T - 2 1/2 hours

I am just under three hours before I can start my Nano 2014 book. I have written my synopsis, only a page and a half, found my character pictures, and fleshed out a few details. I think I'm ready. This however will be my first nano as a working mother, witch makes me just a little bit worried. I am hoping for a few hours at night, quietly sitting on my couch, pinking away on my computer, but I am to smart to let that blissful dream stick around to long. There will probably be more than a few nights that I have visitors, little ones that need to get a drink, or go potty for the fifteenth time before they finally fall into bed. I am also anticipating a lot of very tired nights for myself after a long days work. I am just hoping that by the time November 3oth rolls around I am making coherent sentences! Even with all the hurtles I am facing this year, I know I can do it! It is going to be hard, but most things that are hard are totally worth it! So all my Nano friends, I wish you good writing, happy stories, and many useful hours with the Nano muse!

Staying Ahead, or Not!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. The hubby had surgery and that always takes a tole on things, but he is recovering well and thankfully I have an one of those husbands who hates to complain, so it hasn't been that bad. Other things keep popping up also, random things that take up lots of time and leave me feeling tired in the end. I know that life is the number one reason we stop doing the things we love. I have been kind of anxious about Nano. Sometimes I feel like there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done, and catch up on everything I haven't done for the past, like 30 years! Part of me thinks that I should put Nano on the shelf this year and try again another time, then the other part of me says, "get it together girl!" Whatever my brain may be saying, I definitely have a decision to make. This problem has got me thinking. There are hundreds of things we have to do every day. Some of those things we have to do to survive, so they aren't really options, but other things are disposable. I wonder how much time we spend on average on the internet doing nothing of value, on Facebook or browsing YouTube. How many hours a day do we watch television or spend time gaming? I think a lot about those people a hundred years ago didn't have those distractions and who got so much accomplished in a single day. They worked and toiled over everything and had very little time to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labors. We on the other hand have all this amazing technology to help us be productive and they we still don't take time to do the things we love because we fill up all that extra time with crap! So here is my goal, cut out the crap! That doesn't mean that I can't send an email, or send a quick message to a friend. That doesn't mean on Date Night I have to skip the movies, but I can not check Facebook six times a day. I can stop watching a show on TV every night and get in a couple hundred words on my Nano book. IT CAN BE DONE! I challenge you to look at your life and see what you can cut back on so that you can do something you love, whatever it is. Spend time with your family, read or write a good book, go for a walk, enjoy the "Extra" time our world has afforded us, and I promise it will be well worth it!

Free Book!

"A Ransomed Heart" is free today, tomorrow and Sunday. Check it out! http://www.amazon.com/Ransomed-Heart-Alex-Taylor-Wolfe-ebook/dp/B00BUVWMIG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413561639&sr=8-2&keywords=A+Ransomed+Heart+books This is a Clean Historical Fiction. There is no sexual content in this book. Annabelle Casey hasn't met Robert Seiver yet, but their engagement saves her entire family from destitution. This isn't the fairytale wedding she had dreamed of, but a marriage of convenience seems to be her only choice. When her trip to the Seiver Ranch is interrupted by a band of outlaws, she may find that her overturned stagecoach in the barren Wyoming badlands is where her future really begins. Logan Bailey has plans for revenge, but the fiery young redhead he kidnaps for ransom is changing them all. Years of anger have hardened him, but Robert Seiver's fiancé is giving him second thoughts, and not just about money. Can he put away a lifetime of hate for a girl he hardly knows? Can Annabelle marry Mr. Seiver and save her family, or will she choose Logan, the man who holds her heart for ransom. If you do read it and enjoy it, please remember to leave and honest review, I love hearing from my readers so I can better my writing, and bring stories to you that you will enjoy. Happy Reading!

I Thought I Learned This!

With the release of "Temperance and Treason," I have now been able to focus more on getting ready for Nano. I have a great idea but it is set in a time period I don't know much about, so I have been doing research. It has been interesting to read and learn about the Civil War, but I swear I have learned this before! I graduated from High School in 1998, that was sixteen years ago, and it is amazing the things I have forgotten. I know I learned about the Civil War, I probably took a test on it, but I have learned so much more doing this research. I probably took a history class in College also, but I still think it is cool that I am learning more! I am a big advocate of writing about things that you know about, things you understand, but I also think we need to stretch ourselves and learn more about the world around us. I know lots of people that write Fantasy, and Science Fiction, and it could be argued that you don't have to do research for those topics, but I disagree. I think every form of writing can benefit from research. I think it makes our writing more real, and more full. So whatever you're doing for Nano I want to encourage you to look up something new, it doesn't have to be big, but go to the library search something out, it will be good for you. Open up the books and learn something, you never know what you might find, or remember!

It's almost LIVE!!!

"Temperance and Treason" is now available on Kindle!! It has been a long road, but it's almost live! "Temperance and Treason" was a Nano book from a couple of years ago, I really enjoyed writing it because it was different than what I had done before. I have always been interested in Regency Romances but there is a lot I don't understand about the time period, so I decided to set Temperance in the time period that I loved, but in a world that doesn't really exist. It was fun to write about Kings, and Lords and Ladies, so Temperance really ended up being a labor of love for myself. I can't promise it will be fabulous, or deep, or inventive, but I can promise a love story and a little bit of suspense. I know not everyone will love it, and I know a few people will hate it, but again, I wrote this one for myself. I hope that any writer can do something they love, even if it is selfish, and then have the courage enough to share it with the world. Well enough of the emotional sentiments, you can find "Temperance and Treason" on Amazon Kindle tomorrow morning. I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please leave a positive review and comment. Thank you to all those who support me and my hobby of story telling. Happy reading!

Release Ready!!

Many of you who have released a eBook know how much time and effort goes into formatting and tweaking things to look just right. I have been working on "Temperance and Treason" all week to make sure it is ready to go live on Sunday. It has been fun to read through the book again and become reacquainted with the characters. It is interesting to me that when I read it makes me want to write. Getting this book ready for publication has made me even more excited about Nano, and the story I have in my head. Maybe I should release a book around Nano every year! For anyone who is interested here in another plug for my newest book "Temperance and Treason." Temperance Dennison has a secret that even she doesn't know about. Her father has left something in her care and she is only now figuring out what it is, and how it will affect her entire life. It wasn't a normal Coming Out season, not with the death of her father and the threats to the Sable Kingdom. Unexpected suitors, and hidden assassins make it hard for her to know who to trust, but she needs to finds someone fast, or everyone she cares about will suffer. Lord Deacon Colburn has only one objective, find the Dennison Documents and save the King. Temperance holds the key, and he is determined to get it from her even if he has to break her heart. A seasoned warrior, and cousin to the king, Deacon never suspects he will face the greatest threat of all,falling in love. Can Deacon and Temperance work together and find the documents that will save the entire kingdom, and can they trust the love that binds them to save not only themselves but everyone they love? You can find "Temperance and Treason" on Amazon. Available Sunday, October 12th.

Research, research, research!!

With Nano quickly approaching I think we should talk about research. I know a lot of writers like to just write as many words as possible during Nano and then worry about the small things later, but not me. I know Nano is suppose to be writing abandonment but I have to keep my facts straight so therefor I research. Some years I like to print a bunch of pictures off, both of character and places, other years I wing it, this year I think I am going to do a little of both. Because I try to set my stories in real life places I need to check things out to make sure I know what I am talking about. For example this book is going to be set in the Idaho Territory, one year post Civil War. Well, just because I live in Idaho doesn't mean I know everything about the Idaho Territory. Did you know that up until 1860 Idaho was part of the Old Washington Territory, in 1861 in became the Nebraska Territory and in 1863 in became the Idaho Territory. It's a good think I figured this all out because if the book had been set any time before 1863, I would have been calling it the wrong thing. There is a good deal more information that I have found during my studies and anyone who is reading my book, and enjoys history would appreciate my exactness. So, in my opinion, research is a fundamental element in my Nano writing. I have also learned more about the Civil War than I knew at first. It has been interesting to read about why things happened, not just that they happened. It helps me understand characters that I might encounter during my writing. I would, at that time, be considered a Yankee, but that doesn't mean that I don't need to understand the sympathies of a Confederate Solder. Their cause was just as important to them as it was to the North. I think it is important, that even though we are writing about fictitious people in a fictitious story that we give them real life attributes and understandings, that is what makes them relatable in our lives. A lot of time we write about things we know, but we can only have so many life experiences. Sometimes we need to write about what we don't know personally about, but can experience through our characters perspective. Don't be afraid to research something and then write about it, that is how we learn and grow as authors. In the long run I am just giving you a suggestion of how I approach Nano. Research is an integral part of that process for me. If you interested in something, read about it, learn about it, then write about it, it will give a better understanding of whatever it is you may be wanting to learn about. Good luck, and my the force be with you!

It's Coming!

Treason, murder, deceit, love, and a plot to kill the King. Temperance Dennison has a secret that even she doesn't know about. This won't be a regular Coming Out Season when Temperance is fielding prospective suitors and avoiding possible assassins. It is becoming clear she doesn't know who to trust, but she has to trust someone or her King will pay the ultimate price. An unexpected invitation to attend a ball at the Black Palace, thrusts her into a world where she is the biggest piece to a tangled puzzle, and some people will stop at nothing to obtain what she has. A precarious treaty between the Sable Kingdom and the Kingdom of Malerine leaves King Rabin in a dangerous position. Lord Deacon Coleburn would do anything to keep his cousin safe, even court a girl he hardly knows, who may or may not have the information they so desperately need. He isn’t her only suitor though, and not all of them have the most honorable of intention. The line between service to his King, and the love of a woman becomes dangerously blurred, and it may cost him everything he holds dear. Look For it on Amazon, October 12, 2014!!

Always so Much to Do!

I love being busy, it keeps me from getting into trouble, but sometimes busy is trouble. It is hard to get all the ideas down when I am going from work, to being a mom, to writing...I know, something we all struggle with. Sometimes I will think of a great idea and just want to sit down and start, but I can't because I am to busy. I think I may have solved this problem. Most of us carry our phones with us everywhere we go, so why don't we just email ourselves our great ideas. If you are like me, you already have a hundred WIP, but my opinion is, never let a good idea go to waste! Instead of trying to keep all these ideas in our head, why don't we fill our inbox up with them. Anyway, tidbit of the day...turn your microphone on your phone and let it flow...haha. Happy Writing, and Good Monday!

Getting Nano Ready

How is everyone feeling about Nano this year? We have one month roughly, to put something together that we can write about for 50,000 words. I know how hard it is to try to come up with an idea that you will love after a month of forced writing. I have been doing Nano for about 5 years now, two of my Nano books have been worth something, one is published, and another is soon to be, but some years the stories are absolutely horrible. Last year I loved the concept of my book but I hated every word of it, I tried to switch in the middle of the story to something more usable but I never finished. A couple of years before that I tried my hand at a YA novel, it just wasn't happening. I have had some years when I hated my characters, and other years when my characters hated me. Over all Nano is a hard, frustrating, exhausting experience, but it is totally worth it! When I tell people I participate in a month long writing competition they think I'm insane, I don't always disagree, but I try to tell them about the value of the experience. It gives me an opportunity not to care about all the technical things. I don't have to wonder if, what I want to happen can really happen, or give all the whys, and or reasons for something to happen. I get to develop my characters and fall in love with who they are. I get to exaggerate and be whimsical. I can enjoy the settings and everyday activities my characters find themselves in. It is a good reason to write with no excuses. Sometimes I think we as writers try to hard to follow all the rules, and it stifles our true voices and makes us afraid to express what we really think for fear of rejection, or that review we dread. Sometimes we need to use exclamation marks and incomplete sentences. Our writing should mirror real life, and there are plenty of times that I exclaim things! My favorite thing about Nano is that I get to be myself. So, if you are on the fence about Nano, my suggestion is to not look at the 50,000 words, or the fact that we need to write all those words in 30 days, but that we get to write at all! We get to vomit words out onto the page and not care if they "flow." We get to stare writers block in the face and tell it to take a hike. We get a whole month of unfettered, uncontrolled, unabashed writing! Use all the exclamation marks you want, and for Pete sake, have a good time!!

I Drempt the Nano Dream

I have dreamed the dream of Nano and I think I have come up with a plot! I know it sounds weird that I could get an idea from a dream, but it happens all the time. Sometimes I like to tell the kids about the dreams I had that night at breakfast the next morning. They get a kick out of how strange my dreams can be. Sometimes when I am telling them about last nights dream, they pipe up and start adding to it from dreams in the past. One of their favorite dreams to re-tell is Tinkerbell and the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Sometimes my dreams are so real I wake up and wonder why I am in bed, and not doing whatever I was doing in my dream. I have even woken myself up getting out of bed to dance, yes, dance! So all that being said I hope my Nano concept turns out to be something more than a silly dream. I know anyone who is attempting Nano is feeling the same way, hoping that the Writing Gods are smiling down on you and you get some kind of valid idea. Well I wish you all the best of luck with your Nano plans, and happy dreaming!

Early New Years Resolution

With Nano approaching I have decided I need to work harder at blogging. School has started, the kids are working hard, and I am spending a lot of time on WIP, so a few minutes to keep my readers updated shouldn't be a problem. So, as an early resolution for me, is to start writing every day and doing updates for those who may be following me. Update one: All the kids are in school now, yeah, free time!! Actually I have found myself staying busy with things that have been neglected for the past few years. I have cleaned my couches, scrubbed my kitchen floor, worked in closets and gone through clothes. I have had lots more time for writing, true, and it has been really nice, so I am pulling out old projects and dusting off some fun things, it has been a whole new world. Update two: I have a new book that is almost done. I don't mean first draft done, I mean back from the editor and working on a cover done. It is called, Temperance and Treason. Fun project, it was a nano book from three years ago and it has been fun to get back into it and get to know the characters better. I am hoping for a release date sometime after Christmas, so keep your eyes open, I promise to do more updates on "Temperance and Treason." Update three: I bit off a big chunk of crazy, and I am going back to school. This is an idea I have been thinking about for a few years, and now that the kids are gone most of the day it is going into affect. I will be getting my Bachelors in English. Luckily I already have an Associates so it is only a 2 years project, and I get to take some really fun classes! Last update: I can't think of a nano plot to save my life!!! I know I still a month to bring something together and I am drawing a blank. Who else is having this problem? I thought all this "creative" time on my hands, I would be inspired, but it just isn't happening. I hope that something I see, or read with flip a switch, often times a dream even gives me a good idea, so I am on the hunt. Well there you go, an update, long overdue. I hope you are all doing well, I hope if you are writing the muses are with you, whispering sweet ideas in your ear. If you are a reader, I bless you with good reading, and great experiences. Good luck in all your doings and I will check in soon.

