Blog Posts - Write on, Sister

Just a little PR for a friend

3/23/2015

I pinky swear promise I'm going to write a new post soon and catch you up on the new book, because here it is, almost the end of March so CLEARLY the month of November has come and gone. And yes, I did NaNoWriMo as promised, and YES, I wrote 50,000 words.
I'm very excited about the new book but that's not the purpose of this quick little post – not my NEW book anyway.
Rather, my lovely friend CoeDee, whom I met on Authonomy.com and who lives in Ohio, has just had her book published. It's available on amazon.com and it's called "The Life You Leave Behind"... and it's great.
It's got that southern feel I love ... it's got romance, heartbreak, bad choices, good choices, family ... oh heck, it's got it all. You can get it in paperback or download to your kindle but for the love of all that's holy, go get it!
Make CoeDee happy, please.
One day I'll have a book published and I'll be begging you to do the same for me.
Back soon with more news.
Pinky promise.

Remember me?

10/17/2014

Well, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. How is it possible I haven't posted an entry in...what? TEN MONTHS! I should be taken behind the woodshed for sure. If I can be forgiven, I do have good news to report. I made that trip to the United Kingdom. I met Lisa in Dublin. She is the mother of the cutest little boy EVAH...His name is Eoin (pronounced Owen for us Americans). Lisa is my Irish sister from another mother. I went to England with the intention of doing research for my second book (which I did in some small degree), however when I told her the idea for my third book she told me to stop immediately anything I was working on and start that new book. Well, obviously I do what Lisa says...obviously. First of November, NaNoWriMo starts. For those of you who don't know, that stands for National Novel Writing Month. You go to their website and sign up and pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days (Nov. 1-30). Now, not everyone succeeds, but I did this two years ago and failure was not an option! It's how I got the good start to book number two. And I'm hoping the magic will happen again for book three. I have to warn you, the new one is a bit darker but man, am I excited about it. So that will eat up my month of November. Oddly enough, at the same time, I'm sending my book "Crazy Quilt" to this wonderful woman in Canada to edit for me and to help it "shine" as they say. On my last post I was doing my happy dance because my book was named a "Wednesday One to Watch" on authonomy.com (the site where I met Lisa). I was working hard to make it to one of the top five spots and get a review from a Harper Collins editor. Well, I did and I did! I just received the review the other day. I thought it was pretty positive and she had some great suggestions. I'll post it at the end of this blog entry for those of you who are interested. So, I'll be doing rewrites on that in December. I love the holidays and usually have some time off from work so this will be a perfect time. The other great thing that happened on my trip is I met my friend Mark, the most charming of English gents you'd want to know. He's been a true friend and supporter for almost two years now and I'm happy to report he's just as wonderful in person. I fully intend to keep him in my life for a very long time if he's up for it. He's a wonderful writer in his own right and a kick ass photographer which, as an art director, I can fully appreciate. I have to laugh because who knows if anyone will even read this post/blog. I certainly should lower my expectations as I've trained you to expect...not much of late! But if you do find your way here, please know I'm very appreciative and I've I work hard and catch a few breaks, maybe I'll see you one day at a book signing. :-)

Here's my review from the kind editor at Harper Collins U.K. I take her very valid and kind suggestions to heart:

‘Crazy Quilt’ is a women’s fiction novel set in the American South in the late 70s. Two sisters, Harper and McCall, who were estranged for 15 years, are reunited when their grandmother dies and leaves them her house and $10,000 each to do something frivolous. McCall left the small town they grew up in to seek a new life on the East coast, while Harper, 8 years younger, was left behind and is now divorced. The women are reunited at pivotal moments in their lives, and gradually grow closer, but secrets from the past threaten to undo everything they’ve rebuilt. Described by the author as southern chick-lit, this is a fun, warm story with a darker side that explores family relationships and the secrets we keep from those closest to us.

I very much enjoyed reading ‘Crazy Quilt’. McCall and Harper are great characters, different, but not stereotypical chalk and cheese, and the estrangement makes for an interesting dynamic. I think it's a great premise and your characters and ability to tell a great story make this an enjoyable and absorbing read. I think a large part of this is your decision to tell this from Harper’s perspective, which is skilfully done. The limitations of this viewpoint create intrigue around the other characters; this is a good example of what we don’t know being as effective as what we do. You have an easy style and the writing flows at a good pace. The events unfold naturally and are well timed and you drop in details about characters and background without disrupting the flow, for example this paragraph in the opening chapter:

‘On the surface, McCall’s reasons for moving home were clearly more practical than emotional, but then so were mine. To suddenly become half owner of a large Victorian home was a blessing to me, since I was without a home of my own after my brief marriage ended. Three years earlier I had married Nick, the Coca-Cola delivery man for the A&P where I worked as a cashier. I found out too late that he gambled away most of what he earned. My one brief attempt at building a life outside of this house had been a miserable failure.’

