Twenty-two months ago, I faced a frustrating and unexpected health challenge that forced me to curtail my usual activities.
Find out more on the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killer blog.
Monthly Archives: June 2016
One Special Moment
I’m thrilled to welcome back Wild Rose Press author Nina Barrett. Today, Nina shares a special moment in her writing journey and latest release, Renegade Heart.
Here’s Nina!
In the back of my head, I hear the Beatles singing about a long and winding road that led me here . . .
Yes, it’s been hard and discouraging, but right now I am remembering one special moment. School had begun that fall. I’d returned energized from my first time at the Antioch Writers’ Workshop, but still shy, still having trouble identifying myself as a writer.
But then one day after school I heard two of my friends talking in the room next door and I gathered up all my courage, went next door and started out through something like “I have something to tell you. I went to the writers’ workshop this summer at Antioch because um, I write and I know a lot of people probably would like to be a writer . . .”
I’m getting teary right now thinking about it, but I can still see their faces – surprise, shock and then the words – that’s wonderful, can we read your stories? And I knew they meant it. And they liked them and wanted more, even through the years when my submissions had the instincts of homing pigeons.
But the call came and they probably still don’t realize that I might not have hung in there waiting for it if not for the encouragement they have gave me that day.
My third release, Renegade Heart came out on April 27th.
Blurb
As if Vegas didn’t have excitement enough, December brings the National Finals Rodeo to the city. Heading the Imperial Hotel’s participation as a host hotel, Kerstin Hennepin is rushing to a meeting when a fall sends her tumbling into a stranger’s arms and he’s in no hurry to let her go.
Jake Aaron is a troubleshooter for the rodeo Or maybe he’s just plain trouble. Their attraction is instant and one close encounter leads to another, but Jake comes with plenty of questions. True he’s busy handing the offstage antics of rowdy rodeo contestants, but does his job also include romancing a young barrel rider and carrying a concealed weapon?
With the finale of the Finals approaching, Kerstin needs answers. But when her search for the truth reveals more is going on behind the scenes than on the arena floor, she and Jake are squarely in someone’s cross hairs.
Where to find Nina…
Happy Summer!
Longer days and shorter nights…Today marks the start of the summer solstice.
The term “solstice” is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). The sky at noon does not appear to change much during the solstice and its surrounding days. The rest of the year, the Earth’s tilt on its axis—roughly 23.5 degrees—causes the sun’s path in the sky to rise and fall from one day to the next.
Here are ten of my favorite “summer” quotations:
Summer’s lease hath all too short a date. ~ William Shakespeare
Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.
~ Jenny Han
And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine … it’s summertime! ~ Kenny Chesney
Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds. ~ Regina Brett
Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~ Sam Keen
Summertime is always the best of what might be. ~ Charles Bowden
I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket.
~ Kellie Elmore
There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~ Celia Thaxter
The summer night is like a perfection of thought. ~ Wallace Stevens
Film Review – Me Before You
I’ve been closely following the Assisted Death conversation in Canada and the federal government’s struggle to draft a bill that would address the concerns of Canadians facing this dilemma. While I have my own opinions, I like to think that I’m open to other points of view.
I approached Me Before You, the film adaptation of Jo Jo Moyes bestselling novel, with some trepidation, wondering if the tone would be too depressing.
Thankfully, my fears were short-lived.
I immediately fell in love with the main characters: Emilia Clarke, who plays Louisa Clark, the small town caregiver and companion to Will Traynor (Sam Chaflin), a wealthy young banker whose entire world collapses when he becomes paraplegic and wheelchair bound.
Sparks fly as Louisa attempts to cheer the mournful Will with her chattiness, effervescent spirit, and brightly colored clothes and shoes. Eventually, she breaks through his icy reserve and an unexpected relationship blossoms.
The storyline is an engaging one. So many delightful moments ensue as Louisa discovers subtitled films, pesto (green gravy), and Mozart. In turn, Will enjoys his foray into Louisa’s life when he visits and meets her family on the occasion of her birthday. The distribution of gifts is hilarious.
A kiss under a tropical thunderstorm, dance floor adventures, and dreams of Paris can only hint at a fairy tale ending…
Bring lots of tissues!!
Spreading My Wings
Welcome to my Second Acts Series!
Today, we have Judy Alter sharing her amazing journey from full-time, stay-at-home mom to full-time professional publisher and author.
Here’s Judy!
“I’ve taken care of others long enough. It’s time to take care of me.” Astonishing words from the father of four children, ages six to twelve. Followed by, “I’ll take the kids, the house, the whole package except you.” Terrible cruelty from the man I’d been married to for seventeen years and had risked family connections to marry. For the past twelve years I’d been a full-time stay-at-home mom, grabbing free time to write when I could, entertaining lavishly at everything from big dinner parties to children’s birthdays. And this was how my first act was going to end?
My second act followed fast upon the end of the first and was, my brother said, “a remarkable case of reinventing myself.” I became a working mom, a full-time professional publisher, and an author. It didn’t all happen that fast, and I had some lucky breaks along the way.
The first thing I did was to find employment outside the house. I took the job of coordinator of community classes at my alma mater, Texas Christian University. From then on serendipity played a part in my career. I shared an office with a man who was slated to become director of TCU Press when the current director retired in a few months. One day, this man looked at me and asked, “Would you like to be editor of TCU Press?” That was my job interview. Yes, thank you very much, I’d like that. In earlier jobs I’d done a lot of PR and editing, and it seemed like a natural.
I was editor for four or five years and loved it. I liked working with the authors, and I loved shaping words. I didn’t always agree with my former office-mate about the manuscripts we acquired, but in general I was happy. And I never wanted to be director, didn’t want all that responsibility.
But when my former office-mate left to take a better-paying job at another university, I couldn’t wait to be named director. I had the requisite Ph.D. so I’m not sure what the holdup was, but it was almost a year before the appointment was official. I served as director for twenty-plus years, and it turned out to be the perfect job for me. I had enough freedom to raise my children the way I wanted. I met authors not only in the office but at conventions and meetings and came to regard several major Texas authors as good friends.
I was trying to boost my own writing at the time, and I found the two interests didn’t conflict at all—they worked together. I published, I won awards, the press won awards. We were producing good and attractive books and people in the region began to notice.
I worked past retirement and finally retired at 71 to pursue my own writing. By then I was well enough known on the regional literary scene that people bought my books, and my writing took off if not like a rocket at a fairly respectable speed. Maybe that is my third act?
What have I learned from this? Find your passion in life—don’t quit or turn back until you’ve discovered the one thing that you really love. For me, it was books and words. And spread your wings—get to know people in your profession, speak up, present talks, make yourself heard.
If I had stayed married I don’t know what would have happened, but I doubt I would have the four wonderful children I do today, and I doubt I would have had as satisfying and rich life. God is good.
Blurb
Chicago, from swampland to host of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, as lived by two leading historical figures: tycoon and hotelier Potter Palmer and his activist wife Bertha Honoré Palmer who fought for women’s rights and help for the poor. A story of love, major historical events, class warfare, intrigue, a forbidden love interest, and murder. A history of Chicago’s colorful Gilded Age.
Where to find Judy…
Website | Blog | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Joanne here!
I agree with your brother – this is a remarkable reinvention story! Best of luck with all your literary endeavors, Judy.
Remembering Mr. Hockey
Yesterday, Gordie Howe, a.k.a. “Mr. Hockey,” passed away at the age of 88. Gifted on the ice and humble off it, he’s considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time.
Born in the small farming town of Floral, Saskatchewan, he put on a pair of ice skates at the age of four years. He played in an organized league and had a tryout with the NHL’s New York Rangers at age fifteen but failed to impress. A year later, a Red Wings scout discovered Gordie Howe and two years after that, in October 1946, he scored a goal in his NHL debut in what proved to be the start of one of the game’s most prolific careers.
He went on to become a 23-time All-Star, won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player six times, and led the league in scoring six times.
Over his professional career, Gordie Howe played a remarkable 2,421 games, including playoffs. He is second on the NHL’s all-time goals list with 801, behind Wayne Gretzky with 894, and fourth on the points list with 1,850.
