There is something so comforting about putting a pen to paper and allowing the words to spill out onto the page. I’m reminded of a scene in the movie, Becoming Jane, about Jane Austen. In one scene, Jane is feverishly writing and scratching out her latest literary creation with ink-stained fingers. You could feel her passion for her work flowing from her fingertips onto the page.
John Nedwill writes in his blog about his process of writing. Hope you enjoy!
via Blog Posts
One month ago today on Friday the 13th, I flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico. I volunteered to serve as part of the VA Disaster Employee Medical Personnel System (DEMPS) to assist with disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Maria touched down on 9/20. I fully intended to write a journal entry every day, just to capture the […]
via How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? — Tell It Slant Mama
I am the grandmother of a three year old yellow lab. He is my baby, and I went to the farm with my son to bring him home with that little wiggly ball of puppy in my arms. This pup has lived with us off and on during his short life.
He lives full-time in Milwaukee now, so we see him around the holidays. He was with us this Thanksgiving weekend. And his “Gma” got to take him on walks by the river, play ball with him and attempt to hold him on her lap (all 90 lbs of him).
And like many grandkids, when it’s time to go, a favorite toy is missing. His Kong!!! Oh, no! The toy we stuff with frozen green beans and peanut butter is lost. Of course, all of the adults are searching the house for the missing toy. I’m down on my hands and knees searching under sofas and beds. I tear the living room and library apart checking between the chair cushions and under throw pillows. After a search of the backyard, it’s determined that the kong is lost and a saddened puppy and his human get into the car and drive across the state to home.
This morning, I started cleaning the guest room. Guess what I found under the comforter on the bed? Yup, a blue rubbery toy. The search for Kong is over.
I posted my blog on the #OneMillionProject blog in response to all of the GIF messages and emoticon ridden messages I receive. I mean they are cute and funny. I use them. But it got me to thinking about social media and how it drives our culture.
Read ” Will Imagery Replace the Written Word” via Blog Posts
I would die for my children to keep them safe, and I think most mothers feel the same way I do. So when I was working on my current draft of Never Show Your Hand, I wanted to bring this protective mothering instinct to my character, Shanaya Cadotte.
Shanaya has returned to the Red Cliff Reservation to assist her Uncle Jeb with an accounting issue at the casino. A forensic accountant who had worked for the CIA, Shanaya decided she wanted to raise her daughter near her family, so she relocated from Washington D.C. back to the Bayfield area.
But when she starts to investigate, the threats against her begin and her first priority is keeping her daughter safe. That’s all I’ll tell you about the plot, so I don’t spoil anything. Chapter Eleven of the story is complete and the first draft is nearing 16,000 words.
Question for my readers: How would you keep your child from harm if you were threatened? Would you send them out of town? Or, would you keep them at your side?
We live in a tiny place near the Mississippi River, and our son’s Labrador Retriever has been staying with us as we dog-sit. My husband was walking with the yellow fur baby when he heard a woman calling out, “Hello, Max!” referencing Clare’s loyal dog in Exodus and Winter’s Icy Caress.
On his return, he said, “Another reader of your books thinks Caesar’s name is Max.”
I absolutely love it!
Each week, the One Million Project spotlights member authors on their website. It’s a great way to discover indie writers and recently published books. Visit https://theonemillionprojectcom.wordpress.com/writers/ each week for updates.
This summer has been super busy for me, and I haven’t made as much progress as I’d planned and hoped on my current WIP’s–Never Show Your Hand (Clare Thibodeaux Series, Book 3) and Not Mama’s Little Girl, Anymore!
I have completed a short story for the upcoming three-volume One Million Project short story anthology for charity. I will continue to update you about when the books will be released. It is scheduled in the November to December 2017 time frame right now. They will be published by Dark Ink Press and will be available on Amazon.com.
Never Show Your Hand is approximately 11,000 words and I am working on Chapter Eight of the book. It has been more of a challenge for me because I am writing it from more perspectives than just Clare Thibodeaux’s. I wanted to offer an inside look at what the other main characters (Wyatt, Lee, and Shanaya) are feeling.
Writing from Clare’s point of view is fairly easy because I’ve been in her head for the past two years. Although I’ve been aware of the motivations of the other characters, it is a challenge to jump into their characters and bring their inner dialogues to the forefront. I think it’s turning out to be an exciting story with intrigue, hidden agendas, romance and those darn plot twists I love so much.
Not Mama’s Little Girl, Anymore! is a story about Natalie Parker. She’s a Southern girl with a bit of sass that she uses to hide a hearty dose of personal insecurity. Natalie has been featured in several of my short stories. Another writer suggested she might make for a good full-length book, so I’ve been working on her story as well.
I am weaving her short stories into a larger story in the ChickLit genre. I am 10,000 words into the book at this time. I will include a preview of the first chapter under the “Kate’s Books” tab. Bite-Sized Stories V. 2 is published on Amazon and includes the Natalie short story, “Mucking Around”. The new OMP anthology I mentioned earlier will include another Natalie short story entitled “Not Mama’s Little Girl”.
Thanks for reading! I’ll get busy writing!!
The summer issue of the One Million Project e-zine is out. Lots of stories, awesome cover and more about our authors and their new projects.
Kate McGinn - Storyteller 