It's Veteran's Day. In my family, my father (Navy) and two uncles (Navy, Army) served. I salute and honor them and all who served.

Photo courtesy of Craig Adderly, Pexels

May God bless them and all who follow that tough road so that we may breathe free.

Char

Don't Use That Word With Me!

Not a rant, exactly, but there are some words I detest. Even as a writer. Strange, right? But it's like even though I'm a cat lover, I think hairless cats are ugly. I would never harm them, but I'd never get one as a pet. Same with these words. I'd never use them because we aren't friends.


1.  'drug' vs. 'dragged.'  I don't know, it simply sounds uncouth when I hear or read something like, "I drug the truth out of him" vs. "I dragged the truth out of him." Are you with me on this? It just sounds incorrect and ignorant.

2.  'bemused.' Webster's dictionary says it means "confused, or mildly amused." Well, which is it? Sometimes I can't tell if a character is amused or confused by the context. Don't tell me "she was bemused by his outburst" because that doesn't clarify the meaning. She could be confused by his outburst, as in he had no reason for such emotion, or she could be amused, because he had no reason. Which is it??? Pick a better word.

3. 'didactic' which in case you didn't know, means, according to Webster, "Instructive, or inclined to teach or lecture others too much." No one except academics and snobby writers use that word. Had a classmate who used it all the time to impress the prof. Hint: he wasn't impressed, and neither were we.

4.  Okay, not a word, but more of a colloquial saying. "I had went shopping." Sorry, that's just wrong. "I had gone shopping." Or, better, "I went shopping." Get rid of both 'had' and 'went.' And stop making me cringe.

5. The 'n' word. It seems to me, that if a word is a slur against a whole community of people, the 'cultural appropriation' of that word by the said affected community is NOT the thing to do. I hear POC calling each other that name, and I while I know it can be meant as a greeting, it's also derogatory. It's akin to calling a woman 'bitch' in a song, or women calling another woman a bitch. It can mean that she's badass (so say that!) but it also can mean that she's a terrible person, it's meant to put her down, the same way slave owners used the 'n' word. Both words (and a few others I won't get into here) should be eradicated from vocabulary altogether. Let's not glorify them, okay?

I think maybe I'll start a list of words I strongly dislike and see where it goes. 

Until then,

Char

Drawing the Line in the Blood...

Not writing a murder mystery, but there may be some scary stuff here. I'm going to list why I won't watch certain Halloween movies.

1. Halloween (2005 remake). The original was scary. The danger of doing a remake is that we know what's going to happen. Throwing in gratuitous sex, nudity (funny, only women were nude, you sexist jerks), and cursing doesn't improve the movie. You need to do better than that. And, while it's a nice idea to give us background on Michael Meyer's childhood, I felt the movie copped out: he was subjected to bullying in the home by his stepfather and sister, and by kids at school. He lived in poverty. His mother was an exotic dancer. The house was a slum. He kills little animals before moving onto the school bully. Serial killers, psychopaths, and sociopaths don't necessarily have these disadvantages. Think of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, etc. It felt like the writers and producers wanted to give Michael an excuse for his psychotic behavior. Most of the time, remakes suck.

2. Leatherface, Texax Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, et al. These movies, while they achieve scaring the crap out of people, do it by pure gore. I know it's based on a true story, but the intense gore is totally nauseating, especially as special effects get more realistic.

3. Sequels 2,3,4.... I'm laughing at Jason and Michael after the second sequel. Ghosts, demons, vampires, and other supernatural characters can be hard to kill and/or can be resurrected. In the original premise, Jason and Michael are fully human. There needs to be an arc for them to move from human to supernatural. (Can anyone say PLOT HOLE?) At least Freddie kills in your dreams, which allows for sequels (even though they were pale ghosts of the first movie). And enough with the sequels. No one cares about Freddie, Jason, Michael, and other very tired villains. There are wonderful writers out there. PICK. SOMETHING. NEW. (Pssst, I have an idea....and a ms.)

4.  "Homemade" movies. While I thought the Paranormal Activity movies were excellent, Blair Witch was too shaky (looks like my hubs's videos at Christmas) making some people queasy. There was little tension because the camera bolts all over the place and it disorients the viewer. At least, I felt that way. And then they made a sequel? Didn't bother to watch that one.

Wanting to leave on a positive note, here are some of my faves and why:

1. Dracula (1979, with Frank Langella). It had suspense and no plot holes, and seriously, Frank Langella is the sexiest vampire. (no sparkles). He is the epitome of an alluring villain- he doesn't even have to use his 'come to me' mojo to get the gal. 
2. Paranormal Activity. In the style of Hitchcock, these movies kept you on the edge of your seat, just waiting to see a shadow- you never had to see a ghost, demon, etc. Just footprints crossing a barrier of powder on the floor scared you. And, NO GORE! They used the barest minimum special effects, but it felt realistic enough to make you sleep with the lights on.
3. My favorite Frankenstein movies are Victor Frankenstein (2015) with Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy, and the original b/w Frankenstein (1931). Not scary, but just so well done. Radcliffe and McAvoy bring freshness and twists to the original story. And the first is always a classic. Even over 80 years later, the purity of the original is unbeatable; Karloff is the best monster.
4. Although not scary, The Mummy (1999) with Brendon Frasier and Rachel Weisz had humor, a few made-you-jump scenes, romance, history, and was all around a fresh take- we see how he became the Mummy and the set up for his return.
5. The scariest movie ever- one that I will never watch again, is The Exorcist. If you've seen it, enough said. If you haven't, then you're afraid.....

