IT'S NANO TIME

Anyone else joining me in this month long writing party?

I'm going to do my best to win again. My plan is to use the energy of NaNo to finish DARK REDEMPTION.

The only things that might stall my goals... edits for DARK PARADISE AND DARK SACRIFICE.

As you can see,  some exciting things have happened since I last updated my blog. I have new titles, yay!

And release dates.

DARK PARADISE, DARK SACRIFICE, and DARK REDEMPTION will be published on 07/01/14, 08/05/14, and 09/02/14. It's going to be a busy summer.

I've also completed the first pass edits for Dark Paradise, and I'm waiting for the second.

I'm also expecting my first pass edits for DARK SACRIFICE to arrive any day now. 

And it that's not enough, I'm also editing QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN APPLE for my awesome agent.

So, there you go. Wish me luck with NaNo. I think I'll need it.

BOX FULL OF HEAVEN

Hey, ya’ll. I missed you.

It’s been a quiet few months since I entered my writing cave. But I finally have a chance to breathe, so I thought I’d better give you an update before my life gets crazy again.

As you know, I sold my debut NA Southern Gothic, JUJU’S CHILD, to the amazing, Grand Central/Forever Yours, and I have an awesome editor, Alex Logan. *pinches self*
 

Here comes the really awesome part in case you missed the announcement. It wasn’t just JUJU’S CHILD, but three books. So, I’ve had a busy summer working on the second book in the series.

My amazing critique partners sent back their edits for BAD MOJO, and I spent the weekend polishing the novel. It is always amazing to see how much I missed while editing. I love that they also caught some big picture, plot holes regarding character development. Plus, my comma misplacements and lack of hyphens. Duh, Angie!

As long as nothing goes terribly wrong, I’m on track to have this book ready well before my deadline of October 1st. It feels great to be ahead of schedule. Deadlines, you know. They can be stressful for a newbie who just wants to make a good first impression.

I’ve got to say, I adore Alex Logan. She has been so awesome. I still get giddy when I think about how lucky I am to work with her.
 

Here is the Angie version of how she welcomed me to Grand Central. My hubby would probably tell it differently.

I came from work, and my husband met me at the door with a really big box. I was thrilled because it was our fifteenth anniversary, and I kind of forgot. I mean, I knew it was that week. I just lost track of my days. And, I remembered later that morning (before he did) so, you know. I win.

 

Anyway, I thought he trumped my remembering first with an anniversary gift. I was thrilled, at first. Then the guilt bomb exploded. I hadn’t gotten him a present since we don't usually do presents. And we weren’t celebrating until the weekend.

I took the box from him with a sickly smile and a muttered, “Oh, honey. Thanks.” He laughed and pointed to the address.

NEW YORK CITY!

 

Okay, so it really was one of the best anniversary gifts ever (even if it wasn’t meant to be). I love to read and a box o’ books is my idea of heaven. It  also became my reward for finishing BAD MOJO. 

Another reward is that I have a bunch of fun cover reveals scheduled. Also, if anyone is interested in writing a Sharing Our Voices Guest Post, please leave a comment. I would love to have you on the blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

IT'S OFFICIAL!

I'm excited to share that my debut NA novel, JUJU'S CHILD, has been acquired by Alex Logan at Forever Yours, in a 3 book deal.

Here is the Publishers Marketplace announcement:

Digital: Fiction: New Adult
...
Angie Sandro's debut JUJU'S CHILD, in which a 20-year-old woman regrets finding a dead girl submerged in the bayou when the town begins to suspect her hoodoo-practicing family is to blame for the death, the girl starts haunting her, and the victim's brother is an attractive but dangerous ally in the search for the real killer, to Alex Logan at Forever Yours, in a three-book deal, by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (World).     

I'm so thrilled. Thank you to my amazing agent, Kathleen Rushall. Without her none of this would have happened. To my new editor, Alex Logan, thank you so much for believing in Mala and Landry's story and for giving me such a warm welcome. Thanks to everyone who have supported me over in my journey. 

 

Love you guys!

 

Okay, I'm getting totally mushy. If I keep this up, I'll be bawling my eyes out. I'll write a more detail blog post when I'm not shaking with excitement.

HAPPY MONDAY

I know I’ve been lax on posting lately. I’m still in the midst of my major revision. The light at the end of the tunnel still seems pretty distant, but it’s closer than before. My amazing critique partners and awesome agent sent back their critiques and I’ve revised. I added two new chapters from Landry’s point-of-view. He’s got an amazing voice and a weird sense of humor. Plus, he’s totally in love with Mala (poor guy).

With the current round of revisions finished, I’m waiting for my line edits. I decided now would be the best time to finish up the sequel to this book. I started BAD MOJO during NaNo, but I put it on hold to complete this revision with only about five more chapters left to the end.

