Waiting is Hard

I don't care how old I get but it will never stop. Waiting is the hardest part for me. My soul is saying to be patient and things will work out for the best. It might not be according to my plan but to remember, I'm not the only one in the universe!

To all my followers, I thank you very much for reading my books. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. If you liked the first one, I think you'll like the others! I feel my writing has improved since the first one due to the wonderful editors who have helped me along the way!

Now to the rain! Can you believe it? We've had fifteen inches of rain in the spring, then fell into another drought. All of were thinking, 'here we go again', and bam! We here only got around eight to nine inches but our poor neighbors to the south of Dallas were inundated with up to twenty plus inches. Now they're forecasting another round for next weekend.

Sending prayers to my friend, Barbara Huffert. Beau, her beautiful cat of five years, is under the weather and needs all the help he can get! Cutest little guy!

Learning Lessons in Life (Whether you want to or not!)

It has been a hectic week! I've had ups and downs and still have to work hard. I want to thank the RWA staff in guiding me out of an uncomfortable situation and making suggestions to further my writing career. Kudos!

The good news is my books are selling but sales have been disappointing with Not Just an Act and For the Love of  Par. I need to find a way to boost them and am exploring options.

I always try to see the good in people and that's my downfall. I don't want to be cynical but I can't help it at times. What is with people?

Example: Here in Texas, we have a chain of super gas stations such as Loves and Buckee's. I've never been to Buckee's and my husband decided to stop for gas.

Being curious, I decided to scope it out while he filled up. I left my cell phone in the car not thinking I would need it. This place is like a super WalMart for Truckers! Goodness! I used the bathroom and went outside to the gas pumps, thinking my husband was still there. He wasn't. I couldn't find him or the car anywhere. I waited outside the front for about fifteen minutes and yes, I started to panic. There was a woman, a mom, dressed in Baylor jersey with about five teenage girls, snapping their photos in front of the Buckee's Beaver statue. They were taking their time, giggling over the pictures. I wanted to ask if I could use her cell phone to call my husband. I explained the situation to her and she just walked away and said she was too busy. I almost cried and cursed her, but I kept the Sicilian in me quiet.

I'm only five foot tall and was dressed nicely. I wasn't going to rob her; I needed help. If the roles were reversed, I would've helped.

Fortunately, I spotted our car out of about eight hundred vehicles and ran to get my phone out. Sure enough, there was a text from him saying he was looking for me inside the store. When we hooked up, he told me never to go anywhere with out my phone and not to trust people. Be resourceful, he told me. Sad, isn't it?

Dilemma

Football season! Monica, my website designer, has a daughter on the drill team of our local high school. They are hosting a craft fair today and I promised I would drop on by to see what they had. Goodness! They had almost everything. The big thing down here is home made wreaths for your front door. Most of them were sports themes with the local high school and Texas college teams. Yes, football is really big down here! They were so pretty, I'd be afraid that somebody would steal them. They were not cheap either!

Back to being an author/writing experiences. I'm in the early stages of my career as an author. Yes, I did get a late start but writing soothes me. It's like playing the piano. Learning a new story and getting all the parts correct, so when it is read, it will be beautiful.

Just like music, your work is not liked by all. I get that and the only time it bothers me is when the criticism is negative just to say something mean. The more I read, I can tell by other authors they feel the same way. They have characters who are authors and you can tell they are speaking from their own experiences.

What really hurts is when you publisher seems to have given up on you. How do you fix that?

Keeping It All In Perspective

This is the first time in my life, that I'm writing two books at a time. It is really hard to keep your characters straight. I mean, one day, I want to focus on the drag racing heroine but the cruise ship heroine keeps popping up.  And vice versa.

So, I lock myself into a room, only to be interrupted by life. Cars not working, phone calls from long lost friends, dishwasher disconnecting from the housing unit, house plants who decide to uproot over night spilling all over the beige carpet. (No, don't have any pets, darn it.) Loved ones going through difficult times who need to talk.

Waiting to see if my next manuscript has passed the test, waiting for overdue royalty statements. Feeling pretty stressed out. But then I hear about my dear friend who is going through something ten times worse then me. It keeps me humble.

Sports Sunday!

Another Sunday filled with the NFL! Yahoo! Oh, wait! There's golf on as well. I am a team Jordan follower! I think he is an amazing athlete!

And don't forget Hockey starts soon as well!

No wonder I write books about sports since it's on our television 24/7!

Who is going to watch the eclipse tonight? I am! I should take a nap since my characters from the book I'm working on, kept me up all night. I swear, the night is when my mind is the most active.

I've had a not so nice week. In the sense, I've been lied to. You would think with my life experiences, I would not be so naïve, but I trust people really have good intentions. I'm crushed when they don't.

To cheer me up, we watched Hotel Transylvania and it improved my mood tremendously. Blah, Blah, Blah!

Believe in Yourself!

Another football season is underway and my team lost their first game. Ugh!
More time to write....

I have had a minor set back in my writing career but instead of feeling sorry for myself, (which I did for a couple of days, I admit), I decided to put my big girl pants on and to keep on writing.
I think what hurts the most is when people email me and ask when my next book is coming out. It's something I have no control over at this point in time.

But now, I am between two manuscripts and having the time of my life. Don't ever give up!

Reviews

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/beta-reader-etiquette/

I am posting this as an article for people to take note.

As a writer, I try to perfect my work as best as I can. I can't tell you how many times I reread what I've written to make sure I'm getting what I want to say, across to my readers. I have other people review it even before I submit it to my editor for a hopeful acceptance on their part.

Even after one of my manuscripts has been accepted, I appreciate what the editor has to say. Especially when they make a suggestion constructively and in a positive manner. I feel they know what they're talking about and I will gladly change what they feel should be changed.

There is only one manuscript I've written in which it was suggested I change, but morally I couldn't do it. It is unpublished as of now.

When Flag on the Play was being edited, I had several people review it. I can't tell you how pleased I was when the editor said, 'good job,' or it would sound better if you explained it this way.' Sure! Not a problem!

I've received editors who have said, 'this character is too mean. No one is like that.' Um. Have you met my husband's aunt? But I changed it anyway. I felt she knew what works to sell your book.

We work long and hard with our editors to make a finished product. We can't please everyone and understand that point. When I read my reviews (which is really hard), I take notice of what the negative comments say. 'This plot was all over the place.' Why did you think so? 'This was boring, I couldn't finish it.' Why did you think it was boring? What were you looking for?

I think it's me. When I get down, I have a tendency to read other authors work and I find solace that they suffer as I do. So much, when they write one of their characters as an author who receives bad reviews, the truth is told. It's not just me.

As an example, one of my many favorite authors is Sandra Brown. When I moved to Texas (where she's from), I had never heard of her. I went to the library and devoured everything she had written. There was only one story I didn't care for but it was a different genre she had tried. But I didn't write a scathing review. As an author, she is entitled to try different genres.

Imagine my surprise, just last week in The Dallas Morning News Sunday edition, the reviewer just ripped her newest work apart. The reviewer said it was so boring and predictable. It was as if  Ms. Brown just took a formula from her past books and blah, blah, blah. Was that necessary? I didn't find this very constructive.

As I work on my two manuscripts, side by side, I remember what my negative critics say. I try not to have the plot all over the place and I try not to make it too boring and I try not to make the characters so mean (you really do have to meet this aunt) in order to make it a better story for you to enjoy. Isn't that what you want to read?