Other faves: Blade series, The Mummy Returns, Alien, Jaws, Rosemary's Baby, Silence of the Lambs, Salem's Lot. While not all "Halloween" movies, these had tension and scenes that made you almost wet your pants. Non-scary movies: Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus, Young Frankenstein. 

I could list tons more, but you get the gist.

Wishing you Happy Haunts and Halloween!

Char

How to Procrastinate- From an Expert

We all do it. We procrastinate about doing things that maybe we don't want to, but have to do. Things that are complicated and will take over our lives. Things that may be unpleasant. Things that maybe aren't that bad, but well, we just don't feel like doing at the moment.

Sometimes writing and revising are like that. Have to do it, need to do it, don't want to do it. Writers come up with great ways to procrastinate. Here are some of my better ones...

1. My desk is a mess! How can I work with it like that??? Which of course, once you start cleaning, there are papers to go through, dusting, reading scraps of paper with ideas for books that you want to keep because you intend to turn those notes into novels. There's that darn file, drawer, closet, etc. that now need to be cleaned... It's a deadly avalanche of distractions.
2. I need to go shopping because I have to have more... pens, paper, notebooks, cheesy fries, toothpaste, etc. Doesn't matter what it is, you MUST have it.
3. The kitchen I've been meaning to paint all summer... I HAVE to do it NOW because  Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming and I'm having guests, and with three boys, the walls are a bit scruffy looking, and smoke has darkened the color. 
4. I'm not wasting time on the internet, I'm researching for the next novel or two.... 
5. I can get the revisions done in almost no time, and I'm under no deadline. I have plenty of time. 

I'm sure you have your favorites, your good old standbyes. If you're procrastinating, maybe there's an underlying reason. Struggling with this manuscript, I've already gone through it, page by page, editing it on paper because it couldn't be done on my laptop because the revisions included moving chapters around, adding, subtracting, and reworking the entire story. (I wrote it before cell phones were commonplace.) All I have to do now is type in the changes. But as I look at all the edits, add-ins, cross outs, I'm afraid because it's such a mess.

What's weird is that I'm two thirds through; why can't I just buckle down and DO IT? I still love the story, and I love the freshness from the changes. Maybe I'm just tired of working on it.

But I need to get it done.

So, I will make yet another promise to finish it this week. (Yep, broke a few of those promises.) I hope to make it this time, but if I don't, I won't beat myself up. It will get done. And the sooner I get it done, I can start on that new #NaNo project (which I'm doing in January, I'm part of that rebel group I wrote about several posts ago). Finishing it means freedom to move on, to start that new book, to stop being critical of myself, and to send it to my agent.

Check back on Monday and I'll let you know how I did. Today's not over, so I still have time to get some pages done...

Char

5 Undeniable Truths About Life...

It's Monday, blog day. I'm keeping it short and maybe not so sweet with 5 truths that we all know:

1- If you have a front loading washing machine, to have to leave the door open to avoid that funky smell, mold, and mildew. (And they don't tell you this in product info or when you're going to buy it.)

2- The absolute BEST glass/window cleaner is a formula it took me years to figure out (without a degree in chemistry, but with simple, basic logic) - In a Windex bottle use this formula: 1/2 Windex, 1/4 white vinegar, 1/4 water. It takes a little longer for the glass to dry, but it comes out cleaner than anything I've found on the market. You're welcome.

3- Never wear any football jersey but an Eagles one if you're going to Philadelphia. You put your safety at risk.

4- No matter how many times you review/revise your manuscript, you always think you should do it 'one more time.'

5- I love Christmas but Christmas movies in July are just a big NO. You should be poolside, at the beach, hiking in the mountains, playing in the grass. There's enough time for Christmas and snow in November/December.

So I'm back to the revisions on my manuscript and praying that my laptop won't quit on me (it's been showing signs that it's end is near....)

Here's a nice pic of my front door to start your week that has nothing to do with anything I've written today, but I'm taking artistic license....

Welcome! Let's have a cup of tea!

Char

Another Golden Day!

It was that time of year- an October Saturday for the Collingswood Book Festival. I had one of my best sales day (parents and teachers loving my Evolution Revolution trilogy!), and except for having cold feet because I did not wear socks and was sitting in the breezy shade most of the day, it was a beautiful day.

I have to give a shout out to my Kidlit Authors Club colleagues. Every year some of us meet here and take group/solo pics, and reconnect. This group is amazing for supporting each other. Check us out at Kidlit Authors Club and see what's new! 