 

Thank goodness I didn’t finish it. The revision of the first book means revising this one. A lot has changed. A revised plot, loss of key characters. It's a challenge I'm enjoying.

So that’s my writing life.

What is everyone else up to? Fill me in so I don’t feel like an outcast.

 

I miss you all.

UNEXPECTED MORAL DILEMMA

Morals? Yeah, I've got them. I may put them on hold when writing a nice death scene. But what almost buried my revision... SEX!

It's been over two years since I've written an adult novel. I forgot what words to use to describe the anatomy without sounding like a genecologist: Member, throbbing, pulsing, shaft, heat ... ack!
Gag me with a spoon.

Uh huh, I took it 80's style since that's the last time I read a romance novel. I'm sure things have changed over the years. I had to do some research. *grin* I also forgot how much I enjoy romance novels. Not so much for the sex, but the romantic tension. I love falling in love through the characters.

Romance is key. I don't like having a gratuitous sex scene with no real reason for it being there. I want sex to be a logical extension of the character's relationship. Anyway, the revision has an increase in sexual tension and exploration based on the needs of the character's relationship.

Whether I did it right ... meaning made it HOT! God, I hope so. Who wants tepid. As a reader you want to live vicariously through the characters, right? Steamy, heart racing, hide the book in a file so you can read it at work, spicy. Only, not so spicy that I feel like I'm corrupting innocent minds with it since it's New Adult. Hence the dilemma I spoke about earlier.

I sent the story off to my critique partners, and I didn't feel a twinge of guilt. They're adults. The problem came from the one beta reader I have who is under 18. Grief.

I don't and didn't write erotica, but I still couldn't reconcile myself with sending it to him with the sexualized scenes intact. Maybe because he's a boy.

No, that's not altogether accurate. I'm not letting my daughter read it either.

I don't have a problem with teens reading about sex. Heck, like I mentioned, I was reading romance novels in 9th grade. My mom gave me the "talk" when I was six. I did the same with my kids. I want them educated.

I'll even be fine with Kiwi reading my book when she's older, but I think thirteen is still too young. Fifteen or sixteen seems like an age where I'll feel okay with it. However, if I'm keeping it real, she's had a library card for years. She's probably read books exploring burgeoning sexuality and she hasn't been mentally scarred by what she's read.

I guess letting her read my book feels different because I'm the one who wrote it. I know it's not something I feel comfortable allowing her to read at her age.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I trimmed those more adult scenes to PG-13 before I sent it to my young beta.

Why did I freak out over a 17-year-old reading the revision? Maybe because I'm not his parent. To me, buying the book in the store gives an implied consent. Sure kids will buy things their parents don't approve of, but it's the parents responsiblity to monitor what their child purchases if they choose to.

Still, I can also see why some of the New Adult books are being rewritten without the sexual content for Young Adults. I think it's easier for a parent to make an informed choice that way.

My reaction probably doesn't even make a whole lot of sense. I know I'm confused. I think it's because of the duality of my dilemma. Which is why I'm having a hard time reconciling it within myself. I'll keep thinking on it.

Maybe you can give me your opinions?

 

ANGIE SANDRO'S A ZOMBIE?

 I haven't done any writing for two weeks. I don't feel up to tackling the new story wiggling in my brain like a maggot after rotting meat. Too gross? Sorry, but it's the truth. I'm still brain dead from the revision. I want to start a new WIP, but I still haven't fleshed out all of the details.

The major one being whether I want to set this in the 1970's. It feels like I should because it has a dark edge that the modern world wouldn't support as easily. Cell phones, internet, computers ... these sorts of conveniences make the story I want to tell less plausible. It does mean I have to do a lot of research on the era. I also wonder whether there’s even a market for this book. Another area of research (I love research, lol).

Since I haven't made up my mind, I've put the story on hold. Which means its grip will get tighter and tighter. In a couple of weeks, I'll be walking around with this dazed look on my face and I'll be at risk of a head shot.

Angie Sandro after a night of editing.

 

 

I’ll probably end up writing it the way the story wants to be told. I don't have much control once the characters start talking in my head. I just go with the flow, then edit like crazy.

 

On Sunday, I'll watch The Walking Dead to see if my favorite character survives. *crosses fingers* because nobody is safe on this show.

 

I hope you all have a happy weekend.



THANKS FOR ASKING

A friend emailed the other day asking if I'm still alive. Yes, I've survived the holidays. I'm sorry if I've worried anyone. It was a busy holiday season, full of fun, illness, and revision.

You see I mentioned fun first in my list, right? I'm not just saying that to psyche myself up. Although, at first it felt like one of those inspirational mantras or something to yell at the top of your lungs so your head doesn't explode from stress, "SERENITY, NOW!"

"Fake it until you make it." Or in my case, until it becomes reality.

The holidays were awesome. I had a lot of time off to spend with my family. The only bad part was that most of my loved ones were sick. And not with the same illness. That would make it too easy.

