7/8 Where to write?

I'm trying to write in my usual spot, with Gus, on the Panera patio. However, today it's loud with voices and trucks and sirens. It seems everything is conspiring against the muse today. So instead, I'm going to my sister's house. I swim a while, then write in the gazebo, then swim a while, then write in the gazebo, and so forth. It will be quiet, probably too quiet. I guess I can get the three dogs (including Gus) to chatter a bit so the quiet isn't deafening. At least I can try.

Chapter 2 of Who Dies Next? awaits.

Writing Process Blog Tour

At the request of author Kimberly Shursen (kimberlyshursen.com), I'm answering questions about my writing process. Then I'll "tag" two other authors to respond.

What am I working on now?

Currently I'm writing book number four in the Sam Darling Mystery Series, Will You Marry Me? I know it sounds more like a romance than a mystery, but trust me, it's a mystery. Sam's dog finds a bone that turns out to be a human femur, and off our heroine goes--creating more trouble than you'd expect from a social worker-wannabe-sleuth.

The above picture, from Tiger Imagery, is going to be turned into cover art by Keri Knutson.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

First of all it takes place in my hometown of Quincy, IL. A town that normally doesn't have as many murders as my mystery series would imply. Also, Sam Darling has a psychic connection with her dog, Clancy. Clancy herself is a big help in solving crimes. Additionally Sam is one of six kids. They're close, but all of them are irritated by Sam's nosiness and her inability to stop butting in where she's not wanted.

Why do I write what I do?

I am from Quincy originally, but was a nomad in the middle part of my life. While living in hotels when I traveled weekly, I found myself homesick for the little city I loved. So one night I just started writing. This was nearly 20 years ago. I was unable to find an agent because my first manuscript was like many from novice writers--it wasn't well-written and was full of rookie mistakes. So I put the manuscript away. However, it kept surfacing in my brain. I really liked the characters, and they haunted me. So I edited, edited, and edited it some more. And finally an indie publisher thought it was good enough. By the way, she was the first person I sent it to after I'd re-written it.

How does my writing process work?

Well, as I said--the first book was born from boredom and homesickness. The second idea followed soon after, and the third and so on. Now I only work part-time at my other jobs--as a mental health therapist and a university instructor. I view writing as a job as well. Three or four days a week I go to my favorite writing spot, Panera Bread, and write for three or four hours in the morning. I also write by my sister's pool during the summer. The only place I don't write is at home in my nice little office. For some reason, writing at home is too distracting. I keep thinking of laundry and all the TV shows I've taped but haven't watched yet. When the weather's nice, my dog Gus accompanies me to the Panera patio and definitely to my sister's pool. I find him calming and sometimes an inspiration for Clancy in the books.

Ideas aren't hard for me to come by. Discipline is.

What are my writing plans for the future?

As I said, I'm working on book four and I have ideas for several more in the Sam Darling series. I'm also considering branching out with some stand-alone novels--maybe a little edgier, or maybe a different genre.

I would like to retire from my other jobs some day, but hope to never have to retire from writing. Not only does writing keep my mind active, the characters continually make me laugh. I think I'm my own best audience.

Currently my books are available on amazon.com in electronic format. They'll be in print by summer.

Tagging: I'm tagging Nikki Shields and Lynnette Spratley to blog about their writing, using the above questions.

Writing continues...

I've had a trip to LA which fed my soul. Spending time with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids is a great way to rejuvenate me and energize my writing.

Number 3, Can You Picture This? is out and doing well. Currently I'm working on number 4, with the title, Will You Marry Me? All is not as it seems in the idyllic Ozarks town of Crackertown, MO. So small, it's not on any maps, even though it's the "Ritz of the Ozarks." Sam and George "accidentally" end up there on their way to a Grand Canyon vacation. Clancy is in tow, of course, and she unearths the reason they have to stay in Crackertown, even though their vacation is calling.

Am having fun with this one. I love the Ozark Mountains and the people I met the several times I visited.

More writing news

Last night I turned in the manuscript to my publisher. Can You Picture This? is well on its way to publication. However, I fear there's a little work to do. We'll see, after she reads it today or tomorrow.

It's funny to not have that book to work on. I'm going to grade some papers for my other job, and then read a little, but I really need to get to work on #4. I'll tell you the name of it as soon as I know it. :)

Keep reading!

10/28/11 Writing about writing

I miss writing. Technically I'm still the National Mental Health Examiner for examiner.com, but it doesn't move me. In the late 80s and early 90s I wrote a monthly column for the children's agency where I was VP. And at CPI I wrote a lot and was published in several magazines/journals. Those things were fun. But the best writing "fun" I had was right after I joined an online writing community when I was working on my first novel. I'd sit in hotel rooms all over the US and Canada and had nothing to do but write. What a joy that was! When I traveled overseas I wrote my travelogs which turned into my first blog when I lived in the UK. My second blog has dwindled away, usurped by FB.

Back to the unpublished novel--Who Killed My Boss? There were/are some really good parts to it, but the plot seems contrived and the ending wrapped up in a nice little bow, much too easily. The second one (unfinished) is: Is There Any Meat in That Soup? I love the first two lines--"He fell at my feet. Nice place for a man." And that's about all I love about that manuscript. Those two books, in my fantasy world, were the first two in a long series with a beloved protagonist. :) (Hey, I told you it was a fantasy.)

Then several years ago I started a novel about a reality game show set in the wilderness. I still like the idea of it, even though some of the characters were kind of flat. Maybe that one is salvageable--I don't know. Remember NANIWRIMO? I worked on this one during a NANIWRIMO frenzy one November.

Felt like writing about writing today. Thanks for indulging me in my narcissistic musings.

12/10 You won't believe this....

But I got contacted by Fox News in New York City to be a guest on their show tomorrow and they wanted to know if I could get to NY. (I think they were paying for it, not sure.)

This was all because of my article about Oprah's weight and how she's now my best friend. I was so excited, but they changed their minds because real news intervened. They did say they may come back to this, but I'm not holding out much hope.

I'll just try to keep writing articles about offbeat things in the news and see what happens.

Thanks a million for your support. Love you.

(Read my column, please...)

11/21 More work news

I've got an additional job, as soon as I clear the background check. Since I've been cleared by the FBI for my full-time job, I'm not too worried.

I'm going to be writing for examiner.com. It's a series of websites sponsored by the examiner newspapers (like the San Francisco Examiner, etc.). I'm going to be the Chicago area Mental Health Examiner. And yes, I'm getting paid. Not much at all, but I am getting paid. The more "hits" my site gets the more I make. So I feel fortunate I have such a huge family. Too bad most are illiterate. (Just trying to see if you're paying attention.) :)

I'll let you know when my site goes up, but you can check out the regular websites now at examiner.com. You'll probably get sent to the national site first until you tell them you are from Illinois. I'm really looking forward to this. I'll write three or four short articles a week. I should begin next week. I'm excited!

Tomorrow Gus and I are going into the office so I can finish some paperwork, then Jan and I are going to a craft show at QHS sponsored by the Quincy Service League. Should be fun and I'll be able to buy Christmas presents. Yay.

Now it's dinnertime. Yum--cheetos.