At this point, this is all the background information we need about Harper. We learn quite a lot about her in this short paragraph. However, I read the first 10 chapters and we don’t learn much about her marriage or divorce and how they affected her after this snapshot. This brings me on to the area that I think needs work.

You need to establish the women's characters a bit more, particularly in relation to each other; they need to feel like they have a life beyond the novel. A good way to do this would be to have them reminisce and reference the past, which you would expect them to do a bit more of in the circumstances. The opening, when the sisters meet again for the first time in 15 years, feels very realistic, it’s a great opening chapter. However, there isn't quite enough growth and development or redevelopment of their relationship. There are a couple of hints that they know a bit about each other’s lives – Harper knows what McCall does for a living, but that seems to be it – did they talk on the phone once a year, write letters? You would expect them to be a more curious about each other. What were they like as children? Have they changed much or are there lots of similarities? Does Harper feel resentment towards McCall for leaving? There are hints at this but they’re glossed over. As a reader, I’m very curious about all of these things. There's also no real conflict in this relationship, and that doesn’t ring true.

In fact, there isn't a great amount of conflict or tension anywhere, at least not in the chapters I've read. There is potential to create more drama around the existing events, for example Harper's burgeoning relationship with the doctor. This is taken in the stride of the novel and happens so quickly and easily that there was no build-up of chemistry and tension. Also, McCall’s mentions when she breaks her leg that she’ll struggle because she’s so independent, yet we aren’t shown how it affects her. Furthermore, they seem to accept the development (not wishing to give the plot away) after her hospital visit without much reaction at the time or later on. The pitch hints that conflict will come later, but you need more hints at what is to come as there’s no real drive to the plot at present.

As she is your narrator, I think some more work on Harper in particular, would really improve the novel. She undergoes something of a transformation but there isn't a huge amount of change in her attitude, demeanour, confidence etc. She makes these changes in her life, which seem to be dramatic for her, but it’s not clear to the reader if that’s the case. Again, this is about creating a life outside – in particular before – the novel. Her thoughts about Dr Swanson, for example, are very forward and perhaps a bit too “modern”, but she’s shocked by McCall’s Cosmo magazine. Harper sometimes comes across as a much younger character, and while I understand she will be naive about some things, in comparison with her sister, she's also been married and divorced and had the responsibility of caring for her dying grandmother, yet she jumps into the relationship with Dr Swanson with the enthusiasm and guilelessness of a teenager, not a woman with all that life experience. This is the area that needs the most work. Harper is brilliant in so many ways and as a reader I really warmed to her, but she is inconsistent.

I think your structure and plotting work well, and when your characters are more established, I think this will be an interesting proposition for a publisher. Overall I think this is a promising work and I hope my suggestions will be of help to you. We’d be very happy to read a rewrite.

Doing my Happy Dance

2/8/2014

You may be asking yourself, "What is that little box over there titled 'One to Watch Wednesday.'" Quite simply it's the reason I'm smiling from ear to ear. If you've read my previous posts you know my book is on the Harper Collins U.K. site called authonomy.com. RIght now the book is at #18. If I'm in the top 5 a Harper Collins editor actually reads my book and happily rips it to shreds in order to make me a better writer. What's not to love, right? However, once a week, on Wednesday, some clever soul that does the blog at authonomy picks one book out of the thousands on the site to feature as the "one to watch." Well, the literary gods shined on me this week, and lo and behold my humble little book was picked. I've been so busy of late, I haven't been on the site reading and reviewing as much as I would have liked, and might have missed the honor all together had a friend not sent me a message. To be honest, I've been letting those bad old self doubts creep in so this little warm fuzzy was just what I needed. On another note, it looks like this trip to the U.K. is really going to happen. My daughter is headed over this summer to study for 5 weeks and I'll go visit her while she's there. But truthfully, I see the kid a ton (big smile) and if I'm honest, my main reason for wanting to go is to visit those terrific U.K. friends I've made at authonomy.com. I've written about them as well on this blog. David, my thriller writing hiker and family man in Northern England, Lisa my smart and sassy gal pal in Dublin, and most of all my best friend in the world, truly the most creative and interesting man I know...Mark of Derbyshire. I can NOT wait. When I return I'll be full of memories and stories. Now, THAT will be a post.

