Category: Novel

Editing Hell

11/12/2012

Hi all, sorry to not update for a while. Life seems to naturally get much busier for me in the fall, and I've been trying to squeeze out one more draft of Move before the holidays. Thank God, I finally managed to finish draft #4 last night. I tell you, I struggled with this one. I found out that both of my publishers now require a minimum 60,000 word count for mystery novels now, and the last draft of Move came in at a little under 50,000 words. I had to add over 10,000 words. It resulted in six new chapters and adding a lot of detail. I beleive the changes are well worth it and make it a much better novel, but this wasn't easy. I have done three read throughs to make the additions and make sure that everything is "plugged in" and fits together correctly. I'm happy with this draft, though. The plot is much stronger now and I feel the story benefitted from the additions. I hope to have a final draft of this done and submitted to one of my publishers by May 2013.

Oh NaNo participants, this is what you have to look forward to. Yes, writing that rough draft is the hardest (and most time consuming) part, but the rewrites can be a pain too. But don't worry about that now. Just get that draft out there and you can worry about editing hell in 2013.

I also managed to squeeze in a revision of Feathered Frenzy this morning too. That's a very short work - I actually call it a guide because it's more the length of a novellette (at 15,500 words). I'm going to self publish that one, so it will get done when it gets done. Maybe I'll have it ready in late winter or early spring 2013.

But for now, my current writing projects are caught up and I'm putting them on hold for the holidays. Life is just too busy now. We're doing a major housecleaning to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that season is always a whirlwind of activity. There's just too much to do and trying to squeeze in time for ongoing writing projects with family activities, social activities, and work is more stress than it's worth. So I've decided to just do promotion for my published works and blogging for the remainder of 2012, and I'll pick up my ongoing writing projects again in 2013.

In other news, Rick's term on council is drawing to a close. He and the other three members had nominees put forth to replace them next year, and the congregation will vote on them December 2. Rick has one more thing to follow up with on his committee and he's helping with the congregational meetings for the elections, but it's winding down. Only one more meeting in December and he turns in his office key and goes back to being a regular member of the congregation. I say yay. He's done a lot the past 3 years. We all have (meaning the fellow council members and their spouses). I wish the nominees luck and blessing as they take over the reigns.

You know I left my committees? I'm helping Rick with his through the end of his term, but I had to come off the other committee. They're planning ongoing activities on weekdays and I just can't do that with my work schedule, so I had to quit. It's too bad because I did enjoy being more active in church, but my writing is building up and my workload is increasing since one of my colleagues resigned to go work for another section in the agency. The good news is that she has a window office and I'm moving in it when she moves out in a couple of weeks. So for the first time in my almost 15 years of working full time, I'll have a window office. The bad news is, I'm also getting her Board - so there are more meetings I have to put on and disciplinary actions to deal with until a replacement is hired. *Groan* And we all know that can be a slow process. But I'll survive. If the Lord brings you to it, He'll bring you through it. It just meant that I had to quit my church committees. Too bad really, but hopefully I'll be able to help out with activities here and there in the future. There are a couple of things I really enjoy helping with like greeting and our free thrift day, and I'd really like to continue helping with those things.

So that's where it's at for now. Things are coming along and I'm happy for that. Thankfully, I have today off for Veteran's Day, so hopefully I'll be able to get even more in order and on track. I've already made great progress today, but now I need to log off to deal with other matters, like holiday shopping and housecleaning.

Thanks to all the Veteran's that fought and gave their lives so we're free to live our crazy, hectic lives under the blessing of freedom. God bless all those who have served and continue to serve our country and to protect our freedom. We do appreciate you and pray for your safety and well being every day.

That's all today. Take care and have a great week.

Bye!

What I Need Right Now

10/20/2012

I think what I really need is to cut my life back to basics and take stock of what I have and how to best nurture the things most important to me.

Fall is naturally the busiest time of year for me, and coiencidentally it's when people want to "get together" the most too. Football season is usually the excuse for this - "let's get together to watch the game!" And I've been a social butterfly these past couple of months and participated in all sorts of gatherings, visits and get togethers.

But folks, this butterfly needs to retreat to her cocoon. No offence, but the Carolina's bye week didn't come soon enough for me this year. I need to sit out a few. The season is going on, but my "to do" list and my schedule don't get it. There are things I need to tend to around the house and with the technology committee at church. I know I said I was going to take a hiatus from my in-progress writing projects, but I really do want to get back to them with as few distractions as possible, and that means I need to put my nose to the grindstone and get things done now. And if you want me at my best during the busy holiday season, well, I need a break.

I mean no offence, of course. I just need some time to myself every now and then to catch up, rest up, take stock, and move on. I need to recharge my batteries and right now I'm running low. I've come to the conclusion that I must be an anomoly, because this seems to be a need that not many other people have. Other than my family, only Rick and one other person has admitted to needing time to themselves. It seems others actually clamor to fill those empty spaces in their lives to the point where there's no quiet, no hiatus, no opportunities to simply "be" and exist in communion with the Lord and the world. Doing, doing, doing. Well, I admire their energy and their tireless dedication to their social schedule, but I'm not afraid I can't operate like that. My life is very full right now and all the "blessings" keep me quite busy. It can be a challenge to find those moments and days with an empty spot on the calender. And they aren't usually give, so it looks like I'm going to have to take them.

I'm burned out. I need to clear off my plate to I can be true to my priorities and focus on what really matters - not on what the world says should matter.

