Out With the Old and On With the New

I'll be taking Thursday and Friday off from the blog, so I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope your 2010 is full of joy, that you succeed in keep your resolutions (if you make any), and that all your dreams come true.

The high point of 2009 for my husband and I -- we became grandparents for the first time. Our adorable granddaughter is clear out in Boston, so I foresee more travel in our immediate future.

There were plenty of other good moments, including the release of my second Sylvia and Willie mystery. Starting this blog and reaching out to the world through Twitter and Facebook have brought new friends and lots of fun into my life. And the suspense novel I began working on a year ago is finally going well (after I dumped about 15,000 words and rewrote the first few chapters).

The low points were the loss of my much-loved sister-in-law (my brother's wife), my husband's stepfather, and a very dear older cousin. I'd like it very much if all the rest of my friends and relatives could stay healthy and be careful so they stick around through 2010 and beyond. Please.

I'm not putting together a list of resolutions for 2010, other than the goals I'd already set for myself. The big one is getting this novel finished and ready to pitch to an agent at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference in March. This year will be a submission year. I have two manuscripts to market.

So on that note, I wish everyone great success in their projects of choice. And for the writers among us, remember: BITHOK -- "butt in chair, hands on keyboard."

Should Fiction Writers Stick to What They Know?

A friend of mine from Northern Colorado Writers, Peter D. Springberg, MD, FACP, has started a new website and blog ("Eat like the Doc does") on healthy living with a focus on healthy eating.

Peter's medical and career credentials are very impressive. Even more important to his healthy lifestyle project and the weight loss manual he is writing, Peter practices what he teaches. He is trim and fit and full of energy.

This is a perfect example of writing what you know.

In addition to this project, Peter is working on a full-length memoir and also writes short stories. I found The Hat Decides at the website Immigrant Journeys. Since this story took place in the late 1800s, and Peter wasn't born until 1941, he had to learn about the historical context and the incident secondhand through stories and research, and then write the tale with dialogue and descriptive words to make it come alive.

This is an example of writing what you don't know.

Don't hesitate to write what you know, especially if you are, like Peter, an expert on a topic that will interest thousands of readers.

But don't let that little dictum we've heard so often--Write what you know--keep you from exploring new worlds in fiction. Listen to the stories of elders, read books in all genres, study nonfiction on topics of interest, and let your imagination run wild. If one certain fiction writer had stuck to what she knew, we wouldn't have Hogwarts, would we?

How about you? Do you stick to what you know? If not, how much time per week do you spend on research for your current project?

Colorado Author -- Carol Berg

"For Portier de Savin-Duplais, failed student of magic, sorcery's decline into ambiguity and cheap illusion is but a culmination of life's bitter disappointments. Reduced to tending the library at Sabria's last collegia magica, he fights off despair with scholarship. But when the King of Sabria charges him to investigate an attempted murder that has disturbing magical resonances, Portier believes his dreams of a greater destiny might at last be fulfilled..."as quoted from the publisher's synopsis at barnesandnoble.com.

Colorado author Carol Berg is an award-winning science fiction/fantasy genre writer whose newest book, The Spirit Lens, will be released next week. Northern Colorado authors will be able to see and talk to Carol and get books signed at her book launch event at Reader's Cove bookstore in Fort Collins on January 12th from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.


I had the pleasure of hearing Carol speak at a writers' event a year ago. Former software engineer turned epic fantasy writer, Carol willingly shared her experiences with the writing process and the journey to publication for some of her earlier works.

The intriguing covers shown here are for the two novels from The Lighthouse Duet, Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone.

Carol's blog can be found at Text Crumbs.

Bits and Pieces

Last Words on the Roku Digital Video Player

I watched 88 Minutes on my television screen last night via the Netflix Instant Play Queue and our new Roku Player. I give the process and convenience a thumbs up. The only thing that might be a problem for some viewers is that most of the new releases I looked up on the Netflix site were not yet available in streaming format. Doesn't matter to me, as I have lots of older movies in my DVD queue that do have the instant play option.


Good Reads from Colorado Authors

This week I read Mike Befeler's second Paul Jacobson Geezer-Lit Mystery, Living With Your Kids is Murder and Amy Kathleen Ryan's YA novel, Vibes. Loved them both. Note that Amy has a new book coming out in early 2010: Zen and Xander Undone.


Book Contests for Readers from Mystery Writers of America

Just a reminder. Mystery Writers of America gives books away every month in a contest for readers. You still have time to enter for December.


Harlequin Worldwide Mystery at eHarlequin.com

Harlequin Worldwide Mystery will publish The Prairie Grass Murders in mass market paperback in February. The book will only be available at eHarlequin.com.


Progress or Lack Thereof

A month ago I listed Five Things I Want to Accomplish in the Next 39 Days. I am proud to say I've upheld the writer's tradition and procrastinated to the point I can now be certain I will fail on all five items. I will admit I'm close to finishing the first draft of the suspense novel, but it now looks as though I'll be about 10,000 words short on December 31st. (Shrug) Whatever.

