Finding a Writing Path!

by Diana McCollum

 

First let me say my writing career has been on hiatus. 2019, Like many of you the pandemic stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t seem to get a grip on what I should be doing, and I let things slide and my writing went nowhere.

 

2021, still dealing with the pandemic, sanitizing like crazy, wiping down groceries with sanitizer, washing masks, and avoiding people. Then in April of 2021, my husband and I took a trip to CA to have our first visit in 18 months with family. On that trip we decided to move back to CA to be closer to family. 

We put our house up for sale May 3^rd and it sold by May 25^th .  Then back to CA to find a home to move to. So the summer was all about moving and getting settled.

 

This year 2022, we are pretty much settled. I am taking the path to publication.

 I have committed to taking writing classes from POV Authors, restarting my newsletter, blogging for Romancing the Genres and Windtree Press. I’ve blocked out time each week to write on my work in progress. I also plan on venturing out of the romance genre and writing a short murder mystery to be included in an anthology Windtree Press is producing in the fall.

I’m pulling out an unfinished MS “The Rose Witch” and intend to finish that novel this year.

 

I am excited to finally be excited to write again. My desk in clean, papers have been filed or discarded, and calendar has been filled out with dates for classes etc.

 

Most of all, I’d love to attend a conference in person. There is nothing quite like being around other authors. The excitement, the good vibes and the networking, all good.

 

Are you looking forward to in person conferences and meetings?

Happy Holidays!

 

 

Writing in the Pandemic by Sue Moorcroft

Sue Moorcroft

This year’s been a hard one for many people. I consider myself fortunate because ‘getting paid for making stuff up’ wasn’t a bad way to survive the Covid-19 restrictions. While I was writing, my mind was in another place where people could still hug, kiss, visit pubs and travel, it made up for some of the stuff I was missing.

What was I missing? My writing retreat in Italy and writing breaks in Malta. Holidays. Family. Friends. The gym. Publishing parties, book launches and research trips abroad. And meetings with my publisher and agent. In the UK, in-person meetings have become possible again but for eighteen months they took place on Zoom or Teams. There were advantages, because I could attend in leggings and slippers and I saved the time and money I’d normally spend travelling, but I missed the personal connections formed by being physically in the meeting.

I can’t imagine what would have happened to publishing (and probably every other industry) without video conferencing and industry professionals working from home via their computers, carrying on valiantly, despite everything. I was conscious that I benefitted from an OK study and a fairly quiet house but some I work with had crowded homes, had no childcare and/or had to homeschool their kids. Some had partners/spouses facing all the same frustrations. Yet, somehow, via the dedication of staff, publishing kept going. I played my part by hitting deadlines and doing my best, like them, to adapt. Crying on their shoulders about how tough my life was seemed unfair and irresponsible.

However, my income has been adversely affected. In fact, I felt as if the UK government had something against me as in spring they put the country in lockdown the instant Summer on a Sunny Island came out, closing book shops and curtailing footfall in supermarkets. Then they called an autumn lockdown to coincide with the release of Christmas Wishes. It’s a relief that this year Under the Italian Sun and A Home in the Sun were released into a more relaxed selling environment and Under the Mistletoe should benefit the same way. Also, sales of ebooks and e-audio have been more than healthy, for which I am incredibly grateful, as I was also affected by publishers of translation editions putting my books back a year.

Covid doesn’t exist within the pages of my books. My editor and agent advised against it and I think they were correct. While my novels deal with some tough subjects, essentially they are escapist, and I believe Covid is what most of my readers want to escape from.

Unfortunately…Covid does exist in real life. Despite having had both vaccinations, I began symptoms on July 26th and was very unwell by the 29th, a situation that continued for weeks. I had to pull out of a conference and a commission to write a magazine serial and my publisher has moved my summer 2022 book back in the publishing schedule. I lost easily a month’s writing time and then could only work for half days for a further two weeks, and I was working at about 80% effectiveness by mid-September. My editor and agent could not have been more supportive during this unpleasant time while I struggled through the brain fog to get back into the book I’d been forced to abandon a few chapters before the end.

