Getting Cozy with Talk Radio

Okay, that might have been a little misleading. I'm talking about "cozy" mysteries and the book I just picked up at the library after seeing the author's guest appearance at Helen Ginger's blog, Straight from Hel.

I'm reading Dead Air: A Talk Radio Mystery by Mary Kennedy. It's off to a great start...a talk show therapist with scads of bizarre callers makes an interesting protagonist. And it doesn't hurt to have a handsome and sexy cop in the picture.

Which leads me to talk about cozy mystery series. I'm always interested in new ideas authors have for creating a market niche with a unique setting, or an unusual vocation or hobby for the protagonist, or a bizarre cast of characters in an unlikely location.

Just from Colorado authors there are knitting mysteries (Maggie Sefton), bird watching series (Christine L. Goff), and home crafting mysteries about everything from making soap to cheese (Cricket McRae). Diane Mott Davidson writes about Goldy Bear's Catering Service and Beth Groundwater's new series will feature a white water river ranger.

I like to visit a website called Cozy Mystery List. Here mysteries are categorized by everything from setting to protagonists' occupations. There are series that feature animals, stories grouped by location, mysteries with senior sleuths and more. Not all cozy authors are listed, but it's a great place to start if you're searching for something new and different.

Are you a fan of cozy mysteries? If so, who are your favorite authors?

Cirque du Soleil, Writer's Knowledge Base, and That's All

Cirque du Soleil

I'm pretty excited about this afternoon. I signed up for a Senior Center bus to the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado for a matinee performance of the Cirque du Soleil touring performance of Alegria. You'll have to check out the website, because I already know they don't allow photos during the performance. There's a wonderful trailer you might want to watch if you have two and a half minutes.

Last summer I saw a different Cirque du Soleil show called The Beatles: Love at the Mirage in Las Vegas. It was wonderful, as expected. I'm sure Alegria will be equally spectacular.


Writer's Knowledge Base

Here's a gift from Elizabeth Spann Craig (aka Riley Adams) that you'll love if you're a writer. For some time, she has been collecting writerly articles from across the web and offering up them up on Twitter and her own blog. Now there's a complete searchable database with all this information at our fingertips. It's called Writer's Knowledge Base: The Search Engine for Writers. You'll want to bookmark this site and return often. And if you want to personally thank Elizabeth, here's the blog post where she talks about the service.


That's All, Folks

I mean that's all for today. I'll be back Monday.

Meanwhile, I'm going to work hard at catching up on everyone else's blog posts. There's so much going on, and I'm starting to feel out of touch.

Working at This Place is Murder! (Or the Problem with Writing a Mystery Series) By Karen McCullough, Guest Blogger

Today I'd like to welcome Karen McCullough, author of a number of novels in the romantic suspense, fantasy, and mystery genres, including A Question of Fire, Shadow of a Doubt, Wizard’s Bridge, and Witch’s Journey. Her novella “Heart of the Night” is part of the Shadowed Hearts series of Gothic romance novellas, and “Vampire’s Christmas Carol” was published in the Beneath a Christmas Moon anthology of paranormal Christmas stories. More information on Karen's books can be found at her website.

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Working at This Place is Murder! (Or the Problem with Writing a Mystery Series) By Karen McCullough, Guest Blogger

I have a book releasing right about now from Five Star/Gale Group/Cengage that I hope will be the first of a series of mystery novels. The book is A Gift for Murder and the series is Market Center Mysteries. These are stories set a fictional market center building and exhibition hall in Washington, D.C. and feature as the main detective, the assistant to the director of the center.

I’m currently writing the second book and mentally working on the third, but starting the second one smacked me with the obvious problem in creating a mystery series set in the same place. How do you make it realistic? I mean any place that has more than one murder in the space of a year has got to be one heck of a dangerous place to work, right? And it’s certainly going to draw some extra attention from local law enforcement types, even though each murder eventually does get solved and the killers and motives are varied.

If you’re going to write mysteries, and especially mysteries that have the word “Murder” in the title, you’ve got to have a murder in the story, so there’s no way around that. The setting at a market center means there are different events going on all the time, so it’s easy to vary the circumstances and motives for the crimes, and the cast of characters is constantly changing.

In fact, that’s part of what makes this setting so appealing to me. Lots of different people come and go and lots of different things happen. A trade show in the gift industry is a somewhat different animal from a trade show in the agricultural products industry. And I’ve been told that a show in the hair products industry can be an amazing event. I plan to try to check that out for myself!