Totally Cool Contraption Saves the Day

I love to read, but reading is not a mindless activity. When I read, I think. I keep my brain fully engaged. Television, on the other hand, is what I like to do in the evening. It's a different kind of fantasy world. As a result, when the television season screeches to an abrupt halt for the holiday season, I feel as though my brain is crying out for visual stimulation, for color, for action, for easy entertainment.

My brain wants MOVIES!

In the old days, I would have gone to half a dozen theater showings over the holidays weeks. It's easier now. I subscribe to Netflix (the three-DVD plan), and I have a Blockbuster card for emergencies. So far I've watched Australia, Inglourious Basterds, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Julie and Julia, My Sister's Keeper, Star Trek, New in Town, and the first two discs of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I have Is Anybody There? and Defiance waiting by the DVD player.

On top of that, I've read two books this week and also worked on my novel. I went into Christmas Day wondering how many more books I would read and how many more movies I'd need to rent to get me through my resting hours.

Then we opened our Christmas gift from my oldest son.

He bought us a Roku digital video player. This totally cool contraption hooks up to the televison and the internet and allows the user to buy movies from several different providers. The great part, however, is that the service is covered as part of the normal Netflix monthly rental fee. For not one cent more, I can watch a whole slew of movies from Netflix without waiting for the DVD to show up in the mail. And I can watch the movie instantly if it's already in my Instant Queue. And I can log on to my internet account, select another movie, add it to my Instant Queue, then go down to my television and watch it there. Before we opened that package and I stared at the Roku box, wondering what the heck it was, I did not know there was such a thing as a digital video player option for television via Netflix. And it's so cool.

Dear husband hooked up the Roku yesterday and we tested it to make sure it works. Yay! The first evening he's not glued there watching football or basketball, I'll watch my first instant movie, just because I can.

I know. You're asking, what does this have to do with writing? Sounds more like an infomercial for Netflix and Roku. Uhhh, well, if you're thinking about writing a movie script, or a script for a television series, you need to do research by watching lots of movies and series (on DVD...or via your digital video player). Right? Absolutely.

My Christmas Wish for Kids Around the World

I grew up on a farm in east central Illinois. My dad was a tenant farmer in those days, so we didn't have a lot of money. It didn't bother my brother and me very much. We didn't know we were poor. Poverty doesn't have a lot of meaning for a kid if he has a roof over his head and plenty of food to eat. Farm kids were lucky that way.

When I was six we moved to a farm that became my home until I was out of high school. We had an outhouse instead of an indoor toilet. We hand-pumped ice-cold water into the house. If I remember correctly, we only had to get through that first winter before my dad and uncle installed indoor plumbing. Judging by my memory of the freezing rim on the metal chamber pot, it was a mighty cold winter. One of my best memories is the one of my mother warming flannel sheets on the oil-burning stove in the living room and racing into the ice-cold bedroom to bundle each of us up against the cold, then piling blankets and quilts on top. It didn't bother my brother and me that the bedrooms were unheated, as long as we had a mom to tuck us in with heated blankets.

I went to a grade school in a small town at least ten miles from where I lived. My brother and I were the first kids on the bus in the morning and the last off at night. Because of all the farm kids on the route, the trip for us was over an hour each direction. Our school covered first grade through eighth grade, with one teacher for each two grades. The teachers alternated the two classes, and we studied while the other class was in session. We had pencil and paper and books and our minds. We had a ride to school and willing teachers. It never occurred to us we might be deprived because our teachers taught two grades in one room or that some of the books we used were very old.

For kids all around the world, I wish shelter, good food, cozy blankets, a loving mom and dad with high expectations, dedicated teachers, and plenty of books.

Colorado Author -- Leslie Jimmerson

I met Leslie Jimmerson at The Reader's Cove in Fort Collins the day I was signing there. She had a copy of her book, The World's Too Small for Walls: The Berlin Wall Book with her, and she was kind enough to stop by my signing table for a chat and to show me her stunning piece of photo history. I had heard about the book recently (November was the 20th anniversary of the wall's demise) as there had been coverage by 9News.com as well as a nice article in the Fort Collins Coloradoan. I was pleased to get a first hand look at this hardback collection of photos of the murals and graffiti originally painted on the remaining chunks of wall, later named the East Side Gallery.

Jimmerson was in Berlin before the celebratory sandblasting and replacement of the art, and she came home with 700 photos and an idea. By pairing the art with relevant quotations, she has created a lasting memorial to the original East Side Gallery art and provided her own interpretation, through the words of others, of what this freedom art meant to the people of Berlin and around the world.

The World's Too Small for Walls: the Berlin Wall Book is available only at The Creative Underground at Timeless Creations. The book is listed in the sidebar on the left.

Blog Posts You'll Want to Read

During a writing break, I went blog-cruising to find good reads:

Rookie Lessons for New Bloggers by Katie Kimball on Problogger. I saw this link on Twitter.

Marketing Tips Around the Net: December 18 by Tony Eldredge on Marketing Tips for Authors.

