This And That...

I don't have a clear subject, so I'm just going to write what comes to mind.

Ever heard of WriteGirl? http://www.writegirl.org/publications.html It's a nonprofit organization for high school girls to mentor them with creative writing and self-expression. The anthologies produced have won numerous awards, like winner of the London Book Festival for anthologies, Honorable mention in the New England Book Festival, and Finalist in the USA Best Books Non-Fiction Anthologies-all in 2011, and many more garnered over the years. Check it out.

My seeds are sprouting! I'm looking forward to moving them outside in their new planting bed (which hubby has to help me set up and soon!) I think they say it's safe to move them around May 1st, so I'll keep you updated on my little darlings and my attempt to eat healthy and not have to food shop as much this summer.

On Sunday I was signing books at the NYC Teen Author Festival At Books of Wonder. Those people know how to throw a signing and I met people with whom I've interacted via FB, email and Twitter, but hadn't met until then, like Jennifer Hubbard (The Secret Year, Try Not To Breathe), KM Walton (Cracked), Wendy Mass (The Candymakers, 13 Gifts and over 40 other works). I missed fellow Kidlit author Alissa Grosso (Popular, Ferocity Summer), but caught up with Margie Gelbwasser (Inconvenient, Pieces of Us). Others were there, but I didn't have much time to chat between signings and having lunch with my niece, Lauren, who works in the fashion industry and yes, was a muse for Sirenz (she wants a pair of Christian Loubotin shoes for her wedding that are studded with Swarovski crystals- over $3,000! That is a fashionista more than my character Sharisse!)

The rain cut short our visit, and it being Sunday, people had work on Monday morning, so back at home I was met with an email from our publicist, Kirsten Cappy of Curious City, with renderings from 9 art students on possible covers for Sirenz 3. What creativity these students have! We will be unveiling characters and covers, and some background on the students in the future, so stay tuned!

My kids are on Spring Break and we're hoping to get in two college visits for my middle son. (I just finished this with the older one!). Will have to drag the youngest, but at least I have a few years before that! We'll be looking at NJIT and maybe NYU, and if I can squeeze it in, Rutgers (my alma mater!) Wish my luck and fortitude...

And finally, Nat and I are finishing up our preparations for the Romantic Times convention in Chicago. It's going to be crazy-fun-chaotic-unbelievable, and I'm hoping to get one of my fave authors Anne Rice to sign a book (I have almost the complete collection!) and my fave humor writer, Mary Janice Davidson (Love the Undead series!) to sign something, but it will probably be too mobbed. There will be many other things to see, do, people to meet. Nat & I are hoping to escape one day and see what Chicago has to offer. Will take pics!

So, that's today. Hope you have a great week, with a little of this (good) and not too much of that (bad).

Char

New Beginnings

See this? These are my seedlings. Don't worry, I'm not buying into a dystopian, end-of-civilization scenario, I just like having fresh veggies every summer. I don't plant enough to can for the winter (ha ha, like I have the time??), just enough for delicious eating for as long as it lasts. I will have cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, red peppers, cayenne peppers, zucchini, chives, thyme, oregano, cilantro, lettuce, and basil.

Every year I'm excited to start my little garden, even though some years have been a total failure. It's like that for everything from writing to raising kids. Although some novels have ended in the 'probably never work on again' file, I'm not going to give up so easily on my kids.

No matter what you're working at, striving for, taking a chance on, there may be many 'new' beginnings (each year, each effort is new), so good luck, and I hope your 'harvest' is bountiful. Now go get your fingers into the dirt!

Char

Clean Out Time!

Tomorrow is the first day of spring! (Waits for applause, cheers and whoops of joy to subside...)

Okay, that's the good news.

Now for the bad.

It's time to clean out.

No, I don't mean the sock drawer, although if you can't close it all the way, and you have tons of socks with holes in them, well then it is past time.

I'm talking about that one area of your life/space that has been harboring lethal dustbunnies. (Like under my couch in the basement, along with a few spider bodies.)  For me, it's a constant battle to keep my desktop clear. Partly because my desk is a cute little library table- not meant for much more than a pretty picture frame, a fancy pen and a book; it's not meant for a laptop with external drive, white board, appointment book, mouse & pad, and papers. TONS of papers. Hazards of the trade are little Post-It notes, pens, folders, and magazines that quickly pile up.

While I have a wonderful sized home office and you can be jealous of my space, with three large windows, lots of closet space and four beautiful bookcases, there's a catch. It's my office.

Except...for the winter coats and family office supplies, photos, and memorabilia I have to store in the closets, plus the daybed I have to keep in there for when family comes to stay over, and excess books that don't fit in the bookshelves or the library downstairs. (ok, you can hate me a little.)

That means cleaning out the excess. It's hard to do now since I have Sirenz Back In Fashion swag in boxes and bags, Sirenz signed copies going out to the Romantic Times convention in Chicago next week, books I picked up at PLA that I'd like to read (if I weren't busy on other novels, my crit group stuff, booking signings, and yes, taking care of a family, doing church and volunteer work, and eyeing my meditation garden as the temps climb.).

But too much STUFF clutters up not only my space, decreasing productivity, but my brain; I keep looking at the piles, fretting what I should do with the stuff, debating when I should get rid of the stuff, and figuring out who wants the stuff. It's taking me away from my writing and important things (and the laundry. Although not high on my priority list in life unless it's mine, I must keep the peace and ahead of the deadly pile.)