What they have in common—and what makes them a great setting for a mystery—is that the stakes are high, the time is compressed, and people are out of their normal environment. Emotion can run high and money flows, and that can lead to all sorts of bad outcomes.

But still… How many murders can you realistically have happen in one place? At what point do the cops and the FBI and who knows who else begin to give everyone in the place the fish-eye and ask “What’s going on here?” When do my characters say, “This place is much too dangerous to keep working here?”

I guess I’m going to find out. And maybe, I can find a way to work that very issue into the stories as a thread or plot element. An interesting challenge.

More about A Gift for Murder, available now for pre-order.

The heroine of A Gift for Murder, Heather McNeil, is assistant to the director of the fictional Washington, D.C. Commerce & Market Center. In that role she gets to mediate disputes between feuding exhibitors, field complaints about dirty carpet, deal with malfunctioning popcorn machines, and generally provide a sympathetic ear to unhappy clients. Finding the body of a murdered executive during the biggest show of the year isn’t part of the job description. Nor is trying to find the murderer, but from various things she’s heard, Heather is pretty sure the authorities are off-base in their suspicion that the executive’s wife killed him. If she doesn’t identify the real murderer herself, the odds are that person will get away with it and possibly kill again.

A Gift for Murder is projected as the first in a series of “Market Center Mysteries,” with additional books and stories to come.The Market Center Mysteries website for the series is now open at for more information about the books, settings, and characters.

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Karen, thanks so much for being my guest here today. It's always a special treat to feature a Five Star/Gale author.

You can learn more about Karen by checking out her bio at her website.

Wednesday Scramble

Tomorrow's Guest Blogger

I'll be welcoming Five Star/Cengage mystery author Karen McCullough. Her novel, A Gift for Murder, is now available for pre-order.


Two New Releases from Members of Northern Colorado Writers

Check out Food Allergies and Schools: A Pocket Guide for Educators by Julie Trone. If your kids have life-threatening food allergies, you might also be interested in the Allergy Free Table website.

Laura Lee Carter is the author of How to Believe in Love Again! Laura Lee speaks from personal knowledge about how to examine your fears and rebuild trust after a bad experience with love.


The Northern Colorado Writers Facebook Page

Have I mentioned this page to you and how much I want you "Like" us? I did that already?

Okay, but let me give you one more reason why you want to check us out from time to time and see what we're up to. Starting this Friday, for instance, we'll be posting weekly fun questions or challenges. Who know, we might even give something away from time to time. You'll never know if you don't stay tuned. You don't have to belong to Facebook to see our page, but you do need a Facebook account to "Like" us or participate in NCW Q&As or challenges. Find us right here.


What I'm Reading and a Note About Breaking the Rules

Fannie Flagg's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. A note for writers: Fannie Flagg breaks rules about long passages of narrative, wandering point of view, and excessive use of adverbs and adjectives. She does it brilliantly, creating wonderful stories I can't put down (thereby depriving me of sleep). I am in awe of her talent. If you haven't read any of her novels, I highly recommend my personal favorite, Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! Learn how to break the rules and do it right!


The Prairie Grass Murders and The Desert Hedge Murders

I'm sure it's been a while since I reminded you that The Prairie Grass Murders is now available as an eBook for Kindle and Nook. And even longer since I told everyone The Desert Hedge Murders is still available in paperback from Harlequin Worldwide Mystery. So there. Consider yourself reminded (and feel free to spread the word...I won't mind).

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Beep! Beep!

I'm at my regular Tuesday gig at Chiseled in Rock, trying to get a little attention with a photo of the charming burro from Oatman, Arizona, who poked his head in the window of the Oatman Hotel lobby to see if anyone in there had a carrot.

I also have a couple of links that will be of interest to writers, so don't dawdle. You don't want to miss these opportunities.

My Path to Publication by Mary Ann Seymour, Guest Blogger

Today it's my pleasure to introduce Mary Ann Seymour, author of Around the Square and Butterfly Messages.

This fall I attended a large author's event hosted by Jax Outdoor Gear and Jax Ranch and Home stores in Fort Collins, Colorado. I had the good fortune to sit near several authors I had not met before, including Mary Ann. It's always fun to meet other writers, chat a bit, and explore their books...and gather the names of potential guests for my blog.

Here's Mary Ann to tell how she came to be a published author.

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My Path to Publication by Mary Ann Seymour, Guest Blogger

Looking back, I guess I always have enjoyed writing. My senior year in high school I wrote a research paper that received an A++. In a college philosophy final, I criticized an income tax system I didn't even understand but still received an A because I wrote such a strong argument against it. A college history professor told me I could write an answer around an essay question much better than I could take a multiple choice test.

However, it was not until many years later that I took writing very seriously. I had undergone back surgery and wondered if I would ever be able to return pain free to my teaching career. While working with kindergarten children, my body was used to bending over, sitting cross-legged on the floor, and getting on and off small chairs. I wasn't sure how my repaired back would adjust.

Part of my post-surgery therapy was walking. I started out with short walks through our small-town looking neighborhood, and it was on one of those walks that I thought that if I could not go back to teaching maybe I could write a book. As I continued to walk that morning the entire plot came to me in about five minutes. (The only thing I was not sure of was the financial part, and that was clarified for me by my financial planner husband.) I carried those ideas in my head for a couple of weeks before I actually sat down at the computer to write.

I researched some things about Iowa and found what I could about the witness protection program, which seemed to be almost as classified as those in the program itself. On a cool, drizzly July day, my husband and I walked through one of the nice old areas of Fort Collins taking pictures of turn-of-the-century houses. These pictures became very beneficial as I pictured my fictitious Iowa town of Hayward. For my benefit I sketched a map of the neighborhood, who lived where, and the location of the stores on the main street.

Once I actually got into the writing it progressed consistently although slowly. My husband was very helpful in keeping me on task. "Are you writing tonight?" was his nightly question, and I almost looked forward to having school work to do so I could take a break. After the book was published many teachers asked me about the process and were hoping I could talk about it with their students. But when they learned that I did not work from an outline as all fourth and fifth grade students are taught, they decided I might not be the best example for beginning writers.

When the work was complete I had no idea what to do with it since dealing with agents and publishers was unfamiliar territory to me. My husband was determined to get it published even though I wasn't sure I wanted to proceed. He found a company, the manuscript was submitted and accepted, and we were off with Around the Square. Two years later (May, 2010) the sequel, Butterfly Messages, was published.

Being somewhat of an idealist I made up my little town to be a place I actually would like to live in my retirement, a place with a grocery store, drug store, bank, library, church, close medical facilities and, of course a local restaurant where the townsfolk gather. But more importantly it had to be a place where neighbors actually were neighborly and where some of those neighbors were easier to tolerate than others. I welcome you to visit my website to find out more about me and why I picked the location that I did for my stories.



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Thanks, Mary Ann, for being my guest today.

Mary Ann is published by Christian-based Tate Publishing (print books and audiobooks as well as eBooks)

It's Friday....Yay!

Why is this Friday special? Because I'm having my own private little write-in this weekend. My muse says, "It's about fritootin' time." She's right. I've been goofing off for way too long.

Katie says, "Hi!"

Northern Colorado Writers

Please drop by our Northern Colorado Writers Facebook page and "Like" us. We like you...

Did you know NCW has a series of writing contests in 2011? Don't you think you should check it out? The short fiction contest deadline has been extended to January 31st.


Consider Hosting Dilly

Rena Jones, children's author, has an adorable idea for promoting her upcoming release, A New Friend for Dilly. Rena is looking for hosts for a Dilly flat figure that will get mailed from place to place, a chance for Dilly and all the rest of us to make new friends along the way. Each host will take a picture of Dilly, such as with a pet or in a scenic location, and then write a post about the experience. All the details are at her blog, Rena Jones.


Have a Wonderful Weekend!

The Wolf Man of Ely by Michael Allan Mallory, Guest Blogger

I first learned about Michael after our first mysteries were published in 2007 by Five Star/Gale. Not long after, I had the pleasure of meeting Michael and his wife, as well as his co-author Marilyn Victor, at a mystery convention.

You won't find nicer folks in all of mystery bookdom, and that's saying a lot because the world of mystery is full of warm, friendly, and helpful writers (and spouses) you'd all like to have living next door...yes, even if we do write about murder and mayhem.

A lot of research was needed to create this mystery series. Today Michael tells us about his experiences at a wolf center for the newest release, Killer Instinct.

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The Wolf Man of Ely by Michael Allan Mallory, Guest Blogger


Don’t let the wolves grab you; they’re strong and they’re hungry.

Those words flashed through my head as the blood dripped down my forehead onto my sweatshirt while fifteen feet away three gray wolves watched me with interest.

I wasn’t in danger. A tall chain-link fence separated me from the animals, but with the scent of my blood in the air, I had a moment’s doubt. Even without the fence, I probably wouldn’t have been attacked. Mocked, perhaps, the object of bemused wolf laughter at the clumsy human in their midst, but not physically harmed.