How I Got My Agent by Kody Keplinger at Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents.

I hope you're having a great day.

Kerrie Flanagan's newest project: The Complete Writer

Kerrie Flanagan, the director of Northern Colorado Writers, seems to have more than twenty-four hours in each one of her days and more energy than a dozen three-year-old boys.

So far, Kerrie has given us a great organization for writers that now includes members from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Minnesota, Arizona, and Illinois. She is responsible for the growing success of the Northern Colorado Writers Conference (scheduled for March 26-27, 2010). The second annual Writer's Retreat weekend was held in November. The idea of a studio with space for classes, workshops, critique group meetings, quiet writing room, library, along with coffee and snacks was Kerrie's as well. And there's The Writing Bug, now featuring many of NCW's fine member-writers as guest bloggers.

Now, beginning January 1st, Kerrie is starting a subscription-based writing newsletter for all writers (not just NCW) called The Complete Writer. She is looking for writers to contribute articles.

For now, payment will be $20 per article

Possible topics:

Author interviews, inspirational articles, roundups of great writing blogs, writing craft articles, book reviews of writing books, organizational articles, querying, pitching, personal experience...anything writing related.

Guidelines:

1. Word count 500-750 words

2. Due by the 15th of each month

3. Send completed article to: info@northerncoloradowriters.com

4. Please put "The Complete Writer Submission" in the subject line

5. You will be notified within two weeks as to whether or not your article will be used. You will receive payment within two weeks after the newsletter is published. NCW asks for onetime rights. Reprints are accepted.

Kerrie says that her payment rate will increase as newsletter subscriptions increase.

Some of you have blog posts that would translate into articles, have interesting writerly friends you could interview, just read a great book on writing, or obtained an agent because of your perfect query letter. I hope you'll submit to The Complete Writer.

More Bits and Pieces

Lowery's Candies

In my humble opinion, the best chocolates and candies in the world are made at Lowery's Candies in Muncie, Indiana. It's probably too late to get most orders delivered in time for Christmas unless you live close to Muncie. However, if you have a sweetie who deserves a wonderful treat for Valentine's Day, you might want to bookmark Lowery's url and order early. I lived in Muncie, Indiana for about sixteen years and have sampled most of Lowery's products. When I attend Magna cum Murder, the mystery convention held in Muncie in October, visiting Lowery's is a must.

Writing Progress

So far, so good. I'm still grooving.

Movie Breaks

My best writing time is between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM, so I usually read or watch television or a movie in the evening. Last night (after Survivor), I wept my way through My Sister's Keeper. What a tearjerker! A well-acted poignant drama. Tonight my husband and I have a date to watch the most recent Star Trek movie (which I think is a prequel).

A Problem With One Christmas Gift

I had purchased a copy of Mark Ludy's The Grump as a gift for one of my grandnephews, but after reading the first page, I decided to keep it for myself. Mark is a Northern Colorado author and illustrator. I'll be able to track him down at his Windsor coffee shop and have him sign the book for me. Grandnephew received a copy of Mark's The Farmer instead.

The Soup

I make my soups with a little of this and a little of that. This pot started with beef short ribs simmered most of the day with chopped onion and celery, water, and a can of low sodium beef broth. Mid-afternoon I added more water and two 15 oz. cans of low sodium diced tomatoes. I removed the short ribs to cool so I could dice the meat and discard fat and bones. I also skimmed excess fat from the simmering mixture and added my ground rosemary, Herbes de Provence, chili powder, and a couple of bay leaves. When I added back the meat, I tossed in some barley and a bit of white rice along with a glug, glug of low sodium V8 juice. A little later, sliced carrots and frozen green beans. Finally, chunks of potato and fresh spinach and a bit of salt to taste. Yep, we're having soup again tonight.

And now, back to the WIP.

Bits and Pieces on Today's House Retreat

I promised short introspective posts for the next four days. Today's will be in bits and pieces.

Story Breakthrough

Last night I settled in to read a half hour or so of The Fire in Fiction by agent Donald Maass before going to sleep. It's a wonderful book. I highly recommend it. I was engrossed in a section on ordinary protagonists and secondary characters and how unexpected character traits or behavior can bring a plot alive. I thought about my characters for a moment, and BOOM!, the next half dozen scenes flashed through my mind like a movie on fast forward. I grabbed the pad and pen that resides in the drawer of my bedside paper, and I scribbled it all down. I regularly have fantastic ideas that disappear from my mind as fast as they appear. As a result, I have pads and pens all over the house and notes stacked on my desk.

Today's writing has gone well. I'm in the zone, which is probably why the pounding of workers' hammers on the neighbor's roof did not drive me insane.

Skyping

I took a little break when my daughter and granddaughter Skyped in. This is the greatest communication tool in the world for distantly located parents, kids, and grandparents. I'm wondering why I don't reach out to my blogger friends this way. It would be kind of cool to see real faces and hear real voices.

First, however, I have to go on a diet and get my hair cut.

