"The best laid plans of mice and men..."

Ever have one of those months? You know the ones.... best laid plans and all that jazz? The demons of work and day to day drudgery got to me for sure! The good news? I'm completely free (for the time being) to actually work on my WIP, make sure to blog, update, tweet and all those pesky self-publishing must-be-done's!

I've also had an opportunity to catch up on my book reviews. Didn't know I review? Check out TracyRiva.com to see my latest!

So, now, back to my WIP... but here's a little tidbit from Chapter 2- 'Arsenic and Red Lace' -
                                         
                                           *                                  *                                    *

“Hello?” I said in my loud sing-songy voice. Silence mostly, with a hint of breathing. “Listen, dude, whoever this is; you’ve called my phone a billion times this morning. So stop the stalker m.o. and just spill it.”

                “Maybe this was a bad idea,” the caller said. His voice was mingled grit and velvet. It was also slightly familiar.

                “Who is this?” I asked. Now I was definitely interested. He cleared his throat.

                “My name's Jack. You don’t know me, but I think you know- or knew – my brother,” he said.

                Silence followed.

                “Okay, well, Jack, I know a lot of people with brothers. Can you be a bit more specific?” Geez, obviously I was dealing with a brain surgeon.

                “Jack?” I asked, my patience starting to wane.

                “Sorry. This is Tansy right? Tansy Taylor? I guess I should make sure I’m talking to the right person.” He sighed into the phone. 

                “Yup, that’s me. Now, can you elaborate on how you know my name and phone number?” Sarcasm was starting to rule my tongue, he’d better get down to it.

                “My brother, Sam, told me you had a, well, unusual ability. He said to call you if anything ever happened to him; that you’d be able to help.” He blurted it all out in one breath; like he’d been holding the words hostage for the past twenty four hours. I suppose maybe he had. Not many people knew about my ‘special’ ability- that I can communicate with the recently departed. My spine tingled.

                “Sam?” I asked.

                “Yes, Tansy. Sam Adams.”

                I dropped the phone. Hope, anger, and a host of feelings washed over me all at once. Sam Adams. The one man in my life with whom I’d felt a true connection. The way all the saps feel in the cheesy romance novels do, weak knees, fuzzy brain and all.  He had crushed my heart, and almost killed me. Turned out Sam, aka Johnny, who was undercover for the feds, was actually working for the Russian mob. When I’d figured out they were behind the murder of a local girl’s fiancé and were smuggling guns out of the country, they’d kidnapped me and tried to have me killed. Turned out Sam was one of the ringleaders. To say that I still wasn’t over him was, well, the biggest understatement of the century.  

A Lenten Offering

I have a distinct deficit in willpower. Lent is always a struggle for me, no matter what I go without. I started thinking about this lack of willpower, and realized, there is a distinct possbility it is related to my lazy-factor. Working from home, currently at night, has led me into a daytime life of watching DVR'd shows and sitting on my arse being soooo unproductive. So,istead of just restricting myself from an item (chocolate), which, in actuality makes me just yearn (oh, chocolate) and think (dark, light, milk, white) of that item even more thereby reducing my overall productivy (where was I going with this?); I will be adding something meaningful to my day.

There are many things I could do to add to my day in order to make it more productive or 'worthwhile.' However, I choose writing. I have been very bad so far this year in sticking to my resolution to write more. I constantly beat myself up over NOT writing, and that needs to change. I cannot be as good of parent, spouse, friend etc. if I am not first good to myself.

And so, my internet procrastination (also a HUGE contributor to the lazy-factor) must come to and end. I must get busy and write! Oh, and to keep myself honest about actually doing the writing, I'll post the first line I write each day- some will be good, some will be eh, and some will be downright turrrrible. But, I'll be writing and keeping my promise of each day.

No, really... I'm still around!

I realized today that I have been very absent from my weekly blog. What can I say? Life (i.e. holidays, birthdays, work that pays more than 99 cents a copy, etc.) have been running my days and nights.

