January is the month of change. The days are getting longer, sunlight is on the return, and those of us who live in the rainy Pacific Northwest have expectations of warmth, gardens reawakening, and a welcome invasion of birds of all species.
This is the time I make a pest of myself at my favorite garden store. January is the month of bare root plants and trees. I am on the hunt for semi-dwarf plum trees. Green Gage and Satsuma varieties, to be specific. Yea, they are due in the middle of the month and I already have spots ready for them.
This is also the month to get out and prune the fruit trees already in the garden. This is the first time for doing this as the trees are only a few years old and it will be a new experience. I have books galore on the different techniques and my garden gurus have been generous in their advice and suggestions.
January also finds me pruning and editing my writing and gathering together resources for a new manuscript. A time for change and getting everything in order to move forward.
I salute this New Year with a plate of biscotti and glass of chilled Prosecco . . . well, more than one glass!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Thursday, December 6, 2007
December 6, 2007
In this chilly, sunless time of year I can’t help but appreciate the plants in my garden which remain green. The evergreens. Three years ago when designing the layout of this garden (my first) I spent hours researching and studying the important elements which anchor a garden. Evergreen trees and shrubs are one of these elements.
In this chilly, sunless time of year I can’t help but appreciate the plants in my garden which remain green. The evergreens. Three years ago when designing the layout of this garden (my first) I spent hours researching and studying the important elements which anchor a garden. Evergreen trees and shrubs are one of these elements.
They are symbols of persistence. They stand as fundamental reminders for those of us who are writers to put on our coats, hats, and mufflers of deepest evergreen, and to tug on our loden green waterproof boots, and march out to continue on our journey of creativity. Whatever our situation, we have stories to tell and persistence is the color green!
***
Wahoo! A couple of months ago I decided to enter a few contests in other parts of the country. I'm excited to announce that The King's Map is a finalist for the Historical Category of the Romancing the Tome Contest sponsored by the Coeur de Louisiane chapter of RWA. The neat thing about this contest is you get your critiques back and then get to make changes before the final round of judging. Winners will be announced in February.
Wishing you all Peace and Joy!!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
November
Recently I attended the Surrey International Writer’s Convention in BC. I have to confess a friend had to needle me to go, as I had never heard of it. I was always focused on writer’s venues in the USA.
Boy was I missing out. They had a great program, award winning authors, and four star agents in attendance. Not to mention it was laid back and offered numerous opportunities for aspiring writers (like myself) to interact with published authors and agents.
Here are a few of my favorite programs:
The SiWC Idol Panel. Sort of like the old “Gong” show on TV. You get to anonymously submit 2-3 pages of your work. A presenter reads the submissions one at a time, and the panel of agents can raise their hands at any moment to stop the reading. Then the panel comment on why they rejected the piece. Most entries never got past the first few sentences. When a piece did work, the panel explained why it grabbed their attention. This exercise is brutally honest because it demonstrates in real time, that a writer has to make the opening pitch of their story count. A few entries made it all the way through. The writer, to loud applause, had to stand up, identify themselves, and they were assured an instant appointment with the agents who were interested in their work. On more than one occasion there was good natured haggling between agents as to which one of them got the writer first!
I also loved the Blue Pencil Appointments. You could bring 2-3 pages of your work and sit down with a published author and have them read, make suggestions or edits directly on your paper, or just answer any question you might have. I was lucky to have Joan Johnston . She was wonderfully gracious and gave me useful help.
Another conference highlight was the Genre Lunch. Tables had printed signs designating which genre could sit there. So if you were writing Young Adult or say Murder Mystery, you chose a seat and waited with baited breath to see which author and agent were going to join your table. During lunch you had the opportunity to chat and ask any burning questions you were sitting on. This was a great way to interact with professionals in the industry.
Since this was an International Conference of Writers I was delighted to meet and listen to writers from different countries and cultures. I encourage any aspiring writer to attend this conference.
PS The hotel was reasonably priced and the food was excellent. The dessert bar was yummy . . . needless to say I had seconds.
PSS Did I mention I met with several agents who asked for samples of my work, and have my fingers and toes crossed xixixixixixix
Boy was I missing out. They had a great program, award winning authors, and four star agents in attendance. Not to mention it was laid back and offered numerous opportunities for aspiring writers (like myself) to interact with published authors and agents.
Here are a few of my favorite programs:
The SiWC Idol Panel. Sort of like the old “Gong” show on TV. You get to anonymously submit 2-3 pages of your work. A presenter reads the submissions one at a time, and the panel of agents can raise their hands at any moment to stop the reading. Then the panel comment on why they rejected the piece. Most entries never got past the first few sentences. When a piece did work, the panel explained why it grabbed their attention. This exercise is brutally honest because it demonstrates in real time, that a writer has to make the opening pitch of their story count. A few entries made it all the way through. The writer, to loud applause, had to stand up, identify themselves, and they were assured an instant appointment with the agents who were interested in their work. On more than one occasion there was good natured haggling between agents as to which one of them got the writer first!
I also loved the Blue Pencil Appointments. You could bring 2-3 pages of your work and sit down with a published author and have them read, make suggestions or edits directly on your paper, or just answer any question you might have. I was lucky to have Joan Johnston . She was wonderfully gracious and gave me useful help.
Another conference highlight was the Genre Lunch. Tables had printed signs designating which genre could sit there. So if you were writing Young Adult or say Murder Mystery, you chose a seat and waited with baited breath to see which author and agent were going to join your table. During lunch you had the opportunity to chat and ask any burning questions you were sitting on. This was a great way to interact with professionals in the industry.
Since this was an International Conference of Writers I was delighted to meet and listen to writers from different countries and cultures. I encourage any aspiring writer to attend this conference.
PS The hotel was reasonably priced and the food was excellent. The dessert bar was yummy . . . needless to say I had seconds.
PSS Did I mention I met with several agents who asked for samples of my work, and have my fingers and toes crossed xixixixixixix
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Welcome to my website
Jennifer, Heidi (standing), Janet, Sherry, spoiled Papillons Sante and Cello
October 2007
Welcome to my website. I’m so excited to begin this blog. If you have questions or suggestions for topics, please let me know.
Recently I hosted an informal summer-garden, writer’s critique group at my home (see photo above). My guests were all wonderful authors and we had a great time hanging out, sitting in the garden, working on manuscripts, eating and critiquing. I plan on making this an annual event and will definitely host another gathering next summer!
I hope to make an entry on my blog at least once a week. I will be introducing a contest in the near future so check back for this.
And, on October 19, I will journey to the Surrey International Writer’s Conference in British Columbia. Maybe, just maybe, I will peak the interest of an agent . . . and wouldn’t that be lovely!
Thanks for visiting and going on this adventure with me.
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