Let's Do Lunch! Guest Blogger Lonnie Cruse on Writing

Eeeek, J.B. Thompson has asked me to be a guest blogger right here on her blog. I obsess over coming up with a subject for my OWN blog every week day, and now I gotta find one for a guest appearance on hers? Hmmm, well, let's see. Shuffle, stutter, squirm.

Maybe writing would be a good topic for me to discuss? Writing mysteries? I have two mysteries published in my Metropolis Mystery Series, third due out soon, fourth written and sitting in my computer, one manuscript completed in a new series that a publisher is looking at, and the second manuscript in that series is in progress. And I confess, I'm currently trying my hand at romance, have one entire page written, and it stinks. To high heaven. Back to discussing mysteries.

The thing I love about writing (in any genre) is that there are only seven plots in the whole world, or so I'm told. I haven't actually bothered to count them. Shakespeare covered most if not all of those plots, so all of us are tramping the same ground he did, yet the stories are always soooo different from each other because the writer's vision, or voice, if you will, is different.

That's why I encourage new writers not to give up on their work in progress. Even if the current draft stinks, there is always a nugget of a story underneath there, somewhere. Generally the author just needs to hone his/her craft, take some classes, get into a good critique group, or maybe have a professional editor look at the manuscript. Stories can always be polished, but each author's vision for the story is different. Which is why we as readers keep reading them. And seldom get bored.

Stories take us out of our lives, into a new world. Often a world we just want to visit in our minds because it would be too scary to be there in real life. Think serial killer stalking you or riding a roller coaster 24/7. Which reminds me, anyone see that outrageous mini-roller coaster ride on top of the tallest structure in Las Vegas? No waaaay you'd get me up there. Where was I? Writing.

We each have a story to tell, whether fictional or real. Some take the time and effort to write their story down, polish it, and send it out for multiple rejections before finding a publisher. Others talk about doing it but don't make the commitment. And that, my friends, is what separates writers from non-writers. Being published doesn't make you a "real" writer, though that helps. But making the sacrifices to get the job done, that's what makes us writers. And if we're lucky, our stories will touch our readers, and our characters will stay alive in their minds long after we're gone.

Got a story in your head? Grab a notepad or sit down at the computer and start writing it. See where it takes you. Hmmm, wonder if I can salvage that awful romance?

Lonnie Cruse, Vice President of Sisters in Crime - Middle Tennessee, is the author of the Metropolis Mysteries and a Pushcart Prize nominee. She also runs an editing service for writers. Find out more about Lonnie by visiting her website.

Thanks for filling in today, Lonnie! And folks, be sure to hop over to Lonnie's blog for her interview with li'l ol' me!

=) JB

Shopping Spree

The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy; it lasts when all other pleasures fade.
-- Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) English writer

Hello, my name is J.B., and I'm addicted to books.

Had a lovely dinner with the GP yesterday. Lovely. Then I made the mistake of saying, "Yeah, going to Books-a-Million would be great." Aarrgghh! When will I learn? It is never safe for me to go into a bookstore with a credit card in my pocket. Never. Not under any circumstances. I am not supposed to be buying more books until I've read the upwards of 60 that are in my TBR pile. So what did I do? Bought books, of course.

I will say this in my defense - two of the cough-five-cough I bought were for our Sisters in Crime Summer Reading program, and with my Millionaire Club discount card they were cheaper than they would've been had I ordered them from Amazon. Yeah. Excuses, excuses. I'm an addict. I admit it freely.

And as if that weren't enough, we buzz next door to Hobby Lobby. I spent money there, too. The WGH is going to take away my AmEx.

Tomorrow Lonnie Cruse will be blogging in my stead while I hop over to her blog and answer some very nice questions about me and my writing. Stop on by!

Now I'm going to go try to make a dent in that ceiling-high pile of books.

Might I suggest the same for you? Go on, it's good for you!

=) JB

On Tap

This is going to be another one of those busy Saturdays where life will dictate my schedule and whether I get any writing done: at least one and possibly two basketball games, a soccer game in between, and dinner with the GP (which I'm seriously looking forward to). And somewhere in all that I need to find time to make a vegetable or a salad AND a dessert for tomorrow's after-church pot luck dinner with the Sunday School class. IF we don't have another basketball game, which we will if we win twice today. Guess I'll tote Rhys Bowen's Evans Above, the current Book of the Week, with me so I can read between games.

On Monday, author Lonnie Cruse, my SinC-MidTN chapter Vice President and a fellow Blogger, will be doing a guest spot here for Lunch, and will be interviewing me on her own blog. Be sure to stop by and check us out.

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

More Flash

J.T. has done it again:

Her 250-word flash "You Say Monet, I Say Manet" placed 3rd in the "Two Lights Short Fiction Contest".

That's my girl!

Time

I discovered today what precious little of this I actually have. The day started as mine usually do, take the dog out, tromp upstairs to the study to check email, troll my must-read blogs ...

This brought me to 9:00 AM, when my day stomped down on the accelerator and didn't let up until ... well, now.

It started with dentist appointments for all three kids and ended with a four-hour excursion to the mall (for my feelings on shopping, please click here and look at "Friday") to shop for prom shoes. Do you have a clue how hard it is to find navy dress shoes in a size 11?? We finally went with white. I know, I know. No white shoes before Memorial Day. In the South they say Easter so if we go with that we're safe.

At this point my feet are so tired I'm amazed I'm actually upright. Needless to say I didn't get anything done in the way of writing today, except for this. There's a kick in the pants for you. Think it's time for a little R&R with a good book. I finished one last night and started another one today. Now I'm back on schedule.

You read one, too. It's good for you.

