Forever Young... This is Where I Leave You

On Writing:
I've had the cold from hell for the past week. Kinda plague-like in severity (with no disrespect to those with the original plague ;)
Sadly, this meant NO words were written on my current wip... no laundry was done either (which isn't too horrible - heh)... and I'm missing today's Toronto Romance Writer's meeting cause breathing is still an issue. Nobody, I'm sure, would want to sit next to mucusy me.
And the second round of waiting has begun. The SuperAgent has the revised ms and I'm drumming my fingers, tapping my toe and whistling an annoying tune while I wait to find out what she says about the 20K I added to thicken up the plot. Knowing this is the first of many many 'waits' makes me wonder if I'll have any non-gray hair left on my head before I see my name on the spine of a book in Chapters.

On Reading:
Read Jonathan Tropper's THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. I promise, you will not be disappointed. This book is sad and funny and real and heartbreaking and uplifting and hilarious and you'll wonder how Jonathan Tropper got into your head and got your very private thoughts out. So so so good.
It's a bit like Jonathan Franzen's THE CORRECTIONS ... equally well written but more hopeful and infinitely easier to digest.

I purchased the hardcover edition of THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, only because it's not out in paperback yet, and don't regret shelling out the bucks for a moment (and to know me is to know I'm a cheap bastard who gets books from the used book store) - so if that's not reason enought to trott and out to Chapters/B&N, I don't know what else I can say...

On Music:
Perhaps I'm feeling a bit cranky from my cold but JESUS H. MAHONEY -- why why why did they let JayZ destroy the amazingness that was Forever Young? WHY??
And how could Alphaville let him do this to their beautiful song?
When the first strains of it come on the radio I get that 1984 feeling and then BLAM, JayZ ruins it all with very lame rap. I'm disgusted. He's gone and f*cked with my college memories. :P

On TV:
Are you watching Castle yet?
And speaking of Nathan Fillion...
I'm all caught up on Firefly. This was the SF series I missed (blaming The Bermuda Years - we didn't get much in terms of channels) and it was very enjoyable. I'm sad that it was cancelled.

LOST is back on and I'm suprising myself - a DIEHARD fan - by saying I'm not all that impressed with it at the moment. It's the final season so perhaps I'm preparing myself psychologically for the large hole it's going to leave in my entertainment life,... but it's not all mind-blowy like it has been in the past.

That is all...
***

With Glowing Hearts...

The Olympics is over. I feel sort of lost...
The television was on for 17 straight days, from the poignantly Canadian opening ceremonies through to the final gold medal delivered by Sidney Crosby.
Every emotional chord was hit, from frustration to elation, and I probably cried at least once per day. Yes... the Tim Horton's commercial got me every time.
And does anyone know the name of the song in the Coke commerical? The hockey-themed one with the line "... let everybody know who's game they're playing" cause it's stuck in my head.
Oh - and I finally understand the line from our national anthem "with glowing hearts". It stopped being just words and became something real.

It was such fun meeting new Twitter friends during the games! Don't think I watched one event alone :)


Back to writing!
Which I've done little of.
I'm putting the finishing polish on my novel today and will send it out to my agent (I still squee inside when I type that word). Fingers crossed that she'll know what to do with it from there.

And how fitting that the hero of the book is a hockey player.

***

Hurt Locker

I finally saw Hurt Locker last night and I'm not sure what to say about it... except maybe WOW.

Should it win Best Picture Oscar? imo... No.
It was indeed a powerful film with a subject matter not easy to understand or watch. Do you know the premise?
In a nut-shell... It's about a 3-man team of blasters, those brave souls who find/diffuse IED's. It was intense and very real. It did not glamorize war.
It wasn't anti-American nor was it pro-American. Not anti-Iraqi and not pro-Iraqi. Not overtly anti-war but very anti-war.
It just was.
It's brilliance lay in the grey-area and absolute avoidance in painting things black or white. The good guys were kinda bad and instead of giving the audience a bad guy to hate, it gave us war to hate.

Everybody should see this movie because it will make you uncomfortable as war should.
btw - it wasn't overly graphic, so if that's stopping, it shouldn't.

Should Bigelow win Best Director Oscar? imo... resounding YES.
Where Cameron (Avatar) is all bigness, brightness and much over-the-top-ness, Bigelow is subtle, symbolic and she let the landscape and quietness scream the loudest. She made it look effortless but if you look, really look, it was anything but. Every shot had a reason, every frame meant something.

