Blog Chain Blatherskite

Abi started this chain, which you can find here:

http://bloggingexperiments.wordpress.com/

Elana was before me ( http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ) and she is going to be a hard act to follow, what with her interviewer being a hot guy from EW and all....lucky dawg!

Leah follows me here: http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/

Abi's Topic is:
1. What writing related things have you done in the past?
2. What WIPs are you working on now?
3. Do you have anything brewing for the future?
4. Are you setting any writing goals or resolutions for 2009?

She was also thoughtful enough to let us choose what questions we answered, all of them, or just the ones we wanted to. Since my brain has been on an extended vacation for the holidays, I figured I'd jump into the deep end and go for it!

1. I have had several short stories published. I would say they were paranormal romance. I have also finished (operative word) a 95,000 word historical romance and promptly shoved it into a sock drawer. I also have several WIPs, in fact, I have a total of four that I have either outlined, actually started writing, or just loosely plotted. ADD is a BAD thing at times!

2. At the moment, I am working on a paranormal mystery/romance, although I have been a slacker since school has been out for the kids. They go back Tuesday...YEA!

3. & 4. Since the last two questions are future related, I'm just gonna lump them together. I, like most people, thought long and hard about the things that I would like to achieve in the upcoming year. I think the smallest goal for my writing is to finish my current WIP that I just labeled "Ghost MS", since it is currently untitled. The largest goal is to sign with an agent in 2009. I could say that I'll blog every day, or even every other day, but I always tell my husband that I am "consistently inconsistent", so I have no delusions that I could stick with that. I do, however, feel that finishing a WIP, revising and polishing it, and then querying isn't something that is unattainable for the new year, so there you have it folks. I must now be held accountable because it's IN MY BLOG!

So how about you guys, New Year resolutions abound, tell me about it!

Boomer Sooner Baby!

I have mentioned before that in our house we "bleed Crimson and Cream". What that means is that we LOVE our Sooner football. In fact, when my husband and I got married, we had to schedule our trip around OU football.

It was a great weekend to be a Sooner fan. We won the Big 12 championship game, set a new NCAA record by scoring 60+ points in 5 consecutive games, and we will be playing for the National Title.

This is what I posted back on September 9, 2008:

"For those of you who don't follow NCAA football, OU (the University of Oklahoma) is going to have a banner year. My husband predicts (and I do concur), that we will play for the National Title this year. Yes, people, OU is just THAT good!" (http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/09/unexcused-absense.html )

I had forgotten about that, but hubby reminded me tonight, so I had to go hunt that post down. Of course it also mentions a diet (ahem), which I failed miserably, and revisions to my historical romance that I have since thrown in the proverbial sock drawer.

None of these things get me down, because I am currently working on a new paranormal romance/mystery WIP that I have outlined and am so excited about, my laundry is almost caught up (that's a big deal when you have five kids), and my wonderful hubby gave me the most beautiful diamond necklace for Christmas.

I will admit that it was a total Hallmark moment when he gave it to me, and I actually teared up. My hands were shaking when I tried to put it on. Even I get emotional sometimes!

Today life is good...tomorrow I'll fight the battles that life throws at me, and on Wednesday, I am starting an all new Hunky Hump Day post that you girls won't want to miss!!!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

Yes kiddos, it’s that time again! I feel lucky to have been invited to become a member of the blog chain with this multi-talented group of writers. Some may even have super powers, just go check out Elana’s blog (http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ ), she posted before me. And H.L. Dyer will be next (http://hldyer.wordpress.com/).


The topic for our blog chain posts is different each time, and we take turns coming up with a question. As Elana said before me, we are getting closer to the time when we will have to pick, but luckily, she’s gonna have to come up with something brilliant before I do (but not too brilliant….then I’ll just look bad when I have to choose a topic).


Sandra (http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/) started this one, and she gave us a super hint. It was a video clip from The Princess Bride (check out her blog, it’s there). “As you wish.” Is definitely something that every woman would LOVE to have their man say to every simple request. So here’s the question:


What is the role of wish fulfillment in fiction? What personal wishes do you want your stories to fulfill? Are they the same ones you want to read about? How do our fictitious wishes affect our everyday wishes?


Now, I must admit (not for the first time) that I am a bit impulsive. I also have an imagination with a mind of its own. When I read the question the first time, I just skimmed it and then my imagination answered in lots of visuals. There was Gerard Butler doing my laundry, next he was mopping the kitchen floor, then he was cooking dinner. Each time I asked him to do something he would reply in his lovely Scottish brogue,

“As ye wish, Princess.” (okay, I threw the “Princess” in just so that I could imagine the “r’s” rolling off his tongue).