=) JB

A Bit on Blogs

There's a lot of stuff traveling around the 'Net about blogging. M.J. Rose has an eloquent commentary on the subject on her blog. Personally, if you care to hear my take on the subject, I'm not blogging to promote myself or sell my books. This is simply a way for me to get myself to concentrate on writing something every day. M.J. says that if a blog takes anything away from your writing, then you should concentrate on writing rather than blogging. If anything, my blogging gets my creative juices flowing, and I tend to get more accomplished because by the time I'm finished with the day's post I'm in the mood to write. A lot of times I am linked to my computer with an invisible chain that I have to work to free myself from for other obligations which demand my attention.

Warnings have been posted that you have to be careful about what you say on a blog, too, and I don't disagree with that, but the way I look at it, people who take the time to read my blog obviously have an interest in what might be on my mind at any given time, and for that I am bewildered but grateful. This is how I share a little of myself with my "fans" and fellow writers, especially now while I'm between books. When the next one comes out (Lord, please let that be before The Tall One graduates from college), I'll be on the marketing/promotion/signing circuit (I hope), and maybe someone will come up to me, ask me to sign their copy of my book, and say, "Hey, I read your blog and I really enjoy it." I'll let you know if that ever happens.

Hey, Girlfriends: Read Nancy Martin's post on today's Lipstick Chronicles. My best friend of 30 years is coming for a visit next weekend and I'm so excited I'm beside myself. Nancy's post is what having good friends is all about. And I certainly didn't mean to shove aside my other best friends by only mentioning this one in my comment - JT, WMVR, GP, Angelina - I love you all and couldn't do any of this without you. I hope you know that.

ROWE your boat: (Sorry, Brett.) Writing advice from the third "J." triplet. Excellent stuff.

Music of the Moment: First Suite in E-Flat for Military Band, Op. 28, No. 1 by Gustav Holst

Read a book. I stayed up until 1:30 this morning reading The Heat of the Moon. Staying up that late is not good for me. Reading the book is.

=) JB

Fresh Flash

I know, two posts from me in the same day, what's the world coming to? But I had to share this one - a little piece of clever writing from my new writer buddy Brett Battles:

A Die Job

Great stuff. The Sphere is Brett's blog - check it out.

=) JB

You Don't Say

I'm not a politician and my other habits are good. -- Artemus Ward (1834-1867) American writer

There's another personality questionnaire email with six thousand questions that circulates cyberspace. One of the questions is "What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?" (or some similar phrasiology). My answer to this question used to be something along the lines of "Can I hit that snooze button just one more time?" or "Which kid was I supposed to wake up first?"

Now my answer to that question is, "What am I going to blog about today?"

And the answer to THAT question is - well, let's talk about what I'm NOT going to blog about:

1. Politics.
2. The War.
3. Religion.

I was going to list all the reasons I refuse to talk about these issues, but that would be talking about them, so I'm not going to do it. Most people who know me know where I stand, and if you don't but you REALLY want to know, go to my website's About the Author page. There's plenty of info there that should give you an idea.

Having said that, let's talk about what I DO like to talk about (huh?).

Acceptable Discussion Topics:
1. Writing. Hello?? Well, D-U-H, Mom.
2. Music. Any kind, any time. Except for maybe rap. They left the "c" off the front of that word.
3. Life in general. My life is a three-ring circus, and I usually have a kid in each ring, usually all at the same time. I told Sandra Ruttan that recently. As a friend of our family observes, at our house, there's "never a dull moment."
4. Good books. Another D-U-H. There are literally tons (literally) of great books out there.

I'm reading one now.

Book of the Week: The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall

Music of the Moment: Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin (arguably one of the most excellent pieces of music written in the 20th century)

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

Rules of the House

Yesterday I went diving into the depths of the laundry piles in the girls' rooms to find all of the bath towels so that I could wash them. What is it about teenagers and bath towels? I found eight of them in The Tall One's room. What does a 16-year-old need with EIGHT bath towels? Little Bit had four, one of which was draped elegantly over her pillow. This is so the pillow doesn't get wet from her hair after her shower. I'm thinking a hand towel would suffice, especially when The Boy, bless him, has no towel the next morning because they are all lost in the black holes of clutter that are his sisters' rooms.

When the girls got home from school I pointed to the (now clean) pile of towels in the rocking chair in the living room (which is where all the clean clothes that are waiting to be folded go) and announced that I had placed a magic jinx a la Harry Potter on them so that if they were out of the bathroom for more than 10 minutes they would emit an electronic charge that would zap out the cable. I think they took me seriously for about 30 seconds, which was enough for me to get my point across. Maybe.

We have house rules. They are simple, straightforward and must be followed at all costs. To wit:

1. If you make a mess, clean it up. This applies to dishes, bathrooms, school books dumped on the living room floor, dog toys in the basement, etc.
2. If you get it out, put it away. See Rule #1.
3. If it breaks, tell Dad so he can fix it. Do not tell Mom, because Mom can't fix anything. She gets Dad to do it.
4. If you drink the last of the Kool-Aid, make more. Not following this rule will get you clunked over the head with the empty pitcher.
5. Do your laundry in a timely manner. This rule is designed to avoid the bath towel fiasco described above. It also cuts down on the lovely aroma of sweaty gym socks permeating the entire house.
6. Treat each other with respect. No explanation necessary on this one.

That's it. That's all you need to know to get along in our house. I told you they were simple.

The WGH is off today and it's time to go grocery shopping. Hard to replenish the Kool-Aid when you don't have any in the house. I'm itching to get back to work on the book. Had a long chat with J.T. yesterday afternoon about where I'm going with this story and what category it should fall into. Is it a thriller? No. Romantic suspense? Too many characters. Traditional mystery? Maybe. I might be able to make it work as a traditional mystery. My new character, the homicide detective we created a few weeks ago, could be the hook that pulls this whole story together. I just have to make sure I get everything balanced. The BMWs meet tomorrow night, so we'll see how it goes from there. The biggest advantage to being in a critique group is that you get feedback from several different perspectives. Especially when the group in question is the awesomest bunch of women on the planet (that one I've thrown at you before).

