Decisions decisions

In an attempt to be quasi-social, I am participating in a book club.  My dear friend invited me, and her group of friends are diverse and lovely.  I had a blast at the first meeting in January.  The club is hosted by different members, and the host gets to pick out the book to be read.  Being the ultimate planner, I of course am thinking ahead to whenever I get chosen.

The book we had to read for our upcoming meeting was long y'all.  It was Steven King, and his books are always thick in every sense of the word, and that is a good thing.  But, since this book just completed was approximately 1100 pages of reading rather small type, I'm considering a shorter book. 

I love Jack Finney, as should any writer in my genre.  His imagination was just so fantastic.  Of course, my first thought went to Time and Again, but then I thought of his short stories, which I never have read. 

On a particularly lovely Thursday, I picked up About Time, his collection of 12 short stories, and I am in love again with his writing.  A good short story is a thing of beauty.  To be succinct and clever in such a short form is great talent, and he had this talent in spades.  I am about halfway through, and am almost regretting when I get to the end.

If you need a great read, pick it up!  It is cheap as chips used on Amazon, or of course you can find it at the library, as I did.

Well howdy!

I'm still in the process of finding a publisher.  There is a lot of waiting involved, so I have been busying myself with other creative pursuits.  I have been painting up a storm:

Close up of the birds.  Didn't they come out great?

Love the simplicity.

Currently, I am working on a painting with a hot air balloon as the subject.  I think I have loved them ever since I saw the Wizard of Oz, but I really have no desire to actually ride in one of those things.  I have a healthy respect for gravity and modern airplane design. 

Out there

Today is huge for me.  I have sent my manuscript out to one of the publishers on my list.  It is hard for me to wrap my brain around this fact.  So many years went into this project, and 99% of the work was me, and only me, with the book.  Eventually I told people about it....let them read parts, and now it is done.  I don't know how to feel.  It is, in a way, anticlimactic.  I feel a bit numb, as if a big part of my brain has been downloaded onto a separate drive to free up space.  I fill like I need to fill up that space with something, but I am going to give myself time to figure out what should go in there. 

History is here every day

I haven't forgotten you.  I promise.  My book is being proofread and edited by dear trusted ones in my life.  Once I get it back I will be incorporating changes and corrections. 


I just read an article about artifacts discovered at Carter House in Franklin, and this quote really struck a nerve with me:

"What that means is the story of the people who lived here is literally under us every day," said Jacobson.

Oh how I loved to ponder that statement, and I hope that idea is conveyed in my book.  History is everywhere, all around us....we just need to be curious enough to seek it out.

I cannot believe it!

The first draft, over 70,000 words, is actually done!  I never ever thought I would be writing that, but it is indeed the truth.  I  am  overjoyed, giddy, elated, in other words, WOO HOO!

And this weekend I will turn my draft over to my proofreader (hi Mom!).  If I look at my draft one more time I may go quite mad, so I am hands off until I get it back from her.  I need to breathe for a bit, and perhaps paint.

This past Saturday, Mark and I went on a behind the scenes tour of the Tennessee State Capitol.  It was fascinating,  and being around all of that history  gave me the push I needed to see me past my goal.

So for now, I  am done.  The next part, finding a publisher, may be a journey, but I am ready for it.

1200 words to go!

So so close.  I am over 68,000 words, and I just love how the book has grown and the story has developed.  One of my antagonists now has more flesh, and another story twist has been added, along with a secret room.

Once I hit 70,000, I will proof and fine tune the story, and then to find a publisher.

I know the important thing is that I love my story, but I would also love it if it got published, and others loved my story as well!

The lightbulb

I trust my process.  I knew if  I gave myself space,  the inspiration would come, and it did.

Today the dear husband  and  I took a get lost trip in the beautiful country around
Bell Buckle, Tennessee.  Poverty and reconstruction after the Civil War had such a beautiful way of preserving antiquity in the Nashville surrounds.  As I viewed the vistas, got a bit sunburned, and let my mind wander, I  heard what I needed to take my book further.

I always have a pad and pen with me wherever I go, and I jotted my inspiration down.  So so happy!