I found it interesting that both movies shared a theme... and you have to see them both to understand how powerful but drastically different they relate that theme.

btw - I still don't get the title. Am I stupid? Did I miss something key?? Anyone know where 'hurt locker' comes from?

Because I have nothing better to blog about...

Working hard to revise my category length novel into a single title length, on the advice of my agent (that will never get old so expect me to bring it up often and shamelessly).

Other than that, I really don't have much going on, so I thought I'd share the last five songs I downloaded on iTunes:

1. Creep - Radiohead
2. 21 Guns - Greenday
3. Glitter in the Air - P!nk
4. Wavin' Flag - K'Naan
5. Morning After Dark - Timbaland

A little eclectic, like my taste in books. G'head -- tell me in comments what your latest download was.

W

Huh? What was that? Speak up please!

I got an agent.







I GOT AN AGENT.








I GOT AN AGENT!!!!

It's AMAZON!

I'm on Amazon and didn't know it. Heh.
I got an email from Ellora's Cave advising that I should have an author's page and I was like WTF? Sure enough, here I am...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Wylie+Kinson

(No, this isn't the exciting news I had to share. That's coming next week...)

Outlander and The Lost Symbol on my Keeper Shelf

I've got some VERY good news coming. Can't say anything just yet... (and you know it's killing me) but soon, soon. All will be revealed...

Don't you just HATE teases like that?
Me too, but I'm feeling smug so it's staying ;)

On books: I read two this week, thanks to a bout of insomnia.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown -- let me start by saying I LOVED IT. The architectural puzzles of Washington DC, a fascinating peek behind the secretive veil of the Freemason society, a new mystic science called Noetics... it was all good.
This is one author who really does his homework. I don't mind waiting years and years for an author's book if he can captivate me so.
I almost took notes so I wouldn't forget some of the tres cool things he imparted.

But, I must laughingly agree with the critics who shake their heads at Mr. Brown's writing style. Eeeks. One sentence that will not dislodge itself from my head is "The door hissed loudly open."
Thank goodness he's an awsome storyteller :)

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander -- yes yes,... it's about time. The book came out in the early '90's and I've been meaning to read it since, but never quite got around to it.
Is it good? Let me just say, this 850 page tome took me only a little over 24 hours to read because I could not put it down.
I wish more books like Outlander were published today. These days, the shelves seemed to be packed with quick reads, lots of white space, and pacing that leaves you feeling like you've been on a rollercoaster for an hour too long.
Ms Gabaldon took time to fully develop her characters so when they did jump on the coaster, you were rooting for them, hurting for them, and falling in love with them. She also had a brilliant balance of description (ah, Scotland -- made me ache to go), history and romance.
If you haven't read this modern classic, do. Don't let the thickness or lack of white space intimidate. It's got nicely spaced section breaks... IF you can put it down.
Go. Buy. Enjoy the kind of books that are rarely published today ;)

On Television:

LOST is back this Tuesday!!! WOOT!!!

***

Can we bill the 11 million to the Panty Bomber?

I've been reading a lot (fact-based and op-eds) about the new airport screening procedures and what an even bigger nightmare flying has become in the wake of the PantyBomber.

*author note: you can call him the Underwear Bomber if you like, but I'm stickin' with Panty because it sounds more idiotic. And what kind of IDIOT sticks explosives next to his dick... What was he going to do with the 72 sacrificial virgins he undoubtably was promised? Sing soprano to them?*

It's a scary world we live in. Granted. But it's pissing me off that travelling by airplane has become such a freaking nightmare that I'd rather just not go anyplace.
I used to be that girl who would plan her next trip before this one was finished. I read travel magazines, saved air miles, even strategically moved closer to the airport (weird but true!)

Now? The thought of the lines, the body scanners (creepy!!) the three-hour-before-your-flight arrival times, the no-ANYTHING on the plane (people who made these rules do not have children, clearly) and get this... they're even considering 'smart-belts' -- seat belts that lock you into your seat at the discretion of the airline employee. *horror-movie-girly-scream*

Thank the Gods, all of 'em, that I've seen the Louvre, the Tower of London, the canals of Venice and the Alps cause if they lock me in a seat, I won't need a panty bomb to blow up.