So what am I going to do? In between loads of laundry (ugh!) and cleaning the bathrooms- all FOUR of them- (double ugh with ick, gross and disgusting thrown in), I'm tackling one thing at a time. Pay this bill, file the paperwork. Make that phone call. Gather up those books to donate. Schedule appointments. Make a list of writer tasks to do. (And stay away from the chocolate swag.)

So, as Adele pines in the background, I'll slowly clean out, clear up, and get down to what's important.

Happy cleaning!

Char

A Thousand Words

Daffodils.
Sunshine.
Warmth.
Spring.
Happiness.

You can add the other 995.

Char

"You Don't Spit Into The Wind..."

That's a line from an old Jim Croce song. (Luckily my kids know of it, so I'm not revealing too much about how old I am.) It means there are some things you just don't do, although my take on its interpretation is that you don't do it not because it's taboo, but because it's a waste of your time and will only come back to bite you in some form.

Today I'm giving a writing/editing presentation at William Paterson University. My friend, Dawn Bodrogi, a professor there, asked me to speak to the students. I love an audience to talk about writing, so of course I jumped and squealed like a little girl. My presentation is done, I have swag to give out, some books to sign, and all I have to do is get dressed and wait till it's showtime.

But one thing keeps niggling the back of my mind: suppose it's just spitting into the wind, no one's going to listen past the first few minutes, they'll tune me out? All my words, so carefully chosen to enlighten and entertain, falling on ears closed tighter than a clam out of water? I can just see the eye rolls, the dramatic sighs, the grumbles, the I-know-this-already looks.

I get it from my kids when I try to work with them on their papers.

"Why are you telling me this again?"
"Because obviously you didn't learn it the previous 4,678 times I explained it to you."

or,

"How many times are you going to tell me this?"
"Until it penetrates past all video game knowledge blocking your brain matter."

or,

"I don't need to write, I'm going to be a computer programmer and that's different."(A personal favorite whine of mine)
"EVERYONE needs to write- a college essay, a business presentation, a construction estimate, a doctor's report. EVERYONE. That means YOU too."

It's frustrating, but I keep doing it, hoping one day, like a stubborn washing machine that you have to kick a few times to get it to work, my lecture/rants/discussions/presentations will hit them like a brick and they will GET IT.

So, my little cupcakes, suck it up, because that's the only way to shut me up.

Have a nice day!

It's A Wrap!

Looking back at my month-long Blog-everyday experiment, I tallied successes and failures.

On the positive side, I proved I could do it everyday. As soon as I got up, my mind was on the blog; what am I going to post today? What pics/media do I need?  Another good thing, it's practice for maintaining the Sirenz and my own website. I learned to stretch my mind for interesting subjects, not always focusing on writing. Plus, I can now download clipart, pics, and videos.

On the negative side, it took a lot of time. The early morning time I spent on the blog was usually spent clearing out email and doing promo. Doing the blog put me behind my daily schedule. That affects my writing, not being able to write as much. Plus, there was no spike in comments or visits. Even when I did contests or giveaways. (There is no winner for Most Romantic True Story because while sweet, the two stories were not romantic. And there was only one idea for the swag giveaway which was too expensive so nothing for that either.) So I wonder if it was all worth it.

Will I do it again? Not for a while. I have one manuscript that needs serious revisions, one that is in total overhaul, and one that is partly started. Plus, Nat & I have to finish Sirenz 3. (I'd like to plan a 'working research' trip for Sirenz 4 to Greece, it those people ever stop fighting and destroying their beautiful country.) Plus, we'll be doing the college search with the middle son. And summer means two kids are home, my pool is open, Sirenz Back In Fashion launches and cold daiquiris will demand my attention...

So I'm done. Thanks to my followers for being there with me. I will stick to my original once a week postings unless something just has to get out there (TV deal? Movie offer? Another book pubbed? Running away with Ian Somerhalder? Fabulous shoe sale?)

Be talking to you soon.

Char

It's Not Cheating...

It's Creative Time Management.  As I wind down my blog-a-day challenge, I'm going to share some tips how I managed to do something for every blog post.

Make a list.
When I decided to do this challenge, I knew that some days would be crazy busy, I might not be home long enough to conceive, create and post a blog. That's where making a list comes in handy. When I woke up, I have a list of subjects to choose from, thus avoiding writer's block.

Pre-write
During commercials of The Vampire Diaries or other shows that I have to watch, I draft blogs. Sometimes just a few sentences so it jiggles the mind when it's time to flesh it out. And it gives me time to think what pics or photos I need/want.

Let everyday situations inspire you.
I don't write solely about the craft of writing because that would be boring to non-writers. And no one wants constant rants. Or peeks into my personal life. But mash them all up, keep the subjects ever changing, and it makes for more cross appeal. When a situation comes up that I feel would engage a reader, I use it- like the most romantic story for Valentine's Day, or the photo of the daffodil sprouts that made me giddy with happiness. Never bore your reader! is one of my live or die by rules. You may not agree, but you won't be bored.

Keep it simple.
I don't have time, inclination, or expertise to do fancy stuff. You'll have to go elsewhere for that. I'd rather be writing than learning how to put sound effects or squiggles or whatever else on my blog. That stuff just consumes too much brain power that I need elsewhere (like those edits on three books that are screaming at me to finish them so they can go visit my agent for a bit.)

And that's my secret.

Char