Finding Balance

8/17/2013

Whoa! Has it really been two months since I posted a blog entry?
Well, that right there tells you the load of wash I call life has become unbalanced.
There are so many things in our life we have to juggle. Finding balance between home, family, work, friends plus maybe a little time for oneself is never easy.
My new thing is trying to strike the right balance between reading and writing. If I want to become a better writer I have to, as Mary Kay Andrews says, glue my butt in the chair. (What a great name for a blog!)
But I also have to read other writers and learn from them. When I was at St. Simons Island last week, my cousin gave me "The Island" by Elin Hildebrand to read. I absolutely loved it in that couldn't put it down kind of way. In fact, I was pretty unhappy that I had to drive for five hours and couldn't finish it until I got home.
At the end of the day that is how I hope and pray people will feel about my book.
How wonderful to be able to create characters that people care about so much they are willing to turn the page again and again to find out what happens to them. Some of you know that last November I participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I wrote 50,000 words in 30 days. Now to do that, your fingers have to pretty much fly so that you can write 1,500 to 2,000 words a day and it may not all be pretty. I have to say, I went back this past week to reread those 50,000 words and I was not at all unhappy. So I've been editing that first bit since then. I've got some technical things to fix, then I'll look at gaps I need to fill.
This first part of TSB (the second book) is about a relationship between a 20-something southern girl and a young Englishman living in London. They correspond by letter until they finally meet. The second part takes place 25 years later in modern day London. I can't really finish the second part of the book until I get back from my trip to England in the spring. At least that's what I tell myself. :-)
While I'm there, I plan to meet the three great people I've talked about in earlier posts...Lisa, David and my dear, dear friend Mark.
I'm going to include a a couple of the letters between my two characters. Hope you like 'em. Maybe they'll whet your appetite for the whole book and with any luck, I'll finish it and you'll love it.
It's why writers do what they do...for your love. "-)

July 3, 1985
Dear Lloyd,
Do you celebrate July Fourth over there? Just a joke! I’m not that daft. How do you like that…I used a proper English word. If I come for a visit, I’m going to have to learn how to talk like a lady, don’t you think? Perhaps in every letter you could teach me an English word that has a very different meaning in America than in Britain. I think daft is pretty much the same, though. Can you tell, I’m trying to skirt the issue of how badly I’ve slagged off in the letter writing department? I did it again, British word: five points for Schuyler. Oh and the five points for “daft”, so a total of ten. I think I’ll save up my points and trade them in for a favor from you. How would that be? Maybe even for forgiveness for not writing sooner. Truthfully, I got the letter you wrote before the trip and then your tape (thank you, thank you, thank you) and I really didn’t have anything new to report. I’m mainly going to work and coming home. I do have a freelance design project I’m working on that will bring some much needed funds to the “Send Schuyler to London” foundation. But it’s a beautiful summer here and we do have a pool and it is constantly calling my name. Can you hear it now? “Schuyler, Schuyler, Schuyler.” How is a girl supposed to get any work done, I mean really? Honestly, accept my apologies for not writing while you were away, but in truth I could have just instructed you to see previous letter, for all the excitement in my life at the moment.
Your faithful servant,
Schuyler
P.S. I forgot! You asked for my phone number…no need to keep it secret…no one cares.
212- 378-4518. I guess we have one of those country code thingies but I don’t have a bloody clue what it is. Oh!!! Another five points for Schuyler (“bloody”). Woo hoo!