My son had the stomach flu (we figured out he was sick after he vomited as he ran to the bathroom, slipped, and fell in his own puke), my sis-in-law had bronchitis, father-in-law a sinus infection, and my nephew came down with pink-eye (at least he waited until after Santa dropped by with gifts).

For those of us not suffering any illness, we were extremely grateful and enjoyed not being sick even though a lot of our time involved nursing the sick ones. Everyone is now healthy. YAY!

I received a revision request a week before Christmas. Talk about "say what?"

Yeah, it took me two days of nail biting and pacing to figure out how I'd pull it off. It involved cutting 30k from my manuscript, rearranging chapters, adding a new point-of-view character, adding 30k back into the manuscript, and spicing it up (I'm talking sex, only so far I haven't written a sex scene. I'm thinking it's too early in their relationship. However, they've come damn close).

I have a hundred pages left in to revise, so the sex question isn't off the table, err bed, yet. I hope to have the draft finished and off to my critique partners by the end of the month, if not sooner.

 
So, how were your holidays. Fun times?

NaNo UPDATE, DAY 26

It's the final countdown.

For those of you who have made it to the finish line--congrats.

To those of us still limping along. We still have five days. We CAN bring this home!

With an illness then holiday drama, I thought NaNo would be a bust again this year. Granted the month isn’t over. I still have time to crash and burn, but I’m more hopeful about finishing than I was three days ago.

 

On day 23, I was at 31,000 words. If I wanted to a have any chance of finishing on time, I had to write 10,000 words by Monday. I spent 12 hours on the story on Saturday. Sunday, I edited my critique partner’s story during the day. That night I wrote another 4k. I’m officially caught up. If I can write the necessary 1700 words a day, I’ll finish on time.
 

Okay, enough with the statistical data. Boring, right?

Last week, I asked about POV, and I received a lot of advice. My thanks go to those of you who took the time to share your views and encouragement.

Terri Bruce, author of HEREAFTER, gave the answer which made my decision.

“Hmmmm...I have seen the use of two different tenses, I think, but I can't think of any of the book titles. However, keep in mind with the tense change, what you're saying to the reader is that the first person character is telling the reader what happened AS IT HAPPENS, while the 3rd person character is telling the reader what happened AFTER THE FACT. If that's what you mean, then it should be fine (the examples I'm thinking of are usually suspense/mystery/thrillers, where one person is telling the story after the fact (like the detective/cop) and one is telling it as it happens (usually the bad guy), but I've also seen it in mother/daughter women's fic - with the grown up daughter explaining the present day problems in the past tense and then the book switches to the mom's PoV in present tense as she relates her life story). I'd have to check but Paulo Coelho may have used two different tenses in The Witch of Portobello and I think possibly Amy Tan in The Bonesetter's Daughter. But if you mean for your characters to both be telling the same story at the same time (e.g. as it happens), then you'd really need to use the same tense I think.”

 

I wrote the second POV character, Landry’s chapter in Present/1^st person, and his whole personality flowered upon the page. He had his own voice, his own views and interpretation of his world which was totally separate from Mala’s. He allowed me to explore an otherwise closed part of the story, and in turn, made the story deeper and richer than it was with the single point-of-view.

I’m 150 pages into a story that I find to be even more thrilling than the original.

I think I always worried about that. I’ve read a few sequels that couldn’t stand up to the original. As if some essential spark which infused the first is missing from the second. That doesn’t seem to be the case with this story (of course, I'm biased, lol.) I think it's because I know the characters and their world so well now that I’m able to build up on it with layers and depth.

It feels pretty cool.

So this question is for those of you who have written sequels or read sequels. Was your sequel difficult to write or easier? Do you often enjoy reading about the same characters and what would you suggest makes the sequel better than the original? Or is it even possible in your view to recapture the magic of the first book?

THE NEXT BIG THING -Week 24

I want to thank Dean C. Rich for inviting me to participate in “The Next Big Thing.” I was a little afraid I wouldn’t get this written. I’ve been sick with a cold for the last four days. It’s a minor cold, but it kept me in a loopy, cold medicine induced fog, and I didn’t touch the computer. Thankfully, I’m feeling better. So here you go.

1- What is the working title of your book?

I’m currently working on FIXED, the sequel to JUJU’S CHILD since it’s NaNo. I’ve never written a sequel before, and I didn’t know how tricky it would be to sum up the last story without info dumping. I want the readers who have read Juju’s Child to get a refresher but not be inundated with old material, but also, have new readers caught up.

2- Where did the idea come from for the book?

My father’s family is from Louisiana, and I lived there for three years (8^th-10^th grades). I enjoyed going “Down South” to visit my relatives in St. Martins Parish. My aunts can cook like nobody’s business. I also watched Swamp People, and my main character, Malaise “Mala” Lacroix evolved from there. Add in hoodoo, a riled up spirit, and a murder mystery for the character to solve and there you go.