Now what does it say about me that I would fantasize about Gerard Butler doing my laundry or cleaning my house? Sad, isn’t it?

But then I read the first post by Sandra. Oops, I misunderstood the question.

Okay, I’m sure that most people agree that they read fiction as an escape from their life; being able to imagine yourself in a different time period, a different location, maybe even hob-knobbing with super natural beings. Whatever genre you read, or write for that matter, it’s usually because that’s what or where you’d like to be, at least for a few minutes of your day.

I think one wish for my writing would be that it takes the reader to another place. Whether you journey with Margaret to eighteenth century Scotland, get inside the head of Kathryn who is haunted by a young boy, or travel through the Veil with Gerard the Gede (***sorry Voodoo Priestess if that reference offends you), I want my readers to relate to my characters and experience emotions right along with them. I want readers to care about what happens to my characters. I think I want what most writers want. What do you think?


***

http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/09/open-apology-to-vodou-priestess.html

Blog Chain Blatherskite

Yes, it's time for another blog chain post, and this go around was started with Michelle http://www.michellemclean.blogspot.com/ . Elana was before me: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ , and Leah comes next in the chain:
http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ .

When I met Michelle, we were instantly awed by the similarities to our historical romance novels...thank God they were both completed BEFORE we met, or there could have been questions about how those similarities took place.

I really liked her....until now! I have been procrastinating for days about writing this post. In fact, in an attempt to avoid this post, I have outlined and started rewrites on the ghost/paranormal romance, and even started trying to decide how to start my next historical romance (which has been outlined for a while). All this has taken place in the last three days.

What could be so bad about this post? Well, according to Michelle, who is in the process of unpacking from a move, this would be a "fun post"... fun like a root canal?
Let's just move onto the dreaded question:



Share a favorite poem, quote, joke, anecdote, or anything of the sort that deals with writing, writers, the publishing industry, or the other strange and unusual tidbits that belong to our little world.

I don't do poems, and I usually only quote myself, my kids, or my grandmother (she told me the day before she died "Be good...if you can't be good, then be good at it!"). Jokes seem to lose the finer nuances when you read them, opposed to hearing them, so I guess anecdote is what you guys are going to get.

I mentioned in a previous post that I got to meet my favorite author, Diana Gabaldon, at a sci-fi convention this summer ( http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/07/diana-gabaldon-and-time-displacement.html ).

What I didn't mention, was my reaction when I saw her! Um, I came across as the crazy fan from hell. I ran up to her, and said,

"I'm here! I told you on your blog I'd be here, and here I am!" To which she smiled that tolerant, oh dear God it's a stalker, get me out of here, smile. My friend Lisa was mortified. I just chalked it up to me and my big mouth and shrugged it off.

Now moving on to my next "I don't care what you think about me" story. This just happened today. I pulled up to get gas at the local station. As I got out, a motorcycle police officer pulls up at the pump next to me. I instantly see this as a research opportunity, since the hero in my paranormal romance is a police officer. Here's how that went:

"Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?" I said, while peeking around the gas pump.

The man looked up suspiciously, and answered warily, "Sure".

"How long would it take an officer to become a Lieutenant?"
He just looked at me, so I went on, "I'm writing a book, and I made my main character a Lieutenant, but I'm worried he's too young for it to be believable."

"Oh, okay." He responded, like he was asked questions like that every day.

"About fifteen years, depending on whether there is an opening."

Well, that doesn't work for my book...."What if it's a small town? Is it the same?"

"Oh, that's a whole different story. It could take a whole lot less time, if officers move or retire, could be as little as eight years."

"Cool! Thanks, that's perfect. Small town it is!"

So there you have it, not only do I have a thick skin, I'm not afraid to look like an idiot. In fact, I think I look like an idiot on a regular basis! It's how I roll.....

A Must Have for Writers on the Elusive Agent Hunt!

Authoress, the anonymous champion of all aspiring writers, has done it again! Her latest endeavor is a no nonsense guide to starting that agent hunt and the tools to avoid pitfalls that so many of us fall into.

Many of you are familiar with her blog http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/ and her Hook the Agent contests. She also has many crit opportunities for her blog followers.