Oline Cogdill's best mystery novels of 2009

Oline read over 200 novels in 2009 and has listed her favorites in an article from The Olympian. The Desert Hedge Murders was not on her list. However, after looking over Oline's awesome choices, I have to admit I'm not very upset. Two of the debut authors are ones I've mentioned here and on Facebook and Twitter: Stuart Neville's The Ghosts of Belfast and Sophie Littlefield's A Bad Day for Sorry. If you want to work your way through Oline's list, take my advice and start with these two.

The Soup

The timer just went off to let me know it's time to add the canned tomatoes to my vegetable beef barley soup that's going to sustain us for the next three days so I don't have to cook real meals. After that, it's back to the book.

My bad guy just took two pain pills and fell asleep in the waiting room of a hospital trauma center. Serves him right.

Prepping for a Four-Day Writing Retreat at Home

I have cleared almost everything from my schedule for the next four days (Thursday through Sunday) so I can work on my novel. Since I hope to finish the first draft by December 31st, I need to focus. Setting up a couple of "home retreats" seems like a smart move, especially since we are not having company nor are we traveling over the holidays.

The four days will not be totally web-free, but I will be taking shortcuts. My blog posts will be introspective and relatively short, so I won't need links or photos. I will visit a few blog posts but will not leave many comments. E-mails will be answered next Monday. The one thing I won't give up is my reading time for the ReBooWee Challenge, but I've chosen to finish reading a book on writing by agent Donald Maass, The Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great.

Preparations:

1. Purchase one bar of Lindt 70% cocoa intense dark chocolate. (Priority -- Done)

2. Finish the four things left on my To Do List that I consider urgent. (In process)

3. Scheduled for this afternoon: A relaxing massage to take away all distracting muscle aches and that annoying computer ache in neck and shoulders. (Note to self: schedule an extra massage this month. It will count as my Christmas present from Santa Stoltey).

4. Make certain I have all the ingredients for a giant pot of vegetable soup that will, hopefully, last at least three days.

5. Warn husband that my office door will be shut for extended periods of time and that I must not be disturbed when the door is shut unless there is an emergency. Prepare a list of "emergencies" versus "non-emergencies" and post the list on my door.

Can you think of anything else?

My Blogging Writer Award from Elizabeth Spann Craig

Isn't this a great looking award? I received it on her Sunday post from blogger friend and mystery author Elizabeth Spann Craig, author of Pretty Is as Pretty Dies (which I read and loved, partly because of the spunky elder protagonist, Myrtle Clover).

The fun thing about this award is that there are no rules. I don't have to admit to twenty past indiscretions, list the umpteen ways I procrastinate instead of writing, or pass the award on to as many blogging writers as Elizabeth did (50 blogging writers). As a matter of fact, I don't have to pass it on at all.

However, there was this one blogger that immediately popped into my mind. First, she's a member of my critique group, Raintree Writers. Second, she has just finished the first draft of her first novel (YA) and is now in the revision/tweaking stage in preparation for her first agent pitch in March. Third, she jumped into blogging with both feet a few months ago and is doing a fine job. Fourth, she recently did an outstanding guest post on character sketches for fiction writers for The Writing Bug, the blog of Northern Colorado Writers.

As a result, I'm passing the blogging writer award on to Carolyn Yalin and her blog of the same name. And I'm reserving the right to pass this award on to other blogging writers whenever I'm in the mood. Meantime, Carolyn, per Elizabeth's original post, there are no rules. You may attach this blogging award to your own blog if you wish

Colorado Author -- Laura Pritchett

Today I'd like to introduce a Northern Colorado native, Laura Pritchett. Novelist, writing coach and workshop instructor, editor, and environmental writer -- her list of accomplishments is long and her work highly respected in this neck of the woods.

As Novelist and Short Story Author:

Sky Bridge was a winner of the WILLA Literary Award and a finalist for the Dublin International Award and the Colorado Book Award.

"A supermarket clerk in a small dusty town, 22-year-old Libby is full of dreams but lacks the means to pursue them. When her younger sister Tess becomes pregnant, Libby convinces her not to have an abortion by promising to raise the child herself. But then Tess takes off after the baby is born and Libby finds that her new role puts her dreams that much further away. Her already haphazard life becomes ever more chaotic. The baby's father, a Christian rodeo rider, suddenly demands custody."


A collection of short stories, Hell's Bottom, Colorado, won the PEN USA award and the Milkweed National Fiction Prize.

"On Hell's Bottom Ranch, a section of land below the Front Range, there are women like Renny who prefer a 'little hell swirled with their heaven' and men like Ben, her husband, who's 'gotten used to smoothing over Renny's excesses.' There is a daughter who plays it too safe and a daughter plagued by only 'half-wanting' what life has to offer. The ranch has been the site of birth and deaths of both cattle and children, as well as moments of amazing harmony and clear vision. Focusing on one extended ranching family in Colorado, this book balances gritty material with genuine warmth and understanding of character."

As Editor:

"With its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park and flowing down Poudre Canyon, through Fort Collins, and out to the South Platte River near Greeley, the Cache la Poudre’s future is in jeopardy. Moved by their love for the river, and filled with hopeful optimism for its restoration, (Gary) Wockner and (Laura) Pritchett sent out invitations to writers and poets in Northern Colorado . These contributions became Pulse of the River, and all royalties from the sale of the book will be donated to the Colorado Water Trust, the organization setting the most realistic goals for the future of sustainable Colorado rivers."



"All Americans, whether they live in city or country, whether they lean politically left or right, whether they prize open space for the view or the productive capacity of the land, and whether they know a Hereford from an Angus, should read this book. If you care about the West, you must care about the lands of the West—lands that are disappearing rapidly, along with the people and cultures that go along with it. This book brings together the best writers in the West today—poets, ranchers, and conservationists—in a one-of-a-kind, unique look at the West, literally our Home Land. All royalties from this book are being donated to the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust." Edited with Richard Knight and Jeff Lee.


"Never mind the Ph.D. and middle-class trappings—Laura Pritchett is a Dumpster diver and proud of it. Ever since she was old enough to navigate the contents of a metal bin, she has reveled in the treasures found in other people’s cast-offs. For Going Green, Pritchett has gathered over twenty writers to tell their personal stories of Dumpster diving, eating road kill, salvaging plastic from the beach, and forgoing another trip to the mall for the thrill of bargain hunting at yard sales and flea markets. They look not just at the many ways people glean but also at the larger, thornier issues dealing with what re-using—or not—says about our culture and priorities."



For more about Laura's books, visit her website. She is currently working on three books: a new novel entitled Blue Moon Mountain, a memoir called The Normal One, and an anthology about sex and nature.

Experimenting with My Camera -- Christmas Cactus

I've been playing with the digital camera, trying to figure out how to use the flower close-up feature.

No, don't be silly. I haven't read the instructions yet. I like to figure things out for myself.

I practiced a little today by focusing on the blooms of my Christmas cactus plants. Since they consistently refuse to bloom the week of Christmas, it was now or wait until spring when they come back for a second round of blooms.

Here they are. I like this one the best:


The color is a bit too pale on this one. Too much flash, I think:


It's obvious I also need to pay more attention to the background. I may try all of these against the same dark background I used for the white flower. Maybe that would also help with the lighting.


I'm guessing this gorgeous red will really pop as well.


So, back to the drawing board. If I do better on the next try, I'll put up the new ones for comparison.

Okay, now back to work. I'm supposed to be writing. I'll bet none of you can procrastinate as well as I can.

Solo Signing -- The Rest of the Story

I'm going to tell the truth about today's solo book signing at Reader's Cove. I sold two books. One was purchased by a friend who used to belong to my critique group. The other was purchased by my massage therapist.

Although the shopper traffic wasn't real heavy during the two hours I was there, some buyers did make purchases. I noticed that a large percentage of the books sold were children's books.

I purchased a copy of Becca Fitzpatrick's YA bestseller Hush, Hush. This is one of the reasons I shouldn't schedule bookstore signings. I tend to buy almost as many books as I sell.

One bonus -- I met a local author I hadn't heard about before. I've added her to my list of Colorado authors to appear soon on my Monday blog post.

Here are the questions I was asked several times during my two-hour signing:

1. Do you have a copy of Artsy Fartsy?

2. Is there a restroom in here?

3. You wrote these books? (This was usually accompanied by a look of incredulity.)

4. How much are they? (When I answered $25.95, the questioner usually winced and began to back away.)

This was the official wrap-up of my live book promotion efforts for The Desert Hedge Murders. Now I'm going to go into hermit mode and write. I still plan to finish the first draft of my current WIP by the end of the month. Do the hustle!

My Last Book Signing of the Year

I can't believe 2009 is nearly over. But here I am, ready to enjoy my last promo event of the year, a solo signing at one of Fort Collins, Colorado's independent bookstores, Reader's Cove. I'll be there from 1:00 to 3:00 Saturday afternoon (December 12th) . In addition to the new release, The Desert Hedge Murders, I'll also have copies of the hardcover and the audiobook (CD) for The Prairie Grass Murders.

For those who live in Northern Colorado and want to stop by to say hello, Reader's Cove is located at 1001 E. Harmony (near the southwest corner of Harmony and Lemay), between Fiona's Deli (a great place for lunch) and Ace Hardware. These stores are in the next shopping strip east of Kohl's.

Those of you who do a lot of promotion will be surprised to find that this is my first completely solo signing, even though my first mystery was published back in 2007. By joining with other authors to do panels and group events, plus a few non-signing presentations, I slipped through the whole promotional adventure with ease, having much more fun than a beginning author should.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's appearance for several reasons. One, I can finally say I've done one of those solo signings, and report on how it went. Second, I'm hoping some of the local friends I've made on Twitter and Facebook stop by to say hello in person. And third, I'm having lunch at Fiona's. They have the best turkey Reuben sandwich I've ever tasted.

Registration is Open for the Northern Colorado Writers Conference

Writers -- have you started to think about which conferences you want to attend in 2010? Some of them are scheduled pretty early in the year, so you can't wait too long to decide.

Registration just opened up for the March 26-27, 2010 Northern Colorado Writers' Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado. If you register before January 1st, you can sign up at 2009 prices. This conference is held in the Fort Collins Hilton, not far from the Colorado State University campus.

The opening keynote speaker is author and television writer/producer Stephen Cannell. There will be 29 workshops, agent/editor pitch sessions, and plenty of time to network with other attendees. Check the conference page of the website for a list of workshop titles, descriptions, and presenters. You may register for this conference online.

For those who live close to Fort Collins, there will be a pre-conference workshop on March 6th at the NCW Studio.

Questions frequently asked by conference-goers focus on agent/editor pitches. Even those who pitched their work in the past still want to talk about what works and what doesn't. To get you started, Northern Colorado Writers director Kerrie Flanagan has addressed this topic in an article titled How 2 Pitch to an Agent at a Writer's Conference at the Wow! Women on WritingTM website. As Kerrie tells us,

"Writers need to understand that agents attend conferences with the same high hopes that writers do. Writers want to find an agent who will represent them, and agents want to find clients who have a book they can get excited about. The agent/author relationship is that of a partnership where each party has the same goal in mind; to sell the book to a publishing house."

Writers' conferences offer education, opportunity, motivation, networking, and fun. I hope to see you in Fort Collins, Colorado at the end of March.

Tight Earmuffs Can Smush Your Brain

My full disclosure statement: One of my college minors was in natural resources so I've studied air, water, and soil quality as well as environmental law and science. I took these courses in the early 1970s. Believe it or not, environmental science has been around a long time. My second minor was in political science. Politicians have been around even longer than environmental science. Sigh.

AL GORE

In spite of the cold, I went out this morning to run a couple of errands. Bundled up, booted, and muffled (or is that mufflered?), I drove to the drugstore and the bank. As usual, I had the radio on a local talk radio station. So there I was, on nearly the coldest day I've experienced since we moved to Northern Colorado, and I'm listening to Al Gore tell me the Arctic ice cap is melting and will be gone within ten years, that "climate change deniers" (or is that denyers?) are misguided, and carbon dioxide is known to trap heat and is doing so here on earth as we speak.

I started to weep from the sadness of it all, but the heater had not yet raised the temperature inside my car. My tears froze on my face.

Maybe I misunderstood Mr. Gore's words. My ear muffs were on pretty tight.

By the way, I heard a rumor earlier that there was going to be a wonderful event in Copenhagen where you could shake hands with Mr. Gore and get your photo taken for slightly more than $1,200. Then I heard the event had been cancelled. As a matter of fact, I understand Mr. Gore will not be attending the Copenhagen festival at all due to an unforeseen scheduling problem. Darn. Oh, well, maybe he'll come to Colorado and shake my hand for free.

Oops, forgot to take off those tight earmuffs. Smushed all my brain cells.


THE BOOKS

Just for the pure fun of it, I looked up the comparative sales ranks on barnesandnoble.com for four of today's best-selling authors of controversial politically-motivated hardcover books to see who's making the big bucks (note that President Obama's book was published in 2006 so he'd receive a bonus if we weighted the results):

As of the time of this post, here's what I found:

Sarah Palin, Going Rogue. November 2009. Sales rank: 2

Glenn Beck, Arguing With Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government. September 2009. Sales Rank: 24

Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. October, 2006. Sales Rank: 4,408

Al Gore, Our Choice. November 2009. Sales Rank 23,368


CONCLUSIONS

1. Don't spend $1,200 to shake a politician's hand.

2. Read lots of books (but if you want to read any of the four above, I recommend checking them out of the library).

3. Remove your earmuffs from time to time, especially if they're really tight.

Baby, It's Cold Outside...

Baby, it's cold outside...

We have plenty of snow on the ground in Northern Colorado, and the temperatures are slipping to below zero tonight. My husband and I left Florida when we retired so we could enjoy change of seasons. We're getting exactly what we asked for. I will not complain about the snow or the cold.

I will, however, wear more clothes the next time I come to our Northern Colorado Writers studio to write. The ceilings here are pretty high, the heat blowers are up by the ceiling, and heat rises. While typing this post, I'm huddled over my laptop with my extra-warm Colorado State University jacket tucked in around my lap to keep my legs warm.

But these are small inconveniences, and sometimes wonderful things happen when we least expect them. In my case, a writer/blogger friend dropped by the studio and handed me a bag of her homemade baklava and koulourakia (do I have that right, Kay?). I sampled one of the cookies before she was barely out the door. Absolutely delicious! So I had another one.

And now I'm feeling warm all over.

Colorado Authors -- Robin Owens and Deb Stover

My list of Colorado authors is growing instead of shrinking. As a result, I'm featuring two award-winning authors today, both multi-published in romance and cross-genre romance/mystery/paranormal/fantasy/etc.


ROBIN OWENS

Robin Owens writes fantasy and futuristic novels of romance. She has more than fifteen books published or scheduled for upcoming release. The most recent is Heart Change, the eighth novel in this series.

"The story of Cratag Maytree, a guardsman, and Signet D'Marigold who has a strange and unusual talent...their protection of prodigy Avellana Hazel and their love despite their differences."

Visit Robin at her website, or drop by her blog On Writing & Publishing.



DEB STOVER

Deb Stover's latest release, The Gift, is a cross-genre mixture of romance, mystery, and ghosts. By my count on her website's book page, The Gift is Deb's fourteenth novel. It features Beth Dearborn, a former Chicago homicide detective. From Deb's website:

"A gift turned nightmare drives Beth Dearborn to abandon all she holds dear, until fate demands she face Ty Malone, danger, and destiny...."

Deb's website contains her presentation and signing schedule as well as reviews and information on the rest of her books.



If you have gifts to buy for readers of these genres, consider these two fine Colorado authors who have been recognized with several awards for their work.

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

As a result, I had to cancel out on a booksigning today at Who Else Books at the Broadway Book Mall in Denver. That was a big disappointment, because Nina and Ron Else provide wonderful support to Colorado authors, and because the other presenters on our "Mystery Through the Ages" panel are good friends I don't get to see often enough. We formed our panel back in 2007 when most of us were debut novelists. Hopefully, we'll be able to reschedule our Who Else! appearance after the first of the year. In the meantime, Ron and Nina have some of our signed books on hand, so anyone who intended to buy one as a gift can still do so.

Beth Groundwater is the author of A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket, the first two books in her Claire Hanover gift basket series. She recently signed with Midnight Ink to publish the Mandy Tanner river ranger series.

Linda Berry writes the Officer Trudy Roundtree of Ogeechee, Georgia, mystery series. Her most recent release is Death and the Crossed Wires.

Mike Befeler is the geezer lit guru whose Paul Jacobson series features an octogenarian who suffers from short term memory loss. His titles are Retirement Homes are Murder and Living With Your Kids is Murder.

And then there's me, Patricia Stoltey, with the Sylvia (retired Florida circuit court judge) and Willie (Vietnam Veteran/retired accountant) series, including The Prairie Grass Murders (audiobook) and The Desert Hedge Murders.

Here's a photo from one of our 2007 appearances:



From time to time, Robert Spiller joins the panel as well. If you think a math teacher is a dull protagonist for a mystery series, you definitely need to meet Bonnie Pinkwater, the star of Robert's series. The most recent release is Irrational Numbers.

Remember, books make great Christmas gifts.

Gift Baskets for Silent Auctions and Raffles

Writers' conferences and conventions often ask attendees to provide signed books or other donations for auctions where the recipient of the proceeds is a charity, a foundation to promote literacy, or some other good cause. Auctions and raffles also work for non-profits of all kinds. One of the things I like to do for my donation is pull together the ingredients for appropriately-themed gift baskets.

Since our Northern Colorado Writers is celebrating the holiday season with a gathering of members, and we're using a silent auction to help finance our studio rent for next year, I decided to create two gift baskets, one for cooks and one for writers.

When I was ready to assemble my baskets, I spread everything out on the table to see what I had:


Sometimes arranging and balancing the contents is the hardest part. It's helpful to use cellophane grass or shredded colorful paper in the bottom of the basket so certain items can be anchored at the bottom of the basket while others can be lifted higher.

Once I had the items arranged the way I wanted, I wrapped them up in cellophane with the ends bunched at the top. Because my baskets were large, I had to use two layers of cellophane, one east/west and one north/south. I had purchased green cellophane for the cook's basket. The double layer hid the basket's contents a bit too well. From now on I'll use only clear.

Here's the cook's basket, a combination of cookbook, a book of the best food writing from 2009, and assorted condiments, herbs, spices, meat rubs, etc. The cook's coach is a little stuffed flamingo:


And the basket for writers is a survival kit with plenty of chocolate and a few writing books for education and entertainment. The writer's coach is a ladybug.


Baskets can be as large or as small, as expensive or as inexpensive, as you choose. I've found the bigger hobby shops have the best selection of baskets of all sizes at a variety of prices. When you establish a theme, it makes it a lot easier to select the items you use to fill your gift basket.

I Don't Know What to Call This, But It's All Good

This is a random collection of recommended blogs, blog posts, and book news, just for you.


The blogs of wonderful friends who are quirky, fun, and interesting:

Kathleen, whose photos and videos are really special: Retired in the Rockies. Kathleen has recipes from time to time. The asparagus with gorgonzola sauce is one I'm going to try.

Kay, who posts Mutterings of a Wanna-be Writer. She's busy right now baking koulourakia and baklava while her fantasy novel ferments...


Blogs for readers and writers of crime fiction:

The Outfit: A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers. Today's post, Weighing the Output, is by Sara Paretsky.

Murderati: Mysteries, Murder and Marketing. Stephen Jay Schwartz (whose first novel was published in 2009) writes: Step Right Up and Spin the Wheel...


Colorado Author News

On May 18th, I told you about Paula Reed's new novel, Hester, now scheduled for release February 16, 2010.

Paula has a blog now, and she has her first review (Publisher's Weekly) posted there. Her website tells a little more about the novel.

And you may, of course, pre-order from amazon.com at a lovely discount. Barnesandnoble.com as well.



I gave you the scoop about author Teresa Funke on August 10th. Her new World War II themed book for middle graders, V for Victory, is now available.

And don't forget Teresa's book of short stories about women's lives during World War II, Dancing in Combat Boots. This book would make a great gift for any woman in your life, from young teens to elders.

Teresa now performs a one-woman show using her Dancing in Combat Boots stories. I was out of town when she debuted, but am looking forward to her next production in March.


And a Quote to Finish the post:

"Me want cookie!
---------------Spoken by Cookie Monster of Sesame Street

A Bit of Truth from Og Mandino

I saw this quote today . . . my apologies to whoever posted it because I failed to jot down the site's url so I could link back to it later:

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again."
--------------------Og Mandino

This struck me as a great truth.

I didn't recognize Og Mandino's name, so I immediately became curious and looked him up.

Augustine Mandino was an Italian immigrant (whose mother was Irish) who became an American author of books about success. He was born in 1923 and died in 1996. His personal story is fascinating. You can listen to it as well as read it at Og's Story.

Twenty-two books are listed on the author website, among them titles such as The Greatest Salesman in the World, The Greatest Secret in the World, and Secrets for Success and Happiness. It appears there is now an Og Empire with Og Speakers, Og Coaches, Og Retreats, etc. Some of his books have recently been released in gift editions or new formats.

I couldn't help popping over to brainyquotes.com to see if there was any writerly advice I could post. Here's what I found:

"To be always intending to make a new and better life but never to find time to set about it is as to put off eating and drinking and sleeping from one day to the next until you're dead."

"To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can."

There seems to be a theme running through the quotes that speak directly to those of us who are victims of too many interests and a lack of focus:

"It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world. The great man or woman is the one who never steps outside his or her specialty or foolishly dissipates his or her individuality."

I can't really argue with Og's words. When we read interviews with the greatest athletes, musicians, dancers, writers -- whatever the specialty -- we see a common thread. These folks knew what they wanted at a young age and they made a commitment in time and energy to succeed. That's what we need to do, you know, no matter where we are or how old we are. Recognize what we want to do and commit the time and energy to do it. Og Mandino figured it out. So can we.

A Rant About Cell Phones

I don't whine and complain enough. Whining and complaining make great blog posts. I love reading a whiny post, usually leave a comment of sympathy or add my own horrid experience. Today I'm feeling it. It's all about cell phones.

1. I'm sick of people talking on their cell phones while they're driving. For some reason, when a driver talks on a cell phone, his car automatically accelerates and his brakes no longer function properly.

2. Cell phone talkers drive me crazy when they yakkity-yakkity-yak in a place where I'm forced to wait and listen. I was trapped twice yesterday, once in the waiting room at a doctor's office, and once at the grocery store.

The woman in the doctor's office was speaking a foreign language. I couldn't even enjoy eavesdropping. I tried staring her down, but she wouldn't make eye contact.

At the store, I was trying to get to the yogurt. A man stood in the way, talking on his phone, his cart stationary in front of him. I couldn't get his attention, so I left my cart in the aisle and squeezed past to reach the dairy shelves. He suddenly got off the phone, shoved my cart out of the way, and charged around me, leaving me with an armful of yogurts and my cart no longer within arm's reach. I didn't drop anything. If I had, I might have been tempted to stalk the guy to the bakery section and accidentally get in his way.

3. Talking on a cell phone is a lousy excuse for any person to let a door shut on the person walking behind him, for cutting into a line, backing out of a parking space without looking, or ignoring someone who needs help. Anyone who uses a cell phone in this manner needs a smack up the side of the head.

There. I'm finished. Thank you for listening.

ReBooWee -- Read a Book a Week Challenge

Kerrie Flanagan, director of Northern Colorado Writers, has presented a new challenge, this time for readers instead of writers (but all of us writers are also readers, right?).

If you're looking for a good excuse to curl up in your favorite chair and just read, visit the NCW blog, The Writing Bug, and check out Kerrie's proposal. She even has a participant's logo to add to your own blog if you wish to join us. ReBooWee is scheduled for December and January, so now's the time to start making a dent in that To Be Read stack of books spilling off your end tables.

Just so you know, I'm finishing up Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough and am working on Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass. I'm not sure which book I'm going to read next -- should I select from the top of the stack or the bottom? So many books, so hard to decide.

If you participate, you'll check in at The Writing Bug on Mondays and tell Kerrie (and the rest of us) how you did. Go for it. You know you want to.

And if anyone asks you what you're doing, just say: ReBooWee!!