Since this is a sequel, I’m continuing to show Mala’s evolution. She was a character who loved and trusted easily. Not anymore. Life has made her colder, but it hasn’t broken her. She’s older, wiser, and hopefully more mature.
 

If you're interested in some of the images I used for inspiration, I have storyboards on PINTEREST.


3- What genre does your book fall under?

It’s Southern Gothic.

4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I don’t have particular actors in mind. I’d want someone who could pull off a Creole accent without sounding fake. I think the accent is beautiful. My grandfather spoke French, and I’ve wanted to learn. Someday.

5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

I’m not finished writing the book yet. I’m a panster, so I have no idea where this is going to go. I have a rough outline, but my characters are willful. They tend to go their own way.

6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary, LLC. She's awesome, and I love her to pieces.

7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I’m not sure how long this will take me, but typically about three months. I write two or three chapters a week. After writing a chapter, before moving to the next, I edit it. Then, I send it off to my critique partners. By the time I’m finished, it has already gone through a couple of rounds of edits. After that, I let the story sit while I start writing the next book.

I now firmly believe in letting a story sit without being touched for a few months prior to editing. It’s amazing what fresh eyes will find.

8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I compared Mala to an African-American Sookie Stackhouse with a little Veronica Mars thrown in for spice.

9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?

See #2

10- What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I’m enthralled with the beauty of the bayou, the people and culture of Louisiana. It’s unique unto itself. I wanted to write a book which entertains, but also celebrates this culture. I wrote what I like to read: a mystery which puts the main character in a dangerous situation, with a touch of horror. I like to be scared for the characters. I want to be emotionally invested in their journey. That’s what I like to read and what I write.

It turns out most of my AQC friends have already been tagged. If anyone is interested in being tagged for next week (Week 25), please let me know in the comment section.

40 WEEKS OF ME- Week 8, #GUTGAA 1st Round Judge

As many of you are aware, I participated in GEARING UP TO GET AN AGENT as a first round judge this week. I admit this is something that would typically be outside my comfort zone, but in the spirit of breaking free of my shell, I jumped in feet first. Notice I didn't say I dived in?

I didn't know what to expect. So I dipped my toes in the water before fully immersing myself in the GUTGAA experience. I've met some really amazing people. Deana Barnhart, I don't know how you managed to organize this opportunity. Thank you for being such an inspiration. You are truly one of a kind.

I also want to give a shout to my fellow judges and blog hosts for donating their time. To the contestants, thank you for having the courage to participate. I wish you all the best of luck as you query widely and confidently knowing that your query rocks! And if it doesn't quite yet, well, keep revising. 

You can never have too many books. Yeah, right.

Some of you may be wondering how I made my choices. Let me tell you...so hard. Since I was voting for Adult, I had a variety of genres: Dystopian, Women's Fiction, Steam Punk, Paranormal Romance, Mainstream, Mystery, Fantasy, Thriller, Memoir, Historical and Science Fiction.

Luckily, I read all these genres. Don't believe me? Check out my overflowing, needs to be organized bookshelf.

Initially, I read through the 43 entries without looking at any comments. I don't like to be influenced by other people's opinions. I documented my initial impression. Was the query tight/polished? Did it hold my attention? Did I finish reading and want more or was I confused? Then I moved to the first 150, and asked the same questions.

I labeled each entry with a rating of 1-5. By the end, I had 1 (F'ing Awesome 5+++), 6 (5's) and 11 (4's). These were all books I would buy if I read the blurb in the bookstore and had a fat gift card with enough money to indulge myself.

Since I have never bought 18 books at one time (five at the most, maybe one a week if I'm feeling splurgey) I went with my rating system. All the 5's were automatic entries. Then I had to choose three 4's. Since they they were all equal in awesomeness in my eyes, I went with genre as the deciding factor.

I had 4's and 5's in every genre, except two which were 3's. So I made sure my last three picks did not come from genres already represented by my 5's, because I wanted to make sure as many of the genres I enjoy reading would be represented next week. Only 6 of my first pick choices will be going forward, but all of the winning entries fell within my 4's and 5's. I have faith all of these books will be on my overflowing bookshelf someday so I can finally read them And I want to read them so bad, drool.

Well, there you go. Apple's convoluted query picking system. 

Since this is a 40 Weeks post, I still have to share something personal about myself. Given all the contestants were brave enough to share their query babies, I thought I would share one of mine. You've seen the query letter for JUJU'S CHILD which landed my agent. But, nobody except the agents I had the temerity to query saw and rejected my very first horrible query letter (602 words).

Look, laugh, learn what NOT to do.

12/24/09

 

Dear Agent,

 

I am seeking representation for my paranormal romance novel, Psychic Journey.  I have 103,000 words completed from an estimated 120-150,000.    