On the Radio: The John Boy & Billy Big Show. I love them because they're funny and clean. Usually I listen to them first thing in the morning while I'm checking email and trolling the blog circuit. After their show is over I switch over to the CD player and sit back to wait for the inspirations to hit me. At this point, the thing I need most to write is our grocery list.

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

Let's Do Lunch! Interview with J.T. Ellison

I am very excited to have my lovely friend and fellow Bodacious MusicCity Wordsmith J.T. Ellison as my first guest author interview for Let's Do Lunch. I met J.T. about two years ago by way of another of our writers' group members and our local chapter of Sisters in Crime (Middle Tennessee). It didn't take J.T. and I long to discover that we are apparently twins separated at birth (well, by two years)! Where we differ most (though not exclusively) is in our writing styles - she does thrillers whereas I do lighter romantic suspense.

Today we're going to talk about her writing, her agent, her blog, and a few various and sundry random things, because, well, that's what my blog is all about.

JB: Give us a little "backstory" of your own - what made you decide to write a novel and what was the plot of your first try?

JT: I've always wanted to write a book, but I figured I'd do a political thriller. But when we moved to Nashville I discovered crime fiction. I'd been reading John Sandford and was so intrigued by his main character, Lucas Davenport. Sandford made Lucas come alive – I could see his flinty blue eyes and rakish scar. The description of his smile never reaching his eyes stayed with me. I decided I wanted to try writing a crime novel.

I was driving downtown when the plot for my first book, Mortal Trust, hit me. Taylor popped into my mind as a character name. Originally, she was called Bethany Taylor, and everyone called her Taylor. (I realized halfway though the manuscript that her name was actually Taylor Jackson. It worked better.) Taylor is the youngest homicide lieutenant in Metro Nashville Homicide, and a female to boot. She is from a wealthy background, but has eschewed her privileged life to serve her fellow Nashvillians. It's a source of consternation for her parents, but she's happier being a cop.

The story of Mortal Trust is straight up serial killer. A young man, very disturbed, is preying on Vanderbilt co-eds. He's killing them left and right. Because Nashville doesn't have a huge history of serial killers, I thought bringing an FBI profiler in would be fun. Dr. John Baldwin comes to Nashville to help with the case, and falls in love with Taylor. I mean really, who wouldn't? She's a gorgeous, tall blonde who carries a gun. How exciting is that?

I toyed with the idea of killing Taylor several times, allowing Baldwin to become my franchise character. In the original manuscript, she's badly hurt and the book ends with the insinuation that she has died. It seems to be a recurring theme with poor Taylor. She's always getting into some kind of mortal danger.

I chose to use real law enforcement as my characters instead of amateurs because I could more easily justify the level of violence. Your everyday PI or amateur detective doesn't get to strap on a weapon, doesn't live with the edge of mayhem that a real law enforcement professional does. It's more fun for me that way.

JB: And more fun for us! (And personally I'm glad you let Taylor live. She's one tough chick and I like her a lot.)

What is your ideal writing atmosphere? Do you listen to music (if so, what type) or must you have peace and quiet? Who/what inspires you?

JT: I have to have everything in its place, all my files organized and at my fingertips. I guess I've got a little OCD.

Every book seems to have its own theme song, as do each of my characters. The first book was inspired by Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique. Especially during the rough parts, the killing and rapes, I'd blast the music to get in the mood. Berlioz always spooks me, it's great atmospheric work. The second book, CROSSED, had some Berlioz, and Joaquin Rodrigo's Conceirto de Aranjuez. The music is the basis for the score to Raiders of the Lost Ark, a swelling 12-string guitar laced piece that's truly inspiring. ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS was a slave to Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3. My newest, 14, seems to be inspired by Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, but it's in its early days yet. I might toss in some Wagner to top it all off. Truly stirring. I also listen to my iPod list of alternative and rock. For some reason, every time I hear Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) something good happens. Maybe I should cue that up now…

JB: Your agent is currently "shopping" a full-length thriller for you, but you've received an Honorable Mention from Writer's Digest for a short fiction piece, you're a contributor to Flashing in the Gutters, and you're having a short story published in Demolition Magazine's Spring 2006 "Females of Noir" issue. What inspired you to write short fiction?

JT: One of our esteemed critique group writers, Del Tinsley, the Queen of Shorts, kept telling me I needed to try my hand at some short fiction. I fought her off as long as I could, but when we (the BMWs) decided to group enter a local short story contest I gave in. I was surprised at how fun it was. Another contest opportunity arose (the Writer's Digest Genre Short Fiction Contest) and I decided what the heck, I'll try another. The story is strange, and I really enjoyed playing with it. Suddenly, it gets an Honorable Mention and I went, wait a minute. Maybe I need to take this a little more seriously. I have a very active dream life, and I've always tucked the ideas away to be used as future books. They make much better short stories. I wrote the piece for Demolition and realized how much fun a scary little story could be. I'm addicted now. I try to get a piece of flash fiction done every couple of weeks, and I'm working on some longer shorts to submit to the magazines.

The shorts allow me to stretch into areas that my books don't or won't go. They seem to have an element of fantasy and horror about them, which is strange because I don't read that kind of stuff. Even scary movies are off limits to me. I get frightened too easily. I'm a walking oxymoron, I know.

JB: I've mentioned your blog several times on Let's Do Lunch. Please tell us about Murderati and how it came to be.

JT: Murderati is the brainchild of Agatha nominated writer Pari Noskin Taichert, author of the Sasha Solomon series (THE CLOVIS INCIDENT and THE BELEN HITCH). She contacted me last November and said she was considering starting a marketing blog with multiple authors. I welcomed the opportunity -- I'm the only unpublished writer of the group, and obviously exposure is important, whether you're published or not. Pari recruited the group and we started planning out what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it.

We went through the typical process. Coming up with a name was the first priority. I must say -- with several highly capable and creative people, we had many excellent names to choose from. In the end, though, MURDERATI was number one. It embodies everything we stand for -- a combination of glitterati, literati, technorati, and, of course, murder. It's a highly original name for an eclectic group of writers. I think it fits us to a tee.