All that’s behind me now! I’m here to enjoy the coming publication days - Under the Mistletoe in the UK and A Christmas Gift in the US and Canada.

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has reached the coveted #1 spot on Amazon Kindle UK as well as top 100 in the US. She’s won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, Readers' Best Romantic Novel award and the Katie Fforde Bursary. 

Sue’s emotionally compelling, feel-good fiction is currently released by publishing giant HarperCollins in the UK, US and Canada and by other publishers in other countries. Her short stories, serials, columns, writing ‘how to’ and courses have appeared around the world.

Born in Germany into an army family, Sue spent much of her childhood in Cyprus and Malta but settled in Northamptonshire, England aged ten. She loves reading, Formula 1, travel, time spent with friends, dance exercise and yoga.

The Pandemic—A Test of Relationships

According to recent articles, the pandemic has been extremely hard on relationships.  Divorce in America hit a record low in 2019, but there are signs that statistic is on the rise. A leading British law firm reported a 122% increase in divorce filings (the Brits call it enquires) between July and October compared with the same period last year. In the U.S., sales of online self-help divorce agreements rose by 34%.

Pre-COVID, a University of Washington study demonstrated divorces usually increased after holidays, when couples are together for longer periods. Magnify that by 14+ months and you have what psychologists say was “the perfect storm” for couples. Common sense will tell you that if there are problems in a relationship, a lack of distraction will exacerbate those issues. Throw in the stress of the pandemic, the economic impact, and even the inability to go to the gym and you have people throwing in the towel. Even something as simple as taking away the daily routine can tear at the ties that bind.

I have personal experience; one of my longest, most intimate relationships suffered severely during the pandemic, was stressed to the point where things will never be the same.  I never realized how important other people were to keeping my relationship fresh, how very vital being able to publicly flaunt this pairing was to its existence.

I am, of course, referring to my relationship with shoes. Oh, come on. You didn’t really think I could do a humorless blog, did you?

And while this subject matter might amuse you, my condition is actually quite serious. The tarnish on this relationship has affected my very sole. I “loved” my shoes.  Now, I see them and think—eh. They line my shoe rack, waiting to be touched, to be the pair of the day, but I just close the closet door to my heart. Amazon sends me daily emails, desperate to create a match for me, but my broken psyche just can’t find that loving feeling. 

So what happened?

While I worked from home, my footwear had nothing to do. We (my shoes and I) had nowhere to go, nothing to do. Other people no longer cared that we made a cute couple.  I didn’t have the pleasure of pairing  those cute espadrilles with a merlot-colored top, or get to take my cork-soled wedgies to the wine bar.

We all long for normal, but sometimes I’d just want a sassy pair of sneakers to once again add bounce to my step.  Silliness aside, I hope all of you are recovering and once again getting the most out of life.

Happy shopping,

Robin

Pandemic Humor - Share Your Faves!!!

 QUARANTINE HUMOR

Kenda Secoy Pinterest

Even in the darkest of times, humor brightens people’s days, if only for a few moments. Laughter is good for the body, relieving physical symptoms of stress. Sharing a laugh, in person or over the internet, strengthens our connection to others.

Anonymous

During this worldwide pandemic, humor—whether silly puns, self-deprecating tweets, or hilarious memes—is helping us keep our sanity while surviving the unimaginable. I’m kicking off today’s discussion about “pandemic humor” with the two memes above in a category known as "quarantine humor."

I've added some of my other favorites below:

    

Nothing like relaxing on the couch

  after a long day of being tense on the couch.

Kate Sidley on Twitter @sidleykate Mar 18 2020

Day 121 at home and the dog is looking at me like,
  “See? This is why I chew the furniture!”

ANONYMOUS 

Not every type of pandemic humor appeals to everyone. What's the verdict?  Share your favorite in the comments!