13 July, 1985
Dear Schuyler,
Happy Bastille Day eve. Yes, it is the celebration of the storming of the Bastille and the beginning of the grand French Republic. We Brits look at it as a day when the frogs get blindingly drunk, shoot off fireworks and in general act like the arses they are. Can you tell there is not a great degree of love lost between the British and the French? You’ve made mention of a possible visit. Did you have a certain date in mind? Fall will be here before you know it and I think that could be a particularly nice time for you to make the trip. Now as far as your tutelage in proper English is concerned, rather than drag this out, let me pass along some key words you may study at your leisure. First of all, even though you may hear me use the word wanker, you should not use that word. I’m a bloke and it’s more acceptable for me to utilize this as a part of my vocabulary. For the record, it has to do with male masturbation so not something I’m guessing you will need in day to day conversation.
The same goes for knackered. It sounds like it means tired, which it does, but the implication is generally tired after a naughty night, so stay away from that one as well. Now on to the basics:
Fag: cigarette not a bloke who likes a bloke. 
Biscuit: what we have with tea. What you might call a cookie.
Loo: WC, water closet, toilet…you get the picture.
The post: We don’t tire ourselves by adding the word “office”.
Tube: has nothing to do with wanker or knackered (aren’t I awful!), but rather what we call our metro.
Newsagent: the nice bloke round the corner where I go to get the paper. They have fags and sweets there as well.
Sweets: sorry, missed that one, didn’t I. Candy. Don’t need it , don’t want it.
This should get you off to a good start. Plus you’ll have me close by as a translator. Study hard; grueling work it is, coming to see the Queen. Get your arse over here soon.
Warmly,
Lloyd

At the end of the day that is how I hope and pray people will feel about my book.
How wonderful to be able to create characters that people care about so much they are will to turn the page again and again to find out what happens to them.

R.I.P. Vince Flynn.

6/19/2013

James Gandolfini died today. So did Slim Whitman. I heard some people say these things happen in threes. They wondered who the third person might be. I'm sad to say that one of my favorite authors died today, and I've been sad beyond measure; certainly beyond measure for someone I didn't know outside of the pages of a book. A couple of years ago a conservative talk show host here in Atlanta was raving about the books of Vince Flynn. I had just gotten a Nook e-reader and decided to download a sample chapter of "American Assassin"...this is the novel where we learn how Vince's hero, Mitch Rapp, was recruited and trained by the CIA. Once I read that first chapter, I had to read the entire book. I read twelve more of Vince's books in rapid succession. Mitch Rapp is a hero that loves his country, doesn't tolerate bullshit, goes against the tide and challenges authority. There's a fair amount of butt kicking in the books as well. Rush Limbaugh was a personal friend of Vince. He spoke quite a bit about him on the radio today and you could tell his heart was heavy. He said Vince was a kind, humble, good-looking guy who cared about his friends, family and his country. He said Vince Flynn WAS Mitch Rapp. I think that comes through on the page when you read Vince Flynn's books. I'd been so busy in my life and with writing and editing my own book that I hadn't taken the time to read Vince's most recent release, "The Last Man", which I downloaded months ago. I think it's time now. I was happy to see that Vince's final book is due to come out in November. From what I read he was in a great deal of pain while he finished it. He leaves behind a wife and three children, but he also leaves behind countless fans of his books who are lucky to have Vince/Mitch with them forever in those pages. I count myself lucky to be one of those people. You'll be missed, Vince Flynn. I'm glad you're not in pain any longer. Keep kickin' butt.

I'm sad to say that one of my favorite authors died today, and I've been sad beyond measure; certainly beyond measure for someone I didn't know outside of the pages of a book.

50 Shades of Grey, My Ass.

5/10/2013

In all fairness to EL James, I have not read any of the "Shades of Grey" trilogy. I read a paragraph of an excerpt that was so poorly written, I honesty had no desire to read more, regardless of how steamy it was purported to be. And for those of you who have read the books and liked them, well... more power to you. I think if you're honest with yourself, James' great command of the English language is probably not the reason you're a fan.
In my quest to write chick lit, I've found it at times necessary to write a sex scene. I try not to make it gratuitous and I try to have some emotion behind the ripping off of clothing. These scenes in my first book, "Crazy Quilt," are fairly tame. I was afraid what Nana would think if she read them, so I might actually have been a tad timid in my descriptions of the act. But the more I've written these types of encounters, the easier it has gotten. Would you be shocked if I told you I actually like writing them now? If I come back two days later and read the scene and it still gives me hot flashes, then I know I've done my job.
What has been interesting to me, however, is to find there are several men I know who are quite good at writing sex scenes. I know! Who knew?
My friend David writes thrillers, and there's typically a good looking guy and a good looking girl in them, and well...things happen. I'd let my grandmother read his scenes and they always make sense in the context and flow of the story.
My new BFF Mark is a master of these scenes, and truthfully, his writing is more sensual than sexual. He's able to convey every emotion, touch, smell, sight, taste to the reader until you feel like you're right there...not a bad place to be, eh?
The big surprise is my funny friend, Warrick. He's a more casual acquaintance and we usually just verbally spar for fun. I finally got around to starting his book "Sleeping With God," which as the title suggests is about a man who, well...sleeps with God. Only God is a beautiful woman, who likes sex...a lot...and doesn't mind wearing a french maid's uniform on occasion. Knock me over with a feather.
So I guess the steamy, bodice ripping, fan your face type stuff isn't just the territory of us women writing chick lit. I know a few guys that could teach us a thing or two. Now that sounds like fun.

The more I've written these types of encounters, the easier it's gotten. Would you be shocked if I told you I actually like writing them now? If I come back two days later and read the scene and it still gives me hot flashes, then I know I've done my job.

I know that girl.

5/3/2013

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a happy woman. I'm healthy, I have a wonderful husband, two kids I adore, and a job I like most days. Still...in a week filled with alarm clocks, laundry, carpool, pet food, making love, making meals, trash days and Mondays, it's easy to lose yourself. And sometimes you don't even know you're lost, until someone holds a mirror up for you.
And then you remember. Yes. I am an artist. I can create, paint, draw, write. I can have meaningful adult discussions about more than pop culture and my children's lives. I can think about a world outside my bubble. I can travel. I can love new people. I can change. I can evolve.
My friend holds that mirror up for me. And it is a gift. He's a fabulous writer. For me...one of the best. He challenges me. He's helping me to, as he calls it, "look without seeing." What is beyond the obvious? What is the back story of what your eyes are focused on?
The other day, I was taking kids to school at 7 a.m. This is what I wrote when I got back home. I sent this to my "teacher."

I glanced in my rearview mirror. There was a pickup truck behind me with a teenage boy and girl. He was beautiful in the way teenage boys can be. Nice smile, long eyelashes, strong chin. The kind of face you knew would be handsome in manhood. She wore big glasses, no makeup. Delicate nose, porcelain skin, long straight hair. They were both lovely. She sat pressed up against her door. Not his girlfriend, I thought, or she'd be closer. Probably a neighbor girl he gives a ride. She would say something to him, then look down shyly. He'd look down shyly then smile showing those perfect teeth. Then he'd look out his window. Then he'd look at her. She showed him something on her wrist. He smiled. Then looked in her eyes. Really looked in them. Then she looked down shyly. Then he turned and looked out his window. She's in love with him, I thought. Teenage love with him. I wonder if he knows. I wonder if he feels something. She looks forward to these mornings I thought. She's sad on the weekends when she doesn't have these moments with him. I wonder if he knows that.

Got an A from teacher that day. I've got lessons for him as well. Different class. He's coming along.

I can create, paint, draw, write. I can have meaningful adult discussions about more than pop culture and my children's lives. I can think about a world outside my bubble. I can travel. I can love new people. I can change. I can evolve.

"You can't buy a voice like you have."

4/27/2013

See how easy it is to make me happy, people? Thanks for those words to my Facebook friend and literary angel, Rocky. Her faith in me can keep me going for days. I haven't been blogging the last week because my son's tennis season has pushed everything else to the back, priority-wise. But the banquet is Monday (yes...I'm in charge of the decorations) so things will calm down and I can get back to my new love, writing and my new part-time unpaid job, editing. Plus, summer is almost here. Last summer is when I wrote the majority of "Crazy Quilt". My goal is to finish the first draft of my new book by the end of the summer this year. I'm going to be the little engine that could!
To jump to another subject, I haven't been to England in over 25 years. I love that place. Every time I go there my heart sighs "I'm home." Don't ask me why. I have no explanation but I love it. I love the people. I even love the crappy weather. In my head I'm already making plans to go there next summer. I'll go see my beloved Tower Bridge. Then head to Derbyshire to finally meet my best mate, Mark. Then I'll bind and gag him and make him go with me on the rest of my trip. Next, Durham County in far Northern England to see David, thriller writer extraordinaire, his wife and daughters and Moss, the wonder Border Collie. I'm sure there will be hiking involved, knowing David. In my case, there will be gasping for breath and piece of crap knee involved. And finally, we'll make our way to Dublin, Ireland where I will hug my girl, Lisa until she begs for mercy. I don't drink, but daresay, I'll raise a pint to toast her and with any luck she'll teach me to curse like a proper Irish lass.
Well, that's all I have for today. Feels good to be here blogging. Will do better next time. G'day all.

I haven't been to England in over 25 years. I love that place. Every time I go there my heart sighs "I'm home." Don't ask me why. I have no explanation but I love it. I love the people. I even love the crappy weather.