Once we had a name, the rest was easy. The logo and site were built, days and themes chosen, and a launch date picked. We did a little promotion behind the scenes, but went live with a big splash on April 3. None of us has looked back.

It's important to remember that launching a blog isn't an easy task. We have the built in advantage of seven people, all of whom write different kinds of books, are published from small to large houses, and have different fan bases. We all hang out in different areas on the web, and can draw different readers to the blog. Diversity is a must, even if you're a lone blogger.

JB: Good point. Okay, we're going to switch gears a little bit and I'm going to ask you some "just for fun", random kind of questions. First, name your "World's Most Perfect Drink(s)".

JT: A truly fine bottle of red wine – preferably from Tuscany or the La Mancha region of Spain. Though Australia is making quite a name for itself. And you can never turn down a really good margarita.

JB: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

JT: I'm a big reader, but during the summer, I'm addicted to the links. I've been a golfer all my life, not that my game reflects that often enough. I find golf a true relaxant, and a great diviner of personality. I'm also a big television buff. I love all the crime shows, plus Alias, ER, and 24, but my favorite of the season is My Name Is Earl. You've just got to be paying attention to catch it all.

JB: What adjectives best describe you?

JT: That's actually such a difficult question. I don't quite know how to answer it. I'm shy but outgoing, quiet but bawdy, loyal and true. I sound like a dog. I'd like to think I have a sense of humor – I get a charge out of making people laugh. You know me, what would you say?

JB: [chuckle] I wouldn't say "bawdy" – I might use "buoyant" instead.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and share a little of yourself with us, J.T.

Be sure to check out J.T.'s first published short story, "X", in Demolition Magazine's Spring 2006 issue, along with those of her fellow "Females of Noir" (Jennifer Jordan, Sandra Ruttan, Aliya Whiteley, Kim Harrington, Patricia Abbott, and Sarah Weinman).

J.T. Ellison is a 1991 graduate of Randolph-Macon Woman's College with degrees in English and Politics, and received her Master's Degree in Political Management from The George Washington University in 1994. Her first short story, PRODIGAL ME, won an Honorable Mention in the 2006 Writer's Digest Popular Fiction Awards.

Busy Saturdays

Elaine Flinn has an excellent interview with British author Stephen Booth on Murderati today. Elaine does "On the Bubble" author interviews on Saturdays. J.T. Ellison's post on rejection from yesterday is also worth a read. Don't forget to stop by here on Monday for my interview with J.T.

My Saturdays always seem to be busy, especially in the spring. This afternoon, after all the soccer and basketball, I'll be settling down to get something accomplished on the WIP. The best advice I've ever heard (and try very hard to follow, albeit not always successfully) is that writers should write every day. If you're a writer, do you write every day? If not, why not? What keeps you from writing? For me, it's my life as a soccer (or volleyball or basketball) Mom.

Just finished The Delilah Complex by M.J. Rose. Excellent book. Highly recommended. Now I have to go back and read her first in the Butterfield Institute series, The Halo Effect.

The only problem I have now is deciding which of the many books on my monstrous TBR pile is next on the list.

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

C'est la Vie

I just hate to see a person waste perfectly good blog material by describing his life experiences out loud. - Jeremy

(from Zits by Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman, 04/21/2006, © 2006 Zits Partnership. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Soccer Mom is going to be busy this weekend. Little Bit has a game (soccer), The Tall One has a game (basketball), and The Boy will be finding intelligent ways to amuse himself. Plus we still need to get his hair cut. And, I need to work on the WIP, finish reading the Book of the Week (egads, I think I'm falling behind - how many weeks is this?), clean the house, do the laundry, grocery shopping, etc., etc., etc.

One of the ladies in my writers' group gave me a book for my birthday - Patricia Sprinkle's Women Who Do Too Much. I'm thinking this might have been a commentary on the world's opinion of me - like she's implying something? I don't feel like I do too much. There are days when I don't do a darn thing. I enjoy those days, because they balance the ones when I have six thousand things to do. Six thousand is probably an exaggeration, but it's my number of choice when I'm talking about a large quantity of things. The WMVR uses "87".

J.T. and I decided on doing an interview, so be sure to come back on Monday and read her very intelligent responses to my semi-intelligent questions (she's smarter than I am, ergo I must demonstrate that with apropos adjectives). We're going to talk about her writing as well as a few random personal things.

I love Fridays, mostly because I'm not on any kind of schedule and pretty much have the day to do whatever I want/need to do. Think I'll go read a book.

I'd suggest you do the same. It's good for you.

=) JB

Switching Gears

In the next few days I'm going to be starting a new project. No, the WIP is not in danger of being shelved. I have a self-imposed deadline, remember?

H. Jackson Brown has written a series of "little instruction books" about life, parenting, etc. In his "P.S. I Love You", which is a collection of post-scripts written by his mother in her numerous letters to him and his siblings, there is this quote:

"Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is."

So, I'm going after the fruit.

The Plan: Once a week I will post either an interview with one of my fellow writers or ask a "guest blogger" - writers, readers, fans, and other folks who love books as much as I do - to post words of wit and wisdom of their own.

We're planning to begin this new venture on Monday with my best writer friend, J.T. Ellison - we haven't quite decided if we're going to do an interview or a guest blog spot, but either way it promises to be great.

Music of the Moment: Symphony No. 3 (Eroica), Ludwig van Beethoven

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

Backstory

"Where authors share the secrets, the truths, or just the illogical moments that sparked our fiction. Brought to you by M.J. Rose and Jessica Brilliant Keener"

This is one of those fabulous blogs that you have to peruse frequently. You never know who'll pop up.

What a great idea.

=) JB

Friends

Only your real friends tell you when your face is dirty. (Sicilian Proverb)

The GP sent me an email to let me know that I left a noun off the list last night - "friend". (Here's where we have another collective "Awwww...!")

