Freedom's Touch

Last night I got my first edits for Freedom's Touch, which is my story in the series of stories being released by The Wild Rose Press called the Legacy of the Brooch. The story is novella length, so its pretty long and I expected the edits to be substantial but they're perfectly wonderful. My editor was brilliant when she took her red ink to the pages! Tightening, polishing and making the story even more vivid - without trying to change my story - she made the words sing and I am just so pleased.

So this week I'll be working on Freedom's Touch ... with a smile on my face.

And did you notice I said I got the edits last night? Sunday night? A night before a national holiday? Writers never take a day-or night-off. :-)

Brain Mush

I'm still eyeball-deep in the ending of Ancient Words, the requested full from a publisher that I'd really, really like to be happy with the manuscript. I hadn't realized that there was so much to be done to complete the story when I offered it and now I'm suffering from something that every writer gets from time to time, I think.

Brain Mush.

My mind feels like a vacuum, as if my brain has been sucked out of my head. Or perhaps it's just been consuming itself as I write. Who knows? Anything's possible. But don't be alarmed, brain mush is a temporary condition. It'll end when I write the last word of this story. That's the way it is--with every story.

Tweaking

Sounds weird, doesn't it? Tweaking. What the heck does that mean, exactly? I looked it up and this is what I found:

tweaked, tweak·ing, tweaks
1. To pinch, pluck, or twist sharply.
2. To adjust; fine-tune.
3. To make fun of; tease.
n.
1. A sharp, twisting pinch.
2. A teasing remark or action; a joke.

That fits. For me, the tweaking I'm doing is number two above, under the first list applying, I assume, to verbs. I'm adjusting, fine-tuning, a novella I began writing a while ago. It's called Ancient Words and is a story of mystery and romance set against the backdrop of an Egyptian archaeological site. I've got to "tweak" the ending a bit before turning the whole manuscript over to a publisher who's requested it. I love the story and I hope the editor does, too.

Keep your fingers crossed for me! Now, back to the tweaking...

Whiskey Shot edits

Just a quick note today...I've received my edits for the first story in the Whiskey Shots volume and I am tickled. The edit is going to be a quick and easy one, just a bit of polishing up and the story will be good to go. I love it when an editor doesn't try to change my work, but instead focuses on making what I've already written shine. Oh, what story are we working on first? Press Pass Corfu is the one we've begun with, a sweet romance set on an exotic island. I'll keep you posted...

Oh, Phil!

Just a fast note this morning as I'm heading off to begin my next novel. I've got it planned in my mind and am anxious to write the first word. For me, writing the first word is a wonderful experience. It means I've begun. And that usually means I'll finish. And the time between beginning and finishing will be enjoyable. What more could I ask for?

But first, I want to know what the deal is with Phil. Since his prognostication last Friday it has been face-freezing frigid here! Really, really unbelievably cold! Didn't he say...oh, right. He said spring's coming early this year. So he didn't say spring was coming now? Or soon? Or yesterday, then?

Gotcha.

Phil, I hope you're right. We're freezing!

Whiskey Shots Volume Six

As the time draws near for my first release with Whiskey Creek Press I grow more and more excited. My first title with them will be in e-book form, available for download, beginning June 1st.

Whiskey Shots Volume Six contains two short stories. Mining Oatman and Press Pass Corfu are tales set in out-of-the-way places.

I have a strong curiousity for people, places and things I've never seen so I like to research and use settings I'm not familiar with. Of these two stories, Oatman, Arizona is a place I've visited--and enjoyed. It is an old mining town in the middle of the desert and if you stand still and listen you can imagine the sounds and laughter of those who walked the dusty streets long before you did. I loved it there and writing Mining Oatman was a pleasure.

Press Pass Corfu is a case of researching and writing about somewhere I'd love to see. It's a romance set on the beautiful island of Corfu. Corfu happens to be on my long list of "to visit" places so writing this story and learning about the small bit of land in the center of an azure sea was also a great pleasure.

As I said, they'll be available beginning in June from Whiskey Creek Press in Whiskey Shots Volume Six.

Thanks, Phil!

This morning, as I watch snowflakes swirl outside my window, my thoughts turn to something (someone?) who is not even remotely connected to any of my latest writing endeavors. In fact, he's a topic that I only consider a few times a year. Who or what is it that has brought a grin to my face on this cold, snowy morning? Punxsutawney Phil! No shadow! Early spring! Way to go, Phil!

The following snippet from the morning's news is enough to warm anyone's heart:

Phil did not see his shadow on Friday which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter. Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 14 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999.

So this morning I'll be raising my morning coffee in toast to today's newsflash and Punxsutawney Phil, the prognosticating rodent.

February, the compact month

Ah, another month. In a way it feels weird because I'm just settling into January yet it's already February. And February isn't just any other month, it's the shortest month, although I like to think of it as compact. Because really, that's what we do, isn't it? We smash everything we need to do into the span of two or three less days than we're usually allotted, compacting our lives to fit the calendar. Ah...leap years give us the luxury of being a bit less compact, don't they?

Anyhow, the rustling and whispering has already begun so I'm going to do my part to spill the beans, too. The Wild Rose Press special project that I've been a part of for the past two months will formally be announced to the public in a few days but I'm letting you all in on it now. The special project for the upcoming year is a series of romance stories, linked by an heirloom Celtic brooch. The title of the series is, I think, The Legacy of the Brooch. It's wonderfully exciting, and participation in the project was by editor invitation, which was incredibly flattering. There are thirteen stories, thirteen authors and the series will release a title a month throughout this year and into next.

Why bring it up now? Because my story is due by the end of the month, this wonderfully compact month! But at least when someone asks what I'm writing I'll have an answer for the next twenty eight days. Oh, the tentative title for my story is Freedom's Touch but that is subject to change. Until a piece is complete I'm never absolutely certain of a title, and even then there are times when they change just prior to publication.

So now that you know what I'll be up to all month long...what will you be doing?