Wandering Massachusetts

I've been traveling. Right now I'm in Massachusetts. Rolling hills, deep green valleys and some really nice people. Old houses and buildings reminding me of a Mayberry. I keep looking for Andy and Opie. (who names a kid Opie, anyway?)

I love the farms here and wish I could live in a place like that. Lots of land to let the dogs run free, neighbors that are not right on top of me and fresh air.

Amazingly, I'm getting a lot of work done here. I've carved out time and hid in my room and pumped out quite a few pages. Its getting easier as I relax and I think that's a problem sometimes. Not the relaxing part but the things that prevent us from relaxing. My brain constantly multi-tasks. Pushing out the day to day stuff is sometimes hard, sometimes impossible. Up here I'm not staring at the house, the critters and the things that need to be done. It's easier to turn outside things off, so I can get the stories out.

So how do you get past the everyday to find your stories?

What could cause the dog with the loudest voice to bark at 2:30 a.m.? I've never had a dog with this big a voice. When Okalani barks it blots out all other sound in the house. In the middle of the night-everyone gets up. And what could cause Okalani to go off at this ungodly hour?
Two semi-adult (21 & 24) children trying to sneak in because they forgot their house keys.

Yawn. And I had such plans for today.

I'm into the (hopefully) final rewrite. I've got my index cards out. One chapter, one card. Just a few notes so I can "see" a timeline. It helps. Going through each page, checking grammar, punctuation and story flow. And hoping this is the last time I'm rewriting.

So, what's you're final rewrite strategy? Any hints? Tips?

PS: Okalani is over there, sacked out on her bed, sound asleep now...

J.A. Konrath does it again in FUZZY NAVAL

J.A.Konrath will shock you with the first chapter of FUZZY NAVAL. Took me completely unawares. This book moved along at such a quick pace that I couldn't put it down. Vivid descriptions, scary characters and a story that sucks you right in and scares the pants off of you.
And if I ever see Konrath I'm going to have a long talk with him about the ending. It left me wanting more!

What I learned at NJRWA today

I sat in for a speed pitch session today at our NJRWA meeting. The amazing Lois Winston led this group and I think she made it clearer then anything I've read on the subject so far. Check out her "Talk Gerty to Me"- its one of my favorite books!
Here's your pitch: Goal, Motivation Conflict.
So, if you're pitching a romance (I write suspense, mystery, thriller and romance-I'm eclectic! But I'm pushing a romantic suspense out the door right now.)
Heroine: What's her goal? What's her motivation? Where does the conflict come into play?
Now your Hero: What is his goal in the story? What motivates him to keep moving? Conflict?
And what's bringing them together?
Simple? Yes and No.
I think when we work on something long enough everything starts to blur. So maybe we need a fill in the blanks:
She wants-xxx
Because-xxx
But look out for-xxx
He wants-xxx
And he has to do this because -xxx
But then-xxx-happens
And together they-xxxx

What do you think?
<"http://www.loiswinston.com/">

US Army Tortures Pigs!

I'm not a PETA person. Sometimes I think they are little extreme but here they are right. US Army Tortures Pigs

Today on Yahoo News it was reported that the US Army is using pigs for target practise. Well, actually they are just shooting them so they can patch them back up and then they'll know what its like to sew real living tissue back together.

I have to wonder why they chose pigs? Why not cows? or maybe dogs? Did they think pigs wouldn't be as objectionable?

I'm not a big fan of pigs but this is just wrong.

Where is the Humane Society? Why aren't they screaming about animal cruelty within the US Army?

Aside from the huge animal cruelty issue what about the soldiers who have to harm these animals for no reason. Okay, some may not have an issue with this but I'm sure there are many who do view this stunt as animal cruelty and will be emotionally scarred by this stunt.

So who can stop this? The US Army isn't listening. Can we write our congresmen? Senators?

Save the pigs!

Triptych by Karin Slaughter; A review!

There aren't many books that make me gasp, but this one did. I originally picked this book up because an agent mentioned Karin Slaughter on her blog. She said she'd love to have a writer like this in her stable. So, I just had to find out what made the agent drool.

And I got a real nice surprise.

Most books are predictable. I can guess the next move, the villain or the ending. Maybe that's because I read a lot, or study different styles of writing or because I write my own stories.

But this...

Triptych had some great twists in it that I never saw coming. Karin Slaughter's voice just sucks you right in and leaves you --you guessed it--gasping! There were times where I flipped back because what I was thinking turned out not to be so. She throws in several red herrings that will take you completely off guard. Slaughter is a master of optical illusion. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs to be surprised and shocked. This book is page turner that will keep you up at night and make you late for work.

Read it!

On a roll and then...SPLAT!

No matter how much I plan to get things done its crash and burn. Carve out a few hours to do nothing but write and then someone calls, emails or I remember something I should be doing instead and there goes the whole day.
Does this ever happen to you?
Wake up, coffee and computer. Then something on some news show or blog catches my eye. Then I have to research that and one thing leads to another and I'm off into la la land. Running around in internetland and letting valuble writing time slip away.
Damn, another day gone.
What did you do all day???