 

Consulting Archeologist Jurnee Fontaine is a woman dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge to the sublimation of her interpersonal relationships.  She values logic and the crispness of the science inherent to her work.  Because Jurnee tends to avoid engaging in displays of emotional weakness, she finds she is routinely confounded by her fairy loving, tarot card reading mother, who constantly encourages her to cultivate her innate psychic ability. 

 

 

Jurnee’s stance on the matter is that foreknowledge never provided her with the ability to alter the future she saw in her visions and trying just left her with a blinding headache, and another aching hole in her heart. 

 

Despite her efforts to focus her attention on her current contract to excavate the site of a ranch built by Steven Durant, in the hills outside of Folsom, CA. in 1868, Jurnee develops an illogical obsession over the suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of Durant’s wife and young son.  But it is with the discovery of Willa Durant’s diary and subsequent frenetic drive home from the dig site that Jurnee’s life takes an unexpected turn from the norm.   

 

It begins with torrential rain, a bedraggled woman with her daughter standing in the middle of the road, and Jurnee so distracted she fails to see them.  Instead of running them over, Jurnee swerves her truck into an embankment.  The woman’s heartbreaking story of fleeing her abusive husband, added to the guilt of almost pulverizing them, causes Jurnee to take on the responsibility of protecting this woman and child from the danger she senses threatening them. 

 

This triggers a series of uncharacteristic actions by the normally level-headed Jurnee.   She breaks up with her fiancé, falls in lust with a dead man, and is accidently transported by… gasp, magic into the past.  She wakes in the year 1878, tied to the bed of sexy Stephen Durant, who incidentally thinks she’s stark raving mad and hates her with a passion, to discover to her horror that her consciousness has switched bodies with that of his doomed wife, walking Barbie doll, Willa Durant. 

 

Now Jurnee, who despises all things mystical; must figure out a way to survive an unexpected pregnancy by thwarting the bruja trying to steal Willa’s husband, Stephen by murdering her, keep from falling in love with the same husband and return to her own time, all the while, hoping that Willa doesn’t ruin her own life in the future.

 

I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology, specializing in Native American Studies from California State University, Sacramento.  I realized my dream of working for a consulting archeologist after college. 

 

The site I helped excavate was the inspiration for this novel.  I also discovered that due to seasonal allergies, I would not be the next female Indiana Jones. The stories I write are in the genres that I enjoy reading such as, paranormal romance, fantasy and tend to have a supernatural element.  

 

 

My favorite authors are Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton, Rachel Caine, Kim Harrison, David Eddings, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King, and so many others that my bookshelves are overflowing. 

 

 

Thank you for your consideration of this proposal.  I look forward to hearing from you. 

 

SWAMP THING #1 FAVORITE PLACE

I took these swampy photos during my bike ride on Saturday through Teichert Ponds. The sky and water are this beautiful shade due to the smoke from a forest fire in the foothills. The picture above that I used for the blog cover is my favorite. It's what I imagined when I wrote the opening scene for Juju's Child.

This picture was taken from the bike trail. If you look closely you can see the blackberries on the bush in the lower left corner. My father-in-law and I make quite a few berry halts during our ride. Delicious, yum!

I trampled through the brush to get this picture--risking snake bites and poison oak. No, that's not a snake at the bottom of the page, but I thought it was at first. Yes, I am a little melodramatic.

This picture was taken at the same spot as the cover photo. I can totally picture a dead body floating beneath the water--which is the premise of Juju's Child, no I'm not being morbid for morbidity's sake. The only problem is that the pretty pink sky ruins the atmostphere of decay and darkness that I wanted to convey with this imagery.

It really is a beautiful area...

How often do your surroundings influence your writing? Have you ever found that perfect spot? The one that you dreamt about and lovingly crafted onto the page...and now you've found it in the real world?  

SCENE BLOCKS

As mentioned in the last post, I’ve been working on a new manuscript. It’s the sequel to JUJU’s CHILD, so in theory, it shouldn’t be too difficult to jump into. I know the characters. They evolved in the last book, carrying over issues to be addressed in this book. I’m still not totally clear on the totality of the plot, but I have enough outlined in my head to at least get a couple of chapters written.

Here is my problem: I can’t figure out where to start the first chapter.

This is an issue which has impeded upon my motivation to begin working on the story. Or rather, to progress in a full scale battle charge as is my norm. Typically, I write in linear order. With the first chapter full actualized before I begin to write; although, the draft goes through multiple revisions due to my dissatisfaction with the finished product during revisions. This frustration stems from my inability to fully articulate who the characters are and their motivation during the initial draft. This evolves with time and familiarity.

With this sequel, I have two potential first chapters. And I’m not happy with either version. I’ve found that it is difficult for me to bypass this issue until I come up with a solution to the problem. I hate dangling plot threads. It irritates me. Does any of this make sense?

I discussed this issue with @CRehse and found out I wasn’t alone. She was having a similar issue with finishing the first chapter in her wip. She has several scenes clawing at her mind trying to get out, but hadn’t finished her first chapter. We decided it would be best to forge ahead and write up the scenes taking up space in our brains. Once we get the tangled plotlines out of our head and onto paper, it should be easier to move forward. Our goal is to get a chapter (first or otherwise) onto paper by Saturday.

So out with this linear bull, ‘cause it’s not working for me with this book.

 Please wish me luck. I need itJ

RECOVERING FROM MOTHER'S DAY

Whew, it was busy last week.

The Sandro clan was on the go with end of the year school functions for the kiddies lasting past their (and my) bedtimes. We hit two movies at an actual theater and had dinner at a sit down restaurant (not drive thru). What's a working mother to do?

Enjoy it.

My Mother's Day weekend usually involves a lot of lounging around the pool. This year, Hubby and I went out sans kids to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. It was seafood night, so I went a little crazy tasting the variety of dishes on display: crab, frog legs, lobster, oysters (raw, cooked) various shrimp dishes, sashimi. Yummy.

Afterwards, we went to see a rated R movie, CABIN IN THE WOODS. I can't recall the last time I saw a movie that wasn't kid friendly. 

We totally got a kick out of all the Cthulu-esque references—ancient, sleeping gods who have to be placated with human sacrifice— done Josh Whedon style, bloody AWESOME. He also used actors beloved by those familiar with the Whedon-verse.

On Mother's Day we had a barbeque at the in-laws and the kids played in the pool. It was a wonderful, relaxing, family oriented time.

My poor son didn't have too great of a time though. The boy is ten and chock full of energy, but he crashed on Sunday at 4 p.m. and didn't roll out of bed until Monday morning. He stayed home from school...poor baby. We spent some bonding time together. At this age, the only time he wants to be "babied" is when he's sick. Although, I did get the--"Mom, you know I'm not five, right?"

With such a busy week, I didn't get a whole lot of writing done. I finished a chapter in my new ms FIXED. It’s a sequel to JUJU's CHILD. The old characters have been invading my dreams and demanding a continuation to their storyline. I'm curious to see what they have planned.

So what did you do for Mother's Day weekend?

Bloggerly Opinions Needed

by Kiwi Sandro

UPDATE: After receiving a lot of wonderful advice, I have changed the blog back to my swamp photo to make it more reflective of JUJU'S CHILD. This is exactly how I picture the opening scene only with a Cyprus tree.

This morning Blogger had a new feature on my Dashboard. It asked if I wanted to try a new template. Hmm, try something new? Why not, I thought. So like a curious chimp, I started pressing buttons.

Half an hour later, I realized I'd totally ruined my blog. The formatting was off. I'd erased my swampy picture. I hated the new template. And worst of all, I didn't have a clue how to fix it.

An hour and a half later, inspiration struck.

Four hours later, this is the end product.

Do I like it?

Of course, I designed it. I used this picture my daughter had drawn for me on the computer for inspiration. After the dark colors of my old format, I think this is rather festive. However, what I think is pretty may not be practical. The object of the blog is to get people to stop by and read. That won’t happen if I scare you off.

So, I’m asking for opinions. A lot of you have beautiful blogs. What do you think? Is it alright? Too distracting?

So blinding it gave you a migraine just looking at it. Now you hate me?

Please let me know. I really appreciate any insight you have.
Thanks for your help.

P.S. If I haven't totally scared you off, and you're not a follower, please click on the follow link. Heck, even if you hate it, still clink on the follow link. I need all the constructive feedback I can get. I tally up the votes at the end of the week, then decide if it stays or goes.

P.P.S. Also, if anyone can teach me how to do those tabs at the top of the page, I’d be really appreciative.

Okay, I'm a tease.

To be fair, I did say the first chapter wouldn't be up long. To everyone who had the opportunity to read it, my thanks.

I want to give a shout out to my #WIPFTW buddies on Twitter. This wonderful group of writers came up with the idea, for those of us who needed a kick in the pants, to finish our work-in-progresses by November 1st.

I started Djinni in April, right after I finished Juju's Child. The main character Cairo has undergone quite a metamorphosis since the first chapter. She's matured from a slightly egocentric, spoiled brat into a layered and thoughtful character.

As I enter the final chapters of the manuscript, I'm quivering with excitement. I have no idea what's going to happen next. I have some idea, but this story tends to go off outline in pretty surprising ways. Luckily, I've always enjoyed the direction Cairo decides to go in.

I hope her character survives. Not everyone will (sorry Sarah, don't kill me)

Novel Writing- Inspiration from my Family History

I once had a conversation with the amazing Mindy McGinnis, also affectionately known as BBC, regarding where we draw our inspiration. I was thrilled to find another genealogy enthusiast. See, the thing with genealogy is most people don’t find it inspiring—at all. More like the opposite. Dry and dusty. Boring. Too much work. Who cares about someone who’s dead?

Yeah, that’s how some of the family members I contacted for their family trees responded. Others didn’t bother responding at all. A small percentage—the cool ones in my opinion—are just as enthusiastic as I am, and they pulled out their family scrapbooks for me.

It takes a special (slightly obsessive) mind to enjoy the research involved in finding those hidden family stories. It’s like an Easter egg hunt. You never know if the eggs are gonna be rotten and stinky. But other times, the stories are beautiful and amazing, like my ggg grandfather who saved a drowning boy. The story of Uncle Alonzo who was interviewed by the newspaper at the age of 102 yrs, and he told how his family traveled from Illinois to Kansas by wagon train in 1880.

Talk about inspirational. When I thought up the plot for my manuscript, Juju’s Child, I'd been researching my father’s side of the family tree. My Louisiana Creole roots branched out quite a bit. I soaked up the culture and history, and included it in this this story. My ancestors spoke to me (I'm not crazy, talking to spirits or anything) through their marriage certificates, letters, actions. I'll tell ya, after learning about these amazing people who had the strength to travel across the ocean, to survive slavery, to educate their children—well, I how can I complain about my life. How can I not follow my dreams. It would be a betrayal of their pain and hardship. Of their love and hope for a better future for their descendants.

If you’re interested in learning more about genealogy, and how clueless I was when I started (yeah, it’s pretty funny in hindsight. Not so much at the time), please check out my Family History Blog. It you begin reading at the first post it chronicles my research journey. In the beginning, I was so stuck. Now have over 4,000 members on my family tree. I discovered my ancestors came from all over the world: America (Nansamond tribe), Cameroon, England, France, Italy, Germany, and Portugal (to name a few). Cool, huh!

I also have links to genealogy help websites. If you have any questions on how to start researching your own family trees, leave a comment, and I’ll be glad to help.

PROTAGONIST WAR

Prior to sitting down and writing, I outlined how I wanted to story to go. I’ve been writing the new manuscript for the last two weeks and it's been frustrating. I’ve done multiple rewrites of the first chapter, which is unusual. Typically, when I start a new manuscript the first hundred pages are easy to get down on paper. Not so this time. Why?

I’m at WAR with my protagonist!

It’s my own fault. I loved the protagonist from JUJU’S CHILD. Malaise was so easy going. She glided across the page like a ballet dancer, twisting and bending in whatever direction I wanted her story to go in. She spoiled me.

Tears well up in my eyes, as I cry, “I miss you, Mala. I’ll return soon for the sequel.”

Now, spotlight shifts onto Cairo, the most untrusting, unbending…how many more un’s do I need to tack on to properly describe this little brat. This character is fighting to keep me from getting to know her. I don’t even know what she looks like other than she’s tall, has a zit on her chin, and has curly black hair. Even that could be described better, but I really can’t visualize her. She’s not completely “real” yet (I’m not crazy, I know she’s a product of my imagination). I’ve barely scratched the surface of Cai's personality, other than to conclude she likes to do things her own way.

Sorta like me. Which makes me wonder what part of my subconsious is manifesting through this story?

So, here's what she did. Within four pages, she had totally deviated from the outline. Outline tossed in the trash! Waste of paper. Annoying, but...Cai has good instincts. The outline sucked. I couldn't see it at first, but now I do. I love the way the rewrites are coming along. My hope is that as I get further I get into the story the character will open like a little daisy--that she’ll be sweetness and light and our initial rivalry over the direction we want this story to go in will turn to mutual trust and cooperation.

Someday, I hope to say. Gosh, I love this character.

Has anyone else had this problem? I hope I’m not alone in having a difficult character ‘cause I’m feeling like I’m a little cuckoo for even writing this post.

The Year of Fun-March

March has sorely tested my dedication to enjoying this year. I’ve spent half of it laid up in bed with bronchitis. I’ve barely touched the computer, except to check up on the queries I’ve sent out for Juju’s Child.

I discovered I made an amateur mistake on the first four pages of Juju’s Child. I had two agents request revisions due to those pages being more telling than showing.

Good grief! I knew better. It’s the first thing one learns when writing. Show Don’t Tell.

Thankfully, the agents were kind enough to point out my error. The first chapter has been revised, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Now I’m getting requests off the query and sample pages. Yay!

The main thing I learned from my blunder is mistakes happen. They are unavoidable and you can’t beat yourself up for being human.

Learn and move on.

Psychic Journey-Revisted

So, I finished the first draft of JUJU’S Child (74,000 words), which is fantastic since for the last week, I've been fighting off some sort of ICK. I’d pulled on my big girl pants and had the flu shot back in October even though needles make me queasy, so I refuse to say that I’ve been down with the flu. That would negate the whole braving the flu shot thing. Regardless, of what I caught, it sucked me into a weird fever dream in which I was a cross between Laura Croft and Indiana Jones. Pretty cool dream—find the mystery artifact (which I never found) and kick the butts of the evil bad guys (which I kicked hard). I woke up in a pool of sweat since my fever broke and thought, whoa, didn’t I write something like this once.