I was at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, one of a dozen volunteers that weekend helping to enrich the lives of the animals at this respected learning center in Superior National Forest near the Canadian border. It was Friday evening of the first day and I’d messed up. My work detail was extending the height of the holding area fence, and I’d been the guy on top of the ladder. When I moved the ladder the socket wrench I’d left on the top step tumbled down onto my skull. My palm was red after I’d touched my forehead, the blood soon dripping freely into view. Physically intact, the accident left me mortified. It’d happened in front of everyone.

I’d wanted to impress Lori Schmidt, the wolf curator, with my hard work that weekend so she’d be amenable to answering my questions later. I was at the wolf center, in part, to research my next book. Now I felt like the Mayor of Doofusville being the first “casualty” of the weekend. Ushered into the wolf lab, I was tended to by another volunteer who staunched the wound, no stitches required, much to my relief. Lori even came to check in on me and chatted for a bit. I rejoined the work detail shortly thereafter with no further mishaps. And, no worries. When I later told her about my book project, Lori was quite happy to answer all my questions about her favorite animal.

There was a lot to learn about this iconic animal of the wilderness and I wanted to get my facts straight, as well as get some great behind-the-scenes details at the wolf center. I wanted to do right by the wolves. Over the centuries, they’ve gotten a lot of bad press in the West, nearly all of it undeserved. Vilified as vicious, bloodthirsty killers, wolves are neither. They are apex predators, tireless runners, many times smarter than the smartest dog, loving parents. They’re also fundamental players in the health of their ecosystems, a fact that didn’t prevent most countries from exterminating their wolf populations.

Minnesota has the distinction of being the only state in the contiguous forty-eight United States that never exterminated its wolves. At this time nearly three thousand gray wolves thrive in Superior National Forest. This is the background for Killer Instinct in which zoologist Lavender “Snake” Jones goes to the North Woods of Minnesota to help investigate the shooting of four wild wolves, a tense situation that escalates into the murder of two suspects.

Working with the wolves was the most enjoyable aspect of researching this project. The fence mishap occurred a few summer’s ago. Last year I returned to the wolf center as a volunteer. Over the weekend we put up new privacy fencing in the retirement pack area. No accidents this time, I emerged from the weekend unscathed. Lori joked about it later.

Looking back, I realize that getting conked on the head turned out to be blessing in disguise, as it made me memorable and prompted the wolf curator to seek me out. It certainly broke the ice between us, the ice and my scalp! The accident provided the opportunity I’d been looking for to talk with her. Though I didn’t think so at the time, spilling a little blood in pursuit of my goal turned out to be a good thing.

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Thanks so much, Michael, for being my guest today. I wish you the greatest luck with Killer Instinct and with the Snake Jones series.

Michael works with assorted computer technologies for an architectural and engineering firm in Minneapolis. In his spare time, he has studied and taught Wing Chun kung fu.

To learn more about Michael Allan Mallory and Marilyn Victor and the zookeeper series, visit the Snake Jones Zoo Mysteries website. The first book in the series, Death Roll, is available as an e-book as well as an audiobook. Killer Instinct is available in hardcover at online booksellers or may be ordered through your local chain or independent bookstore.

Wednesday Scramble

Tomorrow's Guest

I'm very excited to have mystery author Michael Allan Mallory as my guest blogger tomorrow. Michael and his partner in crime, Marilyn Victor, have created an excellent series character in zookeeper Lavender (Snake) Jones. Their books are Death Roll and the newly released, Killer Instinct.


And Another Guest for Monday

I'll be introducing one of our fine Colorado authors, Mary Ann Seymour, who wrote Around the Square and Butterfly Messages.


What I'm Reading

I just finished Harlan Coben's Hold Tight. Now I'm reading Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg.


Katrina Update

It only took 38 shots for me to get this one good photo of Katie in action during evening playtime. Thank goodness for digital cameras.




Is it any wonder I'm not getting much writing done? When all other forms of procrastination fail, adopt a kitten.

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: An Interview With an Elf?

Yep, Nancy Williams is my guest today at Chiseled in Rock, and she has submitted an interview with one of the characters in her new eBook, The Treasures of Carmelidrium.

Nancy is giving away eBooks to three winners at the end of her tour, so you may want to visit all of the stops and leave a comment. The more comments you leave, the better your chances of winning. Today's comment must be left at Chiseled in Rock.

The complete tour list with links is at Nancy's blog: N. R. Williams, Fantasy Author.

Things I Didn't Know About Martin Luther King Jr.