So I'm starting today. I'm sitting out the USC-Florida game. I know, it's a big one and how could I. It's simple, really. The need for quiet in my soul outweighs "the big game." As I said, I need some time to catch up on some stuff around the house and with church so I'll be free to resume work on Move next month when I end my writing hiatus, and what better time than by focusing on that while the rest of the world (around here) is tuned into the big game. Plus, I still have Feathered Frenzy to finish, and I already have an idea for my next writing project which is a novella I hope to start in 2013. And promotion work on my already published works never ends. So there's lots to do there and I really need to get focused and get back to work on my writing soon, and taking care of the other things on my plate will really help with that.

I know life won't always be like this. I'm quitting volunteer activities in 2013, so I won't have to make decisions based on things like this soon. That was another decision I made this week. I need fewer meetings in my life and the truth is that I need to focus my time away from work on home, family and writing and that doesn't leave time for much else. I wanted to be more involved at church, and I will certainly continue to be a greeter and help with activities as I can, but I can't be bound to a committee anymore. It just doesn't work in my busy life.

As for the rest - well, eventually I'll retire from work, so that won't always be eating up most of my weekdays, but that's far away as I'm not even at the halfway point of my career. Frankly, I do have concerns about being bored if I didn't work, but those aren't concerns I need to ponder now or any time soon. Until then, it's the immovable object in my life and I have to work around it. Those aggrivations and annoyances aren't going to stop and I have to march on and do what must be done because it's my responsibilty and financial support, now and in the future. That's a reality for most people and it's something that should be easy to understand and respect.

Yes, life is busy, and sometimes it won't give you what you need so you have to take it. That's what I'm going to to today. Because if I don't take care of myself and my needs, then I'm not much good to anybody else, now am I?

That's all today. I hope you have a great weekend.

Bye!

Office Politics - In Fiction and Reality

10/9/2012

I’m often asked if the things that happened to Jana Lanning in my recent novel, Anywhere But Here, actually happened to me. For those of you that haven’t read this novel, Jana Lanning, the protagonist, is denied admission to graduate school, finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, helps her best friend get married and move out of town, and has to settle for a job that she’s overqualified for – and all of this happens within two weeks of getting her undergraduate degree. Then to make things worse, the office where she works starts a merger with another firm and Jana finds herself on the wrong end of office politics that are the final straw in her battle with depression. The thing people seem the most interested in are the office politics. People want to know if the happenings at Dixon Financial are reflective of my job before it was transferred to a new agency a couple of years ago.

In response to that I’d say not entirely, but I can’t deny that some things that happened to me early in my career are reflected in people and events that take place in the book. I know that’s cryptic, but bear in mind two things: The people and events are fictionalized and that was accomplished through a mixture of my personal experiences, experiences I’ve seen and heard of from other people, and instances I’ve read about in books, magazines, news and other media. It came from a vast pool and I’ll admit that I had experience with being on the wrong end of office politics – heck, how could you write about it even from a fictionalized perspective unless you lived it in some way – but it’s also a universal issue that anybody working in an office environment is going to be on one end or the other of. And sorry folks, but there are probably going to be times when you find yourself on the wrong side, at least from the perspective of the majority.

My purpose in both writing Anywhere But Here and this entry isn’t to bash my former workplace. These things happened a decade ago, and I must admit that I said and did things that weren’t wise and didn’t lead to the best resolution in the situations I faced. I certainly learned from those experiences and in retrospect, I’m glad I learned those lessons early in life or I certainlywouldn’t be where I am now. The purpose is to share lessons learned, because this is something that I believe everybody in the workforce faces at some time. It makes you feel isolated and lonely when it happens, but the truth is that you aren’t alone. Lots of people face it but few talk about it because frankly, it’s embarrassing.

I used to think that people playing office politics were selfish jerks that like to hurt people, but experience has shown me that it actually grows from a root of fear. People that play with power are insecure and doubt their own ability, so they create an elaborate game of turning people and things to their advantage. I’ve found that there are 2 good ways to identify a person that is likely to use power to their advantage:

1.They cling tightly to cliques that are made up of people that are higher on the chain of command than they are; and

2.They don’t associate with anybody on the chain of command below them unless it’s absolutely necessary - and those people better give them what they want immediately or it’s insubordination.

It’s the people in category #2 that usually find themselves on the losing end of office politics because any wrong word or deed will be met with fierce retaliation. I won’t say that I never see office politics anymore, but I have found that I find myself in these situations a lot less since I’ve been reclassified to a mid-level position. I’d like to think this is because I’ve proven that my knowledge and abilities are valuable, but it’s more likely that I learned valuable lessons on how to deal with these types from previous experience – and people know it.

So what’s the secret to dealing when you’re the victim of office politics? If you’re right, stand by that. Don’t ever cave in and take the quick and easy way out because that’s a temporary end. If they’d turn on you once, they’ll turn on you again. Caving in only shows that you can be taken advantage of, and they will milk that dry, plus the consequences of doing wrong will follow you a lot longer than standing up for what’s right. They might not like you, but they’ll respect you and at least know not to let you catch them with their hand in the cookie jar again. If you aren’t right, correct yourself immediately and stick to your guns in walking down the right road. And whichever situation you’re in, it’s imperative that you have patience. Truth will show itself in time and it will be end game then. It might take months or even years for things to come around, but they will and you’ll be better off for it. The reward will come in patient endurance, and it will be something that nobody can deny. Sure, there are people that are so stubborn that they’ll refuse to change their mind no matter what happens, but don’t worry about them. Leave them in their ignorance and move on because it’s highly probably that they’ll be gone in time themselves.

