Currently Reading

Just a quick update to let everyone know which book I am currently completely engrossed in.  The Power of Six, by Patticus Lore.  It's the second book in the Lorien Legacies series.  If you haven't added these to your to-read lists, I would highly suggest them.  (Although you should probably start with the first book, I Am Number Four, otherwise you're going to be very lost and confused.)  Happy Reading!

Killer Nashville

Clearly, after looking at the picture above, one of two things has happened.  Either 1) I finally took out my frustrations on one of the bozos who cut me off on Hwy 280, or 2) I spent the past weekend at the Killer Nashville Conference.  Luckily for the bozos it was the latter.

My brain is so full of newly found information that I don't even know where to begin.  I got to attend several great mini-seminars led by some very knowledgeable panels of authors, agents, specialist and others deeply submersed and well experienced in all matters literary.  I enjoyed them all, but two really stood out to me in particular that I feel will be extremely beneficial to my continued journey to greatness (ha, ha) in the long run.  One focused on self promotion--basically "getting your name out there."  I'm very grateful to Nancy Naigle as well as the rest of the panel for sharing their experiences and giving me some really good insight on how to get started.

Another, which I fell I probably got the most out of in regards to improving my writing technique, focused on plot development and was led by Randy Rawls and yet another great panel of experts who have already traveled down this path. The short one hour session was packed with some of the specific information I was looking for.  I really feel like I'm going to be able to utilize everything they brought to the table.

Some other highlights of the event included activities and sessions with TBI Special Agents and Guest Speakers Donald Bain and Robert Dugoni.  (And one of the best local food finds I've ever stumbled across called the Mojo Grill.  I would seriously drive back to Nashville just to eat there.)

In summary, it was a GREAT experience and I can't wait to go back next year.  Can't wait to see where I am then.

The Big Easy

About high time for an update, don't you think? Sadly, I have barely had two seconds of peace in the last month--pretty typical these days, I'm afraid. However, I'm happy to report that I did survive my recent trip to New Orleans. As some of you may know, I've got plans for my poor, tortured main character to make a trip to NOLA. What I found in trying to plan for that particular portion of the story is that I've never actually been to New Orleans, which was making it extremely difficult to write. So, that gave me all the excuse I needed to take a mini trip and celebrate my anniversary all at once. I definitely found the inspiration I was looking for and then some. One of my favorite parts of writing is being able to incorporate my own personal experiences into my work. I certainly will be doing that with this chapter. I found so many things that seem to make the city unique that I can way to incorporate into the story in ways that I really don't think would have been possible had I not made the trip. Ever hear about a place and get a mental picture of what it looks like in your head only to discover it's NOTHING like you imagined once you actually see it in person? Well let's just say I think I'll be able to write much more accurate descriptions now that are absolutely nothing like what I'd been planning, but much better in the long run I think. I have lots coming up and lots going on in the near future, so stand by for another update soon!

Status Update.....sort of

Well, I WAS making really good progress. No really, I was. And then my power cord died. Again. For good this time with no hope for resurrection this time. It's incredibly difficult to write anything when your whole works are stored on a laptop! Guess it's time to finally break down and buy a new one. So I've been forced to work "old school" via pen and paper method, which is equally difficult without my outline, which again, is on said lifeless laptop. Alright, so enough whining now. I guess looking on the bright side, this isn't the worst time to be sans PC. I'm at the point in my story where I'm going to introduce a very intriguing character who hails from New Orleans, LA. Being that I've never been there myself, I figured the best way to get inspiration is by taking a trip to said city. Ergo, I will be taking a much needed vacation later this week. I plan to return refreshed and newly inspired!

New Section

Just a little note to mention a new section I added. On the right side, you will now see a section called "Who I'm Following." Just a few of my favorite noteworthy authors that I follow.

Moving Right Along...

So, just like I predicted, I finished off Witch and Wizard pretty quickly and have moved on to The Gift. (Why not? Seems only right.) And after this, I vow to come off my hiatus and put the finishing touches on my current chapter-in-the-works. (Or, three chapters-in-the-works, really.) I think I'm happy with where they sit now, although that's no guarantee that my opinion of that won't change later. Just trying to step back and let he path's I've sent these characters down sit for a few days first before moving on with the story.

Current Reading Material

I'm currently reading Witch & Wizard, by James Patterson. I've heard nothing but good things about this story. It's been on my to-read list for a while, so when a friend handed it to me, knowing I would like it thanks to our similar preferences in regards to literature, I was excited and couldn't wait to read it. I started it yesterday, and over half way through it now, and will probably finish it off tonight. So obviously, I'm really enjoying it thus far. I really hope I don't have to punish this book when I'm done with it--my freezer is already pretty full as it is.