My favorite Gordie Howe quotes…
You’ve got to love what you’re doing. If you love it, you can overcome any handicap or the soreness or all the aches and pains, and continue to play for a long, long time.
I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you’re the one talking.
There’s always something in the game you wish you would have done different. That’s why players improve, because they learn from what they did before. They might have been guessing before, but now they know.
You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave—win or lose.
Age has nothing to do with it. Heck, I played until I was 52 so I could play with my sons, Mark and Marty. In fact, at 52, I was leading scorer on the team until Christmas before they benched me.
My philosophy is never start talking about ‘if,’ ‘and,’ ‘but’ or the past, because 90 percent of what follows will be negative.
Love this oldie-goldie recorded by Big Bob and The Dollars in 1963:
Spotlight on Sasscer Hill
I’m happy to feature author Sasscer Hill’s inspiring journey.
Here’s Sasscer!
Back in 1994, I wrote a romantic suspense novel and landed a literary agent. I thought the rest would be a slam dunk! Fast forward sixteen years where, still unpublished, and now two agents later, I’d completed two novels featuring female jockey Nikki Latrelle.
I wrote these books because of my passion for Thoroughbreds and my love for and knowledge of horse racing. One of my mentors suggested I make all my writing like the races I wrote–putting that excitement, that pacing, and those amazing characters that populate this world into every chapter. So I began a third Nikki Latrelle with that in mind, and prayed it would land a New York publisher.
In February of 2010, my favorite author Dick Francis died, I was diagnosed with lymphoma, and my horse farm was hit by the worst blizzard in the history of Maryland. Feeling desperate, I begged a small press owner to look at the first in the Nikki Latrelle series, FULL MORTALITY. He read the manuscript during the blizzard and accepted it the next day.
Miraculously, FULL MORTALITY was published in May of 2010, received rave reviews, and was nominated for both Agatha and Macavity Awards.
The award nominations helped secure a third and better agent with a successful track record. But by the time I finished the third book in the “Nikki Latrelle” series, it was clear that New York publishers weren’t interested in the latest in a series already published by a small press–unless it had humongous sales. A word to the wise: you are unlikely to get humongous sales with a small press.
My new agent told me to start another series. So I did, creating “Fia McKee,” a thirty-two-year-old agent for the real life agency, the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. I finished the manuscript of FLAMINGO ROAD in 2014 and started the second in the “Fia McKee” series in October that year.
My agent began shopping for publishers in December of 2014. The next spring, we caught the attention of an editor at St. Martins, Minotaur, but she had reservations about readers’ interest in a horse racing novel. I immediately went to work, obtaining statistics on the surprisingly strong popularity of horse racing. Things like NBC’s unprecedented ten-year extension agreement to broadcast rights to the Breeders Cup weekend races as well as the eleven qualifying races that precede that two-day, all-star event. I noted how a recent ESPN poll showed horse racing is the most popular non-team sport, beating out tennis, boxing, and even NASCAR! I sent the report to my agent, who sent it to St. Martins.
Less than a week after this, the Carrie McCray committee gave my in-progress novel, the second in the “Fia McKee” series, their “Best First-Chapter of a Novel” award. Within days, this same novel received a Claymore nomination.
But the brightest star to align that week was a racehorse named American Pharoah. Deep in my heart, I’d believed if the colt could pull off the historical and momentous feat of winning the first Triple Crown in 37 years, it might nudge a publishing offer from St. Martins my way. White knuckled, I watched the final race at Belmont. When American Pharoah blasted around the track on the lead, rocketed down the stretch, and began pulling away from the Belmont field, I almost had a heart attack. When he opened up and won by daylight, I burst into tears. Turning to my husband, I said, “I think FLAMINGO ROAD will get an offer.”
I could feel the bright star that is my love for horses rising over me. Pharoah’s race drew 22 million television viewers, and the subsequent radio, television, and social media attention was phenomenal. Within a week, American Pharoah appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and a day later, I received a two-book offer from St. Martins Minotaur.
But I was surprised to learn that the first Fia McKee novel would not come out until the spring of 2017, a wait of almost two years! My last book had been published in 2013, and I surely hated waiting for so long!
I was aware that some publishers are asking their authors to write novellas and short stories to keep these writers in the public eye during the intervals between their full length novels. The obvious answer for me was a new Nikki Latrelle. But as I was under contract to St. Martins, I knew the time slot was very compressed. A novella seemed like just the thing.
I believed the tale of Nikki’s early years would make a poignant and satisfying read. Imagine a fatherless thirteen-year-old girl whose mother dies suddenly. In a sense, this mother has abandoned her daughter, leaving her in the hands of a lewd, malevolent stepfather. Nikki has no family, and when the stepfather forces his way into her bedroom, she flees. Her best times were spent with her mom at the racetrack, so this is where she runs.
Nikki is forced to steal food, sleep in race horses’ stalls to stay warm, and avoid the police and her stepfather who search for her. But just when things seem to be going right for her, Nikki crosses paths with a young man who makes her stepfather seem like a saint.
The novella is out, it’s selling well, and hopefully St. Martins Press will be pleased to see I produced it. This week, I shall begin the third in the Fia McKee series.
Bio
Sasscer Hill, a former Maryland racehorse breeder, trainer, and rider, uses the sport of kings as a backdrop for her mysteries. Her “vivid descriptive” prose about greed, evil, heart, and courage propelled her “Nikki Latrelle” novels to multiple award nominations, including Agatha, Macavity, and the Dr. Tony Ryan Best in Racing Literature awards.
Where to find Sasscer…
10 Ways to Make It to the Fourth Act
I’m thrilled to welcome author D. J. Adamson to the Power of 10 series. Today, D.J. shares advice and insights gleaned from her life journey.
Here’s D.J.!
I have passed my second act, and I am on to my fourth. The first act was merely an introduction to get to the twist. I graduated college and taught high school level English for five years. The second act offered momentum, building to the next twist. Moving to California from Oregon, I changed careers from teaching to business. I went into sales and marketing for a commercial publishing firm where I became Manager of Sales and Marketing. Success, however, doesn’t always offer satisfaction. Most audiences expect a resolution to come in the third act. In fact, I returned back to academia, leaving money for treasure, teaching writing to college students. It’s always been about writing, in all my career choices. And now, without the need for an intermission, I have taken the stage for a fourth act.
How grateful I am to get a fourth act. Looking back, the 10 Ways I got here was by:
1. Willing to change. I have found that I don’t control life, life controls me. My greatest successes have come when I let go and went with the flow.
2. Willing to risk. I leave the “What If?” for my protagonists, and instead, whenever I hear the whispered question, I take a breath and answer “Why not?” It’s the beautiful thing about becoming “older.” If not now, when?
3. Willing to set goals. With each book I write, I sit first and write the goals I want to see accomplished at its end. The sale is a minor objective. In fact, I never write the word. Instead, I think of four objectives I want to reach in writing the novel. Four experiences I want to have while writing it. What commitments I am willing to make to get it done. And, this is the most important of the goal writing, the guidelines I am willing to set in order to make sure all prior goals and commitments are reached.
4. Willing to “Act As If”. I never thought I was a good teacher. I never thought I was a good business woman. It didn’t matter whether I held a position or made money. It’s all stinkin’- thinkin’. So moving into this fourth act, I act as if I am a good writer. That I can tell a story. And more importantly for me, I will offer a reader something to relate to or think about that might impact their life. Even if my ultimate goal is to solve a mystery or catch a killer.
5. Willing to learn. I couldn’t be a writer without being a good reader. Stephen King says it best in his book On Writing. And I paraphrase: You need to read to find out what is good. More importantly, you need to read to know what isn’t good, doesn’t work, or left you feeling unsatisfied. Don’t just read a book, deconstruct it.
6. Take the Word TRY Out of Your Vocabulary. Try is really a child’s word. It psychologically gives you an out: But I tried. I’m trying. Either do it or don’t do it. If it wasn’t done well, do it again! Don’t say, I want to write my story or a book. DO IT!
7. Willing to Get Back Up: Many say they don’t like the F-word. I was a girl of the sixties, the F- word was part of my vocabulary. It still is, but I am talking now about a different word F-word: FEAR, FAILURE, FINAL. I needed to quit thinking I was so special, that only I was afraid. Everyone’s afraid of something. Failure has been one of the best steps to take me to success. And Final? Is anything ever really final? Someday, in a technological “salvage” bin, someone is going to find one of my digital books and consider reading it. Just like leaving children behind, my life continues.
8. Willing to stay out of expectations: Life moves toward me as I move into it. Meaning, I don’t want to miss out on the treasure/pleasure because I labeled it as being a bestseller, on television, made into a film, taught as one of the great American Novels. I teach literature and writing. I know most great novelists never thought they would become one…and many died before getting the accolade.
9. Willing to do it for love: Most writing doesn’t pay the bills. I am not saying you won’t make millions, miracles do happen, but again, it’s a long shot. So write because you love to write. Write to say something. Write to offer a new idea or perspective. Write because you love to read. Most importantly, write to be not just a writer, but a GOOD writer.
10. Just BE Willing: It all comes back to risk. Willing to do life differently. Willing to put yourself out there no matter the success or failure. Willing to write down goals, and if not met, critically asking why then writing new ones. Willing to act and say you are a writer, author, even if you still don’t feel like you are. Willing to learn, and learn and learn. Willing to get back up if you fall down. Willing to put yourself out there without expectations. Treasure gratifications. Willing to do what you love to do, and get a day job if needed. Just be willing.
Blurb
“What did he want to know about me?” “If you were still alive.” Connivers, murder and the international shipment of drugs unites the local PDs and the Federal Government, and drags Lillian Dove into a hailstorm of manipulation and danger; whereby, she is given two choices: Join? Or die trying.
Bio
D. J. Adamson is the author of the Lillian Dove Mystery series and the Deviation science fiction-suspense trilogy. Suppose, the second in the Lillian series has just been released. She also teaches writing and literature at Los Angeles colleges. And to keep busy when she is not writing or teaching, she is the Membership Director of the Los Angeles Sisters in Crime, Vice President of Central Coast Sisters in Crime and an active member of the Southern California Mystery Writers. Her books can be found and purchased in bookstores and on Amazon.
Where to find D.J.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Honoring Muhammad Ali
Eloquent. Colorful. Controversial. Inspiring. These are only a handful of descriptors that come to mind when Mohammad Ali’s name is mentioned. Known as “The Greatest,” he reached his peak in the 1970s and was among the most recognizable faces on Earth. This past Friday, the three-time boxing champion died in a Phoenix hospital where he was being treated for a respiratory issue.
Here are ten of my favorite quotations from Mohammad Ali:
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.
Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer.
Don’t count the days, make the days count.
Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.
Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.
The man with no imagination has no wings.
Clean Jokes for Toastmasters
Use one of these jokes at your next meeting.
*********************
A husband and wife were visiting the fairgrounds together one afternoon. The wife wanted to go on the Ferris wheel, but her husband was too afraid, so she went on the ride by herself.
The wheel went round and round until suddenly the wife was thrown out and landed in a heap on the ground.
Her husband raced over and asked, “Are you hurt?”
“Of course, I’m hurt!” she replied. “Three times around, and you didn’t wave once!”
Source: Readers’ Digest
*********************
A man walks into a fish-and-chips shop with a fish under his arm and asks, “Do you have any fish cakes?”
“Of course,” says the shop owner.
“Great,” replies the man, gesturing at the fish he’s carrying. “It’s this guy’s birthday.”
Source: Readers’ Digest
*********************
Recently, while my mother and I were having lunch at a roadside restaurant, a child at a nearby table let out a few loud shrieks. As one of five daughters born within a six-year period, I asked my mom, “How did you ever manage with all of us?”
Without hesitation, she replied, “I was the one doing the screaming.”
Source: Janice Murrin, St. John’s, NL
Joanne Guidoccio 