I am very blessed to have many people in my life whom I consider friends. Most of them are fans, some of them muses or editors, some are my friends just because. Some I've known only a short time, others all my life (I have two friends I still correspond with, and see when I can, whom I've known since we were 9 years old). All of them are cherished.

I was watching my daughter interact with some of her teammates at the tournament this weekend, and there is one young lady in particular with whom she seems to have formed an immediate bond. Upon first glance, you would probably consider these two the most unlikely pair of friends, at least from the standpoint of their physical attributes. But I've developed an uncanny grasp of the obvious over the years - it's not what's on the outside that makes friends.

This is the basis of the story for my current WIP:

Four women from four different walks of life meet by chance and discover they have one bizarre commonality - two have barbaric ex-husbands, and two are married to men with vicious ex-wives. As a joke, the four friends begin plotting the demise of the "psycho exes". When the exes start turning up dead for real, the friends must figure out who's killing them and why - before one of them ends up being the next victim.

It's still in the rough draft stages, but the story is coming long nicely. The BMWs are calling this "chick noir" - J.T. says it's Desperate Housewives meets Patricia Cornwell. There's a much darker element involved than in any of my previous books. I need to figure out a way to work that underlying noir theme into the pitch synopsis. This book is not part of my Jack MacAnder series and is unlike anything I've ever written before.

Which might explain why I'm having so much trouble pulling everything together. It's a challenge.

I like challenges.

Music of the Moment: Fanfare for the Common Man, Aaron Copland

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

Easter Blessings

"'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!' (Luke 24:5b-6a)"

For those of you who celebrate this joyous holiday, I hope you've had a blessed Easter; for those of other faiths, blessings upon you as well.

If I were ever asked to "classify" myself, my answer would be six nouns: Christian, wife, Mom, daughter, sister, writer. In that order. You can read all about my philosophy on the subject on my website (see my personal note at the bottom of the page). I normally don't like to get in people's faces about my faith, just as I don't like other people to get in my face about theirs. I am who God made me, plain and simple. You don't like it, I'm sorry you feel that way.

Okay, I'll step down off my soapbox now.

Yesterday was a fun, albeit long, day. The Tall One's basketball team won 1, lost 2 (2-2 for the weekend), and we got home a little after midnight. I took my book bag, along with notes and pages for the WIP, and spent a lovely hour and a half in the cafe at Borders. I know, I said it was dangerous for me to go into a bookstore. But I was good - the only thing I bought was a Coke. Got a little work done on the pages. Forgot it was one of the more ... ahem, risque ... scenes in the book, though, and was glad no one could read over my shoulder!

Tomorrow I get back on track with the agent search and finishing this book.

I'll write, you read.

=) JB

Getting Some Distance

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen. -- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian artist, writer, inventor, and philosopher

This is what I'm doing today. Well, sort of. I'm actually taking the work with me, but the change in atmosphere will give me a fresh perspective.

AAU tournaments, like club volleyball, usually involve playing several games in one day. Today we have three, the first being just before noon and the last two not until late this afternoon and evening. Obviously I will have some time to kill. For this I must prepare, take things that will make efficient use of my time, not allow me to get bored, and not afford me the opportunity to spend money. There's a Borders bookstore within walking distance of Memorial Gym at Vanderbilt. Danger, Will Robinson! Can you imagine the temptation, a writer in a bookstore? Somebody hide my American Express card. Maybe I should leave home without it, after all.

So I have my checklist:
BOOK TO READ - check
BOOK NOTES TO PONDER - check
NEXT 10 PAGES OF WIP TO EDIT - check
PENS - check

If I were a gambler, I'd bet The Tall One will be bringing a book to read. She's just started We'll Always Have Parrots, which I gave her after I'd finished it. The difference between us is that she reads about as fast as she can get down the court, which for a kid 6'4" is pretty fast. Maybe she should have another book to take just in case she finishes this one before the day is over, which is likely.

Read a book. Or two, depending on whether you read as fast as my child.

=) JB

Hoops

We're playing basketball this weekend. The Tall One is on an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team with a coach who has worked with the likes of Ashley McElhiney (standout Vanderbilt guard from a few years back) and a few other notables. A great opportunity for her. This weekend there's a tournament at Vandy where some college coaches will have the chance to watch the girls play. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

So tomorrow I'll be spending the day at the gym - and not getting a lick of exercise for myself except for what my fingers get turning pages of the book I'm reading between games.

Rah-rah-rah, sis-boom-bah. Yay, team!

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

Happy Land

So the GP calls me today around lunchtime to let me know she's just come from an outpatient procedure (the gory details of which I will spare you) and wants to know if I need any help with the book.

What you have to understand is that when the GP is on either painkillers, antibiotics or sedatives, she becomes my muse. Drug her and she can come up with some of the wildest, most twisted, and downright best ideas for my books, the kind I can just take off and run with.

Today she was stone drunk on Versed. There is a sublime state of euphoria that comes with the administration of Versed. Experiencing it is one thing. Witnessing it is something entirely different. Different. Entirely. If you haven't been around someone in the throes of this euphoria, you might not understand. Trust me, it's the funniest dang thing you've ever seen. The GP and I spent nearly half an hour on the phone and by the time I got her to hang up I had tears running down my face. She giggled the whole time, especially when telling me her doctor's name - Dr. Abu (like the monkey from Aladdin - more hysterical laughter) Fakhruddin. When you're in La-La Land, this name is hilarious. It's funny even when you're sober.

Summer before last one idiot kid in our neighborhood shot my son in the arm with a BB gun. Outpatient surgery was required. The Boy discovered where Happy Land was when they gave him the pre-operative dose of intravenous Versed. The best part is he doesn't remember ANY of it.

Neither will she.