I believe Jana Lanning in Anywhere But Here is a good personification of office politics gone wrong, because she’s the one in the weakest position. She didn’t do anything wrong and in fact suffered for doing right, but recent personal losses kept her from taking a stand in the right way and the right timing. The people that create these situations are masters at turning things against you even if you didn’t do anything wrong, and it’s exhausting to constantly defend your own character. Unfortunately, she found this out too late and suffered the consequences of crossing the wrong people simply by being who she was and not deferring to people doing things wrong. She was right and had proof of it, but she didn’t know how to present that truth in a combative work environment. That happens sometimes, and it’s awful. I think the worst offence in the world is to have to suffer for other peoples’ mistakes, and office politics are the ultimate example of that.

I think this is why eople tell me that they find Jana Lanning so likeable. She’s a good person that doesn’t deserve the hard knocks that come her way from people taking advantage of her shy nature, youth, and inexperience. She makes the same mistakes that all of us made in our early adulthood and we understand her confusion at why life is kicking her around. Reality is a hard teacher, and it’s the only one that can do the job once school leaves off. Remember the movie “St. Elmo’s Fire” from the 80’s? That strange, new world opening up is the exact thing that Jana faces, and we understand exactly where she’s coming from. She, like the rest of us, has to learn to find those gems of opportunity in the rubble of defeat to rebuild a new life from shattered dreams. In some ways, we may even relate to her right where we’re at, because life is always teaching us lessons.

So no, I didn’t start out in life exactly like Jana did. I actually did marry my college sweetheart, but I never made it to graduate school because I found other things that I believed were worth more in my life than higher education. I never struggled with depression, but I knew (and still know) many who do battle that demon, and I hope Jana’s struggle helps people with depression understand that this is a battle they can win if they stay in the fight. But yes, I did go through an office merger in my early years in the workforce, and I found myself prey to the power plays, albeit in much different circumstances. All I can say is that wisdom comes from experience, and I gained plenty in those few years.

And lest you think it’s impossible for poor Jana to face so much at one time, I call your bluff. Too much smashing my life to bits was the catalyst for my next novel, Splinter – but that’s one for a future blog entry. I’ll address it closer to the release date in mid 2013. Until then, enjoy Anywhere But Here and my other books - information on them and links to buy are on the other tabs of this website. I hope you find entertainment and inspiration in them.

That’s all today.

Bye!

Common Sense

8/6/2012

Folks, I was informed today that a committee member I've been emailing for a week - and even scheduled for a meeting - died. I felt like such an idiot! At first I thought "maybe he's on vacation" and let it go. Then late last week, I wondered briefly if I could call but, of course, all manner of other things needed my attention and that thought flew away with the wind. I should have stopped for that moment and followed up on it, but I just didn't. And today when I sent out the meeting invitation one of the other committee members sent out a broadcast message that the guy died last week with a copy of the obituary.

I felt like such an idiot. I know, Rick told me I shouldn't. How would I have known, anyway? We haven't taken the newspaper in over 5 years and even when we did, we never checked the obituaries because, well, in our 30's why would we? But I still felt silly, and that little voice that told me to call last week has been saying "see? you should have done it!" all day.

Oh well, at least I didn't email him a copy of his own obituary. I did do that once and have to say that was more embarassing. At least I remembered the note to myself from that incident today: Update the email group list BEFORE you forward the message.

I won't lie to you - I'm one of those people that was heavy on the book sense and light on the common sense growing up. I was teased endlessly about it. In fact, I know the reason I get irritated with older people being helpless and getting duped is because these were the very same people that were telling me I needed to "wise up to the ways of the world or all that education isn't gonna do you a bit of good in the real world" 15-20 years ago. I graduated in the top of my high school class and graduated college with honors, but learning to drive was hell for me - so much so that Dad sat me down and had a talk with me about how I had to learn to drive because there's no public transit in this town, and "functional adults drive." It really was awful. On top of struggling with common sense I'm also helplessly clumsy, and getting coordinated enough to drive - it took me about a year to get it. Yea, a year. My friends got their permit and were driving like pros after 2-3 months, and it took me a year. And even longer to do it well, without scaring the hell out of everybody in the car with me. Don't even ask me abou the abuse I took for it too, especially in driver's ed. The teacher made no bones about the fact that I might be a whiz in the classroom, but he thought I was a dumbass in the real world. He really was a jerk, by the way. As were my classmates. But thankfully I'm too old for teen angst. I did grow up. And I did grow some sense too.

I credit three things with this: Marriage, home ownership, and a job in a regulatory agency. Those three things will give you plenty of experiences that lend to wisdom very quickly. Relationships take work - more than you ever realize! Home ownership is a huge responsibility that requires a certain amount of organization, practicality, and saavy. And a job working with applying legislation to real life? That will stretch your brain, because you spend as much time blockading the people looking to exploit every loophole as you do applying it to the cooperative people/situations. I still have my moments - like emailing dead people - but my peers and colleagues have them too, and we aren't embarassed about it. In fact, things like this just help you get wiser.

I think this is why I'm always putting the characters in my novels in situations where they have the book smarts but not the "street smarts" to know what to do when their conflict arises. Part of the journey that every one of my protagonists have gone through is a realization that others don't share their knowledge/beliefs/morals and they have to decide what to do about it. Many of their journies have paralleled my own and I believe it's because they're issues that all of us face at one point or another. Because eventually life is going to take that unexpected turn, and we have to decide whether to fight it, accept it, or mine it for possibilities that we might not have planned for but are willing to accept as greater opportunity. Or we'll have to deal with people doing something against our morals because it's easier than doing what's right, and they're going to ridicule us as an idealist if we don't go along with the game (or worse yet, agree to take the blame if it all falls apart - yep, I've been there). Or we'll have to decide if we want to step out and take a chance on achieving a dream, or let the fear of failure keep us stuck in place. And we all have to decide - are we willing to work hard to make our dreams come true and make some sacrifices, or will we stay where we are, hoping somebody or something will come along to give us a "big break"? Because, as a colleague said last week, nothing in life is free, except God's love and the DMV manual. And some ebooks in the public domain and written by generous independent authors.

I'm not sure where the DMV manual came from - perhaps because she had a daughter getting ready to apply for her driver's permit. But anyway ...

I will agree that common sense is important, but I'm still one that believes that the "education and experience" work together. The book sense gives you the foundation you need. Because we all know that life isn't fair, and that the unexpected happens, and that sometimes people just don't like you, and that if something can go wrong then it will, and at the worst possible time. The Bible even says "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." (Ecclesiastes 9:11) These truths we know - but it's wisdom that tells us what to do when we actually face these situations. What do you do when you're passed over for the promotion? What do you do when somebody asks you to alter this or that financial report 'just a little?' What do you do when a friend betrays you and throws you under the bus for a mistake they made, but they lied and made it look like you did it? What do you do when you're on a date and the guy yells the cop that pulled him over for speeding, which sets off that voice in your head that says "geez, he has a temper. I'm not comfortable being around him?" And then he asks you out on another date and you don't want to go, but he's already been pissed off once tonight and you're afraid to say no? Book smarts tell you it CAN happen. Common sense tells you what to do when it DOES happen.

And in closing - yes, I did have someone send a message to a dead person in one of my novels. It happened in Splinter, which will be released through Whiskey Creek Press next year. Tune in for that and more fictionalized shenanagins in the ongoing progression of my writing.

That's all today. Have a great week.

Bye!

At That Point

5/24/2012

Yes folks, I have arrived at that point in the novel writing process. Control of this story has officially shifted from me to the characters and let me tell you, I've already found more twists and turns than the Smoky Mountain Parkway.

Funny really, when you consider that this story takes place in the Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee!

It always happens. You start writing a novel with our outline in hand and your plot planned. Then comes that moment when you're writing and all of a sudden, the unexpected has happened. You get in a flow and when you come back to consciousness you look over it and say "wait a minute, I didn't plan for THAT!" And that's when it really takes off. You're in that world, and you have to see what will happen because heck, you're the writer and even YOU don't know. I've pounded out 8 chapters since Sunday. That's right, 8. I've been writing every chance I have a minute. I've even been carrying the laptop to work with me so I can write during my lunch breaks.

Yes, I'm at that point. The story has taken over my brain, my hands, and my laptop. The only thing stopping me from going back to it right now is that I'm at another crossroads point where I'm trying to figure out how to deliver what comes next. Or rather, I'm waiting for the characters to let me know, because this week, THEY took over the story. And that's exactly what every writer lives for. That moment when the world they created comes to life. That moment when it becomes real (at least to them). That moment when they know they're delivering a new creation to the world, and they're consumed by it. That moment when at least 50% of their brain seeps into that world and isn't coming out until the story's done.

Yes indeed, I am at that point, and I love it. This is why we write. This is the joy. This is the purpose.

That's all today. Happy Friday to you tomorrow and I hope you have a good and safe Memorial Day weekend. Remember those who have died so you can enjoy your life and freedom.

Bye!

Another Snippit from "Move"

5/12/2012

Hi everybody, I made great progress on my novel, Move, this week. I thought I'd share another sample chapter with you today. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Ruby sat at a picnic table at the park Saturday afternoon, enjoying the cool breeze blowing through the trees. It was much more crowded than it had been for the company picnic Thursday afternoon but then again, this event was open to the entire town. Tanger Falls hosted a spring festival every year during the first weekend in May. Although the event was open to the public, it was held as more of a local celebration for the permanent residents to celebrate the slower summer season. Tanger Falls, like many other mountain towns, got the majority of their tourism during the fall and winter, when the area was at it’s peak with changing leaves, holiday season celebrations, and the winter ski season. The spring festival was Tanger Fall’s way of celebrating “getting their town to themselves” for a few months.

“Wow, it’s so nice out today!” Denise said, sipping a milk shake. “The weather is perfect!”

Ruby nodded. “I’m glad the rain held off. I was afraid we’d be stuck inside after all.” The forecast had been calling for a chance of storms that day but so far, it was sunny and clear. “Do you want to hike one of the trails up the hill? I can find us an easy trail if you want.” Ruby loved to hike. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for her to hike the trails in the National Forest after work and on weekends during the long spring and summer days. She knew every trail on their side of the forest and many in the Gatlinburg area.


Denise shook her head. “I went jogging every day this week and frankly, I’d like a day off from strenuous activity.” She looked around at the people milling about. “I’d like to see some of the art exhibits at the convention center.”

“Now Denise, you told me I need to get out and you want me to be cooped up in the convention center? I thought we were supposed to forget about work over the weekend. All looking at that stuff would do is remind me of all the meetings and deadlines we have next week.”

“I know, I know, but I love it.”

Ruby peered at Denise over the rim of her sunglasses. “Do you love it, or are you keeping an eye on the local competition?”

Denise rolled her eyes innocently toward the sky. “Um, ok, maybe both.” She sighed. “I tell you what. Why don’t we part ways for an hour or so? You can hike one of the trails, I can scope out what the local artists are up to, and we can meet back here and decide what to do next.”

“I guess that’d be alright. I didn’t dress for a strenuous hike today anyway so maybe I can hike one of the lower trails. It’s been a while since I did the foothills trail back there,” Ruby said, pointing toward the entryway to
the forest.

Denise smiled and stood. “Thanks! I’ll meet you back here in an hour. And I promise we’ll do whatever you suggest for the rest of the day.”

“Yea, alright,” Ruby said, standing and stretching. She really wanted to hike one of the longer trails, but could see that Denise wasn’t interested. Oh well, Denise was compromising for her by cutting her artistic musings to only an hour, and a shorter trail would be alright with her. She knew she could hike the foothills trail at the entryway of the forest in about half an hour and be back well in time to meet Denise. She wound through the crowd toward the forest entryway, trying not to bump into people. Every now and then she would see
people from work, who would smile and nod, or share a brief greeting. As the got near the trail entrance, she nearly bumped into Cheyenne, who was tugging her son behind her. She was going to speak, but Cheyenne avoided her eye and turned away quickly, tugging the young boy through the crowd and snapping something
about hurrying up.

“Geeze, I hope she didn’t sprain anything trying to ignore me,” Ruby mumbled.

“I hope she didn’t either,” a voice said behind her. She turned to see a man about her age with slicked back, shoulder length, black hair and piercing blue eyes.

Ruby blushed. “I’m sorry, I must sound crazy mumbling to myself. I forgot, my friend isn’t with me.”

He smiled. “No worries. I think everybody talks to themselves from time to time.” He extended his hand. “Hi, my name is Bryce.”

Ruby took his hand and shook it. “I’m Ruby. Pleased to meet you.”

“Actually, I should apologize. That was bold of me to butt my way into your musings. I just saw that interaction and it seemed curious to me. You obviously know each other, but she went to great pains to avoid you. Do you have a bad relationship with her?”

“I wouldn’t say a bad relationship. I mean, she’s my boss.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Well,”Ruby stammered, “we haven’t been getting along lately. We used to get along better but some things have happened at work and …” she trailed off and blushed. “I really shouldn’t burden a stranger with this.”

Bryce motioned to a “Psychic Readings” booth next to the forest entrance. “Actually, it’s my job to help people with their problems. I’d be glad to help. Why don’t you come in?”

Ruby glanced at the booth. “No offence, but I really don’t believe in that stuff.”

“None taken. Come on, have a seat. Tell me about one thing troubling you with your work and I’ll see if I can advise you on how to make it better. No charge.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “No charge?”

Bryce smiled. “A free demonstration. Come on, you can take it or leave it. No charge, no obligation. Just
one thing. Give me a try.”

She sat in one of the two plastic chairs in the booth. “Ok, fine. How does this work. Don’t you look in a crystal ball or draw tarot cards or read a star chart to get my fortune?”

He laughed and pulled his plastic chair so he was facing Ruby. “No, I don’t work like that. I do psychic readings. All I need is to hold something of yours that you wear a lot to focus on your energy. I’ll share some of what I sense. If you still want my help, all you have to do is ask.”

“Ok, what do you want to hold?” Ruby asked.

“Something with metal works best. Metal holds energy better.”

“What does energy have to do with it?”

“Everything that happens, every experience that we have, is energy. Energy is never lost. It’s just redistributed. Every experience you have becomes part of your energy. Objects that you carry or wear frequently store the most energy because they’re with you through most of these experiences.” He motioned to her right hand.“What about that ring? Do you wear it every day?”

Ruby looked down at the red ring on her right ring finger and slid it off. “Yes I do. This is the ruby ring my mother gave me when I got my associates degree.”She stared at it. “I always meant to go back for my bachelor’s and get a real class ring but never did it. I guess this kind of became my college ring.”

“How long ago did you graduate from tech school?”

“Ten years ago.”

Bryce reached for the ring. “That should do. Let me hold it for a moment.” He put the ring in the palm of his right hand, covered it with his left hand, and closed his eyes. He sat still for several moments; long enough that
Ruby wondered if he fell asleep. She was fixing to poke him when his blue eyes sprang open and he handed her the ring. Ruby shuddered as she took back the ring. It was ice cold. She glanced at it a moment, but didn’t see anything wrong with it. She slid the ring back on her finger and it warmed up again quickly.

“So?”Ruby asked.

Bryce stared at Ruby. “I’m sorry, it was almost overwhelming. You’ve been through a lot. I see that the past ten years haven’t been easy for you. You’ve experienced a lot of broken relationships and a lot of loss.”

Ruby looked around. “No more than most people, I suppose.”

“Actually for your relatively young age you have lost a lot. I see your mother passed away in a lot of pain a few years ago, and your father is no longer a part of your life. You have no family close to you.”

Ruby looked down. “Mom died of pancreatic cancer five years ago.” She sniffed. “It was awful. Mom, she was my best friend. Sometimes I still can’t believe she’s gone.” Ruby wiped the tears forming in her eyes and looked up. “But she’s in a better place, you know. She’s not in pain anymore and I’m glad. I miss her, but I’m glad she isn’t sick or hurting anymore.”

“What about your father? Who’s this woman he’s with now?”

Ruby grunted. “Dad married Katrina nine months after Mom died. She was a medical assistant with the Mom’s doctor. This woman …”

“You stepmother.”

Ruby glared at Bryce. “She’s earned no title in my life.”

Bryce leaned back and spread his hands innocently. “My apologies.”

Ruby stared at Bryce a moment. “I believe she had her sights set on him the day Mom was diagnosed. I don’t know if anything was going on between them while Mom was sick. I suspect it could have been. Anyway, she convinced him that he needed to leave Tanger Falls and get away from this place to start over. They moved to Atlanta right after they got married. He’s never come back.”

“Have you gone to see him?”

“Once or twice, during the holidays,” Ruby said. “Katrina changed him. I don’t know him anymore. He used to be hardworking and down to earth, but now all he cares about are material possessions and social connections. He’s shallow and superficial, just like her.”

Bryce leaned forward. “Perhaps the pain of losing your mother was so great that he developed this new life to protect himself from grief.”

“Or perhaps he’s selfish jackass,” Ruby hissed. She twisted the ring on her finger.“It doesn’t matter. For all intents and purposes, you’re right. I’m an orphan. My mother died and the father I knew is dead too. I had no siblings and my cousins live all over the southeast and I’m not close to them. So yea, I have no family. All I have is my work and my friend, Denise.”

“What about boyfriends or lovers? I didn’t see any men in your life. I mean, other than your father and people you work with.”

“Tanger Falls isn’t a social hotbed.”

“When’s the last time you went on a date?”

Ruby laughed. “A real date?  It’s been so long that I can’t remember.” She looked down and twisted the
ring again. “I had a boyfriend in college. We dated for a year. He wanted to get married.”

“What happened?”

Ruby sighed. “He decided to join the military and I didn’t want to be a military wife. All that moving around – there’s no stability in that kind of life and that’s not for me. My place is here. My roots are here. He wasn’t
willing to settle here and I wasn’t willing to leave, so that was it. We broke up.”

“Do you know what became of him?”

“He’s stationed in Texas, where he lives with his wife of 6 years and their two kids. Their third child is due in the fall.”

“How do you know? Did you keep in contact?”

Ruby smiled. “Social media.”

“Ah.”

“I’ve dated a few people but nothing’s worked out. I guess I’ve given up.”

“That’s too bad,” Bryce said, “you’re a beautiful woman.”

Ruby brushed the hair out of her face. “I was school beauty queen my junior and senior years. Head cheerleader and prom queen my senior year. Voted ‘best looking’ senior superlative. For all the good that all did. All of my classmates are married and have families and I’m still single with no one in my life but my co-workers and my best friend in the apartment next door.”

“What about your co-workers? Any prospects there?”

Ruby shook her head. “All married.”

“How about online dating?”

Ruby snorted. “Please.”

“Ok,”Bryce said. “I saw this friend you’ve mentioned a couple of times. So there is someone you’re connected with in a good way in life?”

Ruby nodded. “Yes, Denise. She moved in the apartment next door to me just after Mom died. She’s a graphic designer at the firm where I work. We’re best friends.”

“Then you’re not completely alone. That’s good. Perhaps you’re good for each other. You can inspire and encourage one another in creating a better life.”

“I’m not doing so good in that area, as you probably saw.”

Bryce nodded. “I saw a recent disappointment that stung you. It was something at work. Were you passed over for a promotion?”

“I was.” Ruby sighed. “I don’t know what happened. I thought I’d get it. I’ve been working there for eleven years, since they opened. I know the place and the clients better than anybody else. My boss even offered to give me a reference, but when it came time to hire for the position they decided to hire somebody from out of town. They hired a woman from Sevierville, and she’s been awful. She’s changing everything and she’s mean to me.”

“I’m sorry to hear this,” Bryce said. He stared off for a moment. “You said that woman that passed by you a moment ago was your boss?”

“Yes, Cheyenne.”

“And she promised to give you a reference for the job?”

“Yes.”

Bryce turned his gaze to Ruby. “I hate to tell you this, but she lied to you. Not only did she not give you the reference, but she helped this other woman get the job.”

Ruby gasped. “How do you know? I mean, how were you able to see that by holding my ring?”

“I can see people that are connected to you in a limited way. But I didn’t see this by holding your ring. That woman, Cheyenne, she bumped against me in the crowd back there. I sensed deception from her. Holding your ring helped me pull the pieces together and see more clearly.” He closed his eyes. “This other woman that got the job – what’s her name?”

“Millie.”

“Yes, I see. Millie is a friend of Cheyenne’s. They went to school together.” He furrowed his brows as if concentrating. “They are going through similar trials and Cheyenne wanted to help her friend. I see they’re both single parents?”

“Cheyenne is getting a divorce. I don’t know about Millie.”

“She has children but never married the father. Something happened – I can’t see it clearly but it seems he left her. There was deception.” He blinked and stared at Ruby. “It seems you’re surrounded by liars.”

Ruby slumped in her chair. “See, this is what I mean. Everybody has an excuse for why they’re doing what they’re doing and keeping me stuck in place. So they’re single moms and I’m supposed to roll over and play dead so they can get ahead?”

“Ruby,”Bryce said, “I’m not telling you how to perceive this information, I’m just sharing what I see. Remember, I asked you here so I could help you.”

She sighed. “Ok, you said you could help. What should I do? What help do you have to offer?”

Bryce leaned back. “I understand your frustration. You’ve seen a lot of grief and loss in your life, and you deserve better. And you’re right in that their misfortunes are no excuse to mistreat you or anybody else.” He closed his eyes again. “Millie manipulated Cheyenne into helping her get that job. I believe that Cheyenne fully intended and expected for you to get it, but Millie was desperate and wouldn’t let it go until Cheyenne did what she wanted. That wasn’t right. There were plenty of other places where she could have secured just as good a job or even better. She looked to Tanger Falls to run from her problems instead of staying in Sevierville and working them out, and now you’re paying for her mistake. That’s not right.” Bryce opened his eyes, and they flared with anger. “In fact, making others pay for your mistakes is the greatest injustice in life. Millie will pay for this one. I say be patient. By this time tomorrow she will know the error of her ways and it will be set right.”

Ruby stared at Bryce. “Ok, how?”

“What do you mean, how?”

“You said you’d help me. So how is this going to happen? What am I going to do?”

“You aren’t going to do anything. You’re going to go about your life and leave this to fate.”

“Ok, so how’s that going to work by this time tomorrow?”

Bryce smiled, but something about the smile was frightening. “There are many possible solutions. But I will tell you this. Millie is being mean for the sake of being mean. There’s no ulterior motive for it. She’s just being spiteful. She feels like the world is mistreating her and she has a right to mistreat it back. But she’s wrong.” Bryce reached for Ruby’s hand again and held it. “Don’t worry about it, Ruby. Fate is a funny thing but it always acts appropriately. I can see that she’s about to move out of your life permanently.”

Ruby shuddered and pulled her hand away from Bryce’s cold grasp and glanced at her watch. “Look, I promised to meet my friend back at the festival and I’d better go before she comes looking for me. What do I owe you?”

Bryce shook his head. “I said it was free. You honored your part of the bargain by accepting my offer. I’ll honor my part. But please, don’t worry. Things will move in a better direction for you soon.”

Ruby smiled stiffly and waved. “Thanks for your time. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure was mine,” Bryce said, kissing her hand and walking away into the crowd gathering for the children’s afternoon play.

Ruby rushed through the crowd back to the picnic table, where Denise was waiting. Denise stood as she saw Ruby approach. “Hey girl, how was the hike?” She pulled back. “What’s wrong? You’re pale. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Ruby thought about telling Denise about Bryce, but changed her mind as she saw her friend’s bright smile. Warmth penetrated her and drove out the chill from her encounter with the mysterious man. “It’s nothing. It was just a little chilly in the woods with that breeze blowing. I feel better out here in the sun.”

Denise studied Ruby for a moment, then nodded. “Ok, glad you’re better. How was your hike?”

“My hike? Oh, it was ok. It was revealing. You know how that time alone is. You get some clarity and perspective on life.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it. So, what’s next?”

Ruby looked at the people milling about. “I think I’ve been outside enough for one day. Why don’t we go see that movie in Knoxville?”

Denise raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to stay out of crowds?”

Ruby shrugged. “Well, we’ve been in one here. The only difference is that we’d be in the air conditioning there. And it looks like the weather is nice, so it will be a pretty drive. Why wait? I’d kind of like to get out of town for a
few hours anyway.”

Denise nodded. “I’ll split the cost of gas with you if you’ll drive.”

Ruby smiled. “Ok, let’s go.”

Bryce watched from the edge of the woods as the two women walked away. Everything was set. Now it was time to get moving.

And We're Off!

5/1/2012

Hi everybody, I'm excited to announce that I officially started the rough draft of my next novel tonight! The working title for this book is Move, and wow, it's going to be a wild ride. I'd like to share bits and pieces of the manuscript here as I work on it because I'd really like to share the journey I take with this book. Because a book is journey for both writer and reader. Often the reader only experiences the final draft, but I'd like to share the entire ride with you.

Here's the prologue that I just wrote. Bear in mind that it's a very rough draft and, of course, subject to change:

Prologue


“Please state your name for the record.”


Cheyenne stared at the detective sitting across the table with suspicious green eyes. “I thought this was an informal interview.”


Detective Claire Barnes fiddled with the microphone cord. “It is, but this old tape recorder can’t see you. Since we don’t have a video camera, I’ll ask you to humor me. Please state your name.”

“Cheyenne Wilkins,” she said, pushing a strand of dark brown hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear.

“Cheyenne, were you in the building when the fire started?”

Cheyenne clutched the coffee cup in her hand, digging a manicured finger into the styrophone. “No, I had left the office for the day an hour earlier.”

“How did you know the building was on fire?”

“The alarm company called.”

“Why would the alarm company call you?” Detective Barnes asked.

“I’m the business manager,” Cheyenne said. “I’m responsible for office operations and security.”

Detective Barnes flipped through her notepad. “I understand that’s your duty, but my records say that Brett Goodard is the company president. Why wouldn’t he want to be designated as the primary contact for the alarm company?”

“He lives in Knoxville. I’m only a few blocks away. I can get here much faster.”Cheyenne sipped her coffee and sat the cup down with a shaky hand. “He thought it would be best if somebody close by were designated for that. You know, so someone could be here quickly in case anything happened.”

Detective Barnes stared at Cheyenne. “Why would he be concerned about that?”

Cheyenne looked away. “I don’t understand what the problem is. Doesn’t it make sense for the company president to designate somebody close by to keep an eye on things, especially if they have a long commute?”

“I suppose so,” Detective Barnes said, closing her notebook. “Cheyenne, from our previous conversations I take it you’re a no-nonsense person, so I’m going to ask you straight. Is there anybody with your company that had a grudge against you?”

Cheyenne’s blue eyes widened. “Me?”

“Well, anybody with the company. Have you terminated anybody? Was anybody disgruntled? Were there any office politics that might have pushed somebody over the edge?”

Cheyenne set her jaw. “Are you questioning the integrity of the company? We’ve never done anything wrong. Everything has always been above board and honest. We always act in the best interest of our employees.” She reached for the coffee cup but accidentally crushed it, spewing brown liquid over the steel table. “Crap!”she shouted. “Don’t you have any napkins around this office?”

