Yippi for ParkerFest

I had a blast at ParkerFest on Sunday. I love Parker, it's such a sweet, pretty, friendly place.The Douglas County Library system paid for the booth I occupied and furnished a nifty canopy, table, chair, and banner. I brought along my books, a poster, and some marketing materials.
I really enjoyed meeting and chatting with book lovers and hanging out where folks were having fun. Of course the fun only lasted until the tornado warnings came. Fortunately my husband kept me company, and my darling daughters stopped by just in time to help dismantle the canopy and pack up. The tornado touched down not far from where we were.

It was amazing to feel the temperatures drop so quickly and the sky cloud over. You can see how beautiful it was from the photos, and then the Colorado weather took over and changed the day.

Join Me at ParkerFest

This Sunday, June 7th, I'll be meeting folks and signing books at ParkerFest in downtown Parker.

Every Sunday during the summer the Town of Parker closes a few blocks of Mainstreet to traffic and hosts ParkerFest, a lovely street fair. There is a farmer’s market, food, craft booths, musical entertainment, special events, and a “Kid Zone” each week.

I think I fall under the category of special events. Our wonderful library system, Douglas County Library, funds a booth and loans it out to a local author or illustrator each week.

I'm going to be at ParkerFest from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. I'll be visiting with folks and signing my novels, Searching for Spice and Out of Her Hands. Please stop by and say hello.

Megan's Speaking Brochure

This is the front and back of my new marketing piece to promote my speaking ministry. Pretty, isn't it? My designer, Natasha, (tash100proof@gmail.com) created exactly what I had in mind.

















I gave Tash a photo I took last year of the beautiful prairie flowers that grow alongside the path I walk on during the warmer months. (The Cherry Creek Trail runs behind my neighborhood.) That's the same photo I've used on my blog and website. I told her that I wanted to use those colors. Didn't she do a great job?

For the back image, I gave her a mountain-view photo that I took two weeks ago when I crashed the Colorado Christian Writers Conference for the day. I went there to cheer on some friends who were attending. If you scroll down to the previous post, you can see that lovely photo.

Now I'm ready to really start promoting my speaking. I'm only going to have only about 50 of these printed (locally) for now because I'd like to have a new headshot taken by the talented and delightful Pauline Fortuna of Fat Tuna Photography.

I was in a rush to create this piece because I'm going to be the featured author at ParkerFest next Sunday (6/7) on Mainstreet in downtown Parker. If you're in the area, you should come over. It runs from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and is a wonderful street fair with food, cool stuff to buy, and great music to enjoy.

The piece is what is called a rack card. I wanted my brochure to stand out from so many of the tri-fold brochures that are floating around out there, so I choose a different format. This card rack is a 4x9 glossy with color on both sides. This is a great size to pass out, and it will fit into a legal size envelope. Like I did for my bookmark, when I order a larger quantity, I'll purchase it online at PrintRunner.

In addition to this hard piece, I'm also going to have a digital brochure that can be emailed. I love to network (I've passed out over 2,000 bookmarks in less than a year) and when I'm at book signings or events like ParkerFest, I'll give my speaker brochure to people who agree to pass it along to the women's ministry leader in their church.

If you click on the images, they will enlarge in your browser.

65 Questions

There are probably about a million other things I should be doing now (maybe not a million, but I can think of three other more worthwhile pursuits), but I was cruising through some blogs, and my friend Kay had this list on her's. It interested me, but then, Kay's pretty interesting. :)

65 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked:

1. First thing you wash in the shower? My hair.

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Hmm. Do I have a hoodie?

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Oh, yes!

4. Do you plan outfits? Most of the time.

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Hopeful.

6. What’s the closest thing to you that's red? My dog’s toy.

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I remember, but it’s too sad to share.

8. Did you meet anybody new today? Yes.

9. What are you craving right now? Prayer, there’s never enough.

10. Do you floss? Ah, yes.

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Red in salads.

12. Are you emotional? You better believe it.

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? Nope.

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? I’m a licker.

15. Do you like your hair? Yes.

16. Do you like yourself? Yes, I do, actually.

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Sure.

18. What are you listening to right now? Pandora and my dog squeaking a toy.

20. Would you go skydiving? No.

21. Do you like cottage cheese? Yes. Sometimes I splurge and put it on rye toast.

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? Perhaps. Depends on the definition.

23. Do you rent movies often? Yes, I love Netflix.

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? My grandmother’s antique crystal.

25. How many countries have you visited? About seven.

26. Have you made a prank phone call? Naaah.

27. Ever been on a train? Yes.

28. Brown or white eggs? Doesn’t matter. Eggs are eggs.

29. Do you have a cell phone? Yes.

30. Do you use chap stick? No.

31. Do you own a gun? No

32. Can you use chopsticks? Yes.

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? My husband.

34. Are you too forgiving? No. My heart's been bruised too badly to not be careful with it.

35. Ever been in love? Absolutely.

36. What is your best friend doing tomorrow? That would be my husband, and he’s doing yard
work with me. He just doesn’t know it yet.

37. Ever have cream puffs? Oh yes. Aunt Beatrice makes the best!

38. Last time you cried? Not too long ago.

39. What was the last question you asked? Why is the patio light on?

40. Favorite time of the year? Summer. The colors, the fragrance, the starry nights.

41. Last TV show you watched? “Lie to Me” on Hulu.

42. Are you sarcastic? On occasion. But not if it will be hurtful.

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? No.

44. Ever walked into a wall? No, thank goodness.

45. Favorite color? Changes.

46. Ever slapped someone? Can’t recall.

47. Is your hair curly? No.

48. What was the last CD you bought? Probably a Christmas CD.

49. Do looks matter? No, appearance matters.

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater? I try to be forgiving, but forgetting is the hard part.

51. Is your phone bill sky high? No.

52. Do you like your life right now? Yes!

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? Not on purpose.

54. Can you handle the truth? Yes, even when it hurts.

55. Do you have good vision? It’s okay.

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? I don't hate anyone. I avoid mean people.

57. How often do you talk on the phone? As little as possible. Hate talking on the phone. It’s a
tool used for a specific purpose.

58. Do you text a lot? No, not much.

59. What are you wearing? Sweat pants, T-shirt. (My home attire.)

60. What is your favorite animal? Dogs

61. Where was your default picture taken at? What??

62. Can you hula hoop? Yes.

63. Do you have a job? Yes.

64. What was the most recent thing you bought? Eyedrops.

65. Have you ever crawled through a window? I think so.

The photos were taken a week and a half ago when I drove up to Estes Park to spend time at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference for the day. Beautiful, isn't it?

Whaaaat?

Okay, life's too short to burn any brain cells on this, but - - really? What kind of person buys a specially-designed doggie stroller?


I can't imagine it, but maybe that's just me. Don't our pets need exercise too? And wouldn't that little dog be happier walking around interacting with other dogs and people? The poor dear looks so miserable in there.

What has the world come to that we have to push our pets around in a stroller?

Words For The Journey Day

Today at WFTJ we had an active-vs-passive-sentence contest.

The delightful Dianne Daniels was taking on the rule-obsessed and feisty Robbie Iobst. In a slick move of both physical skill and mental acuity, the talented Ms. Iobst prevailed.

The Gift of Friendship

If you've got a tender heart, grab a tissue before you watch this video.

We were going out to dinner to celebrate my darling daughter's college graduation, and her best friend's mom and sister just happened to be at the restaurant where we were dining. Watch the video for the rest of the story.

Dynamic!

I survived (and actually thrived) at the Dynamic Communicators Workshop last week. I learned to prepare speeches with focus, deliver with clarity, and speak with power. It was fairly intense, but I soaked up knowledge and learned new ways to communicate. If you know me, that's a big deal. I always try to be specific and purposeful in my communication, so I was the crazy lady who occasionally broke into spontaneous applause at the conference.

While I was there I met a new reader, and was able to have my photo taken with him. That cow's got good taste in fiction, right? :) And, who knew the Chick-fil-A cow was so tall? Well, I guess since he's standing on his back legs--oh, never mind. :)

One of the best things about the conference was making the acquaintance of so many amazing people: men and women from all walks of life who were intent of polishing their skills and making a difference in their world. I saw hearts that were humble and truly wanted to serve God and tend to others. Some of the pastors who attended have been preaching for 20 or 30 years, and yet they still wanted to dig deep and find their best talents. There were people in ministry looking for fun and effective ways to speak to their audience. Incredible.

Here's the group photo. It represents people from all over the US and from all walks of life. What an honor to be in that group.

This photo is of me and Tennessee Richard. There were two Richards in my small group. This gentleman brought tears to my eyes with his mission. He's retired and has purposed to best learn how to present apologetics to high school seniors to prepare them for college. Isn't that something?

There were three pastors in our group: The Other Richard, Thomas, and Dan -- wonderful, God-loving men. Then there was Denise, a woman who was refreshingly authentic and was intent on polishing her presentation skills for her job (at Dollywood!). Sonny was there to improve his presentation skills for the premarital counseling he did. Gary was preparing for the next step he knew God would lead him on, and our coach was the wonderful Scot S. who gently critiqued and strongly encouraged us.

All in all, it was a great week. I was challenged, satisfied, and stretched. I made incredible friendships with many people and had a great time. Best of all, I'm ready and eager to honor those who invite me to speak with clear, logical, and entertaining speaking. Rock on!

The conference was held at the beautiful Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, NC. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

This week I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. Actually, I'm taking a giant leap.

When I purposed to become a published author, I began to attend writers conferences. Well, I've decided to pursue another goal, to become a more effective speaker. I've been delighted to be able to speak to women's groups and moms' groups, and I want to reward their confidence in me with the best presentation I can give them.

