there who want to brag on their critique group? Are there any other areas of life where you wish you had a critique group?

A Conversation between 2 Writers

2008-04-04T08:25:00.001-05:00

A conversation at the Parker house earlier this week:

Me: “I think you need to make this section past tense. It takes place years ago.”

Darling Husband (DH): “No. It’s present tense because each section is a stand alone scene.”

Me: “But it happened in the past. Why is it present tense?”

DH: “The reader puts the pieces in order. You have to trust the reader to think.”

Me: “Well, I don’t read short stories, and it is your story, so.” Then I shrugged.

DH: Nodding. “That’s right. It’s a short story. It’s different from a novel.”

Note: He graciously didn’t tell me that I don’t know anything about writing short stories, especially literary short stories.

Actually, I’m not a big fan of stories that aren’t HEA (Happily Ever After). Okay, well, sometimes I read them, then I have to read several HEA books in a row to get back in my reading-balance. But all stories I write are definitely HEA. It may look like all hope is lost until the bitter end, but my characters will get their HEA, whether it is discovering a lost treasure, escaping a natural disaster, or conquering a villain.

Can most HEA writers be counted on to consistently deliver a satisfying ending for the Happily Ever After people like me? If you are an HEA fan, do you insist on HEA books when you are reading?

Natchez Trace - Part 2

2008-03-28T07:16:00.010-05:00

I have completed my trek along the Natchez Trace Parkway, traveling from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. The Trace is full of interesting stops where drivers and bicyclists can turn in and see beautiful sights or learn a bit of history. I want to share my favorites with you.

MOUNT LOCUST
Mount Locust is the only remaining inn of approximately fifty that served travelers on the Old Trace. Mount Locust is at milepost 15.5 on the Trace or just a few minutes from the beginning of the parkway by car. The inn was a one day walk from Natchez in the Trace’s heyday. Thank goodness for automobiles!
The Park Ranger at Mount Locust is a descendant of the inn’s operators and was born in the house.

ROCKY SPRINGS
This was my first visit to a ghost town. Rocky Springs, a thriving community first settled in the 1790’s, grew to over 2500 people at its peak. The yellow fever epidemic, boll weevils, and the demise of the spring that gave the town its name caused the town to dwindle to nothing. Now all that remains is a church overlooking what was once a thriving town, but is now a walking trail. Two safes, minus their doors, stand among the trees. Everything else is gone.

MERIWETHER LEWIS MEMORIAL
Meriwether Lewis, senior commander of the Lewis and Clark expedition, died on the Trace on the night of October 11, 1809. The circumstances surrounding his death are a real historical mystery. He either committed suicide or was murdered. I was told by one park ranger that his expedition journals, which Meriwether Lewis had in his possession, were never recovered.

This tragic event occurred at Grinder’s Stand, an inn where he stopped for the night as he traveled to Washington, D.C. A replica of Grinder’s Stand is at this stop along with a memorial and burial site of this great explorer.

JACKSON FALLS
This beautiful waterfall named after Andrew Jackson is near the end of the Parkway. We hiked down the path 900 feet to see the falls. The water cascades down to a clear pool before disappearing around a bend. Then we had to hike the 900 feet back up to our car. Not so easy, but definitely worth the time and effort.

There are so many great sights along the Trace that I could fill several blogs with the information. But I will stop here and encourage you to see for yourself when you get the chance.

Natchez Trace Parkway

2008-03-21T11:43:00.002-05:00

Peter Parker’s spidey-sense tingles when Spider-Man is needed nearby. I think a storyteller’s writer-sense tingles when a story is present. When I enter the Natchez Trace Parkway, I feel the stories of the people who traveled the road two centuries before hanging in the air.

I wanted to take the same journey in the comfort of my automobile. I started in Natchez, Mississippi and am making my way up the 444 mile two-lane highway that the National Park Service maintains as a tribute to this important road in our nation’s history.

Trace is French for animal track. A park ranger at the Trace Headquarters in Tupelo, Mississippi told me that four major groups used the Trace.

Animals first carved out the trail that became the Natchez Trace. Two theories are: the animals were following the sources of water OR they were traveling to salt licks in the Nashville area.

Native American Indians used the same trail. The Trace winds through land that was part of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations.

Kaintucks traveled the Trace from 1785-1830. Kaintucks were men who floated down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to take goods to Natchez and New Orleans. Their boats were dismantled and sold for lumber and these men used the Natchez Trace to walk to Nashville and on to their homes.

Postriders used the trace from 1800-1825. The U.S. Government met with the Choctaw and Chickasaw leaders to gain permission to use the Trace as a national postal road to transport mail between Nashville and Natchez.

By 1830, people could travel up the Mississippi River by steamboat and the Natchez Trace was no longer used on a regular basis.

As I continue my trek along the Trace: more stories and perhaps a photo or two later.

Write Attitude

2008-03-14T08:32:00.001-05:00

As Flu Fest slowly crawls to a close in the Parker household, the number of words/pages added to my Work In Progress this week = Zero.

In lieu of a weekly blog, I want to share one of my favorite websites. For writers and dreamers of all sorts, please click here to visit Write Attitude. Enjoy!