Gratitude
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Sunday Snippet: The Autumn Is Here Edition
I love fall–I always have, and not just because my birthday is in the fall, but also because it’s a lovely time of year. Not an ending, but a beginning of cooler weather, sweatshirts and jeans and warm beverages and apples and pie and snuggling on the sofa in front of a fire. We cut back some of the stuff in the front garden today–the one under my office window. It’s still got green and flowers in it, but not so much color as plants go dormant for a long winter’s nap. Husband loves the purple verbena and the colorful cosmos that are still hanging on, so we’ll leave those…
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Sunday Snippet: The It’s a Snippet Edition
I’m sort of on a writing break–not really because I’m starting the first book in the Weaver Sisters series, but I’m not pushing. Mostly, I’m doing other stuff. I fall cleaned my house, went to a gala fund raiser for Nickel Plate Arts (my first foray into the world in almost two years), I watched a couple movies, I’m reading like crazy, I took walks, I had lunch with my sister for our birthdays… you know, real people stuff. I’ve also been working on promotion for The Valentine Wager, writing to reviewers, etc. and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Jasmine’s book–the first Weaver sister to get her…
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Sunday Snippet: The Whew, I Did It Edition
Wow. It’s been quite a week. Mostly because I finally wrote THE END on Book 3 in the Lange Brothers series. Becker’s book, The Fireman’s Christmas Wish, is in the hands of my fabulous editor, Sinclair Sawney, and I confess that I’m really nervous about this one. There’s a lot of me in grumpy Becker Lange and a lot of what I wish I could be in sweet and charming Harley Cole. Before this book, I’d never thought about how much of myself goes into my books, even though friends who know me and read my novels often say, “Oh, that line or that situation or that moment of humor…
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Sunday Snippet: The Oh, Hell, I Almost Forgot Edition
I know, I know. It’s Sunday Snippet time and I’m here editing away and dammit! It hit me that I hadn’t posted my blog yet. Is 2:30 on Sunday afternoon too late? I’m saying no. I have a list of blog prompts for each month of the year, which I do not consider cheating, merely assisting. Sometimes, when I’ve got nothin’, like today, these prompts are my best source of inspiration. Today’s is “What are the best things about fall?” This is a terrific one for me because I love fall. Right off, I’m a fall baby–born in late September, along with my brother, my grandmother, my sister, my brother-in-law,…
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Sunday Snippet: The Five Memorable Days Edition
My friend Liz is a great source of inspiration, especially when it comes to blogging. When I don’t know what to write, she gives me fantastic ideas and one of her best is “Do a list.” Lists are always fun and something y’all can participate in, too. Today, I’m pulling this idea from a writing prompt that we used a few years ago on the Word Wranglers–telling about our five most memorable days, but the trick was that we couldn’t use the usual Pollyanna days–like our wedding day or the day our kids or grandkids were born or the day we signed our first book contract. Those are givens. So…
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Sunday Snippet: The Retreat Check-In Edition
What a wondrous time this has been! And today is our last full day here at this beautiful mountain house, so I’m feeling both sad that we will be starting our trek home tomorrow and yet happy and oh, so grateful for the days we’ve shared here. We’ve laughed and read aloud and asked for words and opinions–“Listen…what’s wrong with this?” “Not a thing.” or “Take *that phrase* and move it to right after your introductory phrase…” “Ah, there, okay.” “Would he say______?” “Not if he’s looking for redemption.” “Do you want some toast with French butter?” “Well, yeah…” “How about cake?” “Yes! Cake!” “This is such a beautiful house!”…
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Sunday Snippet: The Mid-July Gratitude Check-In Edition
Every couple of years, I break out my copy of Sara Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance. She calls it “A Daybook of Comfort and Joy,” and it truly is. If you’ve never read the book, I recommend it highly and it’s even available as an e-book! I downloaded it to my Kindle a few years ago, which makes it easy to have wherever I am, but I’m still partial to the hardback book because it has my notes in it from previous years, and it’s cool to read those, too. I’ve been doing the Simple Abundance meditations this year because I need that centering after the last eighteen months. Part of…
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Sunday Snippet: The How Is It Sunday Again and I’m Meandering Edition
Holy cats, kids, it’s Sunday again! No idea how that happened. It’s been an eventful week here at casa Reinhardt, although as I look back on the last seven days, what sticks out most is work. I’ve been working a lot this month of June and now as July appears on the horizon, I find myself wondering what happened to the first third of summer. Does that ever happen to you? Time just sort of slipping away while you’re trying to plan your life? I keep thinking that one day I’ll be organized and I’ll get to sketching classes and lunch with friends, old and new and time with sister…
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Sunday Snippet: The Discovery Edition
Several years ago, I attended an Indiana RWA event—Bob Mayer’s Write it Forward workshop. It was inspiring and Bob’s book, The Novel Writer’s Toolkit is one of my go-to references. He has lots of valuable things to say about writing and the process of writing. Another mentor is Lani Diane Rich, whose Chipperish Media’s How Story Works podcasts are an invaluable source of inspiration and education for any writer. From Lani, I learned about discovery—what begins my process when I write. All books begin with an idea, as Mayer says. That’s “the heart of your story.” For me, it’s mostly characters in my head banging around, begging for their stories…
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Sunday Snippet: The Moving Right Along Edition
And so we are. I’m finally out from under a rather large editing gig that was a particularly challenging one. I only have one project on my desk this week, although I am getting another at the end of the week, and so my plan is to write, write, write. I had the great news from my editor that Max’s book is on the way to the copy editor, along with warm congratulations that I’d nailed the story in revisions and she’s excited for the next one. Whew! That is always a marvelous message to receive. So the next one is underway and I’m learning the characters and their quirks…