Since attending writers conferences seems to have worked out as hoped, I've decided to attend a workshop to learn how to present my ideas better.

I'll be in Asheville, NC this week at a Dynamic Communicators Workshop. Gulp. I'm going to give a speech every day, and they're going to tape me! Oh, be still my heart.

I'll give you a report after I survive the experience. Okay, that was said tongue in cheek. I don't think it will be a torturous experience, just a new one.

Have a blessed week, friends.

The joy of deadlines

Sooner or later, as a writer you’ll be under the gun of a deadline.

You can look on the bright side and see deadlines from an optimist’s point of view:

“Goals are dreams with deadlines.”

~Diane Scharf Hunt

That’s a good quote. If you’re a new writer you can appreciate Ms. Hunt’s quote. I remember hammering away on my novel, trying to complete it by my deadline, which was the 2006 ACFW conference. If I hadn’t set that deadline for myself, I probably wouldn’t be published today because it was at that conference that I met my acquisitions editor. (One of the first questions she asked me was, “Is the manuscript complete?”)

Deadlines. Some writers hate them, some embrace them, and others learn to live with them. Sooner or later, as a writer you’ll be under the gun of a deadline.

Do you fall into the I-hate-deadlines-but-understand-they’re-necessary category? If so, you’ll appreciate this quote:

“One forges one’s style on the terrible anvil of daily deadlines.”

~Emile Zola

A daily deadline is a form of encouragement for me. I know what’s expected, but I also know that with work, I can accomplish my deadline. When I was a young woman, my first job out of college was as a radio reporter. I had to broadcast a three-minute newscast ever hour. Five days a week, I had six hourly deadlines to meet. And I always did.

Here’s another great quote:

“A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it’s better than no inspiration at all.”

~Rita Mae Brown

Yes, have you ever had a writing assignment with a deadline? Boy howdy, you’re inspired while working under that deadline. At least if you’re professional you are.

I don’t think there are many writers who’ve never heard of this quote:

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make when they fly by.”

~Douglas Adams

Uhh, yea. Take that attitude and you may never have to worry about another deadline again. Editors expect that when you’re given a deadline you’ll meet it. Blow their confidence in you, and you may never get the opportunity to be under deadline again.

Have you ever heard of Dr. Wicked.com? It’s an online site that allows you to write under a time constraint.

The application is called, “Write or Die: Putting the Prod in Productivity.”

To participate, you input your word goal, your time goal (anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours), select the grace period (forgiving, strict, or evil), and select the mode (gentle, normal, kamikaze, or electric shock).

It’s amazing how much you can do when you know the clock’s ticking. I sampled the site on kamikaze mode, and the border around the space where you type glows red if stop typing for too long. And then, believe it or not, your words start to disappear, letter by letter, until you start typing again. That consequence got my fingers flying over the keyboard.

Give it a try, and have fun! Write or Die: Dr. Wicked’s Writing Lab

Ahh spring!

I hope we didn't jump the gun by putting out our patio furniture today. I've been looking forward to warm weather with a vengeance this year.

My summer office is my patio, usually from some time in May until October. I. Just. Can't. Wait!!

See the chaise lounge to the right of the door? That spot is shady 100% of the time, and that's where I write, weather permitting. That photo was taken last year. Colorado is not quite that green and blooming--yet.

We did a bit of yard work today. We tore up a big honeysuckle. An aspen tree volunteered to grow next to it, and the honeysuckle was overpowering the tender shoot.

I've been aggravated with that honeysuckle for about five years or so now anyway. It had no fragrance. Can you believe that? Isn't that half the reason for planting honeysuckle? The previous one used to scent the entire yard with it's fragrance, but this one was fragrance free.

I'm starting out this week with a prayer and a praise, how about you?

Author Voice

A lot of time is spent in writing circles discussing author voice. What is it? How do you perfect it?

Let’s look at some passages from books by two authors and “listen” to a few different voices and hear what they say to us. Keep reading -->


In other news: I spoke to a fabulous moms' group this morning about the power of words. Had a blast. I even got to hold a little one. My only regret is that I forgot to bring my camera. Rats.

A star in the making

This was Bayle's second agility training class. Darling daughter # 1 was putting her through the paces.

Purchase Sara Mills' books

I met Sara Mills last September at the ACFW Conference in Minneapolis. We happened to find ourselves sitting next to each other at the annual chocolate party.

Last week, Sara was widowed when her 40-year-old husband died of a heart attack.

Sara was just gearing up to promote her new book, Miss Match, about a female private detective, set in NYC in 1947. The authors of American Christian Fiction Writers are showing their support of Sara by getting out word about her novels.

The following is a previously published interview with Sara about her novels:

Tell us how you got the idea for Allie and these books...

