Monthly Archives: May 2015

May 31, 2015 · 10:22 am

Weekly writing check-in: the one with ghost writing

Giving up the Ghosts

Well, I am staying on track with the ghost writing. And by ghost writing, I mean writing stories about ghosts (and coffee) and not writing a story for someone else to publish.

Here’s what I hope to do with all this ghost writing. I am structuring these stories as a serial. Each story will be a standalone piece (or so I hope) but also support an overall story arc.

In that way, it’s like a television series with episodes. You can jump in mid-season, but it’s probably more fun to catch all the shows from the beginning.

And I have a new-found respect for television writers. Because writing this way? Let’s just say it’s … challenging. So far in the series I have:

I even have the description for Giving Up the Ghosts ready to go:

Katy Lindstrom has used coffee to catch ghosts since she was five years old–a handy skill in a town with an overabundance of spirits. Now Katy wants to make her newly-minted ghost-hunting business thrive. Never mind that her partner, Malcolm Armand, is her former rival, not to mention a bit … distracting.

When a routine ghost eradication ends in disaster, clues point to someone close to Malcolm. But something sinister lurks in Springside Township, something Katy’s never encountered in all her years of ghost hunting, and something that has her doubting all her skills.

It will take more than high-end beans and the perfect cup of coffee this time around. It will take trust and teamwork and possibly a sacrifice Katy’s not ready to make.

Now that it’s out there, I guess I have to finish the series. Just another way to keep myself honest.

Writing Work:

  • Narrative Design class (almost done–story workshop week)
  • Calvino class
  • Writing ~ 4,740 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Incriminating Evidence

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

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May 24, 2015 · 10:21 am

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the Memorial Day Challenge

alphacatI started this blog post with the cat on my lap. Then she moved to my desk. I made the mistake of standing up and she stole my chair. Now she’s sleeping in the dog bed.

Clearly, there’s no winning this game if you happen to human and/or a dog.

It’s kind of like the submission game this week. Three rejections! Boom, boom … BOOM. That’s the way it works sometimes. But I sent two right back out again, so there’s that. I also kept up in class, started a new one (because I’m crazy), and ended up with 4,000 words on a new Coffee & Ghosts story.

So, I’m pleased.

Writing Work:

  • Narrative Design class
  • Calvino Class
  • Writing ~ 4,000 words

Submissions:

  • Gretel and Hansel
  • Knight in the Royal Arms

Rejections:

  • March Madness
  • Gretel and Hansel
  • Knight in the Royal Arms

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

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May 23, 2015 · 9:10 am

Memorial Day 2015 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

Memorial Day 2015 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

During Memorial Day week, from the 22nd to 29th of May, more than 70 veteran authors will pledge 100% of their book royalties to their favorite charities.

Once again, I will be participating in the Vets Give Back charity challenge, this time for Memorial Day. My organization of choice is Helping Paws, a local organization that has a pilot program to provide veterans with service dogs. I am pledging $100 as a baseline PLUS all royalties I earn for the week.

While I will donate all royalties, my pledge book is The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath because of its military theme.

Fine Art_blue

MacKenna’s mother died when she was a baby, a casualty of the first Gulf War. Now seventeen, MacKenna has spent her life navigating the minefield of her dad’s moods, certain of one thing: she is destined to follow in her mother’s combat boots. But when she pursues an ROTC scholarship, she finds herself at war before even enlisting.

Her father forbids her from joining the military, inexplicable considering he’d raised her to be a “warrior princess.” MacKenna turns to her grandmother—who arms her with an ammo crate containing her mother’s personal effects from the war. Hidden in the crate’s false bottom is a journal, one her mom stashed there hours before her death.

While MacKenna untangles the secrets of her parents’ tragic love story, her own life unravels. Dad’s behavior becomes erratic, her best friend grows distant and even hostile, and a boy from her past returns—with a life-threatening secret of his own.

If ever a girl needed her mother, it’s now.

The pen might be mightier than the sword, but are a mother’s words strong enough to slice through years of hidden pain? Can those words reach through the battlefields of the past to change MacKenna’s future?

Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Print

Be sure to check out all the books on the challenge site. There is something for everyone. And if you’re a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited, you can even give for free by borrowing many of the authors’ books. So you can donate and grow your to-be-read pile all at once!

Happy reading and thank you!

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May 17, 2015 · 11:22 am

Weekly writing check-in: the one with working ghosts

shutterstock_54282940Lots of reading this week. I hit book # 31 for the year. I worked on some stories, one for the Narrative Design class and the other I sent out. Otherwise, a quiet week as far as submissions/rejections go.

And I found my way into the next “coffee and ghost” story and made some story notes on that. I have three more episodes I’d like to write. Maybe by mentioning that here, it will keep me on track (and honest). We’ll see.

Writing Work:

  • Narrative Design class
  • Story work

Submissions:

  • Simon the Cold

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

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May 10, 2015 · 10:41 am

Weekly writing check-in: the one with détente

dogsandcats

So, this illustration of dogs and cats, living together, only took +7 months or so. But at long last, we have achieved détente.

This week, I finished up the Description class–so now I know how to describe things–kept up with the other class, and even wrote some non-class related words. I also sent out two submissions this week as well. So, a pretty good week.

Writing Work:

  • Description class
  • Narrative Design class
  • Writing ~ 4,000 words

Submissions:

  • Knight in the Royal Arms
  • March Madness

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

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May 3, 2015 · 11:40 am

Weekly writing check-in: the one with oh never mind, I’m too tired

Last dance competition of the season last night. So. Tired. And I’m not even the one who danced. We rolled into the driveway at about 11:30 p.m., which I’ll have you know is way past my bedtime. And the dog’s bedtime. And the cat’s bedtime. Everyone was just a bit off their game due to this schedule change. If sleeping can be called a game, that is. In the case of our pets, I think it can.

Kept up with my course work. This is the last week of the Description class, and while I’ve enjoyed it, I’ll be glad not to have the extra homework to do. Otherwise, I made two submissions this week, had one rejection, and one story short-listed.

And now, I’m just going to go read or nap or something that doesn’t involve moving.

Writing Work:

  • Description class
  • Narrative Design class

Submissions:

  • Incriminating Evidence (reprint market)
  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Rejections:

  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None

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