Over-all, she's just one of those really helpful people that try and make a difference by sharing her time, words of wisdom, and giving other's a chance to get a leg up in the elusive agent hunt. That being said, her new e-book release is now available:

This can be purchased for $9.99 on Authoress's blog (the link is above). It is an e-book, so talk about instant gratification!

The resources that she gives you are priceless. You could spend months and months researching these things on the web, read books on getting published (which are certainly not going to be cheaper), and would still be left wondering where to start.

Authoress has given you the tools, the lists (I so love lists), and the places to go so that you can too can find an agent, and then how to go about getting an agent that is right for you.

If you have written, are writing, or even thinking about writing something, this is a tool that you NEED. Go visit her blog, look around, and order her book. I promise you won't be sorry!

Oh yeah, and tell her Terri sent you...not that I get a kick-back, but I have a secret fantasy that maybe she's Nora Roberts, or JK Rowling, or Diana Gabaldon and I'd like to have brownie points!

Beware! Pirates!!!

Scary, aren't they? I mentioned in a previous post that my two youngest Tory (left) and Tessa (right) wanted to be pirates for Halloween. I couldn't resist posting a picture of them in all their pirate glory.

I also wanted to take a few minutes to direct you to some really great posts. Mrs. 4444, the Martha Stewart of blogging (no, she REALLY is), had a great post about raising kids, and it is GOLDEN advice. Instead of typing my own version, since I agree with her's 100%, you should all go read about it here: http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/2008/11/respect.html .

Another place to check out is Rhea's blog, http://texaswordtangle.blogspot.com/ . She is having a SUPER giveaway, and even though she's a Texan (I'll overlook it Rhea), she's got a great blog!

Okay, now I'll move on to my latest gripe. I have read that so many people become addicted to blogging, or to facebook, or to twitter. NOT ME! I can not stay away from Craigslist. I read random ads, just for the heck of it. I click on the free stuff section ALL the time, just KNOWING I'm going to find some great treasure (I haven't). I need to find a support group for this. Anybody else out there have a site, game, or something on-line that they just can't seem to stay away from for more than an hour at a time? Enquiring minds wanna know!

Blog Chain Blatherskite

Some people argue that creative people need “angst” to produce good work. Do you? What emotions drive you as a writer?

Do I need angst to produce good work?

That seems a bit subjective to me, since most writers would like to think that every time they pen something that it will be considered good at the very least. I will say that had it not been for angst, I would not have started writing again (it was a very hard time in my life). Now whether what I wrote was good...let's just say it was, um, a start.

This question came at such an interesting time for me. October is my favorite month of the year. I get so excited, and by the end of the month, I was riding high http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-halloween.html . So many good things happened last week, that it was inevitable that once November started, it would be a supreme let down.

Enter my fall state of depression. So many people say that fall is their favorite time of the year. In Oklahoma fall comes late. The leaves are just now turning. November marks the beginning of a melancholy period for me. I wouldn't say that I journey into a downward spiral of depression that requires medication, I just tend to become far more subdued than normal.

That being said, it is about as close as I come to having a serious case of angst. And NO! I don't write anything well while in a mood that tends to lean towards gloomy. I get complacent, I have to use my energy to function at a normal level. It's as if some of my spirit drains along with the green in the leaves and the grass. I hardly feel creative.

What emotions drive you as a writer?

Hmmmm, this is a head scratcher for me. I never thought of any emotion driving me. The creative juices start flowing so fast I had to have an outlet. I controlled the emotion that I was pouring into my work by my song selections. As so many before me in the chain have admitted, listening to certain music often sets the tone of the written work. Whether it aids in the mood or makes those emotions stronger using auditory stimulation is anybody's guess. That is only one tool that a writer can use.

Drawing on a past experience, or an emotional scene from a movie, even feelings evoked from a favorite book, are all things that a creative mind can draw on. I do try and feel the same emotions that a character is feeling. It makes it easier to share that with a reader if you are putting yourself in the character's own mood.

This question has been my favorite so far. It came at such a great time. To be able to reflect on the swing of emotions that we all feel from time to time has been an eye-opener. It also forced me to write, which I haven't done at all this week.

Even though October is over, I still have ghost stories that I could share, and I will try and round up a few for my next post. Until then, you should really go to the beginning of this chain and follow it. The members of the blog chain are all far more talented at conveying their thoughts on this subject, and I must say that it really sucks to have to follow them!

The chain started with Archy http://archetypewriting.blogspot.com/ , Elana was before me in the chain http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ , and Leah follows my post http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ .