Monday pics and a job!

 Yesterday I went up to the Rockland Breakwater* again, this time with my son.

from June 2011 - a cloudy rainy day

from June 2013 - a gorgeous evening...

It was a perfect summer day: no clouds, temps in the low 80s, and a nice breeze coming off the ocean. The first thing we saw were these planes all coming from (I assume) Owl's Head Transportation Museum, which is just across the harbor.

That was pretty cool and then, for my son's enjoyment (he's the birder if you remember) we saw this guy and a few of his friends, the Least Sandpiper.

He's kinda hard to see here, sorry...

Pretty markings, eh?

Meanwhile, I finally got a job at a survey company after 8 long months of searching. It's part time to start but will work into almost full. Last week was my first week and you may have noticed I wasn't around much. I apologize for that but it's going to take me a while to get back into the routine of writing, blogging, AND working. I may be doing a lot of visiting/commenting on the weekends and Friday (my extra day off) until I figure out how to manage my time again!

What have you been doing? Go anywhere this weekend? See anything?


* Between 1881 and 1899, a granite breakwater, 4,300 feet long (7/8 of a mile), was built to help protect the harbor. Approximately 700,000 tons of granite was used for the project, which cost more than three quarters of a million dollars. As the work progressed, a small moveable beacon was moved farther out each time the breakwater was extended. The light was relocated four times between 1888 and 1895. The actual lighthouse was completed in the fall of 1902 and went into service that October.

PARADISE - SOLD

Well, this isn't the first time I've done things out of order and it probably won't be the last but I can finally call myself an author now that I've sold my first book. Yep, you heard it right, PARADISE, my time-travel historical romance (I like to think of it as Romancing the Stone meets Tombstone) has been picked up by WiDo publishing for their 2014 line-up.

Now, that doesn't mean I don't want an agent, cuz I do, but Jack and Katherine have been languishing for some time, wondering if anyone would ever get to hear their story and when WiDo offered...well, we decided to go for it :)




ps the pic is Tombstone, circa 1882.

meanwhile, back at the farm ...

"Old Farm Buildings" by William Henry Hunt

I believe I have chosen my next project. It's one I already have partially outlined, which I discovered during the Lightning Flashed Blogfest. I am currently doing some character interviews and asking some questions like:

Are the characters ordinary?

What isn’t being seen?

What’s the most important question?

What’s dangerous in this world? 

Where in this world is there unexpected grace? What is beautiful? What needs to be saved?

When/How will the character (s) defend, explain or justify their actions.
How is the plot’s main problem larger than it looks?

Is this story about uncommon events?

What setbacks have the characters had?

What in this story is timelessly true?

What’s mc’s lucky charm? 

Can we create a situation where the mc is unprepared? In over her head?

This is how I begin to write a story; I discover an idea, I do a little outlining to see if I might be able to write an entire story from this single idea, I name my mc, and I start asking questions.  How do you start?

the very latest

I purposely putting off reading any more of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE last night the same way I didn't start HP7 for the longest time. I didn't want it to end.  

It's raining but surprisingly warm for November. Like I was actually hot walking my dog.

I've cut still more on Dendara (yay me!).

I've also been playing around with point of view with my new toy, trying to see what fits. It's interesting how obvious it is and gratifying to find that my first instinct was correct. And I found a new subplot that ties in nicely with the first. The two can play off one another, weaving in and out of the main plot, tightening the noose... and I think I might make a stab at chapter 2 this weekend.

what are you working on? And if you're a Walking Dead fan, do you think they'll find Sophie? Alive?And wouldn't you just love to win a stagger on role?

meanwhile...

I've been having fun with my sister at her cottage, eating lobster and crab cakes, enjoying what little sun there has been, and still trying to get a dawn pic. The sun slams in through the window in the room I've been sleeping in at 5AM and I caught a glimpse of an amazing sky but my camera was downstairs and I was too lazy to get it. I'm hoping for friday...meanwhile, here's this, an island we can see from the lawn.

Anyway, don't forget about first impressions on Friday, in which Dianne and I offer offer our opinions (and I stress opinions) to some brave soul willing to send us their first page. If you're interested check out the sidebar top right for more information.

Also, if you want to join a blog in which you will have the opportunity to crit and be critted, check out Unicorn Bell. I'll try to have that dawn pic for Sunday :)

closer

How to tell if you're closer to publication than you might think

·         Instead of the standard polite form rejection letter, you’re getting some personal comments and suggestions.

·         Although your manuscript is still getting rejected, you’re also getting requests to send something else.

·         Someone you know recommends you contact their agent.

·         An agent or editor contacts you directly.

·         You’ve outgrown your critique group.

·         When you consider your previous submissions you understand why they were rejected.*

This week I'm also over at Unicorn Bell offering my humble opinion on members' queries, excerpts or what have you. Check it out and join if you'd like to give and get critiqued. There's also a contest going on there in which you can win a copy of Donald Maass' The Breakout Novelist.

Meanwhile, there's still one slot open for July's first impression if anyone is interested in having their first page critiqued by myself and Dianne.

* courtesy of Writer's Digest Magazine, July/Aug 201, p. 39.

rain

I won’t bore you with forecast. My title pretty much says it and you can probably hear the big huge sigh, the one that says, could I be any more put upon?

But I digress. What I really want to tell you is that I’ve been invited to contribute to a new critique group/blog. Beginning next week followers of  Unicorn Bell can submit excerpts of their own work, queries they’d like help with, or anything else they’d like to see relating to writing - anonymously, or not. 

A big thank you to Huntress at Spirit Called for the invitation and if you have time, check out my new team member, Charity.

Needless to say, I will still be here, at mainewords. I'll just be in two places at once sometimes. Pretty slick, eh?