For the US bound flights, the Toronto airport has to buy 44 body scanners (creepy!!) at the cost of $250,000 per unit. That's 11 million dollars folks. Not to mention the cost to run them and monitor them as they each 2 man team at minimum, one to be present with the passenger while the one minute scan takes place, while the other is in a room someplace else, so that they can't actually see the face of the naked person at whom they're looking (Come on... that doesn't creep you out?)

ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS. Think of the Ontario arts programs that could pay for. Or what the Cancer Society could do with ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS. Or how many Haitans could be fed, clothed and housed?

My question: Can we send the bill to the Panty Bomber? Or the Shoe Bomber? Or W?? ;)
Cause the airport taxes on my airline tickets often add to more than the cost of flying already and that's not right.

Why don't we simply put a police force on every flight -- hell the seats are half empty these days...
Or hey, lets get the flight attendants RCMP-trained (I hear they're good)
Or make us fly naked. (body scanners=creepy!)
Or in tight fitting Star Trek suits -- oh yeah!

Because some Idiot (see Panty Bomber, above) will find another way, like swallowing a bomb, or sticking it up his butt, for which the body scanner (creepy!!) is completely ineffective. As would be the naked flying...

Point is, if these terrorists want to bad enough, and get someone stupid enough (see Panty Bomber, above) it will get done.
Meanwhile, they've already terrorized the millions of people who tried to fly over the Christmas holidays. And beyond.
Meanwhile, I'm done flying.

Your thoughts?

**I wrote this before carry-on restrictions were lifted. As of Jan 20th, with the exception of creams, liquids, etc, carry-on luggage is back on**

Just say NO to trout pout and cheek implants

To the Women of Hollywood,

Please stop messing up your faces. Please. It's not pretty, no matter what your 'people' tell you, or your management, or, God forbid, your plastic surgeons.

Yes - I'm talking about Madonna, Meg Ryan, Melanie Griffith, etc...

I caught Joan Rivers on some late-night talk show the other day and it was creepy. It's just not right for a 76 year old woman to have a lineless face. None-what-so-ever. She looked like she was wearing plastic mask *cringe*

Have you seen Cougar Town? I saw it for the first time the other day and thought I recognized the actress that plays best friends to Courtney Cox's character. I IMBD'd her and OMFG, it's Christa Miller, the cute goofy actress from the Drew Carey Show. Oh Christa, not you too!! What are those things in your cheeks? And you lips... *shudder*

Ironically, the ep I saw guest-starred Lisa Kudrow as a bitchy plastic surgeon. As Jules (Cox) got injected, Kudrow, with her aged-beauty undoctored, ridiculed the practice saying she would never be so stupid as to inject poison in her face.

So why? Why are they doing this to themselves? It's OKAY to age. It's OKAY for your forehead to crinkle up when you look suprised, or crinkles around your eyes when you laugh.

I get the face-lift, the eye-lift, even the tummy tuck, especially on mommy-actresses. Looking 'youthful and alert' is part of the job, one could argue, but the collagen and botox, cheek implants and whatever the heck they're doing that makes them look like an army of Jokers must stop.

Witness actresses such as Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, and Susan Sarandon, who, if they've had work, it's been very subtle and tasteful. They're ageing with grace and dignity, and most importantly: They're still hot.

Helen Mirren, for the record, is 65 this year... Wowsa.

The men... with the exception of Mickey Rourke, they're not doing this, so why are the ladies?Yes yes yes,... I know this sexism arguement too, but could you see Clint with a trout pout, Redford getting a shot of Botox?

Oh - Barry Manilow just came to mind. Add him to the Freak list.

What scares me most is the inevitability that what goes on in Hollywood eventually drips into the masses. How much longer until we see Attack of the Plastic-Faces in a mid-western Walmart. Everywhere you look, it'll be a sea of Jocelyn Wildensteins...

EEKS!

What I'm Watching, Reading, Writing...

On Books:
Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections has been on my must-read list for almost a decade. I remember the buzz when it came out, when the author famously dissed Oprah. Ha!
I FINALLY got around to reading it and it was brilliant. Freaking BRILLIANT.
That said, as much as I was awed by his writing, I couldn't get into it for the first 100 or so pages primarily because I didn't like the characters. They appeared selfish, self-serving and bottom-line unlikeable. But as the story unfolds, as you delve into each characters childhood, their memories, their coping strategies, and how their shallow pschyes gain depth through the perspective their individual lives, the story becomes moving, disturbing, eye-opening, thought provoking and have I said brilliant? Even if the story of a dysfunctional family doesn't appeal to you, read it for the stunning writing.

