Category: new works

Letters to Follow: a Sneak Peek

book reviewing / Letters to Follow / new works

Letters to Follow: a Sneak Peek

Chapter ONE Lynne stormed into the women’s dressing room and threw her ballet slippers into her locker. “That woman! She never stops yelling at me!”   “Maybe you deserve it. I mean, you’re late a lot and…”   Lynne swung around. “Mind your own business, Suzette.”   “I’m just trying to be helpful.”   “Back off, Suzette!” Lynne glared at Suzette’s saccharine smile. “You couldn’t help an old lady open a cereal box.”   The dressing room fell silent. The first year as well as the seasoned dancers watched the two women elevate their dislike to the level of a...

Julie

musings / new works

Julie

I have a wonderful friend I’ve never met face-to-face. Her name is Julie; she’s my web and product designer. I met her through Tendril Press where my books and materials are designed. Most Mondays at 6 AM I have a conversation with her. Some are five minutes; some are longer, especially when we get talking about her other business: creating handbags for Allison Clothing Company, a shop in West Reading, PA (also online) or when we start comparing who’s got the worst weather. (Her winters win every time!) I feel indebted to Julie for her patience.  As she finishes one...

Write On!

musings / new works / writing process

Write On!

Starting a new book, (book 3 in my series) I’m beginning to get into the rhythm of organizing myself. I know, it took me a long time, but I’ve hit upon a system that works so I’m feeling jazzed! Oh, it’s nothing special, but it works for me. Without it I’m a scattering of note cards, post-its, scraps of paper and articles. I can spin and spin going through my scatter so you can understand why I love my new, old-fashioned planning, a notebook with dividers, collected info, maps, character sketches, plat ideas and blank paper for moments I get...

Finished!

editing / musings / new works / When the Music Stops / writing process

Finished!

There is a certain thud in my stomach as I  finish book two, When the Music Stops: A Second Chance to Dance. It’s a mixture of pride, fear and excitement. I did it!  Will anyone read it? Will anyone like the way the characters made their decisions? Will people stick around for book three? But I get ahead of myself. I’m finished, but my wonderful editor has yet to ‘take a crack’ at the story. She asks amazing questions, shares her ideas and we go back and forth until we reach agreement on the best way to make the story...

Moving Close to the End

details in writing / new works / Uncategorized

Moving Close to the End

Right now I’m close finishing When the Music Stops, book two in my ballet trilogy. It’s funny; the closer I get to finishing the more questions I find I need to resolve.  I question my tension and my problems strewn across their lives. Since my characters become as real as my friends, I know their strengths and weaknesses, their hot buttons and their fears. Often I become overprotective of their “lives”, unwilling to let harm approach them. I always hope I have provided the promise of a good story but fear I may have fallen short. It’s a writer’s curse....

First Draft Idea That Blows My Mind…or…Does it?

musings / new works

First Draft Idea That Blows My Mind…or…Does it?

Karen Wiesner wrote First Draft in 30 Days and has these suggestions for the dedicated, determined writer. So, here we are in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). For non-writers, that means kissing your writing friends good-by for 30 days! If you follow Karen Wiesner’s plan, you may need to pick them up off the floor and apply chocolate! (She must have amazing stamina!) After you brainstorm your idea, you begin your month-long draft with these tasks: Day 1– Character sketches, Day 2– Research/Setting, Day 3– Plot Sketches, Days 4/5– Summary Outline, Day 6– Scene notes, Days 7-13– Research, Days 14-15–...