That little four letter word.

4/20/2013

Time. I can't buy it, borrow it or steal it. And I certainly can't seem to make it.
In that regard, I'm no different than countless women out there that can't seem to find enough hours in the day to get it all done. I know one of my problems is I raise my hand too darn much. Who can help with the bake sale? Up goes my hand. Who can volunteer to do the newsletter? Up goes my hand. Who can be in charge of the banquet? Up goes my hand. Who wishes they had a better handle on time management? Up go both my hands. Yesterday I had an idea for a book. It's not the finished manuscript I'm in the middle of editing. It's not the second book that I have a 50,000 word start on, but have yet to finish the first draft. It's an idea so powerful, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, but it's an idea I had to stick in my "I'll get to it file" because I don't have the time. I have these other books to finish first and quite frankly, and this is the hardest pill to swallow, I'm not the writer I need to be to do this other book. The possibilities of this story captivate me and I really think it could be a great, great read. But it's also an idea I want to do justice to and write the best book I can. So I need to finish these other projects I started and hope through them I can learn and develop and make my way toward being the writer I need to be and want to be. That's the other thing about time. You can't rush it either.

On another note, congratulations to my wonderful husband for winning second place in the memoir category in the Atlanta Writer's Club March contest. So proud of that guy.
And a shout out to my friend Mark, all the way across the pond. Thanks for pushing me and making me think.

Yesterday I had an idea for a book. It's not the finished manuscript I'm in the middle of editing. It's not the second book that I have a 50,000 word start on, but have yet to finish the first draft. It's an idea so powerful, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it, but it's an idea I had to stick in my "I'll get to it file" because I don't have the time.

Color Me Happy.

4/6/2013

Today I did the Color Run 5k with my high-school aged son and my college freshman daughter. As I mentioned on Facebook, it was a beautiful, bright, fun, silly hunk of awesome sandwiched between two pieces of godawful, make-you-want-to-slap-yourself traffic. While my son trotted on ahead, because he can run a 5k in his sleep, my uber-fit daughter hung with the old lady (that would be me.)
What's cool about the Color Run, in case you didn't know, is that several times during the walk/run you go through a giant, inflatable colored arch (pink, blue, yellow) and you get smacked full in the face and body with an edible colored powder that stains your hair, skin and clothes. And you find yourself asking for more, please.
Not to sound too saccharine, but I was thinking what a nice metaphor for life that is. You're walking along, putting one foot in front of the other, maybe things aren't all that exciting...heck, maybe even you've stumbled on a bump in the road. But then life just rises up and throws a fistful of pink at you. And you laugh, and you're grateful and yes, you want more.
Yesterday I got smacked with some pink. My editor in the U.K., Abi, sent back my manuscript with her edits and notes. I'll admit, it's not easy putting your work out there for someone to critique but I tell myself over and over, "she wants to make me better." She called me out on all my slip ups in the tense department and gave me some really good suggestions for improvement. But what really made my soul soar was that she "got me." She understood what I was trying to do. She was surprised by the twists in the book and she gave me high marks in plot, dialogue and character development. Obviously, mama's got some work to do, but I got me some pink.
Today, I got gobsmacked with some yellow. I mentioned in an earlier post that a woman who had judged my entry in the Romance of America's Golden Heart Awards contest had sought me out through Facebook. I ended up sending her my first 40 pages for critique. It was clear to me that this woman had taught writing at some point. Her points were so salient and spot on. She told me she used to teach but now she mentors and that she was only a phone call or email away should I need her. What she said was what I knew in my heart and also what I wanted to hear with all my heart. I have some problems with the mechanics of writing. No surprise there since I've never actually learned how to write, construct a plot, give a character form and nuance. But that, she told me, can all be taught. What can't be taught is a voice that's true and literary and that my manuscript just needed some tightening to shine. She thought it had publishing potential. Of course, that's what everyone writing a book would like to happen, so from her mouth to an agent's ear.
Well, here I sit all pink and yellow and asking for more. And I'm not going to wash it off.

What's cool about the Color Run, in case you didn't know, is that several times during the walk/run you go through a giant, inflatable colored arch (pink, blue, yellow) and you get smacked full in the face and body with an edible colored powder that stains your hair, skin and clothes. And you find yourself asking for more, please.

Sheri Emery

I've been a graphic designer for nearly 30 years and for some crazy reason I decided I wanted to write a book. So I did, and now I'm writing another. Looking for that one person to believe in me.

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