I got the idea for Miss Fortune in the middle of the night, when all good ideas come to me:

One sleepless night I was watching The Maltese Falcon and I started to wonder how different the story would be if Sam Spade had been a woman. She'd never have fallen for Miss Wunderly's charms and lies. She'd have been smart and tough and she would have solved the case in half the time it took Sam because she wouldn't spend all of her time smoking cigarettes and calling her secretary Precious.

The thought of a hard-boiled female detective got my mind whirling.

I paused the movie and sat in my darkened living room thinking about how much fun a female Sam Spade could be. Intrigued but not yet ready to dash to my computer, I changed disks and put on Casablanca (my all time favorite movie ever). The sweeping love story, a tale full of hard choices and sacrifice was what finally made the whole idea click in my mind. If I could just combine the P.I. detective story of the Maltese Falcon with the love story from Casablanca, and make Sam Spade more of a Samantha, I could have the best of all worlds.

These books are so good, I wish I'd written them. How did you set the stage to capture that gritty PI feel without being dark?

I find that a lot of PI stories are gritty and dark, focusing on the worst of the humanity, and while I wanted the Allie Fortune mysteries to be exciting and tension-filled I didn’t want them to be stark and hopeless.

One of the things I tried to do to counteract the darkness was to give Allie a multi-layered life. She has cases, relationships, friends and family, all of which I hope combine to make the stories textured, rich and full of life.

Allie is a character I'd love to have coffee with. What did she teach you while you wrote these books?

Allie was a great character to write. One of the things I learned from her was that human relationships (man/woman, mother/daughter, friends) are complicated and full of unspoken rules and expectations. Allie is a rule-breaker at heart and it complicates her life on a regular basis. One of the storylines I loved most is Allie’s relationship with her mother and how it grows and changes and how it’s shaped her.

Another dimension of Allie’s character that really taught me a lot was her willingness to do whatever was needed to help those she loves. There is no price on that kind of friendship and it’s a characteristic I’d like to see more of in myself. Okay I admit it, I’ve got a bit of a friend-crush on Allie. LOL.

One last question: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be and who would you take with you?

If I could go anywhere right now I’d head to Monterey, California (I’m writing a book set there right now) and I’d plant myself on the beach with a notebook, writing my story as the waves crashed. Sounds like my idea of heaven on earth. There’s something about the wind-shaped Cypress trees and the crash of the surf in Monterey that calls to me. I don’t know why, it just is.

Miss Fortune, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #1

By Sara Mills / Moody Publishers

In 1947 Allie Fortune is the only female private investigator in New York City, but she's kept awake at night by a mystery of her own: her fianci disappeared in the war and no one knows if he's still alive. Until Allie finds out, she will have no peace. When there's a knock on her office door at four in the morning, Allie suspects trouble as usual, and Mary Gordon is no exception. Mary claims someone is following her, that her apartment has been ransacked, and that she's been shot at, but she has no idea why any of this is happening. Allie takes the case, and in the process discovers an international mystery that puts her own life in danger.
Meanwhile, the FBI is working the case as well, and she is partnered up with an attractive, single agent who would be perfect for her under other circumstances-if only she knew whether her fianci was still alive.


Miss Match, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #2

By Sara Mills / Moody Publishers


FBI agent Jack O'Connor receives a letter from Maggie, a woman he used to love, saying she's in trouble in Berlin. The FBI refuses to get involved, so Jack asks Allie Fortune to help him investigate. Allie and Jack pose as a missionary couple who want to bring orphans back to the United States.
A child finds important documents that everyone in the city - Soviets and allies alike - want for themselves. Maggie refuses to tell Jack what the documents are, saying if things go wrong, they are better off not knowing. Through the course of the search, Allie's past is brought back to her, half a world away from home.

Sad but true

Maybe I should start bringing Bayle to my book signings. Ha!

It's conference season!

Have you considered attending a writers conference this year? If not, perhaps you should. I’m a proponent of conferences because I believe...

Keep reading-->

In other news . . .  It's official. I'm a bona fide dog nerd. I've enrolled my Jack Russell Terrier, Bayle, in agility training. Our first class is on Friday afternoon. Since I've written Bayle into my wip, do you suppose I can claim this expense as research? 

Do I really look that dumb?

I was accosted by one of those product snipers that lurk at the kiosks in the mall this past week. She seemed innocent enough, "May I share some hand lotion with you, ma'am?"

The lotion was lovely, but then before I knew it, she was dabbing me with two layers of eye creams. Apparently they must work together for the desired result. A moment after she finished dabbing the second eye, she pulled out a mirror. "Oh, see that? See the difference? All those fine lines have disappeared!"

Really? Hmm. I didn't see anything.

She further explained. "They activate the muscles in your skin immediately."

Really? I didn't have the heart to tell this eager sniper that skin does not have muscles. So, how much do you think this stuff costs?

Hold onto your hat.

A 4 oz. vial is $160! Yes, that's right. To purchase both 4 oz. vials would cost you a whopping $320!!

Now I'm wondering why she chose to snare me and dupe me into shelling out that much money on eye cream. After all, I have many other parts that can use work beside my eyes. If I started there, who knows where this beautification project would end up.

You know, it would be like the lady who decides to purchase new sofa cushions, and then she has to buy new curtains, new carpets, paint the room, and then of course the sofa's got to be replaced because it no longer "goes" with the room.

So, you want to be a writer?

Have you ever dreamed of being a writer? In those quiet moments when daydreams struggle against the confines of reality, have you ever thought, “Yeah, I want to write, and I think I can.”

 Let me tell you, if I had $10 for every person who’s told me that they want to write a book/can write a book/have the perfect story for a book, then I could pay off my mortgage.

Friends, if you want to write a book or  read more . . .

Denver Christian Fiction Examiner: Novel set in Denver area

The delightful and well-read Kay Day as recently become Denver's newest Examiner on Examiner.com. Her title is Denver Christian Fiction Examiner. Yippi.

I'm honored that her first article was about me and Searching for Spice. Thanks, Kay!

Denver Christian Fiction Examiner: Novel set in Denver area

Posted using ShareThis

Writers and Readers

If you're a writer, a wanna-be writer, or a reader you should also be a supporter of writers. I know, if you buy books you support writers, true. But it's a crazy industry, and a note of encouragement or a show of support goes a lo-o-o-n-g way. Trust me. My heart is touched by readers who take time out of their busy lives to drop me a note to say they enjoyed my books. 

Even before I came out of the closet and admitted I wanted to be a novelist I loved to meet authors and find out how they think, where they get their inspiration, and what their life is like. Book signings are a great opportunity to find out about writers, and most writers love to connect with their readers. 

To illustrated my point I'm going to drive to Loveland, Colorado tomorrow morning to hear author Tina Forkner speak and support her while she signs books at Barnes & Noble in Centerra tomorrow. 

I met Tina while traveling to an ACFW conference about three years ago, and we've been friends since. I'm looking forward to learning something about the craft of writing from her.

She speaks at 10:00 a.m., with the book signing to follow at noon.

Tina's the author of Ruby Among Us, a delightful tale of a girl uncovering the truths about her family and her deceased mother. The Rose House, the sequel to RAU, releases in May.

I'm an Examiner!

Have you ever heard of Examiner.com?

Examiner.com is one of the top 200 sites on the Internet today, it's a destination for news and information of all types.

I'm one of the newest Denver Examiners, and I'd be thrilled to have you check out my Examiner page. My title is Denver Writing Examiner, and I write articles on, duh, writing. :) I'll write articles 3 - 5 times a week.

If you want to stay updated on my articles, you can subscribe to my email notification. The link is to the right of my photo. I've been an Examiner for less than a week, and I'm having a blast.

Examiner has editions in many different cities in the US. To find your city's page, go to the drop-down menu under the Examiner logo.

Take a breath

I'm busy. We're all busy, right?

I had a moment last week when an appointment that should have been recorded somehow missed being input into my iCal (Mac's online calendar). In my frenzy, I shrieked, "Well, it's not on my iCal!"

Fortunately only about three seconds passed before I realized I sounded like an idiot. In my mind, if it wasn't on my iCal, then it couldn't possibly exist. Ha! The mad cat photo captures my emotions at the time.

For just a moment, I became unglued. Ever had that happen to you? Come on, be honest.

Anyway, I'm glad my tizzy mode was brief. It was a great reality check. I took a moment, sat in the sun flooding into my living room, closed my eyes and gave myself permission to have failed. What? You didn't know I wasn't perfect? (I just said that with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek.)

Sometimes it good to screw up. (Did I just say that?) It makes you reevaluate your priorities. That day I had too much on my plate, a mistake to begin with, and it was inevitable that my day would not run smoothly.

As a spiritual woman, my thoughts turned to God. Let me share a great verse that helps me to put my day into perspective. (The Message) Ps. 90:17 "And let the love of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!"

'Nuff said. Have a blessed weekend.

Christian Fiction Survey

Do you read Christian novels? Do you buy Christian novels?

Glass Road Public Relations is conducting a research study and wants to know more about you! If you would like to participate, go to Christian Fiction Buying Research to take an anonymous survey about buying Christian fiction.

At the end of the survey, you can enter to win a library of TEN Christian novels.

I took the survey, it wasn't long. I hope GRPR shares the results.

Breast Friend's Day

Yes, you read that correctly. It's not a typo. Today was Breast Friend's Day.

On a day (St. Patrick's Day) when nearly 50% of the population was wearing green, my girlfriends and I wore pink.

First we met for our Words For The Journey meeting. Danica Favorite-MacDonald spoke about tax issues for writers. I learned so much, and I'm r-e-a-l-l-y thankful that we have an accountant who figures all that out for us. See Michele in the center of the photo? Don't tell anyone, but I think she was probably twittering.

After WFTJ I went to lunch with Jan and Karen. We ate outside. In March. In Colorado. :)

Then we went to the Invision/Sally Jobe imaging center. Wow. They moved their suite since last year, and it looks like a spa, resort-like.

Here's a photo of Jan and Karen at the Keureg machine, they were about to brew their coffee.

And then our turns came. And, no. We didn't go in for the mammogram together.

After I completed the necessary paperwork (in a semi-private cubicle), I was instructed to go through the double doors.

I went through the doors and was greeted by a delightful, happy woman who smiled and said, "Hello, darling!" She was like a female Wal-Mart greeter on both estrogen and steroids. What a delight! She gave me a quick tour of the exam suite and then gave me a heated robe. Ahhh.

The, ahem, procedure lasted only a few minutes. Their digital machines are fast and painless.

Now, of course you can make an appointment and get a mammogram by yourself, but why should you when you can make an event of it with friends? Jan always brings chocolate to share with everyone. One of the staff referred to her as the "Chocolate Lady." Isn't that cute?

We shared smiles and laughter with some of the other ladies there today. We called it a celebration of health.

Having a mammogram usually isn't at the top of most women's list of things they want to do, but it's something that we should do for our loved ones.

It's our responsibility to guard our health, and it can even be a pleasure. Like on days like today.

Writer's Block, Anyone?

Consider yourself the luckiest writer in the universe if you’ve never experienced a moment of writer’s block. If you've never experienced a moment of where do I go now? If you've never thought, how can I tie up this loose end? Aaargh!

The most important thing to consider when faced with the dreaded writer’s block is to realize that that this is probably not the last time you’ll be stuck. Personally, I think it’s part of the writing life. Everyone gets writer’s block, even if it’s an episode that lasts only 15 minutes.

The cure? Push through.

I’m sorry if you were expecting a more brilliant answer. There are several strategies that you can use to get your creative abilities firing again.

1. Pray.

• Keep yourself spiritually charged. Remember Who your writing partner is. He who has called you . . .

2. Keep a writer’s journal.

• A journal may include memories, jokes, story ideas, writing tricks, dreams, and descriptions of people, places or situations.

• A writer’s journal may be as simple as a little notebook you carry in your purse or it could be a word document on your computer.

• Don’t get stressed about when or if you should use a writer’s journal. The idea is for the journal to help you, not make you more stressed.

• If you use an item/idea from your journal in your work, be sure to either delete it or make a note as to when/where it was used.

• Train yourself to be alert for fresh ideas when they occur, and write them down.

3. Visit a bookstore.

• Is there a writer alive who doesn’t get jazzed walking through the aisles of a bookstore?

• Pull out the books that catch your attention. Read the back cover copy. Read the first few lines.

• Think to yourself, “I can do this!”

• Go home and write.

4. Sit down and write 250 crummy words.

• Sometimes just getting started gets you in the groove.

• Don’t worry if the words aren’t pretty. You can always go back and pretty them up.

5. Invest in your health.

• Go for a walk, hop on a treadmill—just get moving. Your imagination won’t work a maximum capacity if your brain is sluggish.

6. Work on another project for a while.

• If you can, switch gears to another project you have in the works or make notes on a subsequent project you’ve been thinking about. You may return to your “blocked” project with fresh eyes after a little time away from it.

7. Read a great book.

• Sometimes reading great writing gives you the itch to write yourself.

8. Try to write out of your genre

• Write non-fiction if you’re a fiction writer. It could be just a simple letter to a friend or a short article on craft that you can share with writing buddies. • Write a poem.

• If you write non-fiction, practice fiction techniques to use in your n-f writing.

9. Try freewriting.

• Give yourself a time limit of 10-15 minutes and let your fingers fly over the keyboard. Even if you’re writing crazy nonsense, you may spark a thought or idea that will springboard you back to work.

10. Take a creative field trip.

• Visit a museum, listen to soul-stirring music, go to the movies.

• Sometimes spending time in other creative environments, spurs the desire to be creative in your own work.

11. Take some photographs.

• Grab your camera and take a field trip to a local park, busy shopping area, town square. Let yourself focus on whatever catches your fancy. You may look back at your images and see a spark of an idea in a situation, location or face of people being alone or interacting with each other. *Just don’t appear to be a stalker. This is what zoom lenses are for.

12. Take care of business.

• There are other tasks you can do that are writing related.

• Revise a manuscript

• Send out queries

• Research the market

13. Relax and smile. This is not the end of the world.

• Remember, “This, too, shall pass.”

• The more you worry, the harder it is to think clearly.

14. Vent your frustrations to someone you trust.

15. Take a break from writing.

• If the thought of having to write makes you feel ill or anxious, take a break. This is not the same as quitting. There’s nothing wrong will allowing yourself a brief sabbatical. Give your sabbatical a definite time frame. (Unfortunately this is not really an option if you're on deadline--keep working!)
  

16. Talk to other writers.

• An understanding friend can soothe your troubled mind.