Mr. Dapper himself, MG author David Neilson

One of our newest members, PB author Kell Andrews

MG author Robin Newman, perky as always!

MG author, Darelene Beck Jacobsen  (we usually sit next to each other)

And to my left, YA author Jeffrey Johnston

Wearing my Rutgers jersey was safer than wearing my NE Patriots one!

I had the hubs helping me by taking pics, and sadly... some of my colleagues were in author panels, or attending to business and I didn't get pics of Jodi Moore (PB), Jennifer Robin Barr (PC, MG), or Hallee Adelman (PB). I'm sorry! 

I would be remiss if I didn't shout out to the wonderful organizers of the Collingswood Book Festival. In their 17th year, they have it down to a science. Besides that, I have to acknowledge that the organizers are truly egalitarian. Invited authors are both traditionally and Indie published, authors with brand new books out, and ones that are several years old, authors of fiction, non-fiction, adult, children, best seller, mid-list, and everything in between. They don't judge the book or the author, they open their arms equally to everyone. I don't know another large book festival that can make that claim. That's being SUPER pro-author. And I thank them! 

The people of Collingswood need a salute too! They show up rain or shine to buy books, talk to authors, and support reading and writing. One young reader wanted my Sirenz book, but didn't have enough money to buy it from the bookseller. The price was $7.99 plus tax; she had $5. The longing in her eyes was so intense, I sold her a copy for $5. The joy on her face to get the signed book reminded me why I write. I may not have sold as much as the featured more well-known authors, but this young girl made my day. I wish her joyful reading! 

Next year, I want to see YOU there! 

Char

Prepping For NaNoWriMo- or Your Next Book Whenever You Write It

It's that time. First day of fall. Pumpkin spice you-name-it. Closing the pool. Back to school.

Photo courtesy of Marina Sirazetdino, Pexels.

NANOWRIMO 

If you're going to do #NaNoWriMo, or even if you're simply getting ready for your next novel, here are 5 easy steps to do BEFORE you start writing.

1. Have a solid concept of your story idea. Don't say, "Well, it's about this guy who goes into space and meets an alien and they become friends." That's not detailed enough. Ok, you introduce your main character, he flies in to space and meets the alien........and then.....What? You have to have several conflicts and setting changes. Does he get caught in the middle of a galactic war? Does he find something that he shouldn't have? Does he develop a super power because he went through a wormhole? Write several sentences summarizing your novel. (You don't have to stick with it, but it gives you a good starting point.) Some people like to write one sentence per chapter- those are the plotters. Pansters- (I used to be one) writing whatever comes into your mind- you're putting pressure on yourself to remember where you were going every time you stop/start. 
2. Do a character sketch. Make sure you know what your character looks like so in chapter one when you say her eyes are a stormy blue, you don't write in the third that she has emerald green eyes. You should know hair color, ethnicity (or species), physical characteristics, personal traits and idiosyncrasies, etc. If you know them well enough, like down to their favorite food, you can choose one for interesting development. Say your character hates green foods. Maybe she goes to someone's house and all they eat are green foods. It makes for interesting dinner conversation, social awkwardness, and opportunities for conflict. Write a character biography, complete with a picture, maybe based on a celebrity you imagine your character resembles. Download the pic and put it into the biography for quick reference. (It's a good idea to do this for all characters, even minor ones.)
3. Set a schedule. It's harder to grab free time to write than it is to stick to a schedule. Got crazy, busy days? Maybe schedule writing time while your son is at soccer practice, or you're with your parent at physical therapy, or you're sitting at the airport. Work around your schedule beforehand so you're not in panic or guilt mode later on. Also, whether in NaNo mode or setting your own personal goal, look to see where you can block out some time for extra writing to get ahead (because Thanksgiving is in there....) or to catch up (hey, life happens). You won't beat yourself up and give up because you know there is time to catch up.
4. Make notes when you get an idea. If you suddenly get a brilliant idea, don't wait to put it into your writing; make some notes immediately. It could be hours or another day before you go back to writing and by that time, the idea could be gone. You'll be so angry with yourself. I don't care if you have to write it down on your arm. Or the bottom of your shoe (I have). Put it in your phone. Or ask someone to shush for a moment. It could be the stroke of genius you need to blaze through to the end of your novel. 
5. Do. The. Research. Don't wait until you start your story to find out you need to know how dogs are trained to be therapy animals to write your book. Know what your settings look like. If it's a real place, do both Google maps and Google Earth. If it's a made-up place, draw your own map with landmarks, rivers, etc. Know the technology if it's a space story. If it's history, find out what they wore, how the spoke. Trying to write the story without a good chunk of basic research done only makes your story harder to write, and even harder to revise. Plus, during research, you will glean information and ideas that may take your story in a fresh direction. 

So there ya go. If you're doing #NaNoWriMo starting on the first of November, you have ample time to accomplish all five tasks above. If you're like me and doing the rebel NaNoWriMo in January because that month has nothing going on (not even the Super Bowl), then you have time for a few more pumpkin spice whatevers. 

Wishing you luck-

Char