Perfectionism!

Sometimes being a writer is really hard.  Writing takes thought, organization, skill and a hint of wild abandonment to make it really work.  The problem with all of that is, it is really hard to abandon all the organization which is sometimes required to write a good story.  This, my friends, is my main problem.  When I want to tell a story I sit down and start pounding it out.  The part of the story that has driven me to the madness of writing flow freely, as if the Muse Goddess was sitting on my shoulder and sprinkling me with magic writing dust. But then there are the other parts of the story that I am driven to because plot, or character decisions, or whatever else, that stops me in my tracks.

I don't know about you, but sometimes writing feels like an exercise in frustration. You know what you want to happen, you know how it is suppose to happen, but then for whatever reason in the world you can't make it happen! This is what I call Perfectionism- the inability to move past something because it didn't work exactly the way you wanted it to.  This "P" word is the exact reason I have an entire back log of unfinished manuscripts just mocking me in my Word file.  They are a constant reminder of all the stories that didn't go as planned, but really, what ever does go the way we want it to? 

I like to use the analogy of traveling with children. Before you even leave the driveway things have stopped going as planned.  What would happen if we abandoned every trip, or vacation because the itinerary got messed up before we even had the car loaded?  Perfectionism is holding us back fellow writers! We worry about what others are going to think about the story before we even get the whole thing down on paper. We wonder if our book is going to be the next Harry Potter, but we never finish the dang thing because one of our characters grow a personality and throw off the whole plan.  What we need to do is stop trying to have perfect rough drafts, that is what edits and revisions are for. No one has ever written a perfect rough draft. that is why it is call a ROUGH draft.  So lets stop with all the frets and worries. Lets just get  the story down on paper, and then we can go back and start polishing. Not even diamonds are born perfect. 

So here is my challenge, and my goal for myself.  Instead of stopping when it gets hard, I am going to push through it.  I might have one or two chapters of complete trash, but somewhere in all that mess of words is a great idea, but I can't have it until I write it down.  Next I am going to open up that dusty old Word file and start working on a story in there.  I wrote what I already have because there was something to love about it.  A character who needed to be heard, a story that needs to be told, so I need allow myself to fall in love all over again. I'm going to say goodby to Perfectionism and say hello to story telling.

Plugging along!

How has your 30 day writing challenge been going?  Mine had a rocky start, but I am pulling it together.  I find that I get a lot of joy out of writing, even if it is hundreds of words a day.  The story I am working on is a remix of my Nano book this year. It is fun to delve farther into my characters backgrounds, get to know them a little bit better.  The story takes on a whole different life when you are not so rushed to put words down on the page.

Just the other day I was trying to work through a plot twist.  My MC ran into big trouble that I wasn't counting on, and it really threw me for a loop.  It doesn't change the overall outcome of the book, but it sure throws a wrench in all the plans I had made.  Now I have to figure out how to get her out of trouble but stay in love with my Hero.  Oh the joys of writing!

I hope you all are able to pound some words out here or there.  I know it can be hard with the demands of life, but why not do something that makes you happy.  A few minutes in my imaginary world with my imaginary friends makes a whole lot of difference in the real world.  So do something for yourself and your readers and get creative!

30 Day Writing Challenge

OK, I am doing this mostly for me to get back on track this year, but I am going to do a 30 day writing challenge.  I have lots of projects I want to be working on but I don't find the time to do it, so this month I am going to make time.  This isn't going to be like Nano, I am not going for a word count, I am just going for quality writing time.  I don't care if it is 10 words a day, but I AM going to write. 

I recently saw something about writing that said if you are not dedicated enough to your craft then you will not succeed. I want to enjoy writing, but also be productive. So anyone who wants to join me I hope to be adding updates every few days about my progress.  I am not starting a new project but working on something I started during Nano.  This is my hope that this year I can get a couple more books published and I think this is a good way to start. Good luck fellow writers and I hope your New Year's writing goals are a success!