17. Try to write in a different place

• Sometimes a small change of scenery can help you overcome a block

• Leave your laptop at home and write with a pen and notebook

• Grease Monkey--yes, I've had a very productive writing session while waiting for my car to be serviced.
  

18. Do some cluster writing

• Choose key words and ideas, then write associated ideas and words in clusters around them. This process may help you form new ideas.

19. Follow a routine to get into the writing mood.

• Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee

• Listen to CDs (or try out pandora.com!)
  

• Light a scented candle

20. Write out of sequence.

• If you’re having trouble with a transition paragraph, put a marker where you are and write the next section.

• If you have a scene or section idea, write it now, and insert it at a later date when your project “catches up” to the scene. I love to do this. When it comes time to insert it into the story it's like being given a bonus scene.
  

Eliminate "writer's block" from your vocabulary. Best-selling author Angie Hunt once told me, "You never heard of a plumber having plumber's block, did you?" Uh, no. So maybe the best thing to do is to press on and not even accept the term writer's blog.

* For more articles on writer's topics, visit my Denver Writing Examiner page.

Book Report

Occasionally I'll do a book report at my Tuesday morning Words For The Journey meeting. I love telling my writer friends about books I've enjoyed.

This past Tuesday I did a book report on Stealing Home by Allison Pittman. The book doesn't release until May, but I had the good fortune to read it for endorsement.

Stealing Home is a lovely tale set in a small town in Missouri in 1905. The story focuses on Ellie Jane, a clerk for the railroad, Duke Dennison, a Chicago Cubs player who is visiting Picksville to sober up in anonymity, Ned Clovis, a deaf shopkeeper who's had a long-time crush on Ellie Jane, and Morris, a 12 year old African American boy who dreams of escaping the confines of his small town.

Allison created a lovely story depicting small town life at its very worst and also at its shining best.

As a writer/reader I was intrigued by the device Allison used to bring Morris to life. The book is written in 3rd person, past tense EXCEPT for the parts narrated by Morris in 1st person, present tense. I really enjoyed this technique. You observed life in Picksville, and then Morris would interpret the goings on through the filter of his experience.

I wish Allison the best and hope she sells lots of books.

Are you listening? Do you see?

This morning when I opened my back door to let my dog out I was greeted with happy, carefree birdsong. It was beautiful.

As a writer, I try to be as observant as possible about the ordinary things in life because that’s what bonds us most as people. We all can experience the joy of listening to beautiful birdsong, we all can appreciate the nodding wildflowers alongside the road, we can all inhale the sweet fragrance of freshly cut grass (and if you’re not allergic, enjoy the aroma).

I was thrilled a few weeks ago when another writer said I was the Queen of show don’t tell. BTW, show don’t tell is big in writing. It draws the readers into your world through their senses.

So? Are you listening? Do you see? Can you get a whiff of that fragrant grass?

I love to scrutinize what I see, hear, smell. In January I stayed at a luxury hotel for a weekend. In the foyer was a large table with a huge floral arrangement, all done in different types of white flowers. It was lovely, and actually looked so perfect it appeared to be silk flowers. But it wasn’t. I walked over and touched the velvet soft petals and inhaled the mix of floral fragrances. It was a wonderful sensory moment.

Who knows, perhaps some day in my writing I’ll be able to use that moment when I paused to appreciate the work someone put into arranging those lovely flowers.

And that, my friend, is one way to connect with your readers: reference common experiences in your writing. Use the ordinary in life as your word palette.

In other news, I apparently didn’t dry Bayle well enough after her bath on Saturday.

Hooray for Book Lovers!

This past Wednesday I had the pleasure of enjoying dinner and conversation with the Newday Christian Book Club.

We had a great discussion about Searching for Spice, and then they let me draw names out of a big seashell to determine the great Christian fiction they would read for the next few months. They've got good tastes, they're next book is The Novelist by Angela Hunt.

In case you're wondering what I'm holding, they overwhelmed me with kindness and (delicious) calories by giving me a beautiful gift basket with chocolate, tea, cookies, and cocoa -- all items mentioned in Searching for Spice.


See the shiny wrapping? That's homemade, fudgy brownies. I saw one of the girls carry that in before dinner and was looking forward to eating it for dessert. You can imagine my surprise when dessert was served, and it wasn't brownies. Now I realize she brought them for the gift basket. :) And see the tin box with the swirly design? Inside there are homemade chocolate chip cookies.

That was two days ago, and I'm still munching my way through those goodies.

Like Mother Like Daughter

I wish I could say that one of my children wants to be a writer and has started going to writing groups and conferences with me, but that's not what this is about.** My oldest daughter is following in my footsteps as far as my water consumption goes.

I am one of the most well hydrated women in America. I drink a mini-jug of water daily, and I put a coral calcium bag (like a tea bag) into my water for my calcium supplement. This way I get the H2O and the calcium needed in one shebang.