A Joyful Heart

by Diana McCollum 

 For the first time ever we can truly say 2020 is behind us! There is a vaccine coming to all of us very soon! With the vaccine, when most people are vaccinated, will come a shift towards life as we knew it before the pandemic. I don’t want to dwell on all the negativity that has been part of all our lives right through today. 

Instead, what are we going to do going forward? I have come to appreciate my friends and family so much more. I’m hoping my weekly zoom meetings with family and friends will continue. As I am always uplifted after seeing their faces and hearing their voices. I intend to keep up my daily walks and i always find something new to be thankful for. Sometimes a deer in a neighbor's yard or a bunch of tiny pinecones that fell from a tree. The blue sky and fluffy white clouds, so many things to be thankful for. and so many more things too many to name.

I want to learn new skills. My friend and are holding each other accountable for spending time on writer related things. The book I’m working on will be published in 2021, which is exciting. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopeful for a peaceful world. There is some joy in every day. If one can find even that small amount of joy it is uplifting. One thing I enjoy is cooking. I must say during the pandemic I’ve cooked new deserts more often than healthy meals. That is one thing I am changing.

I’d like to share a New Year’s recipe with you. It is from my recipe book “A Kitchen Witch’s Cookbook”, by Patricia Telesco.

As you go forward into the New Year I wish you the Magical attributes of this recipe which are: Strength, courage, vitality, and fire magic. 

Red Bean Rally (Cuba) 

 1lb red beans Pepper

 ½ lb cooked, cubed pork

 1 large onion chopped 

3 cloves garlic minced

 1 red pepper diced

 ½ tsp dried thyme

 2 tbls olive oil

 ½ tsp dried basil

 1 tomato chopped 

1 bay leaf

 4 ½ tsps. Vinegar Salt

 3 cups cooked rice 

Soak the beans for 12 hours and then drain. Combine the beans, pork, garlic, thyme, basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and 5-6 cups of water in a large pot. Simmer. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil. Add to the beans with tomato and vinegar. Simmer till the beans are done, 20-30 mins. Serve on a bed of rice with a hard boiled egg or lemon slices as garnish. Yield: 6 servings

Celebrations: Solar and fire festivals, Feast of Banners, Feast of Juniper Enjoy the recipe!!! 

"The bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges And every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." by Nancy B. Turner 

 What things are you doing for yourself in the New Year?

A 2020 Holiday to Remember

 By Courtney Pierce

Romance is supposed to fill the air during the holidays. Senses come alive with the sweet and savory scents of cooking and candles. Warm flames in the fireplace dance to the accompaniment of floating snowflakes outside. Family and friends gather to reflect on the year’s accomplishments and challenges, for which we offer tight hugs of congratulations or sympathy. For a writer, all of these sacred rituals frame an inspiring story of holiday romance.  

What a difference this 2020 holiday season will be from 2019. How in the heck does one cancel Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hannukah? State governors are like mean 'ole Grinches from Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Last year I was hopeful and believed right was right, no matter what stood in the way. I had a clear set of convictions and personal goals: my writing, my health, my marriage, and to raise a teenager with a solid set of principles. We worked and frequented our favorite restaurants. My stepdaughter went to school every day. I tucked the holiday grocery list in my purse, ran errands, and ticked off the completion of home projects. 

And get this . . . my uncovered face connected with the expressions of fellow residents I didn’t know. As an American, freedom of thought was a given, a right never to be questioned. Livelihoods couldn’t be cancelled over a Tweet. 

I took this rock-solid normalcy for granted.

As writers, we use the issues of the day—both personal and environmental—as emotional guides to create our stories. To make the words connect, we incorporate the relevant and current. Historical novels must adhere to the details of their time period, too. While Fantasy and Magical Realism novels enjoy more flexibility, there are still rules about what magic can and can't do. I imagine there will be a resurgence of books with themes similar to The Hunger Games in the coming months. Can one of them be turned into a holiday book about the sheer will to secretly decorate a Christmas tree? I may have to write it.