I just read the bio of Martin Luther King Jr. at the official website of the Nobel Prize, Nobelprize.org. Here are a few things I did not know:

1. His first name was Michael until he later had it changed it to Martin.

2. Martin graduated from high school at the age of fifteen.

3. He was nineteen when he received his B.A.

4. Between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times...and wrote five books.

5. When he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, he was the youngest man to have received the prize.

Most of us know about the I Have a Dream speech. Here are a few more places to find King's thoughts and ideas in his own words:

Strength to Love (Sermans and Essays) (1963)

The Measure of a Man (Devotional Addresses) (1959)

Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? (1967)

Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (1958)

Why Can't We Wait? (1963)

The Trumpet of Conscience (1968)

Oh, Look! I'm At Vintage Cookbooks!

There was a time when I enjoyed cooking, but these days I throw stuff together with a handful of this and a dash of that. Check out Shrimp Creole Patricia Stoltey's Way at Amy Alessio's Vintage Cookbook Blog. This month includes flaming and spicy recipes in honor of Molly McRae's new mystery release, Lawn Order. You'll find some wonderful authors guest posting this month (most of them mystery writers) and a bunch of very tasty recipes.

The Winner Is...

Rena Jones
Montana

Rena writes children's books, so she has a website and a blog where you can learn about her books and view the charming cover art. She is also a nature photographer, so if you scroll down the page at her blog, you'll find links to slide shows featuring her work.

A new copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping a New You, is ready to put in the mail.

Lazy Blogger's Post

Yesterday was so cram full of events that I was too worn out to write a coherent post about books or writing. I won't even mention the big meal, and the wine, I consumed at the dinner theater where we enjoyed a performance of Smoky Joe's Cafe. My husband and I were celebrating our upcoming 25th wedding anniversary.

Yes, we left Katie at home by herself all evening. She didn't make any messes and she seemed glad to see us when we got home, so all is well.

So on to the lazy blogger's post:

The December winners of the Fort Collins Coloradoan photo contest have been announced. As always, the entries are all worth a peek, and the winner, "Moonrise at Sunset," by Mike Payne, is stunning. To view the photos, go to the Coloradoan's Xplore Photo Contest Page.

I have not submitted any photos to this contest. The entries are always so good that I'd have to get a spectacular shot before I'd consider it worthy.

However, I did catch a few pretty clouds just before sunset one evening last month. This was before the skies turned gray and the cold and snows hit. I stuck a mini-version of the photo up there instead of my profile photo.

Please drop back by tomorrow if you want to see whose name is drawn to receive the copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You. Entries were closed as of midnight last night.

Write What You Know … and Other Writing Advice I’ve Twisted to My Benefit by Linda Faulkner, Guest Blogger

My guest today is author, blogger, businesswoman Linda Faulkner. If I remember correctly, I first met Linda when I followed a link to her Author Exchange Blog, a site where she promoted other authors, posting announcements and interviews. This year, she is switching from the interviews to featuring guest posts. Submission guidelines are available at the blog.

Linda's new release is non-fiction: Taking the Mystery Out of Business. A mystery, Second Time Around, was released in 2009.

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Write What You Know … and Other Writing Advice I’ve Twisted to My Benefit by Linda Faulkner, Guest Blogger


We writers have heard all kinds of advice. I’m here to tell you that some writing advice is good and some is poop. Then there’s the kind of advice you need to heed … after twisting it into shape as if it were your own personal Gumby action figure.

The biggest piece of writing advice I followed and then twisted to my benefit is write what you know. It led me to earn significant income from my writing and it can help you do the same thing.

BACKSTORY:

Life, in the guise of a divorce and facing single-motherhood with three teenagers, put a serious crimp in the amount of time I was able to devote to my fiction writing—which I’d been doing since childhood. Which meant I wrote essentially zero fiction between 1994 and about 2003.

MEAT OF THE STORY:

Of course, being a writer means writing. Although I didn’t have the time to write fiction during those years, I found myself writing other stuff—all in the insurance industry, which is where I worked. In addition to owning an insurance agency, I was an insurance trainer and instructor. So, I began writing insurance texts and courses. I was asked to write magazine articles in insurance trade journals. Then, a fellow I knew who published a monthly entertainment magazine in Orlando, Florida asked me to write a monthly business column for his periodical—even though I lived in Massachusetts.

These pursuits propelled me to my first “professional” publication of material in 2002. I sold one business in Massachusetts in 2003, moved to Montana three months later, and founded two different insurance businesses here. One of them is an insurance education and training business and, you guessed it, I wrote the entire curriculum.

I found the time to write a couple more fiction novels and one sold in 2008. However, the really interesting and ironic thing about the release of Second Time Around in January 2009 is that it thrust me into a completely different realm of publishing and writing: freelancing and non-fiction.

When I shouted to the world that I was a published writer—for some odd reason, many people didn’t take the magazine, newspaper, and trade publications seriously, even though I was paid to write them—I began receiving contract offers to write all kinds of stuff for businesses, insurance education organizations, a national speaker, etc.—and I snatched them up!

Which, in turn, prompted my husband to say, Why don’t you write some business books? They’re bound to sell better than that mystery. (He, the one who loves gory blood and guts science fiction movies and TV series, thinks reading mysteries and romance is going to rot my brain!) Despite our personal differences about the boob tube and romance novels, I followed his advice. Taking the Mystery Out of Business: 9 Fundamentals for Professional Success, the first in a series of business books, was released this month.

LESSON OF THE STORY:

I wrote what I knew.

Yes, YOU probably find insurance boring. I don’t--I love it. I’ve been working in the field for 36 years. I know it. I know it really well. And there’s a market for well-written insurance education material.

With my business book, I wrote what I knew. Not only have I been working in the business world for 36 years, I founded four different businesses—including my professional writing pursuits.

What do YOU know really well? What can you write about with absolute conviction, certainty, and expertise? In what subjects are you considered an expert?

Let me tell you, there aren’t too many “experts” out there who are really good writers. If there’s a market for a writer in your field, not only can you hone your writing skills, you can also earn darned good money doing it.

If you’re not on Linked In, you’re missing the boat. If you are on it and you’re not advertising and promoting ALL your professional endeavors, you’re still missing the boat. I formed a solid relationship with a client who regularly contracts me for freelance writing as the result of a search on Linked In.

Tell the world you write: then write any darned thing you can.

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Linda, thanks so much for being my guest today. It's always a pleasure working with you.

To learn more about Linda and her books, visit her website as well as her blogs, Taking the Mystery Out of Business, Linda Faulkner, and Author Exchange Blog.

She can be found on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Wednesday Scramble (and a Book to Give Away)

Tomorrow's Guest

I'm pleased to feature Linda Faulkner as my Thursday guest this week. She has an interesting twist on "write what you know," so I hope you join us. I'll have the coffee on (and hot water for the tea drinkers).


Giving Away a Copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul

I attended a reading and signing of one of the contributors to the new Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping a New You on Saturday. I've been enjoying my copy of the book so much that I bought an extra copy to give away here. Just leave a comment on today's or tomorrow's blog post to be eligible. Be sure you have a way for me to reach you in your profile or in the body of the comment. I'll close off entries tomorrow night at midnight, and will announce the winner on Saturday.


Katie Kat Takes Over

When I use my desktop computer, Katie likes to sit in my lap. Unfortunately, my chair is a little high, so my lap slopes and Katie tends to gradually slide toward the floor.

I found a solution yesterday. I moved the pillow that I kept behind my back to my lap and braced it against the keyboard tray. Katie slept on the pillow while I wrote this blog post. I'm not sure who's the pet and who's the mistress here.


Recommended Blog Post

Check out The 7 Secrets of an Indie Editor by Victoria Mixon at write to done: unmissable articles on writing. Victoria is the author of The Art & Craft of Fiction: A Practitioner's Manual. She blogs at A. Victoria Mixon, Editor.

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Stuff Writers Need to Know

As usual on Tuesdays, I'm over at Chiseled in Rock.

"Stuff Writers Need to Know" is about social media opportunities to help a writer establish a presence on the web. The link to the sign-up page for Dani Greer's upcoming Blog Book Tour class is included.

I'll be back here tomorrow with my Wednesday Scramble.

Rummaging Around In the Medieval Mind by Kathleen Guler, Guest Blogger

Today's special guest is Kathleen Guler, winner of the 2010 Colorado Book Award for Historical Fiction for her most recent novel, A Land Beyond Ravens

Author of the four-part Macsen's Treasure series of historical spy novels set in fifth century Britain, Kathleen's work has been recognized with numerous writing awards. She was named to CBS Denver's list of Best Fiction Authors of 2010.

The other books in the Macsen's Treasure Series include Into the Path of Gods, In the Shadow of Dragons and The Anvil Stone. They are available from Amazon.com, other online retailers, or can be ordered through any bookstore.

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Rummaging Around In the Medieval Mind by Kathleen Guler, Guest Blogger


Thank you, Patricia, for inviting me to write a guest post. I’m honored!

Daydreaming is a good thing. One of my grade school teachers, however, probably would disagree. She once asked, “What’s first person singular of the verb ‘to be’?” She called my name and followed with, “You look like you’re daydreaming.” I answered flippantly, “I am,” meaning I was, in truth, daydreaming and had not heard the question. Coincidentally it was the right answer. Miffed she hadn’t embarrassed me, she scowled and moved on to the next daydreamer.

I don’t remember what I was daydreaming then, but it could have been about knights in shining armor, the Three Musketeers, or that clever fellow Zorro of early California. To seek the adventure of another time and place always had a certain appeal. Is it ladies in long dresses? Hunky men in kilts? Exotic languages no longer spoken? Great sword fights?

My daydreams evolved into an insatiable interest in history and manifested in the form of historical fiction. But writing historical fiction is not simply setting a story in another time. Besides embracing the historian’s craft of research and the art of the written word, a writer needs to be able to intuit the mindset of the chosen era.

In writing the four-novel Macsen’s Treasure Series, I’ve become deeply familiar with fifth century Britain. This period lies between the end of Roman rule and the Anglo-Saxon conquest (ca. 400-600 C.E.) when Britain was divided into around fifty squabbling little kingdoms. The native culture was likely Celtic for the most part, the south was Romanized; wild Picts lived north of Hadrian’s Wall, and Germanic tribes, collectively called Saxons, were gradually spreading west and north from the southeast. The Roman church had made its initial foothold as well, shifting religious thought from Celtic and Roman paganism to Christianity. Lines blurred among these cultures, both along borders and in time.

Every author has a method of converting hoards of raw knowledge into the mindset of another era. For me, it begins with sitting alone in the dark at night, undisturbed, and taking on a character’s persona—daydreaming the character through a scene until she’s so real she’s sitting right here in the room. It’s sensing the entirety of the place, feeling the cold mist on skin, smelling the burnt-mud odor of peat fires, hearing a sword blade slash against chain mail, seeing the timber fort crowning a hill. It’s listening to the hero’s voice, deep and resonant because, like everyone else, he constantly breathes in smoke from the hearth. It’s watching his habit of raking his fingers through his hair because the norm was to wear it long. I ask: what would a warlord do when someone of his clan is killed? Follow the law? What does he think of the law? Will he strike back? If so, will his clansmen follow him without question or waste time with endless bickering?

Creative daydreaming can take the spark of an idea and give it the fire to unfold in all its power. How fascinating—and challenging—to puzzle together another era, then raise a long dead and very human story to life! It has been an amazing journey to experience these characters through the course of four books and I look forward to another journey as I begin to research my next writing project. It has even inspired me to go back to school for a Masters Degree in History.

I wonder—what would that grade school teacher say if she knew where my daydreams have taken me?

-------------------------

Kathleen, thank you so much for being here today. I love to read history and historical fiction, but find writing historical novels a bit overwhelming. Research takes a lot of time. You've given us some good insight into process. I wish you all kinds of good luck and fun getting your Masters.

For more information about Kathleen and her books, visit her website. Kathleen blogs about writing and her novels at Lighting up Britain's Dark Ages.

Are You Going to Attend the Northern Colorado Writers Conference?

The Northern Colorado Writers Conference has been scheduled for March 11-12 at the Hilton (near the Colorado State University campus) in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Here are all the reasons I can think of why you should go:

1. Colorado is great.
2. Fort Collins is great.
3. Northern Colorado Writers is great.
4. And the conference just keeps getting better every year.

Agents and editors will be taking pitches. This year we are fortunate to have Rachelle Gardner of Wordserve Literary, Kelly Sonnack from Andrea Brown Agency, and Michael Ebeling and Kristina Holmes from Ebeling Associates. Editors will be announced soon.

The lineup of guest speakers and workshop presenters is available on the main conference page. The tentative conference schedule, designed to educate and motivate writers at all levels, has also been posted.

Katrina "Kat" -- New Member of the Household

My husband and I visited the local animal shelter yesterday and found a three-month-old tabby that liked us as much as we liked her.

For the first two hours in our house, she ran up and down the stairs, explored every corner and cubbyhole, ran and jumped and played, smelled the flowers on all my plants, and purred a lot.




Every few minutes she'd jump in a lap and demand petting, then dash away for more exploration. She moved so fast I found it hard to take pictures. She'd be perfectly posed, but by the time the shutter clicked, she was on her way to some new adventure. I have a lot of photos like this:



And this:



At one point she checked out my Writer's Digests, then went for a short cut to the little ball on the couch:



And finally she found my husband sitting at his computer and claimed his lap for a nap.