Hmmm, so I can come up with some absolutely wild-card plot line for my WIP and then tell her it's her fault because SHE gave me the idea while she was screaming in my ear about what great $#!@ Versed is. And she'll be none the wiser, 'cause she won't remember ...

Oh, wait. She reads the blog. Oops.

Never mind, then.

I am in Happy Land myself, not from Versed but because my CDs came in the mail yesterday, a full week earlier than expected. Yay, Holst!

So this morning the study is ringing with lovely music courtesy of Frederick Fennell and The Cleveland Symphonic Winds. Music to write by.

Euphoria is a happy place.

Read a book. Buy yourself a CD - of whatever kind of music you're into. It's good for you!

=) JB

Kitty in the Window

To imagine yourself inside another person ... is what a storywriter does in every piece of work; it is his first step, and his last too, I suppose. -- Eudora Welty (1909-2001) American author

Our house has an "upstairs", but with only five steps going up into it, it's more a half level. Upstairs contains the loft (family common area), The Boy's bedroom and my study (all nicely separated by the excellent walls a contractor/project manager friend of mine put up for us about a year and a half ago). On the front/east side of the house are two windows, one in my study and one in The Boy's room. The top of my window is at eye level if I'm sitting in one of my desk chairs, and there's a well surrounded by a decorative wooden railing that sinks down below the level of the floor. The cats like to get down into this well and sleep in the window, especially if I have it open. If you stand in the landscaping outside the window and look in, they hiss at you.

After our writers' group meeting last night the five of us who were there went to a little Italian restaurant not far from our bookstore for pizza, salad and wine. We had the most fun eavesdropping on the two ladies at the next table - one was telling the other (rather loudly, so we couldn't help overhearing) about a book she'd read. Of course the ears of five writers perked up at this! It's a fun thing to overhear people talk about books in casual conversation. Imagine if it had been one of our books she was talking about. We're patiently but diligently working toward that day.

To that end, today I resume my search for an agent. Of the six query letters I sent out at the beginning of March, I have received four rejections. Time to send out more letters. There's a home for my third book out there somewhere. Meanwhile, the WIP (Work in Progress, for the nonwriters in the audience), is shaping up. I might just make that Memorial Day deadline after all.

On the boom box: Classical Thunder, Disc 2 - Bizet's Farandole

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

The Places You'll Go

Writers and travelers are mesmerized alike by knowing of their destinations. -- Eudora Welty (1909-2001) American author

One of the points J.T. made on her excellent Murderati post last Friday (point #3, to be specific) was for writers, aspiring or otherwise, to join a few genre-specific web threads. Last night I re-enlisted with DorothyL, a discussion list devoted to mysteries. I'd been on DL for a while, but took a two-month break while I was straightening out some of the kinks that had cropped up in my life. Kinks notwithstanding, I decided it was time to get back on the circuit. DorothyL has something over 3,000 members now, both writers and readers - that's a lot of people seeing your name when you post a comment. Talk about a great marketing opportunity - all it takes is one of those 3,000 people clicking on your URL and you have another potential fan, right? And let any writer tell you, we may love to write, it may be in our blood, but if it weren't for the fans out there, the readers, there wouldn't be any point to our doing this.

Five years ago this summer, we took the kids and my parents to South Dakota for our summer vacation. In the airport in Indianapolis, my mother turned to me and said, "Tell me again why we're going to South Dakota?" I took my laptop with me on that trip and kept a sort of daily journal of all the places we went - Mt. Rushmore, the Needles, Custer State Park, the Badlands, the Crazy Horse monument, Devil's Tower (a short jaunt into Wyoming). At one point on our tour of the park, standing at the top of a mountain and enjoying a particularly breathtaking view of the Black Hills, I turned to my mother and said, "This, Mom, is why we came to South Dakota."

About now you're probably asking yourself what the preceding two stories have to do with each other and with the quote at the top of this post. The simple answer is, it's about the destination, and that's true, but it's also about the journey. Travel involves getting somewhere, someplace you know you want to go. Writing is the same thing as traveling - you're going somewhere with your story, and most of the time you know your destination from the beginning. And getting there is half the fun.

Music of the Moment: Currently playing on the radio - "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers - one of my favorites.

Read a book. Take that journey with the author, and enjoy your trip.

=) JB

Call Me Nell

I took a trip to the Playground this morning. Kimberly's post is just too cute, in a scary kind of way - scary, because I'm just like her (actually, she's much younger than I am, so that would make her just like me). Except for the warranty on the iron. That's the WGH's department - his filing cabinet is very organized. Mine has labeled folders but they are in no particular order (except for the drawer with the book notes in it, of course). The WGH keeps track of our intake and outflow (to the penny) on a very clever budget, one that we have trouble sticking to. I am not good with money, which is part of the reason I keep him around. The trouble with the arrangement is that he's a big-ticket impulse buyer. I nickel and dime us to death. We're working on it.

The first thing I learned when I moved to Tennessee was that I'm a damn Yankee. The difference between a Yankee and a damn Yankee is that Yankees go home. All my Southern friends like to make fun of my accent. Mine! I have one friend in particular, the Georgia Peach, who is just about as Southern Belle as they come. Except for that whole dainty and demure thing. She's more like the fiery side of Scarlett. She's also six feet tall, so ya don' wanna mess widda, a'ight?

My Southern friends like to hear me try to pronounce the word "dog". Simple? Heh. No. When I try to say it "like a Southerner" it comes out all drawn out and slow - "daaaaoooowwwwwguh" - and GP and the rest of them lovingly (ahem) dub me "Nell" (actually, they pronounce her name "Nail" because, well, that's the way Southerners talk). Taying in the weend, chickapayee!

World's Most Perfect Drinks, Part 2: A) Grape-OJ. The main female character in my third book drinks my favorite breakfast drink. This is grape juice mixed into orange juice in about a 1:4 ratio. I "invented" this when I was in college. I had a friend who didn't mind my drinking it in front of her but couldn't stand to watch me mix it. B) Iced tea - UNsweet, thank you. Southerners and Midwest farmers (i.e. my Dad's family) drink tea with tons of sugar in it. Yuck! Hello? If I want a brown-colored caffeinated drink with that much sugar I'll drink a Dr. Pepper. Which reminds me ... C) Dr. Pepper.

