Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Patry Francis Day - The Liar's Diary

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.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Change...

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

Friday, January 18, 2008

The Big "C"

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

Friday, January 11, 2008

Trapped

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....

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Damn Weather

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

Monday, January 7, 2008

My Cover!

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