I received Wm Paul Young's The Shack for my birthday from a very dear friend. I'd heard some buzz last year but wasn't interested enough to pick up the book. And truly, I didn't realize it was all about God, which would have sealed the deal on my avoidance. Don't get me wrong... I believe in God, not just the one who hates gay people and turns water to wine. I am, in despite of my disgust at organized religion, a very spiritual person. So... into The Shack I went with the dad of a kidnapped and murdered child to spend a weekend with the Holy Trinity.
Between the occassional eyeroll and chuckle, I admit to truly liking this book. Call it a right-time, right-place experience, but this book spoke to me, calmed me, made me open my eyes to a few things I'd firmly shut them against. The principle of the book -- relationships, acceptance, forgiveness -- were things I needed to hear, needed to feel...

The Shack, much like The Corrections, won't be for everyone, but each is cathartic to an open-minded reader.

On Movies:
Avatar. Wow. Was sceptical of the over-hype but WOW. Go for the visual brilliance.
The story is okay, nothing you've not seen before in countless other incarnations, but the world-building, the characters, the amazingness of Sam Worthington -- all worth the price of admission.

Sherlock Holmes. RDJ and Jude Law were magical together. Haven't seen bro-chemistry like that in a long time. I enjoyed this movie immensely, though it didn't give me that "OMG - this is the bestest movie evah!" feel like I got after seeing Iron Man.
But the story was excellent, the visuals spot-on (the close-ups, foreshadowing of clues - brilliant) and the acting superb. Can't wait for the sequel.

On Writing:
I finished a contemporary romance, currently titled A Taste for the Game, before Christmas and spent a good chunk of December querying agents. Nothing has come of that yet, beyond a few form rejections (ouch) so while I wait,... patiently, endlessly, obsessively checking email... I'm writing a new book. It's a stand alone, though it involves characters I introduced in A Taste for the Game, with the grand hope that if one sells, perhaps the other will.

I've been recently asked about my post-apocalyptic novel, Jump Zone. That one is still sitting on the shelf.
I will, eventually, dust it off, make some revisions to tighten the pacing (thanks to Eve Silver's pacing lecture!!) and get my querying hat on again. But the rejections (despite the great contest feedback - humpf) ... oh, they just overwhelmed me.
Also, in terms of a career strategy, it's best that I stick with contemporary until I have some level of success before I introduce my darker gloom on the world.

What are you watching/reading/writing?

Oh Canada!

Ha ha ha -- joke's on me. I thought I posted this two weeks ago and it seems I only saved it as a draft. D'oh... So pretend this is December 18th and share my patriotic joy:

The Olympic Torch came thru my town today, and although I had no interest in standing out in the cold to watch the procession, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and witnessed a little piece of patriotic history.

IT WAS SO AMAZING!! Can't begin to explain my reaction -- swollen with emotion, tears threating to spill over with pride -- as I stood amongst hundreds of school children who waved little flags and shouted "Go, Canada, go!!"

And now I'm psyched about the Olympics :)

GO CANADA!!!!

Adoption Dilemma: Part Deux

In case you were wondering - hey, "where'd she go?" -- I just gotta say, after I wrote the last post on my adoption dilemma, I needed some emotional distance. I really had no idea how deep this issue would affect me.
(Or maybe the Christmas Season is too sentimental a time for me? LOL)

I guess because I have such a great family and wonderful life, I've always sort of taken my adoption in stride, never dwelled, never wallowed in the "omg - I was rejected as a baby" crap, but WOW -- I'm a bit of a mess over this.

That said, I really appreciate all who commented. Your wisdom and caring, your hugs and advice, your stories (thanks Julia-the other perspective was eye-opening) made me think, consider, and search deep for how much of this I want/can invest of myself. You all made such good points and if/when I decide to take a next step, I'll keep you posted :)

Merry Christmas to all my friends in the blogosphere, and a happy, healthy, prosperous and productive 2010.

MWAH!
~Wylie

Mystery of Adoption, the Dilemma of Birth Parent Searches, and all that jazz :o

Christmas... a time for family and friends, a time to be thankful and generous, a time to reflect on the year past and hope for the year ahead.

Maybe that's why I'm obsessing about the current drama in my life...

Here's a brief overview:
I was adopted as a baby. I've always known this, in fact, my Mom used to tell me stories about how she picked me out specially from a room full of babies because I was special and shiny (well, maybe not shiny...) and it made me feel CHOSEN. I loved it. And I have a great mom and an amazing sister and grew up very happy.

But. But, but, but... the curiosity. It was there. Always. So when I was in my twenties I managed to get some information about my birth mother. It was non-identifying, so no names or places were mentioned, just general medical stuff, what my birth-mom and birth-dad were interested in, and the circumstances of my birth.

I tried, thru the Children's Aid Society of Canada - who holds all the ultra-secret documents, to make contact with my birth-mom but sadly she didn't feel the same. Apparently her family was never aware of my existence and she wanted to keep it that way.
Fine, I respect that.

Earlier this year, the province of Ontario opened up the adoption records so I applied for and received my original birth certificate, hoping that my birth father would be listed. Alas, birth-mom didn't include his name on the form. But I know my name, and her name, and where she used to live.
Small coincidence - my initials are W.K. yes? My birth-name initials are K.W. *shivers*

This is where it gets twilight-zone weird...

I was born and raised in a place called Thunder Bay, which is a long way away - 1600 kilometers - from the Toronto area, where I currently reside. My birth-mom was in university in Thunder Bay so I always assumed that she was from some small town in Northern Ontario.
Nope.
Her listed address from 40ish years ago is town that happens to be just down the road from where I live now. HOW BIZARRE IS THAT?!

If you're guessing that I went there - to that old address - just to see where my birth mom grew up, you're correct.
I recruited a friend, stuffed my pockets with tissues (in case of hysterical breakdown) and off I went. Sat in front of the house for many minutes, wondering... Do my grandparents still live there? The grandparents that don't know I exist? The grandparents who don't know that they've got two gorgeous great-grandsons??
Yes.
They still live there.
I know this because damned if they didn't have their name on a plaque next to the garage.

What next? I keep reminding myself that this isn't a made-for-television movie, that I can't go knocking on the door and tearfully spill my story and have these elderly people embrace me. Not sure I'd even want that. But, but, but, but... the curiosity. It's there.

What should I do, people of the blogworld? WHAT SHOULD I DO???

*

Holiday baking

The writing has been put aside until the new year as I prepare for the madness of the holidays. And I do mean MADNESS...
This weekend I have a Christmas dinner on the town with the mom-friends, the Toronto Romance Writers Christmas party and my oldest son's birthday (and party!) -- soooooo, when it comes to my baking, I stick to the four letter rule: E. A. S. Y.

Here are two quick recipes that will ensure an empty plate:

Toffee Squares

In a large mixing bowl, cream until light and fluffy:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
Then add:
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
Mix well. Press into a square pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Break four 7 oz chocolate bars into squares (chocolate chips work too!) and place on top of the hot layer. Let stand until the chocolate is melted, then spread. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. Cut into squares while warm.

I think I posted this next one on my blog two or three years ago, but it's totally worth repeating. My friend Sue gave me this next recipe and I've managed to convince myself that's it healthy because it contains oatmeal. Yeah... I'm delusional that way ;)

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Bring to boil:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Crisco
2 cups white sugar
Boil just until bubbles have formed. Too much boiling will affect how the cookies set.
Stir in:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened)
6 tbsps cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together well and drop by the spoonful onto waxed or parchment paper and leave to set. Use a tbsp to get big yummy cookies or a teaspoon for lots of bite-sized goodness.

* * *
Have I whet your appetite? :)
I'm off to make shortbreads (Grandma's secret recipe)

Wylie is writing...

Quick and Dirty writing update... cause the pizza man should be knocking any second:

1. Jump Zone -- I only sent about 10 queries, but 10 was enough! WAH... Oh market, why won't you give my post-apocalyptic adventure a chance? I'll resume shopping this puppy after Christmas. OR... maybe I'll edit some more. It's running long at 100K and could probably be tighter.
2. Finished polishing Clara's story - which now has a title - A Taste for the Game. Sent queries out.
3. Beginning Lydia's story (Clara's friend in ATftG...) so that if by some miracle ATftG is sold, I'll have a follow-up started.
4. Also must finish the short I began AGES ago for Ellora's Cave. Kept putting it aside and now it's haunting me.

Satin Sash by Red Garnier

* ~ * ~ * It's SATIN SASH release day* ~ * ~ *

He loved her.

She loved him.

And then there was another who loved them both . . .

The Satin Sash.

* * Get out the party favors, Red's first "I've made the big-time" book is out today!! * *

Satin Sash, from NAL Heat is in bookstores TO-DAY so run (don't walk... run) out and get your copy. Here's the blurb:

Business partners Grey Richards and Heath Solis are best friends, even
though they’re as different as night and day. Grey is calm, confident, and
always in control. Heath is as passionate as his smoldering looks. No woman can
resist them, and it’s always been easy to share. Until now…
Grey is head over
heels in love with Antonia Kearny, a woman whose luscious body enflames his
senses and whose playful, willing spirit captures his heart. He’ll do anything
to see her smile, to hear her breath catch, to make her scream his name. And
when he realizes that Toni wants another man—and that it’s Heath—he’ll make the
ultimate sacrifice…
On a decadent weekend in Mexico, Toni will experience the
hunger, the touch, the taste of two men. But will her desire bring them
together, or tear the three apart?

Got to tell you kids... this book will keep you riveted to your favorite reading chair so take my advice and set the ceiling fan on high before you get comfy or you may spontaneously combust.



If you can't get to your nearest bookstore, here are some online links:

From Red's website: http://www.redgarnier.com/books/sash.php#excerpt
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0451228030/redgar-20
Borders: http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0451228030
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Satin-Sash/Red-Garnier/e/9780451228031/



One million congratulations to you, Red. Many happy sales (that's a given) and many many more books please :)

Who do we blame for the downfall of society?

Wow, what a week. If you've been following the Harlequin Horizons debacle, you know what I mean. Soooo not going there....

Instead, I must talk about a dream I had last night. Okay, yes, I get it -- you want to stop reading because other people's dreams are so freaking boring to hear about -- but wait!! This is too bizarre to miss and probably the product of the headache pain relievers I took last night.

I'm sitting in a lecture hall for a media relations class. It's exam day. On the board is a series of essay questions. ACK! I didn't know what any of it meant!! But wait... on the last section of board was an OR question. The essays or we could list seven famous people who contributed to the downfall of our society by association.
Ha! I read gossip blogs. This should be easy:

1. Britney Spears for giving us Kevin Federline (the prof was so pleased he wrote it on the board!)
2. Lindsay Lohan for giving us her wackadoo parents
3. OJ Simpson for giving us the Kardashians (cause really, that's where it all started)
4. John McCain for giving us Sarah Palin
5. Sarah Palin for giving us Levi Johnson
6.
7.


Not sure who's to blame for Speidi or the Hiltons (Paris and Perez!) but I think I should have gotten 2 points for the OJ Simpson link because for a short time we also had to put up with Kato.


Anyway... I woke up before I completed the task and I'd love for you to help me :)

I'm sorry, Kristin Nelson

Oops... it's been awhile. I vowed to do better after that long blog-holiday during the summer, but I keep forgetting about this little sucker. Especially now that I'm on Twitter. Gosh - it's so exciting over there. Short and to the point. Well... sometimes it's pretty pointless, let's not kid ;)

This past week, while I continue to spit polish the novel, I jumped into the next exciting phase of composing the query letter and synopsis. And of course, the dreaded agent hunt.
And I've a confession... I was so excited to have a piece of work to sell, I prematurely sent out 3 queries before I could really nail the tone of the letter. And, I did it after midnight, completely ignoring my strict rule to NEVER send an email after midnight (it's like drunk dialing, people!)

So... to the agent who rejected me a mere handful of hours after I hit send, I'm sorry you had to see my first lame attempt at a query. I hang my head in shame. I'm sorry for wasting your time. You should have the power to kick someone's butt for doing that.
Same goes for the next 2 agents, btw... 'cause it was only marginally better.

My advice to anyone jumping into the Query Wars: Stop. Wait. Revise. Put it aside then revise again. I know you're itching, I know you think 'This book is IT!', and it just may be, but don't undermine all your hard work by covering it with a hastily written piece of garbage.

