Rioter's Roost

Still lousy at blogging...

2009-09-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still very very very lousy at blogging. I am a writer that is actually writing. A few updates to add here:

ANGEL FALLS - Release Date April 2011, Medallion Press
(this is the second installment of a three book trilogy following Jake and Cassidy)

DEVIL'S GOLD - November 2, 2009 - will be the featured thriller for Dear Reader

I have been writing monthly reviews for International Thriller Writers - Here

Also, if you are a debut thriller author with your very first book in print, please stop by and join ITW Debut Authors program - Here

Julie

74W is where?

2009-04-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my husband Bob and I embarked on our road trip to Asheville, North Carolina. As I was wrapping up logging my hours for work, Bob decided to map quest our route and print a map. We live in the northern section of Georgia and decided to take the scenic route through the mountains as we had plenty of time to reach our destination before my 7:00 p.m. signing.

One hour into the trip:

Bob: Check the map and let me know where to go?
Julie: (glances at the minuscule square that's supposed to be a "map") Seriously?
Bob: Yeah, why?
Julie: The map is too small. I can't make out the route numbers because of the fat blue line that shows us where to go.
Bob: Oh.

Two hours into the trip:

Bob: We're in Franklin, NC - check the map and tell me where that is.
Julie: (glances once more at the flippin' tiny map, puts on her reading glasses to see if that will help and then glares at her husband) Seriously?
Bob: No Franklin?

Three hours into the trip:

Cell phone rings:

Mother-in-law: Hey we're here. Where are you?
Julie: Seriously?

........................................

We did make it well within our time limit. And I'm the first person to tell you that I love the feeling of not really knowing where you're going but knowing everything will be okay. It's adventurous and fun.

Leaving Asheville was an entirely different experience.

Bob: 74W right?
Julie: (feeling smug) Yep.
Bob: Ok. 40W to 74W right?
Julie: (definitely the superior gender) Yep.
Bob: Ok. That sign says 240W to 74W.
Julie: Seriously?
Bob: Yeah. Do I turn?
Julie: Uhhhhh...yep. (decisiveness is always good)

Ten minutes later:

Bob: That sign says we're on 74E.
Julie: Uhhhhh...go that way 40W.
Bob: (cannot print what was said)
Julie: There...that sign says 40W, 74W uhhhh and 26W and 74E. How can we be going both East and West?
Bob: Seriously?
Julie: (cannot print what was said)
Bob: (cannot print what was said)
Julie: (really can't print what was said)

We made it home. We didn't kill one another. And we have learned not to follow what the signs say in Asheville, never to print anything from map quest, and to invest in a GPS system.

Book Signings...

2009-03-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

I am a rather shy person. I see y'all who know me rolling your eyes and shaking your heads. But I am shy. I don't like to toot my own horn, and I certainly am NOT a salesperson. In this business, however, I need to just get over myself.

In January, when I received my box of books, I dragged myself here and begged my friend who happens to be part-owner of the bookstore to allow me to have a book signing. Ellen was extraordinarily gracious and, much to my surprise, more than happy to offer her services. On March 7th, I had my first book signing. It was great fun. I had threatened all of my friends and family appropriately and forced my father to serve wine to prevent people from running out the door. Phew, book signing number one was a success.

Onto book signing number two. With the help of family, I managed to secure a signing at Malaprops in Asheville, North Carolina. Finding Malaprop's was a piece of cake. It was finding North Carolina that we had trouble with. That story will be told at a later time. Anyway, Malaprop's wanted a reading. Please refer to Paragraph 1 of this post regarding my inherent shyness. This was a nightmare to me. A huge obstacle and one I sweated about. My kind friend, Ellen, laughed and told me to pick a paragraph or two and keep it under three minutes. Three minutes is a life time when reading ones own words.

I didn't read. Couldn't. Nope. No way. What I did do is play on one of my strengths -- talking. I love to talk. And I had a whole room full of people ready to listen to me. So I talked about the Niger Delta and about the plight of the gray wolves. I was nervous. I kept that "three minute" number in my head and blabbered away. In hindsight, I probably could have slowed down just a bit and relaxed. But Ellen said three minutes, damn it. And that's what I was going to do. So in three minutes, I educated everyone on the Niger Delta and the gray wolves. You can imagine how fast I was talking. But I survived.

And now I am on a mission to find other independent book stores to allow me a signing. It's not easy to garner book signings. Actually, it's plain frustrating. But it's my job. Because after this month, Devil's Gold is no longer new. I am the person that has to push it out there and keep it fresh.

On a totally unrelated subject -- I have some very cool bookmarks. So if any of you have my book and would like a bookmark, just let me know!

Julie

Marketing...who me?

2009-03-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

My boss, who you can find here, is an inspiration when it comes to marketing. I am a lousy blogger but have come to the realization that this is an important tool and should not be overlooked. I sat back and thought about what I can do to make this an interesting place that readers would want to come back to again and again. Honestly, I know none of you care about what I had for dinner or how much weight I need to lose. I had to figure an angle out, similar to how my boss has cornered the market on Father's Rights. I am a curious person by nature and nosy. In addition to that, I do live a rather unusual and larger than life existence. I'm also a klutz and know how to laugh at myself. So I have thought that my angle to this whole blog thing will be to allow y'all a small insight to my crazy existence while connecting the dots to influences in my writing. This will either be extraordinarily boring or slightly entertaining. AND, most of all, having just had my book released this month I thought that I would also bring you on the journey of self-promotion and all the thrills and frustrations I am finding along the way.

So to break it down...I am going to have three focus points of this blog:

1. Writing - my personal insight into the craft
2. Marketing - my personal insight into promotion and book sales
3. Another dreaded moment - your insight into my person

Here we go....

Release Day!

2009-03-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby is officially part of the "published" world. Amazing. What a wonderful feeling this is.

Countdown!

2009-02-11T12:28:00.001-08:00

March 1 is peeping its nose around the corner. I am very excited. So far, my reviews are great. I pray I don't embarrass myself with this book. It's not exactly like the times I open my mouth when I shouldn't then adamantly deny it later with a "I said what? No no no...that's not what I meant at all..." I don't think I can run around and pull my book of the shelf and say "Honest, I didn't mean to write that..." LOL.

Switching topics -- I would like to give a shout out to all my other Medallionites. For those of you who have never read a Medallion Press book, I encourage you to go here and order away. These individuals are an incredibly talented group of writers and definitely worth reading.

And I have SO NOT picked my contest winner yet! Seeing as everyone who entered is forced to love me through the one-bat syndrome, I know I can get away with my procrastination.

Back to the writing corner for me...

CONTEST!

2009-01-08T08:16:00.001-08:00

I received my author copies of Devil's Gold and have decided to initiate a contest to give away a free autographed copy.

Contest Rules:

Post the most bizarre wildlife trivia you know. The one that makes me laugh the loudest or stuns me into silence gets a book. I will confirm the validity of the trivia, but I certainly won't rule out a well-crafted and believable fake fact when selecting a winner. You have until Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The winners will be announced Monday morning. Get busy.

There will be two winners:

First Place: Free Book & trivia inserted in ANGEL FALLS (acknowledged, of course)
Runner Up: Trivia inserted in ANGEL FALLS (acknowledged, of course)

Disclaimer: It's my contest so whatever I say goes -- enter at your own risk.

Have fun and be creative.

Julie

The Darker Side of Inspiration...

2009-01-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

I don't write fluffy.

Along with the beautiful comes the ugly...

And what the ugly is destroying...

Inspiration

2009-01-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

As the release of Devil's Gold nears, I thought that I would disclose my inspiration for the story. Several years ago, we vacationed here:

Rancho Alegre

It was an amazing trip, comprised of Hot Air Balloon Rides

and a day with Mad River!

But most of all, it was the quiet beauty of the majestic Grand Tetons that permanently invaded my soul. Soaring mountain peaks tipped with white embracing plains scattered with buffalo, elk and, of course, wolves.

This is where the inception of Devil's Gold occurred. This is where I left a small piece of my heart.

The Year of Wolfee

2009-01-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

I am now anxiously counting down the weeks, days, hours and minutes until I can hold my book. I love my publisher Medallion Press. However, they have certainly gone above and beyond with the publicity for Devil's Gold. I knew they liked the book, but who would have figured it was earth shattering...

March 2009 - DEVIL'S GOLD

Happy New Year all!

Edits!

2008-10-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

I received my edits yesterday which provided a flurry of excitment, causing me to hand out the wrong cell phone number to Medallion's author liason, Kerry. Thank goodness she's used to crazy writers and was able to look up the correct number. In addition to that, my brain shut down, and I confused the meaning of anagram and acronym. Yes, please join me in yelling idiot.

The edits were relatively painless and the manuscript scattered with positive comments. I suppose that's to help prevent the I suck syndrome. I'll share what I learned. My characters are stuck in perpetual "Joker" mode because they grin so damn much. Easy fix. I have inflamed Mr. Webster with my lack of farther/further differential knowledge. Note to self to blow up page 46 of The Elements of Style. Oh yes, and sometimes I became so engrossed with the story that I forgot to clearly indicate who was speaking. Hey, wait a minute, that's one of my pet peeves. How dare I commit the same atrocity in my own work?

Anyway, that was my editing experience. The most difficult debate was a polite suggestion that I redefine the ZEBRA acronym. I did lose some sleep over this. Thanks to my Medallion author group for helping me with that one. I settled on Zoological Environmental Bio Research Agency.

I did take my time and re-read the manuscript as I went through the editing process. I will now go and drink heavily and congratulate myself on not submitting to the desire to rewrite the entire book because I suck.

I have duly noted how far down to start the chapter headings, to use . . . instead of ... and a few other specifics that Medallion prefers. Angel Falls will hopefully be less of a chore for my editors -- who by the way, are awesome. Here's a shout-out to Emily Steele and Janet Bank. Thank you so much for all your hard work and for taking such good care of my first book.

Time to Breathe....

2008-07-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post these amazing pictures my son took on his cell phone during our vacation last week.

I can't believe that his itty phone captured such fabulous photography. Way cool.

In addition to our venture to Florida, we held the annual July 4th party which included about 80 people and a stupendous fireworks display by the eldest child in my family aka my hubbie.

Needless to say, I survived both vacation and party as well as a Buffy and Angel marathon which has consumed my evenings for the past month. 1 Month = 7 years of Buffy. I'm exhausted and grateful it's over. I was a faithful viewer of both shows but until you see the episodes back to back, the genius that is Joss Whedon isn't clear. An amazing talent and gift that man holds. I'm awed and jealous and suddenly speaking like Yoda for some unknown reason.

I attempted to write while on vacation but that was an absolute waste of time. It's very hard to be at the beach while my characters are in the Amazon, facing all sorts of challenges that I just couldn't bring myself to care about. Me: Look at that beautiful sunrise! Character: I'm dying over here... Me: So what! Do you see that beautiful sunrise?

So, needless to say, I'll be back to the grind tomorrow. I gave myself yesterday to readjust from party craziness and today I'm attempting to focus on the job that pays the bills. But tomorrow, I suppose I'll have to rescue my character from whatever peril she's found herself in. I'm really loving this book and anticipating re-immersing myself in the plot. I want to have this submitted to Medallion by the beginning of next month so I have quite a bit of work ahead of me. Not so certain I'm wanting to be me right now...but this is the craft and the writing must go on.

Julie

Long Gone....

2008-06-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

I don't balance things well which means that I'm incapable of updating this blog and focusing a hundred percent on my writing. Why? Probably because I multi-task in so many other areas of my life. So I'm heading back to the trenches and probably won't return until Angel Falls is polished and on its way to my publisher.

One thing that happened this weekend that was pretty cool - I found myself on Amazon and Borders. What a thrill.....

Things That Get In The Way Of My Writing...

2008-04-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

1. A really good book (produces the "I suck" syndrome)
2. Disorganization (My desk is a mess -- oh well, can't write today)
3. Sadness (Zaps the creative energy with a lightening bolt)
4. The weather (If it's not conducive to my scene, it's conducive to procrastination)
5. Work (An IM of "do the child support worksheet in Jones" while writing a sex scene. I hate writing sex scenes so I'm like "Yes! A worksheet to do...")

Wasted

2008-03-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

I am stunned. My heart hurts. And I am relieved.

There was this boy I once knew and loved. He was precious and always getting in trouble, making my son's life miserable because it meant the dreaded grounding. Actually, I believe my son spent most of his young life grounded for something this other little boy did. It was my stand that "if you were there, then you were guilty."

As this little boy grew into a teenager, he changed. Matured. His wild streak was a mile wide. He was two years older than my son and hormones sent this boy off into the maturity my little man lacked. Their friendship weakened but never waned. There were still occasional overnights here and there, the last one two Friday's ago.

There will be no more overnights. This boy has taken another's life.

Yes, it was an accident; but nonetheless he is charged with felony murder.

My heart is breaking for a life well-wasted. For a spirit soon to be broken. For those summer days where sliding down a muddy hill was enough adventure. For my son.

And I sit here thanking God that it was not my son who lost his life. And I feel helpless.

Staining Hardwood Floors

2008-03-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Who you do not want helping you with this project:

Every time we turn around, she's there. As are her little itty bitty foot prints. My husband yells at me. I yell at the kids. The kids yell at the cat. None of us can figure out how she keeps ending up downstairs.

Will this project never end?

Writing Is Hard Work!

2008-03-20T04:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I wrote and wrote and wrote. It felt as if I was pulling every word from the very depths of the dictionary and placing them carefully in each sentence. I struggled with each paragraph and every page. After three hours, I walked away from the computer. Watched a very bizarre movie. Came back. Deleted the same twelve pages I'd sweated over all morning and began again. This time, the words were there. And even though I only had time to splash about a thousand of them onto the screen, I felt satisfied. And this morning they read well.

What did I learn? I write like crap when I force myself. Go with the flow, baby.

Weather and Work

2008-03-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

Storms blasted my little corner of the world yesterday. Tornadoes set off sirens, and I wasn't allowed to take a break and relish the activity. I love storms, especially when I'm not stuck in traffic on the interstate. But I'd bought a new toy yesterday morning, and my husband insisted I use it -- all day. It's called a palm sander. I purchased this little thinger-majigger to aid in the do-it-yourself project which is consuming my life. We are finishing our hardwood floors. As my husband pushed the sanding machine, I crawled from edge to edge and belt sanded the areas he couldn't reach. Then I had to use my little toy to palm sand the areas the belt sander couldn't reach.

I hate this thing.

With a passion.

My arms ache. My back aches. My body wants to collapse and never awaken. AND to add insult to injury -- I couldn't watch the skies turn all sorts of interesting colors nor enjoy the display of lightening that slashed through the clouds.

What I could do is turn my thoughts inward and contemplate my wips. I like to write invisibly. It allows me to discard and rearrange my plot and opens my mind to things I might not consider as I plunge along at the keyboard. I made headway on both the projects I'm working on. It's a shame I have to spend my day with that little toy and not my computer. Did I mention that I hate that thing?

How Do I Get Published?

2008-03-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I can't answer that question, my friends. Why? Because the road to publication is different for every writer. There is no hidden key, magic word or secret spell. How did I get published? Here's a tongue-in-cheek version:

1-- I spent months writing this book then years getting it just right.
In the interim, I moved on to other projects.
2 -- I proofed it for decades to make sure everything was correct.
Then proofed again.
3 -- I researched for 18 weeks, 2 days and 6 hours, to find an
agent who would handle the type of book I wrote. That agent rejected
it. So then, I began again...
4 -- I repeated step three 89 times more and waited
and waited and waited and waited some more
6 -- I researched for 13 weeks, 4 days and 10 hours, to find a
publisher who would handle the type of book I wrote. That publisher
rejected it. So then, I began again...
7. -- I sold my book.

Perseverance will be your best friend, self-doubt your worst. Know that you are not alone. Do your research, scour the links I have provided. I posted a new link today. Redlines and Deadlines. I figured, heck, why reinvent the wheel? Go read their blog. Great great great information.

Frogs...

2008-03-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year when the sunset brings peeps and squeaks of mating frogs. Needless to say our pool cover always has about two to four inches of water on top and the froggies love to lay their eggs until the green plastic becomes nothing more than a swarming pond of tadpoles. Each year, I scoop several cup fulls of taddies and dump them in my Koi pond. Why? Well, first and foremost, my fishies are hungry. But second, I love the surprise. A few always survive, and I never know whether I've hatched a bull frog, tree frog or toad. By June, it's pretty apparent. I either have the incessant chirping of a tree frog waking me up at the crack of dawn, deep horn of the bull frog frightening the bejesus out of me in the middle of the night, or a small parade of tiny toads entertaining me while I sit on the front porch.

I liken this surprise to my plots. If it's too predictable, the reader will be bored. Move it forward. Change it out. Keep your voice fresh. All of these are daily struggles. As the tadpoles sprout legs and begin morphing into a higher life form so do my manuscripts. I admit I get a complete rush when my ideas pull together and become a full-blown finished book. There's nothing like it -- well, perhaps the Rockin' Roller Coast at Disney is pretty darn close.

My latest query from my Dragon Dancer series is receiving partial requests. Perhaps I've finally figured out what it is to write a decent query letter. If that's the case, I'll share. I'm nervous. Very very nervous. One particular agent who requested a partial is my dream agent. Top of the list. And I pray I haven't made some idiotic snafu in the partial.

I'm multi-tasking. I've split my day into three parts. I'm moving forward on Angel Falls and the second book of the Dragon Dancer series plus I've decide to scour my first Dragon Dancer book (the one I'm querying) to make certain I've eliminated all overused words. I seem rather attached to the word "that." But that's for another post. :) In addition, I'm working on a novella as an exercising in tightening my writing. It's a real chore, because I'm not a naturally "tight" writer. I like to, um, express myself.

Do I Feel Your Pain?

2008-02-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

Apparently not.

I've always considered myself an empathetic creature. Until this past weekend. My husband had knee surgery on Friday to correct a slightly torn meniscus. It was discovered that he had gout/pseudo gout or some such thing which was the root of all his pain. I have an extremely high tolerance to pain and found myself at a loss over the weekend to provide sympathetic care. I did cater and serve but my response to "the leg spasms are killing me" was "been there. done that. get over it." As I wrestled the crutches from my husband's hands, I realized it was a good thing I never felt the call of nursing. And my solution to gout? Giving my husband bitter cherry juice and saying in a jovial voice "drink up, it's good for you."

Julie obviously parading around in the skin of her villian...

I Have Nothing to Say...

2008-02-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

I really don't. Weird, huh? Actually, it's probably because I'm steeped in my current wip. I have been challenged with character naming on this ms. It stems from the wide range of ethnic backgrounds that I have included, creating the insecurity of totally making a serious snafu and giving someone a name that is inappropriate to their culture. I persevered and succeeded but not without much hair yanking and blood letting.

Julie

Patry Francis Day - The Liar's Diary

2008-01-29T04:33:00.002-08:00

BUY IT NOW!!!!

Why? Because I said so! This woman and I share a common dream. She's at a point in her life where it's very difficult for her to help make her dream a reality, and I want to do all I can to shove this dream to the top of the dream-come-true list.

This is my at-work day, so I'm going to allow the wonderful Susan Henderson to explain everything you need know about Patry and The Liar's Diary.

So exit right to Susan's blog

AND BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

Thank you.

Change...

2008-01-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

It's inevitable. But change is often a difficult aspect of life to swallow. For years, my house has been swamped with giggling, drama-queens that consumed chocolate by the pound and spent hours talking about boys, trying on clothes and experimenting with makeup. As my daughter faces her eighteenth birthday, college and a life away from home - I realize this era is quickly disappearing.

Moments like this...

....are being replaced with this:

I had a house full of football players last night. They consumed a dozen eggs, two dozen sausages and two dozen biscuits, a case of Mountain Dew, Swiss Rolls, Oatmeal cookies and a pan of brownies. Girls were cheaper. This is my future -- at least for a couple of years. It's different. I have to talk football, cook in restaurant-style quantities and fall asleep to the sound of badly off-key boy-men singing along with Guitar Hero.

What does this have to do with writing? Everything. Characters must change from the beginning of the book to the end. Thinking about aspects in my life, be they small or large, that are changing helps me to focus on the important transitions of my characters.

My daughter is so excited for college, and I find myself heartbroken. What will I do without her? How will I possibly survive? This is how I challenge my characters and it's up to me to add creativity and realism to their responses.

For all of you facing the release of your child into the world, hold on -- we're in for one hell of a ride. And I thought mailing my manuscript to a stranger was hard. Hah! That's funny.

For all of you raising young boys, I have one very strong word of advice: Teach them to clean their own bathrooms.

Julie

The Big "C"

2008-01-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

Cancer has stolen from me but rather than dwell on the unrelenting hideousness of this disease, I thought I would pay simple tribute to those that I miss.

Ken G. -- you were the big brother I always wanted and never had, but you never should have shown my dad how to throw a football. My nose still bears the scar.

Chriss -- gone way too young. I know you have Bob's back at all times.

Kenny -- miss you. miss you. miss you.

Paul -- I never met you but through your wife's words, your life became larger than the greatest action adventure.

And now I would like to raise a glass to the survivors, their courage and perseverance even through the darkest of days. They are heroes, each and every one, in their battle against this invasive monster.

I have placed a link to the right for Patry Francis' website. I don't know Patry. I've not yet read her book. I'm waiting to buy it on January 29, 2008. But her blog is an inspiration, and her determination a reminder of the greatest power in the world -- our faith. The LitPark link will take you to Susan Henderson's blog. She is the powerhouse behind pulling together one of the best internet promotional campaigns I have ever seen. Huge kudos for her effort and all of those involved in showing the world The Liar's Diary.

I invite you all to come back on January 29th -- I will be hawking the book of a fellow writer I have never met. How cool is that?

Julie

Trapped

2008-01-11T06:04:00.001-08:00

I admit I have slight claustrophobic tendencies. It came to light last night. Sitting in the commute from hell (which I don't mind because I only have to do it two days a week), I was singing happily along to Styx's Babe when the radio did that whole neener-neener-neener-I'm-interrupting-this-awesome-song-to-
tell-you-something-you-don't-want-to-hear thing. Mind you, I'm at a dead stop on a six lane highway with miles of brake lights stringing ahead of me. And the newscaster has the audacity to inform me that "there are tornadic conditions to the north with severe thunder and lightening expected for the next eight hours..." Well, gee, thanks for that but I'm stuck in traffic with no bridge in sight, no escape route, no nothing. Then drum roll please I hear sirens. Flock me! I had a brief stupid-moment and attempted to open my door. My car is very protective and automatically locks all doors the minute I turn the key. Of course, it does unlock the door when I turn the car off. But my brain didn't acknowledge that. And the claustrophobia kicked in causing me to really panicked -- for about 30 seconds -- which was long enough to break out into a sweat and make my hands shake.

The sirens stopped (I think they did it just to scare the shit out of me) and traffic began to move. I breathed, found another great 80's song on the radio and began my singing, brake-gas-brake-gas foot dance and continued my drive home. Now you wonder what this all has to do with writing? I will use every iota of emotion I experienced in that brief moment. I have a file called "Emotion" and write myself cryptic remembers. Last night's entry was: Stuck in traffic. Tornado. Panic. It's enough to remind me how I felt. Writers have that inane ability to recall specific moments in their lives with absolute clarity. A few other entries in my Emotions file that evoke very strong memories are: 9/11 - no planes. total silence. heartbreak. and Colony Square - the elevator from Hell (don't even get me started on that experience. You wanna talk fear? Holy Mother of Dog...I was petrified. My heart starts to race just thinking of that morning and it happened twelve years ago!).

I am now off to scare the beejesus out of one of my characters....

Damn Weather

2008-01-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

I love different and unique settings. They draw me into their world and become living, breathing characters.

So today I'm a bit irritated.

It's beautiful out. Simply gorgeous. Warm. Clear blue skies. Hawks and herons dancing in the wind. And it keeps drawing me away from the computer. Damn weather. Not to mention the fact that spring fever in January is never a good thing. I'll only be disappointed in a few days when I have to strip off the flip-flops and put my mules back on. Damn weather. My Japanese Magnolia's buds are getting bigger and bigger by the day -- surely they'll pop just before the cold bite of frost attacks. Damn weather.

On the flip side.

I think I'll go to my wip where it's fall -- still warm, leaves crackling in the wind, but chill enough at night to light the fire. That way, I can draw from this day and put some good use to this unseasonable damnable weather.

Julie

My Cover!

2008-01-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday was a very exciting day. It brought my very first book cover to light. Let me be the first to admit that the cover for Devil's Gold was not anything like I'd expect, but I love it!

Funny story: As I wallowed in dreamland the night before, I walked into a nightmare. Before me sat the MP panel and they were proudly displaying my book jacket. On the front was a full moon with the silhouette of witch -- ala Bewitched. I argued and argued finally yelling at everyone gathered around the table that there was no witch in Devil's Gold. They finally shook their heads and apologized and agreed to change the cover to reflect the ZEBRA logo. They then presented me with the logo -- and guess what? It was a witch.

When I received the email Thursday morning that contained my book cover, I paused and let out a brief prayer that went something like this "please don't let there be a witch...please don't let there be a witch."

And that, my friends, is my first book cover story.

Happy writing, all.

Julie

Blogging!

2007-12-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

I really suck at this, but I'm going to try and improve. Logging onto Blogger this morning, I was shocked and pleased to see that Liz and Cathy had posted a response to my last blog. I didn't really think anyone read these things. LOL. But I do believe that this is probably a very good marketing tool, and I've decided to become more attentive and to return the favor and post on other people's blogs...to the best of my ability.

I probably won't blog everyday. And I'm going to focus on my writing and career and all that goes into being who I am as a writer in the hope that maybe somewhere down the line I'll pass on a few nuggets of gold that will inspire and assist newbies. I remember when I first decided to write seriously, I combed the web for any inkling of insight into what it takes to do what I dreamed.

I also have some awesome writer-friends that have commented on my measly three blog-posts. Now if I can just figure out how to do that linky thing...

Julie - the blog challenged writer

Freedom!

2007-12-17T11:09:00.002-08:00

I realized while college hunting with my daughter this past fall that I'd allowed my life to fall into a vicious circle of survival. As I encouraged and urged my child to reach for the stars, follow her dreams, pursue a career she'll love -- it occurred to me that I wasn't much of an example. Oh yes, I am published. This is a dream. I am grateful. Yet I was spending five days a week in an over-the-top stressful job and using my weekends to recoup from the damage the stress had created on my psyche.

I thought long and hard. Because of the aforesaid college-hunt, it's obvious my income is very important and quitting was not an option. So how to fix this current dilemma? I stepped outside the box. I answered an advertisement for a paralegal in an area of law that I wouldn't exactly classify myself as an expert in -- actually, novice would be an apt description. I wrote a great cover letter that showed my intelligence (I hope), flexibility and commitment to learn the new. Then I forgot all about answering the ad and continued on my very unhealthy and mentally excruciating existing career.

A week or two later, I received a telephone call requesting an interview. Gobbersmacked would be an understatement. To make a long story short, I have this new job. It's package-perfect for me. Stress has been eliminated. Writing is now fresh and unfettered. And I feel that I finally achieved what I can only dream of for my daughter.

My holiday wish for all is that you, too, can find that perfect blend of income, goals, dreams and reality. It's an unbelievably wonderful feeling.

On the writing end of the scale -- I'm soaring. Four very different projects are being written simultaneously. I'm not certain why I'm writing this way. I never have in the past. But it seems to be working and the pages are adding up. I'm writing my next commercial fiction for submission to Medallion, a second book in my Dragon Dancer series, a young adult (which is an amazing experience) and a chick-litty type piece that's really just for me and will probably never be submitted anywhere. It's a little bit of cathartic release about my mixed up emotions regarding my mother's decline in life through early onset Alzheimer's. My main character is a bit wacky and I'm having fun with her.

RIP Dan Fogelberg.

Wolfee!!!!

2007-09-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a mind filled with hopes and dreams -- there was a story born. And like my children it grew, gained attitude, ticked me off and finally got booted into the cold hard world of submissions. The book .... not my kids. They were sent to school.

As the creation of Devil's Gold matured, it garnered a nickname. Wolfee. The spelling is due to my husband being unable to buy me vanity plates with the letters Wolfie. The name -- well, that stems from the wolves that propagate several of my chapters. Devil's Gold wasn't the original title. I think it was Moonlight Madness then Heart of the Moon or Heart of the Wolf or some such silliness similar to those titles. And I don't know if Devil's Gold will be the final title. That's pending.

But what it will be -- is PUBLISHED!!! In hardback, no less. A huge feat for a first book, IMHO. I've been at the writing game for just over five years. I think. I've lost track. It's been a hurdle filled with excitement, dashed dreams and heartbreak. I couldn't have done it alone. My husband, my critique partners and all the wonderful online writers have been a constant wall of support.

In the end, I did it with no agent and simply the belief that this book deserved its spot on the shelves. It had been written, rewritten, submitted, revised, resubmitted, rejected and finally requested. What a road full of lessons.

I received a call on September 5, 2007, from Kerry Estevez of Medallion Press. Apparently, they concur. Wolfee will be available for sale some time in 2009. And I am now hard at work on its sequel tentatively titled Angel Falls.