Today I work on "pages" - the next section of the book that goes to Writers' Group tomorrow night. Egad, it's been three weeks already?? My self-imposed deadline of Memorial Day is looming nearer and I'm nowhere near getting this book finished. J.B., get back to work!

Yes, Mother.

Book of the Week: The Delilah Complex by M.J. Rose

Read a book. Preferably a finished one.

=) JB

Shakespeare ... Will Shakespeare

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past ...

And so begins one of my favorite sonnets (#30) by The Bard himself. I'm a huge fan of Shakespeare. Not sure I can explain why. I got hooked on him in high school and haven't lost my enthusiasm for reading his plays and poems. It's one of those things, either you love him or you don't. Those of my friends in the "don't" column just look at me and shake their heads.

This particular sonnet is about friendship, lamenting the lost and being grateful for what you have. Here it is in full, just in case you're interested (if you're in the "don't" column, too, then you can just skip it, ok?):

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought,
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:
Then can I drown an eye (unused to flow)
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,
And weep afresh love's long since cancelled woe,
And moan th' expense of many a vanished sight.
Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee (dear friend)
All losses are restored, and sorrows end.

Deep stuff.

The reason I post this today is two-fold. One, I've gotten back in touch with some old friends I haven't seen or talked to in a while. A couple of years ago I learned of the death of a friend I hadn't seen in many years, and it broke my heart because I had actually been trying to get in touch with him and was unsuccessful. It hit me as hard as if there hadn't been a 16-year gap in our friendship. Don't let this happen to you. Are you thinking about someone you've fallen out of touch with? Call him/her, write a letter, email a card, whatever you have to, to tell that person you're thinking about him/her. Just do it.

The second reason is on a bit of a brighter note (sorry I got a little maudlin on you for a minute) - literally.

When I was in high school I had the privilege of being a part of a very good symphonic band. We had an outstanding band director who challenged us to play to our utmost potential, and we played some really great pieces. The CD player birthday present prompted me to start looking for recordings of some of the pieces we did over those four years, and I'm just beside myself tickled because I found one CD from Tower Records that has three of my all-time favorites on it. The same CD! How grand is that? So now I can't wait for it to come in the mail so I can pop it in the boom box and fill the study with music to write by.

Sigh. Remembrances of things past ...

Today is a Classical Thunder day. Lots to do, and nothing gets my blood pumping quite like Sabre Dance.

Do good for you things today: Read a book. Call an old friend. Listen to Khachaturian, if you must.

=) JB

My Weekends Were Made for Other Things

A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors. -- Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet and critic

Sometimes I lose focus a little more on the weekends. That's natural, I suppose. I spend most of my time alone during the week while the WGH is at work and the kids are in school, and then we have all kinds of activity on the weekends demanding my attention: basketball, volleyball, soccer, grocery shopping, etc., so my focus gets shifted from writing to ... well, life. Mind you, it's a life I wouldn't trade for anything.

Tomorrow I have to put on my editor's hat and get the April edition of our Sisters in Crime chapter newsletter put together. In addition to being the President, I am also the editor of The Crime Scene and the webmaven for our chapter site. Does it seem like I have a lot to do? It might, to someone on the outside. And I will admit there are times when I feel a little overwhelmed, but most of the time I think I have it pretty easy.

Tonight I finish week #14's book.

You should read one, too. It's good for you.

=) JB

It's Days Like These...

This was one of those days when everything I planned to do ended up pre-empted by something else. In short, I got a little Porgy and Bess action goin' on - a whole lotta nuttin'.

The storms were worse yesterday than they were last Sunday. One of the WGH's former assistant managers lives in one of the areas that was hardest hit by the tornado that ripped through the mid-state yesterday afternoon. The thing missed his house by about six neighbors. Scary stuff.

Makes you think about the important things in life. Here I am worried about not having an agent, and here other people are worried about not having a house.

If you have kids, go hug them. Maybe read them a book. It'll be good for both of you.

=) JB

Burning Down the House

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. -- William Wordsworth (1770-1850), English poet

I put the copper kettle on the stove to boil for my cappuccino and came upstairs to the study to start trolling the blog circuit. Yikes!! I gotta remember to NOT start reading before the cuppa is ready. Fortunately, I did remember before all the water boiled away.

I just got so wrapped up in things. I do that sometimes (don't we all?). First, I checked out my friend J.T.'s post on Murderati, and it's so good I'm spreading the word. You gotta read it. Especially if you're a writer. Click now and read. I'll wait. Just don't forget to hit the "Back" button on your browser so you can come see me again.

You're back? Okay, great. See, I told you it was worth it.

So, after I emailed J.T., I looked at Nephew #1's post on his blog (remember? the 22-year-old who lives in Hawaii). He says you go to this thing called Wikipedia and look up your birthday, and then "list three neat facts, two births and one death in your journal." Okay, so here I go (I'm going to cheat on the number of items, though, because I'm a rebel at heart):

Events:
1282 - The people of Sicily rebel against the Angevin king Charles I, in what becomes known as the Sicilian Vespers.
1822 - Florida Territory created in the United States.
1981 - Reagan assassination attempt: President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley, Jr. Reagan will become the first U.S. president to survive Tecumseh's curse, under which presidents elected in a year ending with zero died while in office.

Births:
1820 - Anna Sewell, British author (d. 1878)
1941 - Graeme Edge, British musician (Moody Blues)
1945 - Eric Clapton, British guitarist
1950 - Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor and comedian

Deaths:
1840 - Beau Brummell, English celebrity and dandy (b. 1778)
1986 - James Cagney, American actor (b. 1899)


How cool is that?