I have very mixed feelings about the agent hunt...
Yes, it gets you giddy and hopeful because it means that you actually have a book finished, something you worked hard on, a piece of your heart and soul to present to the world. On the other hand, it also renders you naked and vulnerable.
I liken it to standing in a boxing ring with your hands tied behind your back. You know the blows are coming, you know they're going to hurt. You can't duck, you can only brace yourself and hope it's not a shot to the face, hope that you'll recover before the next punch comes. Because each hit erodes you, your self confidence, your hope, your dream.
YES, you will recover, eventually, and write another book or revise your query and send to the next agent on the list, but in the meantime, you'll feel like shit, eat chocolate and mope.

Back to query revision and chocolate.

Writing = Puzzles

I had the pleasure of going on a weekend writer's retreat with my fellow Toronto Romance Writer authors - JK Coi, Leah Braemel, Christing d'Abo and Kimber Chin. Much fun was had, words typed, brains stormed, wine drunk, chocolate consumed...

Over a week later and I'm still reflecting on how different we all worked, how we structure not only our writing time, but how our stories unfold.

While I write this, my son is sitting on the floor doing a puzzle. We usually do them together, me in the lead, so he follows my method: I begin with the four corners, then find all the edge pieces. Once those are in place, I like to sort the pieces by color so that I can quickly identify which part of the puzzle they belong. Then I start filling in the middle.
Left to his own devices, my five year old started from the bottom up.
The bottom up!!
Imagine that. It makes no sense to me, but he's plugging away and by the time I'm finished this post, I'm sure he'll be done.

Back to writing...
My method, what seems to work for me, anyway, is to get the four corners down, so within the rough outline (no, not synopsis... this is more of a mind dump) I identify the hero and heroine, their internal and external conflicts, how it affects them within the framework of the story.
Then I figure out how the hero and heroine meet, a few critical turning points and an ending (or at least a glimmer of an ending). Voila - my frame.
Then I begin - usually with 'Chapter One', but not always! I often write the critical scenes or turning points (the sorting of the colors) then go back and fill in or further flesh out the plot that lead to the critical scenes.

Other writers in the group write in a linear fashion -- from Chapter 1 to The End. Something like what my son is doing with his puzzle (he's finished, btw -- every little Spongebob piece in its perfect place). The beginning to end method makes the most sense, doesn't it? It's logical -- can't argue with that -- but this method doesn't work for me because if I come upon a part I don't know what to do with, I get paralyzed, unable to move past that point. (I know, I know, stubborn like mule.) I feel like I don't have an aim.
I'm strange like this. Y'know how some people go for a walk? "Hey - let's go for a walk, get some fresh air, some exercise."
This isn't me. I need a destination or it seems like a pointless task. Tell me to walk to the mailbox, to the store for a paper, to the closest Tim Hortons for a coffee, and hell ya! The fresh and exercise is a bonus. But just to go for a walk... uh un.
(I get it, btw, why people do, so don't misread this as me being judgemental --It's totally me being strange!!)

What works for you? Are you a corners and border first, a one end to the other, or a grap a piece and see where it fits?

BOO! or Boo...

BOO and Happy Halloween bloggers, writers and readers!

I'm finally writing the end chapter to my current wip. I knew roughly what would happen and how I needed to end the story of Clara and Luc (the book doesn't have a title yet) but it wasn't until my walk this morning that the details became clear.
My conclusion - active body=active brain cells!
Once I write The End, I'll go back to the beginning and smooth over the messy bits, add more flavor, tie up any dangly bits and begin the dreaded synopsis so I can begin the query process.

I was hoping to finish this book weeks ago but two weeks of sick kidlets threw a serious wrench in my creative process. My boys are needy (and that's putting it kindly) when they're feeling icky (*cough* much like their father *cough-cough*) but that's okay... it's part of the job description. BUT - and this is where I actually get to the point - the messed up time-line makes it impossible for me to do NaNo. And maybe that's a good thing. Maybe next year, when Sweetness (aka youngest son) starts school full-time and I'll have hours to spend at the computer rather than minutes -- and I'll feel less guilt. (thanks for that mom)

Are you NaNo-ing? How do you juggle it all? What sort of schedule will you adhere to (if at all) and what are you writing?