National Novel Writing Month

 

This month I decided to give NaNoWriMo a shot. I'm a first timer and got hooked into a crazy story called The Dance of Women, involving pirates and gypsies and a case of revenge. The goal of NaNo, for those who don't know, is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I completed my 50,000 as of November 18th and am still going. A little slower for the moment, this week has been busy so far, but I do plan to finish my novel and tuck it aside to edit later.

What else am I up to? Editing The Bookstore Lady for my agent and working on a karate manual for work.

HWG Author Day on Nov 17 was a lot of fun. We had local media and many friends in attendance. I enjoyed getting to read Chapter 2 of Murder on Manitou to the crowd and answer many questions. One of which was whether I planned to write a collection of short stories. YES, I've been working on one for ages, but have to spend some time pulling it all together and arranging for it to be printed. I'll let you know when it becomes available.

Once my edits are done, the manual is for sale at the dojo and NaNo is done for the year, it will be time for Christmas. And, of course, Christmas cookies, popcorn and stories!

But for now, I'll write on!

Author's Day at BookLore

BookLore's HWG Author Day

On November 17th, I will have the pleasure of joining some fellow writers from my writing group in promoting our works at BookLore, our local indie bookstore. If you live in the Orangeville area, please come out to join us in our celebration! Included in the list of writers who will be showcasing our works are:

                                                                      Diane Bator

Murder on Manitou

penspaintsandpaper.com/index.html

David Chesterton

My Caravan's a Rainbow: A Mystical Life in Colour 

Ruth Cunningham

Mystical Verses: The Poetry of Self-to-self Philosophy

http://www.Self-to-self.com/

Kelli Curtis

Amber and the Fallen Bridge

Joseph Gilbey

Langsdorff of the Graf Spee: Prince of Honor

Kriegsmarine: Admiral Raeder's Navy: A Broken Dream

www.grafspee.com

Marilyn Kleiber

Short Tales From a Tall Person

makani.mjk@gmail.com

Gloria Nye

Dragonfly One: The Beginning

www.spiralpress.ca

Harry Posner

Charivari

Jayne E. Self

Death of a Highland Heavyweight: A Seaglass Mystery

Author Harbourlight's Seaglass Mysteries

www.jayneself.com

www.christianswhowrite.ca

Hope to see you all there!!!

Pausing for a deep breath...a tribute to Oscar.

 

 

The past week in our household have been busy with manning a booth at the local Home & Lifestyle Show, work, school and then we had to pause in the middle of it all.

The photo above is of our two cats Oscar and Jazz. Early this past Saturday morning, Oscar passed away peacefully at home on his favourite chair with my husband at his side. One last breath and he left us. Needless to say, we were all devasted even though we had him for years longer than we expected. He seemed immortal. Ageless despite his nearly 19 human years.

 

His "little brother" Jazz is 6 years old. Like the rest of us, he's been out of sorts and roams the house looking for Oscar. He has benefitted from having me to himself in the mornings and extra snuggles with everyone.

 

For a cat, Oscar had an interesting life. He's moved with us from Calgary to Edmonton then flew out with us to Southern Ontario. When we moved homes several times over the past 18 years, he came with us for the ride. He has been lost and found several times. He has fallen down stairs, battled a thyroid condition and dealt with the arrivals of three children and Jazz. Through it all, or despite it all, he mellowed rather than became more crotchety. In the end, he loved his life and savoured every new taste and smell he could shove his face into!

 

I already miss my early morning coffees with him. My late nights curled on the couch with him.His incessant hollars for someone to get their butts out of bed to feed him.

 

As life moves on, I long to life my life as Oscar died:

Peaceful.

Open to the unknown.

Asking for what I want and need from others. 

 

 

A book with MY name on the cover!

Here it is!
After nine months of watching the e-novella reach over 575 downloads, I now have print copies of Murder on Manitou published by Wynterblue Publishing!

The box arrived via courier yesterday at noon and I sold my first copies at lunch with friends. After I did the happy dance all around the living room, scared three lives out of the cats with my shrieking and texted my husband who was in meetings.

