Another Busy DAy

Today has been another busy day. This morning I had an appoint for my check-up with the oral surgeon. It went very well. I still have stitches, but they will dissolve in a few days.

I am helping a friend direct a wedding on the 18th of this month. After seeing the oral surgeon, my daughter and I went shopping. I needed a pair of nice dress shoes, black, and something nice to wear to the wedding. We hit the jackpot. The shoes are so comfortable and I found a nice shirt and sweater to wear to the wedding and through the rest of the summer, the fall and winter. I came away a happy camper.

Today I found I am now a part of Examiner.com. I am the Nashville Quilting Examiner. Quilting has always been something I enjoyed to do and I am looking forward to see the how's and what's of the quilting world. Please check this out and leave a comment. I am excited about my first article.

Now, I have to get to work. I haven't touched Callie in over a week, so I must get busy. Have a wonderful day.

Things Happening Here

The sounds of hammers and saws are booming in my ears this morning. It is good. We are finally getting our closet built. It's just a small one, 12'x12', but needed drastically.

My parents did not have much closet space and each season, my poor mother took her out of season clothes down the stairs to the basement to store them until the next season.

I have a tendency of falling when I go down the stairs. So far I have not been injured badly, but there is always the first time. With that in mind, we decided to build a closet to store all of our clothes. I don't consider myself a clothes hog, but I do have a good closet full. Not only will I have clothes, but a place to iron or steam and a place for my sewing machine. I only have three machines, but I won't have to drag them to the kitchen table to sew anymore.

My daughter and I are going the the archives today to search for more Melungeon relatives. I have some research to do on my next book also. It will be a fun working time together.

Tips on Writing

If I am not a dedicated reader, I cannot write. Reading tells me all kinds of things about a writer and their dedication. If they are trying to make you feel their thoughts, they write in a way you will understand what they are talking about.

This has been one of the most difficult parts of my journey into writing. I have taken a few wrong turns and gotten way off track. Part of what I have written makes no sense in my book and I am seeing that now.

When I get off track, I read a book by an author who I know is good. Right now I am reading Anathema by Colleen Coble. I am learning from her how to write mysteries. Don't know if I ever want to write a mystery, but I may sometime. I like the way she sticks with the character and you feel you know Hannah. You also feel her fears and guilt. So far, I am enjoying this style of writing.

We all have our own style or voice. I think I am coming into mine, but I do know it will take several books before it gets there. I can wait and learn more.

I will agree that the craft books are great, but I learn more from others when I read what they are writing. I hope this book does not get too scary for me, but I have mastered Steven James' books, so I can get through this one.

Lots to do today, now that I am feeling better. Today is a pretty good day compared to the last three.

What Do You Do When You Read a Bad Book?

Sinc money has become tight, publishing houses have become very selective with what they print. They say they are selective, but there are still some books being published that are not that good. At least in my opinion.

I finished one this past week that did not meet my standards. Of course, I don't have very high standards since I have never published. I am a reader and that counts. This one was by a multi-published author. Some time ago I joined a publishers book club. These have come in the mail from that publisher. I would not go out and buy either of these books.

When I have to go back and reread paragraphs, I consider that sloppy writing. I've said before I like tags so my readers will know who is talking. I don't tag every sentence, but enough to keep you from being confused.

The scenes should flow well between each other. You should not jump around from one thing to another. That's the way I like to read and better authors write that way.

It has been hard on me to remember all this, but I am doing better. My scenes flow well between the characters. The chapters are shorter and more interesting.

Since I have not gotten to write any this week, I am praying I will be writing again by Saturday. I miss my characters, even if they are people I have made up. Writing is so interesting.

Oral Surgery Over

It's been a long time since I felt this good. The tooth has probably caused me trouble for years. My joints had been hurting so much for the last two months and I know now that the tooth was part of the problem.

When the tooth was removed, I was able to stand and walk like a normal person. I have no pain in my joints, especially my knees. This is great! I feel like a new woman and ready to tackle the world, when the swelling in my jaw goes down. This has amazed me more than anything.

Sometimes we hurt so much that we feel we don't have long to live. That's how much I hurt. I was even getting letters from the Scooter Store and seriously thinking of contacting them. I knew I could not put up with the pain much longer and that was very depressing.

Okay, now I am ready to tackle my book in earnest. I'm ready to move Callie forward and when I don't have to rest so much, I will get it finished. I'm supposed to rest until Friday. That's not too long, but I want to be in the office more than reading a book or watching television.

This has been a good move for me. I am back to my old self and I am so happy.

Good News

Several things happened over the week-end. Our oldest granddaughter, Savannah, was baptized last night. What a wonderful father's day gift for her father and grandfather. We are all pleased that she made the decision to become a child of God. She is the first of our grandchildren to become a Christian.

Saturday was our local writer's groups meeting. We met in Knoxville at Panera Bread so we could have internet service. Ane Mulligan, Zone Director for ACFW, was our speaker. It worked pretty well except they only let you use it for 30 minutes. Skype would be a good way to communicate in a home or building where you would not be cut off. The feedback was a little annoying.

Ane talked about a writer's platform. That has been important to me and I am building readers. I still have a ways to go, but it is important if you blog to blog every day.

Another thing to do is to join social groups like Facebook, Twitter, and others. I am on Facebook and Twitter. I do have a fair following on both.

Ane also encouraged us to make comments on other blogs, websites or Twitters. The more you get your name out, the better you will be. If you are going to ACFW conference, volunteer for anything you can. Don't go crazy, but volunteer for at least one job. If no one knows who you are, you have a less chance to be recognized. It is important when you think about wanting an editor or publisher to look at your work. If you have made a web presence or a presence at conference, they will remember you and you will have a better chance of talking to them. Of course, you have to have a book ready and it should be good.

Tomorrow I will be having oral surgery and I will be out of it the rest of the day. I have to be put to sleep, I'm a wimp. I want to write something tonight to be published tomorrow. We will see how it goes.

Snow Melts in Spring

Snow Melts In Spring by Deborah Vogts is a very good book. The writing kept me interested, in fact, I didn't want to put it down.

This is Deborah's first book in the Tallgrass series. If you are an animal lover, you will love it. If you like good reading, you will love it. She has a way of making you feel a part of the story, which I enjoy. I was wanting to say, "Mattie, you love him. Go girl." It is a feel good book.

A country vet who loves the plains of Kansas and a star football player for the San Francisco 49'ers are two opposites. She loves the country and he loves the city. Her clinic burns down and his father asks her to come live on his ranch and restart her practice. His son is the football player.

I identified with her somewhat. I know very little about football except you run with the ball and you kick it some. She knew less than that.

I loved the way the story flowed. It was so good. Now I'm looking forward to more of her books.