Harlequin Published My Story

My story "Enough Time for Christmas", about a Christmas story my son wrote when he was in high school, has been published by Harlequin in Jennifer Basye Sanders' anthology called:  

A Miracle Under the Christmas Tree: Real Stories of Hope, Faith and the True Gifts of the Season.

It's available on Amazon. There will be a book launch in Pacific Grove on November 10th at The Works Bookstore, 2 to 4.

Thank you, Jennifer for making this acceptance possible.

Give Feelings a Chance to Act

 I read somewhere to give life to abstractions by substituting concrete images that suggest the feeling. I've decided to put that advice into practice with every other chapter. The newest one I wrote in revising Chapter One again is about Hada. Instead of saying she felt guilty, I wrote:

Guilt pinched at her heart and then hid somewhere, maybe in her bones.

It takes a while to think of feelings taking action, but it's fun and avoids overused words.

Character inspiration quote

This quote applies to our characters too. If we look at them through Maharaji's words,  maybe we can find a way to deepen them.

 The peace that we are looking for is within.
It is in the heart,
waiting to be felt.

~ Maharaji

Stephen King Quote

"You can't deny laughter when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants."

~ Stephen King

Shakespeare

This summer, I spent two days in Ashland and enjoyed four plays, two lectures (about the plays), and a backstage tour. "Party People" was my favorite. Besides being a beautiful town, Ashland inspires creativity. I'm back in the Bay Area with multiple writing goals set to accomplish by the end of the year.  Vacations are time well spent.

The following quote could be used for a character's response in one of my chapters, maybe in one of yours too. If I was as ambitious as my friend, Anne Koch, I would use this quote for a chapter lead-in but then I'd have to search for more quotes to include in the rest of the thirty-nine chapters. 

 

The silence often of pure innocence
persuades when speaking fails.

- William Shakespeare

Tiny Lights Flash in the Pan

Susan Bono of "Tiny Lights" welcomes entries to her Flash in the Pan section. Maximum is five hundred words written in first person, blocked paragraphs, and include a bio of no more than fifty words.

Get you work out there.

Jessica Barksdale Writing Workshop

I met Jessica through her on-line short story writing class around 2003. I attribute my successes in winning five short story first place awards to her inspiration and instruction, not only in that first class, but as I continue to take her workshops.

This year I spent from June 28th to July 1st with about seven other writers in her home on a hill surrounded by trees. We read each writer's twenty-five page submission, made comments and suggestions. We listened to Jessica's experienced how-to's and had time to write them into our stories. We had an hour of yoga taught by her neighbor next door and we listened to Ericka Lutz's enthusiastic recounting of how her book, THE EDGE OF MAYBE, came to be published. We ate delicious food prepared by Jessica, and we luxuriated for hours in the writing world. Ah, I'm rejuvenated until next time.

Thank you, Jessica.