I began PSYCHIC JOURNEY (silly title, so says the hubby) after graduating from college with a BA in Anthropology. I had also just gotten married, so I put grad school on hold to get some real world experience in my field of choice. For about a month, I worked for a Consulting Archeologist as he excavated a site in the Folsom, CA hills. The site was composed of prehistoric Native American artifacts: arrow heads, basalt and chert flakes, bedrock mortars, burned animal bones. The historic portion of the site was a ranch-building complex built in the 1850’s and destroyed by fire.

The rolling hills looked glorious in the spring. The wildflowers bloomed. Rattlesnakes basked on blue-green rocks. The dig site had been surrounded by a wire fence to keep out the roaming cows and horses, but the babies would stand by the fence and watch us as we worked. The place tapped into a part of my soul that believed in magic and my creativity flowed.

So did my nose. I have really bad allergies and I felt much like I did this weekend. Miserable. My dream job and I couldn’t enjoy it. Allergies stamped out my dream of being an Archeologist and once I finally gave in and accepted the fact that I would be a much happier, snot-free person if I worked indoors, I began working on a way to capture the feeling of being on a dig, particularly that dig.

Psychic Journey is the story of a Jurnee Fontaine, Consulting Archeologist who finds a rare artifact during her dig in the Folsom Hills. She accidently taps into the lines of magic traveling through the site and is transported back in time to 1868. With her knowledge of the future destruction and death of the inhabitants of the ranch in the same year that she finds herself in, Jurnee must somehow alter the course of history, or lose those she has come to love.

I loved this story when I started writing it. I love it now fifteen years later. The problem is that it is already 104,000 words and I never completed it. But, that darn fever gave me an idea. An idea that keeps wiggling in my brain and growing bigger….I have a new project to work on while Juju’s Child is being edited by the critique partners. YAY!!! I’ll keep you posted.

HAPPY NEW YEAR- Also dubbed, 2011, the Year of Fun!!

2010, the year I turned 38. I looked back on the last decade and wondered when the heck did I make the conscious choice to put aside my dream of becoming a published author. Then, I realized it hadn't been a conscious choice. I got married, started a family, and a full time job in a career I love. Writing took too much time. I forgot how much I love creating new worlds, characters that tend to take over and do their own things. I forgot how passionate--how obsessive writing makes me.

Yes, that's right, obsessive.

Pre-family (college) I'd spend ten to fourteen hours in front of the computer, lost in the lives of my creations. I didn't go anywhere. My friends, yes, I managed to keep some, had to drag me out of the house. The glazed look in my eyes as I sat in a corner at the club didn't come from partying too hard--nope, I was outlining my next chapter in my head. When lost to the creative muse, I was truly LOST. I'd forget to eat. Personal hygiene (what's a shower?). It's a miracle I managed to find a husband.

But, back then, writing made me deliriously happy.

Over the years, I tried to keep up with my writing. I have about six projects that I started when the kids were small, but never finishing them. One time-travel romance is 104,000 words. Whew, someday I'll go back and finish: cut the fat.

Then I turned 38, and had my 20 year high school reunion. Whoa, way to make a person take a good hard look at the direction their life had taken. I had everything I ever wanted-- so I couldn't complain too much or I'd look silly. But I still had my dream.

2010, the year I put myself on a deadline. Finish a book, find an agent, and get published before the big 40. Two years.

The biggest hurdle, finishing a book. Check. My husband suggested writing the ending first. Finally, I had a goal and didn't spin of on random tangents. I finished my first manuscript-a paranormal romance called DYING FOR A KISS. Started editing--kill me now! Who knew! Anyone who has ever edited their story knows what I'm talking about. Find good critique partners, buy a copy of Browne and King's "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" and a book on punctuation (still, suck at this). And study, study study.

I joined a couple of fantastic online sites for writers agentqueryconnect.com and querytracker.net. Learned how to write a query letter and the dreaded synopsis and started the long search for an agent. Meanwhile, I finished a second book, HOUND OF ANNWYN and started on a third, JUJU'S CHILD. I slowly came to realization, I'd become obsessive again. Whoops.

I'd gotten so wrapped up in finding an agent that I started getting stressed out. Writing became work, a chore that I had to complete.

So after a heart to heart talk with my fantastic critique partner, Kate Evangelista gave some sage advice and it led me to an epiphany--ha ha, Nip The Laughter.

2011 is the year when I write for fun. My resolution is to stop obsessing over finding an agent or getting published. If it comes, obviously I'll be happy. But I have great critique partners and friends and I'm doing what I love. Carpe Diem. I'm going to enjoy the art of creation while I have the chance and stop stressing over the future.

After all, I'm only 38, at least for seven more months.