So, today I don't have to do my part-time job (off on Fridays and Saturdays) so I'm going to spend the day ... well, writing, of course!

I didn't do the "hole in the bucket" announcement, but it's fixed. It turned out to be very easy, and I feel a bit on the ridiculous side for worrying so much about it. The hole wasn't as big as I thought, and I ended up turning it into a shocker instead. I love it when a plan comes together.

Read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB

That's What I Said!

Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.

-- Maya Angelou (1928- ) American writer and performer

I've been doing a little research on phobias - I won't say for what or whom because I don't want to give anything away. There are some really bizarre ones listed in my medical dictionary. I have a problem with heights, but that's nothing compared to some of these. Who ever heard of being afraid of flutes? (It's called aulophobia and it's also defined as the fear of wind instruments.) That's just a little off center, isn't it?

I'm determined that today is going to be a productive day. Maybe tomorrow's post will have that title we've all been waiting for.

Read a book. Even Maya Angelou says it's good for you.

=) JB

The World's Most Perfect Drinks

"Some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant." -- Stella Bonasera, CSI NY It's an absolutely beautiful morning. Today the WGH and I are going into town to meet a friend of mine for lunch. We're having Mexican, yum. Before we leave I have to work on that plot hole. One of these days the post is going to be titled "The Black Hole" or "There's a Hole in my Bucket" and it's going to be all about how I finally got that silly thing filled. Today is not that day. Besides French vanilla cappuccino, two of my other favorite drinks are chocolate milk and orange Kool-Aid. I don't think there is a more perfect drink in the world than orange Kool-Aid. This is a debatable point, of course. Chocolate milk (Little Bit used to call it "chlocolate milk") runs a close second on my list. Oh-ho! she cried. The random, rambling musings are back. Now I feel normal again. Read a book. It's good for you. =) JB

A Dark & Stormy Night (aka Raining Cats & Dogs)

Today is my "getting back to normal" day. After being gone for four days I feel like I'm finally finding my way again. Here's a brief recap of our weekend:

Thursday: Drove to Atlanta. No rain, praise God. Lots of traffic, though. Who ever heard of road crews doing construction on the Interstate at midnight on a Thursday? They were pulling three lanes of heavy Interstate traffic down to one lane through the construction zone. We moved four miles in an hour. Finally got to the hotel just after midnight Eastern time. Stayed up until 1:30 AM to finish drying The Tall One's laundry. A word of caution to all parents of teenagers - teach your kids how to do their own laundry at an early age, and make sure they're paying attention. There are rules. Learn the rules, live the rules, love the rules. Save yourself from having to sort out a monstrous pile of clothing of all kinds (jeans, underwear, t-shirts, uniforms, etc., and yes, she did it all in one load) and forking out two bucks in quarters to dry said pile in a hotel laundry room at 1:30 AM.

Friday: Didn't have to play our first match until three in the afternoon, so one of the other team Moms and I took the girls (eight teenagers) to Atlanta Station to shop. I hate shopping. HATE it. For me, shopping ranks right up there with, say, cleaning up dog barf (more on that later). Anyway, The Tall One, who loves to shop and doesn't understand my philosophy on the subject at all, found a really cute outfit at Old Navy and yes, the jeans are long enough. Tough to find pants long enough for a kid 6'4", ya know? The Old Navy people are now my heroes.

The volleyball matches went so-so; won 1, lost 2.

No time to write on Friday. Read my book of the week instead.

Saturday: A better day for writing. Worked on some character development in the current project. Spent a good amount of quality time with ... myself ... in the hotel room while the girls went - you guessed it - shopping. Different mall. They took the Marta system. I think it might be a bus or possibly a subway, I'm not really sure.

Also a better day for volleyball; won 3, lost 0. Whoo-hoo! Watched basketball and read - finished last week's book.

Sunday: Last day of tournament. Played one match in the AM and lost. Packed up and headed home. Managed to avoid the nasty weather until we were about an hour out.

Sunday night was awful. If you live anywhere near the middle of the country, like we do, you know what I'm talking about. Horrible storms. The news and Weather Channel reports said there were something like 19 deaths in Tennessee. I found out yesterday that one of our school bus drivers was killed when her car hydroplaned on one of our steep-hill county back roads. Dreadful. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

The electricity went out somewhere around 8:30 PM and didn't come back until the last wave of storms went through and the last warning expired, about 12:45 AM. All nine of us (5 people, 3 cats and 1 very large dog) were hunkered down in the basement, listening to our little portable radio that tunes in TV stations (yeah, don't feel sorry for us - it's a finished basement/family room with the WGH's recliner, big screen TV and a sectional sofa with a fold-out - but hey, it's a basement, our port in the storm). Everyone else went to sleep. I stayed awake to monitor the weather.

Somewhere between the second wave of storms and the third/last warning, The WGH, The Tall One and The Boy went back upstairs to try to get some "real" sleep, and Little Bit and I were piled up on the couch. McCartney sprawled himself out on the area rug and promptly threw up his dinner. Cleaning up dog barf at midnight is not my idea of fun. Ranks right up there with shopping (see above).

Monday: Fortunately, all loved ones survived the storms and although we didn't get much sleep everyone managed to make it through the day yesterday. In between checking all the emails I missed over the weekend (while I had NO Internet access - horrors), I discovered that my friend J.T. Ellison and some other writers she's hooked up with got their new blog launched. It's called Murderati and you should check it out - it's terrific, and I'm not just saying that because she's my friend.

No time to write yesterday, either. Had to work my "other" job (it's part-time, but the Sunday part was pre-empted by the lack of electricity at our house).

Today is the day I get back on track. Going to dive into that plot hole and see if I can't fill it from the inside out. The new CD/tape player/radio boom-box thing (a birthday present) is cranking out Prokofiev, I've checked all the emails and here's the post for the day, so I'm ready to roll.

Book of the Week: We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews

If you don't want to read that one, find something else. Just read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB