Blog interrupted!

This is it! The weekend I've been looking forward to since late year at this time. The yearly retreat for my RWA chapter, MidMichigan, and our guest speaker is none other than Eileen Dreyer!

It's the second time in the tweleve years that I've been a member, we've had her come and share her wealth of information with us. She's a fab. speaker, awesome teacher and absoulte fun lady to be around.

Aside from the workshops, is a huge booksale with many of our famous authors graciously signing books. I always end up with a ton of must have books. Then we'll have a basket raffle with the proceeds going to Kalamazoo Domestic Assault Shelter. This is where I find many ARC's and new authors I've never read before. One year I picked up Chelsea Cain's HEARTSICK, first in a murder series I fell in love with! Oh, I know, the reason for this blog.

Is to tell you that on Monday (April 30) I'll be guest blogging, my first blog appearence with fellow rose author Linda Kage who's current novel "The Right To Remain Mine" is available at TWRP. www.http://LindaKage.blogspot.com


And then on Wednesday, (May 02) my novella is released! I'll be sharing the excitement and blogging with dear freind who is also a fellow rose auther of "Some Like it in Handcuffs" Christine Warner. Chritine's Words at

http://Christine-Warner.com SLIIHC is also available at The Wild Rose Press, both as an ebook and in paperback.

I'll be nervous and would really appreciate your support. Please stop by and comment if you get the chance.

Okay then, I'm off to pack. Have a great weekend y'all! Mine looks good!

Tere

Second Time Around

According to Polti's list there are only thirty six dramatic situtations that might occur in a story. No matter how many ways you serve it, what it boils down to is everything that can be done, has been done. And a writer needs to be original. Because every editor out there is looking for something unique & fresh. Geesh, talk about pressure.

You can think yourself silly trying.... Or you can remake an old classic.

Remember Little Red Riding Hood?

The earliest known printed version published in 1687 by Charles Perrault.
The story in its day was quite unique. A little girl is sent to visit her ailing Grandmother who lives in the woods.

A delightful tale no denying that. And, as with any written
literarture, critics speculated about the theme, many were curious as to who the author may have been referring. And it’s said that the men Charles Perrault could have been referring to were his countrymen with loose morals who partied extravagantly and associated with a certain type of beautiful women. Perhaps his intent was to educate the innocent young ladies. The untried and prevent them from making such a mistake. He's been quoted to have said ‘One must learn that pretty young lasses do wrong to listen to strangers. And a wolf can present himself obliging and gentle, even following young maids through the streets, to their doors! These gentle wolves are the most dangerous!’

Next came the brothers Grimm; clever enough to add a sequel of kind to their version of the story which they simply called the second part. In that version Red did not leave the path. And Grandmother locked the door preventing the wolf's from gaining entrance that way. But you know that sneaky old wolf, he's determined if nothing, and he climbed upon the roof. Little did he know Granny had returned a trough to a roaring fire in the chimney, full of water she'd used earlier to cook sausages in. The smell alone was enough to lure the wolf down the chimney. And he drowned!


The Brothers Grimm had storytelling uniqueness down pat, developed the spark for spinning a tale so entertaining it kept readers on edge til the very end.

Another revised edition is this colorful A LadyBird easy reading book.








This is the account I best remember. In fact, I doubt I will ever forget my mother retelling how the woodcutter saved both Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. He opened the wolf's belly and out they jumped, whole and unharmed. I think they even had tea afterwards.

And get a peek at what’s in her basket.

"Little Red Riding hood," replied the wolf. "I have brought you a cake and some wine."

When I read this to my grandkids they burst out giggling every time imagining the little girl with a bottle of wine in her basket.





This later version is simply titled, RED, and is a movie starring Amanda Seyfreid and Gary Oldman. Blurb: Red falls for an ophaned woodcutter and when her sister is viciously attacked and killed, villagers suspect a werewolf. As the death toll rises, Red begins to wonder if the werewolf could be someone she loves.

My, Red, how you have changed!

I almost forgot the movie 'FreeWay' starring Kiefer Sutherland and Reese Witherspoon. Hang on 'cause this is one heck of a ride; and a total remake of Red Riding Hood's journery- or to quote the back dvd box- A Retrofit trip to see her grandmother.

There may only be 36 dramatic situtations but by adding your own special blend to the plot can make for endless possibilities.

Don't forget to Tag and other key words

Don’t forget the TAG.

The other day I came across a wonderful article http://www.examiner.com/writing-careers-in-seattle/categories-key-words-and-tags-oh-my-why-should-an-author-care about the usage of tagging for our books and more importantly, our ebooks.

This information comes at a good time for me because Night Bird is scheduled to release soon. Shopping in the Kindle store or on a Nook isn’t the same as perusing a stunning array of books in a store where you could it pick up and skim through to see if you were interested. Obviously the trick to selling an ebook is guiding potential readers to your novel. How else are they going to find you?
When using an electronic reading device, you’re probably searching for a certain author name you’ve typed in, or you followed the suggestions that appear from previous purchases that send you on your way. Tagging cuts the search into smaller, doable chunks.

Like: *taken from above article:
Fiction [324,671]
Fiction–Mystery&Thriller [43,629]
Fiction—Mystery&Thriller—Mystery [9,700]
Fiction—Mystery&Thriller—Mystery—Historical [73]


Okay, so I would tag Night Bird as paranormal, because I don’t want to upset or disappoint anyone when they discover my heroine is an angel and my hero is…deceased!

Another good tag word I think I might choose is redemption. I had considered faith but again, I don’t want to give the wrong category selection and end up with an unsatisfied reader.

Some other tags I might try: sea captain, whaling & sailors.

If you've got time, I highly recommend reading the article by Jennifer Conner in Seattle Writing Careers Examiner. There’s so much excellent information for a newbie like myself that I've bookmarked the story so I can absorb it in small doses. Coming up with the right tags will most likely require practice. I’m not sure if you can fine tune a tag once it’s been submitted or not. But undoubtedly it’s a very important part of marketing that needs to be learned.

And like anything else, the more we do it, the easier it will become. (I hope.)

The day I stumbled across my captain...

Judging how quick these days fly by, I decided to jump on the tail of this banner and shout-- 22 days until Night Bird is released!

I was talking with the hero, Travis Howland, over the weekend. Nothing rattles my composure like standing on the beach with a handsome sea captain. Whoa! His presence left me more than a little shaken. Suppose someone happened by? I quickly devised an excuse of searching for sea shells and let me say I got one heck of an eye full, basket full, er, whatever, you know what I mean!

Have a peek.

Anyway, I thought it’d be nice if I shared a little bit of our conversation.


Excuse me…um, Mr. Howland. What brings you to this particular part of the world, where your story takes place?
You can call me Travis. And if you're referring to the South Pacific, my Falcon and crew followed a mighty herd of sperm whale and found the real prize to be in the Pacific. An unfathomable amount of beasts inhabiting that part of the ocean. There are some Yankee whaleships who prefer the Atlantic and a 'plum-pudding cruise,’ and are content to make due with the declining number of whales rather than attempt to sail around the Horn. By our sucessful navigating we mastered Cape Horn and relied on instinct and skill, and thus were rewarded in terms of the amount of oil we secured. But I suppose you meant how did I end up here, at Lost Isle? Having grown up on Nantucket it came as no surprise to my father when I announced my desire to pursue my fortune by supplying oil to a new Industrial Revolution. A single trip can double or triple the amount of money invested. One such voyage earned nearly $90,000!
Me: That’s quite impressive. But excuse me for saying this. You don’t exactly have any oil now, do you? I mean…I don’t see a ship or even one keg.


Travis: Bah! Yes, well. Life has a way of disrupting the best laid plans, I suppose. It’s a fact, I’m on foot at the moment. Thanks to a double-crossing business partner. But I’ve written everything down in the journals aboard my ship The Falcon, which, sorry to say, is either charred or splintered wood at the bottom of the ocean. Sadly there’s nothing left to supply even a hint of my whereabouts to my family. And I wholeheartedly presumed all was lost. I actually believed there would be no justice for me and my crew or closure for my father. But all that has changed after meeting the Night Bird.

Wow! She’s beautiful! I can see why you’re not too disappointed then. I mean, it’s probably no big incovenience to find yourself shipwrecked with someone who looks like that, huh?

Travis: I agree. Emma has made this turn of events worth all of my...um, suffering.




NIGHT BIRD

“Tell me exactly what has happened these past few days?” he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. “Explain damn you! What has become of me?”
“You have died, to put it frankly.” And then more gently, she said, “Upon the beach. I found you and…gave you a new life.”
Surely, she was toying with him. And yet, he couldn't mistake the seriousness in her voice, the unbending stance as she turned in front of the window. His mind clouded with a rush of horror. The frightening visions he'd wrestled through long, dark nights. Images so horrible even the most hardened of men couldn't conjure up.
“I remember swimming endlessly, never reaching the end. And a light that drew me closer, beckoning me. Warm and reassuring, filled me with a certainty that once I’d reached it, I’d be safe.”

He turned and leveled an accusing glare. Despite the fact he was much bigger than she and could easily toss her aside, Emma didn’t back up. He couldn’t help but admire her. She’d given up many hours, days’ she claimed, to see that he had the time he so desperately needed.
He released a weary sigh and acknowledged the possibility that maybe what she said was true. “I thought it might be a lighthouse and followed it.”
As a seaman, he knew the conditions of the treacherous sea, the razor sharp rocks and icy cold water. Travis recalled the crashing blows he had endured as he fought against the waves, the biting sting as water filled his lungs. Even the strongest swimmer could not have survived such conditions.
In his heart he must accept that what she’d told him could very well be true. Maybe he had died upon the deserted beach. And she’d come to offer him the means to save his father. Would he be willing to follow this mysterious woman to aid his plight? Without question, he’d agree to whatever terms necessary if it meant saving his father.

Do you feel lucky?

Are you one of those people who find money in the pockets every time you do the laundry? I'm not talking change, I mean real money. Like dollars, a five, ten or even twenty. Or maybe you're a champion at Bingo? Do your friends refer to you as having a lucky streak a mile wide?
No? Me neither.

Still, chances are you've probably scratched off an instant ticket or two hoping to win an extra buck, right? I mean who hasn't? The whole idea of winning a pile of money is thrilling and for a few seconds...anything's possible.

Somebody's gonna win. Why not you? Regular people hit it big all the time. You've heard the slogan, "You can't win if you don't play."




And this past week ended with three ordinary people holding the numbers to the largest lottery jackpot in history. MegaMillions reached a staggering amount of 656 millions dollars!

Life will never the same.

Dreaming of winning the lottery is fun. Like any other daydream, the idea of actually spending that kind of money regardless whether you accumulated it from selling pet rocks or inherited a gold mine from an uncle you never knew exisited. Newly-minted multi millionaires (a title I learned only today) are made all the time. For them, the possiblities of shopping for yachts, mansions and jewels are limited only to the imagination. And let's not forget; with the cash comes power.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Go figure.

I did buy a lottery ticket. In fact, I bought severeal. Okay...more than I should have. But we're talking alot of money here. Greenbacks that could change my life. And the lives of my kids and their kids and their kids.

And...I didn't win. Do I feel lucky? You bet. I like my life and my simple routine. Besides, the reports are already predicting what's being called a Mega-Mess. Arguments are brewing in Maryland between the co-workers from a McDonalds and an employee who supposedly bought the winning numbers. Rumors they all pitched in to buy several lottery tickets. And afterwards she purchased her own, the ticket that won.

Other experts predict that the chances of bankruptcy are much higher for those with an unlimited line of credit. And so I have to wonder...is it possible to lose the windfall as fast as it came? Could all the splurging, buying and searching be for...what exactly? The elusive thing that will change one's life for the better? We all know money can't buy happiness. I mean the true, happy-ever-after stuff doesn't come from a store or salon or even from another person. And wealth can be a value we place upon ourselves. Our health, our home and our heart. Rich, you bet.

And dreams...well, dreams are just that. A soft, foggy feeling you experience moments before you drift off to sleep in your loved ones arms.