Needless to say, I didn't spend much time at the computer yesterday or last night. I was busy reminding Katrina where I'd placed the litter box, where her food and water was, that "No" meant, "No scratching on the furniture...that's what this scratching thingie is for," and making sure she was only smelling the African violets, not eating them.

I even cleared space on my office table so she could get to the window sill and stare out the front window.

When I finally did sit down to write this blog post, she ended up in my lap, taking another snooze.

Such fun!!!

Wednesday Scramble

Thursday's Guest...

Will be a surprise (mainly because I didn't schedule anyone into that slot). But...


I Have a Monday Guest for January 10th

I'll be introducing Kathleen Guler, winner of the 2010 Colorado Book Award in Historical Fiction for her novel, A Land Beyond Ravens.


A Special Round of Applause Goes to...

My friend and Northern Colorado Writers member Peter Springberg whose article, Life Changes, is included in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You. This excellent Chicken Soup edition came just at the right time for me since I need to shape up!

Peter blogs at "Eat like the Doc does," a great place to visit for solidly researched information on healthy living, diet, and exercise. For anyone who lives in Northern Colorado, Peter will be signing copies of this Chicken Soup edition at Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins this Saturday, January 8th, at 1:00 PM.


And Speaking of Northern Colorado Writers

The NCW Writers Conference is scheduled for March 11-12 in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to the awesome presenters, there will be agents taking pitches. Here's your chance to visit a wonderful Northern Colorado town, meet a lot of really nice writers, and soak up the inspiration and motivation a good conference provides. Registration is open.


Two Excellent Blog Posts...

I'd like to recommend Jenny's post at The Writing Bug: Six Impossible Things. Jenny says, "I’ve decided that instead of making resolutions this year, I will believe in six impossible things every day before breakfast." Her list is fun, and it triggered some interesting ideas.

Another post I enjoyed was Sage Cohen's guest appearance at Sheila Deeth's blog: How I Became a Productive Writer - and How You Can, Too. I had just ordered Sage's new book, The Productive Writer, so was most happy to find out she also has an inspirational blog.


Explaining the Chicken

A couple of visitors noticed the chicken that replaced my profile photo. If you click on it, you'll end up at one of my silly posts from last year. It's a bit of fun.

The chicken won't stay long...I'll probably do something else silly next week. It's part of my plan to lighten up and let my inner child come out to play.


That Writing Goal

I set a goal of writing 500 words a day in 2011. I'm pleased to announce I'm now at -2000 words written down on paper (that's minus 2000 words), but that I've written a complete story in my head.

Now I just need to get it typed into Word. Since it will probably come out to about 3,000 words, I can still claim I've met the goal if I start typing today.

What do you think. Is that cheating?

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday

I'm over at Chiseled in Rock today with another What's New from Rocky Fiction Writers? If you love to read, you'll want to see what our RMFW authors have to offer.

And we have a contest for writers going on too, so be sure to check Monday's post: Contest! Contest! Where do you get your leeches?

A Balanced Approach to Blogging (Get It? Balanced...)

As I write this, I'm balanced on a big exercise ball. No, you will not see a picture of me doing this, although my husband would probably be happy to take one...from the rear. This is merely a personal challenge to see if I can write my blog posts before my tailbone starts to hurt.

Too much information?

Probably.

So I'll transition to to my topic of the day -- blogging and how we choose the blogs we like to visit.

Here are the things I like the most:

1. A pleasing and restful appearance, easy on the eyes, and no irritating jumping, hopping, or fluttering parts. A photo or graphic banner should be small enough that it doesn't slow down the screen loading process.

2. Even if the blog's focus is book reviews or guests authors, I still like the blog owner to occasionally post a personal article about what's going on in his or her life. For instance, I would enjoy knowing the blog host is writing her posts while she balances on an exercise ball.

3. A regular schedule of posts, at least two or three times a week. Posts that aren't too long.

4. A little humor once in a while.

5. Friendliness. I don't expect my blogger friends to read every single post I write or to visit every day, but when they do stop by, I love receiving a comment that relates my post to something in the visitor's experience.

6. I like to surf my blogger friends' blogrolls to search for new friends, so neatly organized lists is a plus. Please don't point out that my own blogrolls could be better organized. I have that on my To Do List.

Now it's your turn:

1. What convinces your to add a new blog to your blog-hopping circuit?

2. What turns you off?

3. How much time per week do you spend visiting and commenting on your favorite blogs?

Happy New Year!

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and successful 2011.