I have been ignoring my writing like a bad spouse- cheating on my own creative time with DVR'd television that I MUST watch, work that will pay the bills, and tons of holiday shopping and general errands and tasks that must be done this time of year. But, you say, it's a new year! Full of resolutions and promises to ourselves it promises to be a great one- as long as we can stick it out. I am no foolish woman. After a multitude of years where resolutions hit the can around week two, sometimes stretching to a month, I've learned not to set myself up for disappointment. Instead, I can only resolve to try harder; to make good on at least a fraction of what I would like to accomplish.

One of my fellow inmates (Of the Writer's Asylum) has started the year off with her new creative brainchild for productivity - 'WRoE'- Writer's Rules of Engagement. I, of course, am jealous of Cindy's valiant attempt at besting the procrastinator demons that we writers wrestle every day. For myself, as long as I'm doing something 'writing related' each day, I'm feeling good. I am a reviewer for Tracy Riva Books and Reviews (of course, check it out for great ideas on books to read! TracyRiva.com) so on the days when I can't get my own creative juices flowing (or simply cannot stand to be in front of my computer after working my job as a virtual instructor) I read. Remember, reading is research for writing; especially when you are giving a review. So, while I would like my productivity to be more of my own creative outpourings, I feel confident that I'm keeping my imagination going by reading a good (or sometimes not) book.

Here's Happy New Year to all and to all a good 2012!

Winter 'Wonder'land

It's that time of year for me to hunker down with a book, a blankie, a mug of something warm and tasty, and of course- a fire in the fireplace. Once there, I am transported back to winter of my adolescence. I'm curled up on my parents' couch, the smells and sounds of family surround me. This moment- warmth and love radiating, my imagination roaming-is one of my all time favorites. I adore that now, on the precipice of 40, I can use these four magical items to transport me to that wondrous place anytime I choose. These days, I can also use it to ignite my own imagination for writing. Be it with a journal and a special pen, or my laptop, I can curl up and be in that wondrous place. The stories I've read come flooding back and provide me jumping points to weave my own words.

During the holiday season, it can be tough to find hours, let alone minutes, to sit and write or read. But I make time. Lately it's been mostly reading, something I can do in short sprints and spurts. I find it hard to sit and write in the few moments I find between wrapping gifts, running kids, and the more mundane things like work and housecleaning. I know there are people out there who can sit and write for ten minutes here and there, but unless it's writing a really bad poem, or an idea down, it's not me.

Take heart though- if you're like me- and simply read. Remember, reading is research for writing; at least I tell myself it is! Whether I'm reading a fabulous piece of literary art, or something I'll send the author a note about why I cannot review it, I find value. Reading makes me assess my own skills. For instance, the word 'that'. We all know it; some of us abhor it. It shows up in my writing WAY too often. So, when I'm reading a book for review (usually from and Indie author) I take notice of the things I find annoying, or devices I find amusing or useful. I can take these bits and pieces and use them in the self-critique of my own work. Writing is a process, of course, and as a writer, I'm constantly growing. It's like any other hobby or job. You have to continue to explore and apply to hone your skill.  One of these days, I'll be close to happy about what I write (most likely when I'm closing in on 90). In the meantime I will remind myself whatever 'book' related work I do- be it reading or writing- is improving my own skill and keeping the creative spirit alive.

Where is my month going??

Wow, okay, so today is not about writing- well, not directly anyway. Does it seem as though the older we get the faster times goes? I mean, really? Just the other day I was thinking, wow, it's almost Halloween- and now, here it is the sixth of December. My daughter turns 13 in two days. It doesn't seem possible! To top it off, I was thinking, "gee, I've been good about writing! I just wrote 3k+ words the other day!" .... Which would be fantastic, if it really were just the other day- not over a week ago! I've set Tansy aside for the holidays and am working (or at least in my mind) on a novella called The Christmas Stranger. It has more of a mainline fiction appeal- with a Christian twist. I'm hoping I'll get the first draft done by New Years so it will give me ten months to tweak and edit in time for a release next November.

In light of the fact that my time appears to be slipping away- I'm keeping it short today. Just wanted to pop in and let you know I haven't fallen down any wells or gotten trampled by any reindeer!

Happy Holiday!
Kat