The photo above was my first glimpse of the lovely books that I can't believe bear my name. The Murder in Ink contest took place in 2010 and now I have something to show for winning it. I paid for 100 copies to be printed and, after putting a few blurbs on facebook, I've already sold 30. Not to mention the handful I'm giving to family. My kids think it's cool that they can lie in their own beds and read the same book at the same time - and it was dedicated to THEM! My youngest even brought a copy to school today so he could brag!

Still can't believe that it's here! I posted a message to my fellow Blue Ridge Literary Writers about the book and have the strong belief that this is only the first of many to come. Not necessarily of the novella but of the other books I have written. My agent, Dawn, has two novels of mine to read right now and I'm working on a new one - with more from the Wild Blue Series waiting in the wings!

My boss and good friend, Angelo, gave me a copy of The Secret to watch the other day. I had to smile as I watched it. The Law of Attraction is exactly what I use day to day, thought to thought, to make my life more positive. (Sorry if I gave away "The Secret" to anyone!) I have used it to send out thoughts to find a publisher and win the contest with Wynterblue. I used it to find an agent and found one in a fun, roundabout way. I even used it to get the job I currently have at a karate studio.

After watching it, I decided I like one man's idea to imagine more cheques than bills coming in the mail. Guess what? After posting my book on facebook, I'll have just that! Coincidence???

Getting back into routine.

Inevitably, September brings school. My New Year. New routines, new writing supplies - they're not just for the kids! - and new challenges.

In two more days, I'll grade for my yellow belt in karate. It hasn't been an easy road but definitely an enjoyable one. I've made new friends and overcome some of the pain I've dealt with for the past two years.

My writing was put on hold for the summer due to company, kids underfoot 24-7 and me wanting to spend time with them. This fall, the excuses are gone. My agent is reading two of my novels and I'm working on a third one now. Several more lurk in the closet waiting for the first in the series, The Bookstore Lady, to find a home.

I am in "hurry up and wait mode." Some days it seems like I'll never get another book published even though my desk drawers are bursting at the seams with them. Other days, I get small incentives to keep going. My e-novella, Murder on Manitou, has had 576 downloads at last count and I have print copies coming soon.

Baby steps.
Several deep breaths.
Keep learning and don't give up.

That is the only way to get to where I want to be in my life.

 

Taking time to breathe

"When you notice that you are pushing yourself to complete a task, soften and be merciful with yourself. Inhale quietly and exhale gently, extending the very same kindness to yourself that you would to another in the same situation. Begin again."  --Judith Lasater, Ph.D., P.T. "Living Your Yoga"

I had the pleasure of attending a yoga class last Sunday that was supposed to run for 2 hours. It ended up going for 4pm and taking me, both physically and mentally, into places I never thought I would go. Who knew I could spread my legs apart and be able to lean forward and touch my belly to the floor? I certainly didn't. Our instuctor Charles Shiva Shankara certainly did. He and his lovely wife Ananda pushed us all past our limits and do things we thought were impossible.

I actually did a headstand - assisted - but now have the overwhelming urge to do one alone. To "prove" that I can. I tried poses that defied gravity yet were done by other members of the group whose feet I didn't have to hold up! I am still developing enough upper body strength for the more amazing feats.

What I did do was come home in a state of bliss. My body was strong, energized and my mind whirled at the speed of sound with all that was possible.

Over the past few months I have worked on changing perspective. I am strengthening both my mind and my body. Weights and running (I can run for almost 20 minutes straight now!) as well as writing and reading. I am listening to my body and my intuition. If it feels wrong, I don't do it. If it will benefit me, I dive in.

What a change. Physically, while I have lost about 10 pounds overall since June, I am stronger and leaner. Mentally, I am capable of taking on the world. My writing has changed. It reflects my strength. Even my reading has changed to include less fluff - well, except on those days that I really don't want to get off the couch but do anyway!

As I move into Fall and things settle back into routine, yoga and meditation will become part of that. Just sitting on the deck or anywhere comfortable to breathe and reconnect with my Self will be a huge part of my day even if it's only for 5 minutes.

Taking that small opportunity to sit and breathe will only help to make one stronger.

Now breathe....