One of my favorite themes is for my character to do the wrong thing to fight for what's right.

Cartoon: Cayman Compass

So how are writers to deal with our sudden loss of personal freedoms in their stories, especially romance ones? The current social obstacles get in the way when describing the build-up to a long-awaited kiss. Slipping off a face mask doesn’t match the impact of peeling off a blouse. An intimate candlelit dinner for two in a quiet restaurant isn't allowed, so the evening is reduced to a grab-and-go meal picked up at the curb? I just can't bypass the appetizer flirt and go straight to the doggie bag. Is a budding couple supposed to sit in the car and drip sauce on their lap? Rub hand sanitizer on their hands before they reach across the console? 

Oh, the ridiculousness of it all. A skip over the juicy parts isn't acceptable. We writers have to make some serious choices about our novels-in-progress.

Before the pandemic, I struggled to ratchet up the conflict in my current draft of Big Sky Talk. The story needed deeper emotion and gut-wrenching introspection. Over the past ten months, I got that inspiration in spades, so much so that I became a bit psychologically paralyzed. Dealing with masks, social distancing, and lockdowns became irrelevant noise that would only distract readers from the story. Also, once the CoVid-19 vaccine is in wide distribution, any social restrictions written into the prose would make the book dated. Unless the genre is a thriller about a pandemic, books that include physical restrictions will end up in the bargain bin. A blip. A flash of time that we all want to forget, never mind read about.

The choice became clear. 

Cover Art: Rosalind McFarland

Big Sky Talk is set in a pre-pandemic time period of 2019. It will be current, but free to tell the story. However, I have started to infuse the resulting emotion of the pandemic’s oppression into my main character of Aubrey Cenderon. She feels helpless, frustrated, and isolated. Aubrey suffers a self-imposed lockdown in an attempt to block out her inability to take a chance on love. She restricts her own freedoms and dons an emotional mask, not a physical one. She becomes disillusioned that the world isn’t what she thought it was. Touch is scary and the risk of entering into a relationship fills her with insecurity.

The psychological impact of behavioral restriction has been both challenging and inspiring. After I took all of my personal frustrations out on my character, I didn’t feel victimized anymore. But through the process, Aubrey became my friend and counselor. As she grew and stepped into the light, so did I.

Little Cindy Lou Who was so right about it being impossible for the Grinch to steal her Christmas.  Holiday light continues to flicker deep within us. It can’t be bought, boxed, or bowed.

 

Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Kalispell, Montana with her husband, stepdaughter, and their brainiac cat. Courtney writes for the baby boomer audience. She spent 28 years as an executive in the entertainment industry and used her time in a theater seat to create stories that are filled with heart, humor, and mystery. She studied craft and storytelling at the Attic Institute and has completed the Hawthorne Fellows Program for writing and publishing. Active in the writing community, Courtney is a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association and on the Advisory Council of the Independent Publishing Resource Center. She is a member of Willamette Writers, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and Authors of the Flathead. The Executrix received the Library Journal Self-E recommendation seal.

Print and E-books are available through most major online retailers, including Amazon.com.

Check out all of Courtney's books: 

courtney-pierce.com and windtreepress.com 

New York Times best-selling author Karen Karbo says, "Courtney Pierce spins a madcap tale of family grudges, sisterly love, unexpected romance, mysterious mobsters and dog love. Reading Indigo Lake is like drinking champagne with a chaser of Mountain Dew. Pure Delight."

Coming in 2021!

When Aubrey Cenderon moves to Montana after the death of her father, the peace and quiet of Big Sky Country becomes complicated with a knock on the door from the sheriff. An injured grizzly bear is on the loose and it must be eliminated before it kills again. The sheriff's insistence that she buy a gun for protection will present Aubrey with some serious soul-searching, because the grizzly-on-the-run is hunting her too . . . for a different reason.