“Forget the coffee, just answer the question.”

“No, this is a mess. We need to clean it up now.”

“I don’t care about the coffee!” Detective Barnes said sternly. “I have two dead people, two missing people, one person nobody can  identify wandering around like a wraith, and an office on fire. I think asking if anybody has a grudge is perfectly sensible. So tell me, Cheyenne Wilkins, is there anybody that was pissed off enough to cause his domino effect of madness?”

Plenty of people talk. It's the ones that act who really cause the trouble.
“Oh God,”Cheyenne said as tears welled in her eyes.

“What, Cheyenne?” Detective Barnes said. “Please, anything helps.”

Tears rolled down Cheyenne’s pale cheeks. “I lied. I lied to the wrong person”

“Who did you lie to?”

“Ruby Josen.”

Detective Barnes flipped through her notes and nodded. “I see. Ok Cheyenne, tell me the story. What did you lie to her about?”

Cheyenne looked toward the ceiling, the tears in her eyes glinting in the harsh light of the lamp hanging over the table. “Everything. And now she’s doing something about it.”

Summer's Over Already?

9/4/2011

I cant' believe tomorrow is Labor Day and the summer will be over. Well, summer isn't "officially" over for a few more weeks - maybe a month or more based solely on the weather - but Labor Day is the end of the summer season. Wow, where did it go?

If I had to sum up this summer, I'd call it a perfect reflection of real life. There have been highs - like publishing a book, and lows - like 2 friends dying of cancer. And everything in between. It hasn't been perfect, but I honestly can't call it bad either. And I feel I must add that there were so many great movies out this summer too - the DVD's coming out this fall are going to be awesome!

I know a lot of people say it's been a long, hot summer. I'll agree with hot, but long? No. It seems we were just having our spring free thrift day at the church - but that was in mid May. It doesn't seem like over 3 months ago but it was. Time flies. Granddaddy always warned me to not wish my life away, but I suppose it's equally futile to cling to the past. Best to live in the present.

Am I ready for fall? Doesn't seem to matter - it's coming at the speed of time and it is what it is. I suppose one thing I do need to accomplish this fall is finishing up Splinter. That's the novel I was working on before the contracts for Blurry and Anywhere But Here came along. I suppose I better get that wrapped up before Anywhere But Here goes into pre-production in early 2012 if I want to submit it for publication next spring.

Well, that's my musing for the day. Enjoy your Labor Day. It's supposed to be a rainy one here, but that's ok. The summer came in with some vicious storms (and power outages at interesting times and under interesting circumstances too). I suppose it's natural it should go out that way.

Goodbye, Summer 2011! It's been real.

Figuring It Out

6/26/2011

I think I finally figured out why I wasn't having any luck with my short stories. It's because I was taking the same approach to them as I did to writing a novel. Unfortunately, what works for novels just doesn't work for short stories. It can't. It's a totally different form.

Novels are about creating a world and weaving a tale that takes readers on an adventure. They should come out of it feeling like they know the characters and have lived the experience.

Short stories are about hitting emotions. You don't have time to develop complex plots or deep characters. The limited space of a short story (or even flash fiction) requires that you hit the readers emotions hard and back off. Readers should come out of short stories relating to feelings or emotions.

I was missing this, until now. Lately, I've been trying to tweak my approach. It's a work in progress, but I recently had a bit of success. A flash fiction piece I wrote for Paragraph Planet will be posted there tomorrow. I hope this means I'm getting on the right track.

Don't get me wrong - novels are still my passion and my #1 form. But I enjoy short stories too. My inability to write ones that really "pop" (or get published) has been frustrating me for a few years. I hope I finally learned the secret to nailing this particular form and that I will continue to improve. I'd like to be able to write short stories well too. Nobody wants to be a one trick wonder.

I saw that my New Years Resolution to research ways to write better was paying off with the book contract, but maybe it's paying off in other ways too. I should have done this long ago but better late than never, right?

It's definitely a process, and I see that it needs to be a continual process. To become a better writer is not only about writing and reading - it's about studing the craft as well.

That's all today. Bye!

Writer's Block?

4/21/2011

I recently had the realization that it's been a long time since I wrote a short story. In fact, I can only recall writing 2 short stories and maybe 2 or 3 flash fiction pieces in the past year. I know I've been working on novels for the past 18 months, but I think this is the longest I've gone without writing something short, be it a short story, flash fiction, or a devotional. And since I completed the final draft of Splinter, I haven't written anything new. I've been working on updating this website and setting up promotional things for the eventual release of Anywhere But Here.

In one way this is normal. I am a novelist, and hitting a dry spell after completing a novel is completely normal for me. My muse is usually running on fumes when a novel is completed and badly in need of a break. Writer's block happens to every writer, and fighting it is usually an exercise in futility. You can't force yourself to write. You just have to wait it out, keep on living, and hope that somewhere in having a life you find something that inspires you and sparks the muse again. It's just frustrating to have the desire to write, but not the ability because you lack - what? Ideas? Inspiration? What's missing?

I do want to write short stories again. I've been eyeing contests and calls for submissions more and more lately, and I'd love to have something to submit. Don't get me wrong. I love writing novels. But short stories are also fun in a different way. There's something just as captivating in weaving a slice of life together as there is in creating an entire world.

*Sigh* This too shall pass. I know. I've been writing for 10 years and I usually hit a dry spell at least once a year. I just hope it isn't a long one. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep researching how to promote my work and become a better writer.

Have a happy weekend and a great Resurrection Celebration!

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