Anyway, like mother like daughter. Daughter # 1 recently got her own mini-jug and drinks her daily H2O intake that way too.

Don't our water jugs look cute together?

**Yea, I'm always a bit jealous when I see other writer's with their offspring together at conferences. Oh, well. Maybe my children just haven't discovered their writing passion/talent -- yet! A mother can still hope. :)

Book Club Visit

This Tuesday I was honored to be a guest at the Winddrift Book Club. Don't you love that name? (Maybe I should get these ladies to help me title my next book!)
We had a lively discussion and some good laughs. More importantly, I got to spend some time with some bright and fun women who love books: Tina, Jan, Bev, Janet, Susan, and Jennifer. It doesn't get any better than that.

When I left, Tina gave me these lovely tulips. Aren't they beautiful? I've been working all week being able to gaze at their promise that spring will come to Colorado.

Novel's of Hope Contest

There's still time to enter author Tina Forkner's great Novels of Hope contest. It's an interesting contest, and you can choose your own level of participation.

I felt that a sense of hope is permeated throughout the novel Ruby Among Us. It showed us that it's never too late to revisit the past so that you can move through your present and look forward to the future. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, so you're going to have to pick up a copy of RAU to read for yourself.

Here's my review:
Tina Forkner’s debut novel Ruby Among Us is beautifully written and transports you to the lush, rich Sonoma Valley. Ruby’s daughter, Lucy, struggles to put the pieces together to discover the story of her deceased mother. Her efforts bring into focus not only Ruby’s story but that of Kitty, the grandmother who raised her, and the story of Lucy herself.

Ruby Among Us is a tale of generational love and finding redemption from the past by dealing with the present. I loved the story of Ruby, Kitty, and Lucy and fell in love with the beautiful language and moving prose penned by Forkner.

The Plot Thickens

Have you ever been to The Plot Thickens site? It's a wonderful blog hosted by author Deb Raney, and it's devoted to novelists and their gardens.

The Plot Thickens is an invitation to join your favorite novelists in their garden spaces. I'm honored to be included in the fun.

This site is like a passport into the secret world of wonderful, creative authors. So, if you've never visited, do yourself a favor and check it out. Some of the writers' gardens and workspaces are incredible: foreign countries, secluded gardens, romantic gazebos, and beautiful, inspirational places.

Those wonderful gardens are enough to give you fantastic ideas for plotting. Ooh, I was just struck with some inspiration--gotta go . . .

In other news: All this talk about gardens is making me antsy to get outside to my summer office. See the chaise to the right of the door? It's got my MacBook open and ready to go. That's where I work from about May until early October. And boy, I can't wait!

Searching for Spice Book Trailer Review

Have you had the good fortune to hear about Linda Lou's Book Trailer Park? It's a site that rates book trailers, based on a one-to-five-mullet rating. Ha!

This week the Searching for Spice trailer was rated and received an impressive 4 1/2 mullets.

Here's Linda's review:
Searching for Spice is a fabulous book accompanied by an effective and entertaining book trailer.

This I liked! The timing was right at just over 30 seconds. Not too much of a good thing, nor too little. The male voice-over presented a slightly off-balance comedic twist that really worked well. It reflects the humor of the book perfectly. On a selfish note however, I would have liked a few more graphics--more glimpses into that spicy world.

You should really check out Linda Lou's Book Trailer Park. Hostess Linda Kozar has done a great job, and it's fun to read through her rating explanations and see the other trailers that have been reviewed.

Great Review for OOHH!

It's always exciting to get a book review, and I found out yesterday that Faithful Reader, a wonderful website for book lovers, posted a great review of Out of Her Hands:

Linda Revere is the quintessential controlling, worrying, "Why didn't you call me last night?" mother. She keeps Nick, her 22-year-old son who is living at home while finishing up college, on an incredibly short leash considering his age. Daughter Emma is a bit less of a problem; as a high school senior, she pretty much toes the line out of habit and an understanding that she doesn't have much of a choice. Meanwhile, husband Jerry represents the voice of reason whenever Linda's worrying starts to get out of hand --- which it often does.

Things start to heat up when Nick is spotted around town with a mysterious young woman, a girl named Amber who he's never mentioned to his parents or his sister. Eventually, Nick comes clean with his family. Yes, he has a girlfriend. Yes, that's who he's been with on all those nights when he came home so late --- or didn't come home at all. And no, she's not a Christian. Trouble in the Revere household for sure.

Oh, and Keith, the husband of Linda's best friend, lands a job 2,000 miles away, meaning Linda is about to lose Debbie, her closest confidant.

Add to this all the complications involving Linda's job at Dream Photography at the height of the photo-taking season --- right before Thanksgiving, when all those Christmas card photos need to be taken --- and Linda is fit to be tied. To make matters worse, her recently widowed father-in-law has taken up with a new woman. "Recently widowed," in this case, is 11 months prior; at 75, Ross is having difficulty navigating life without the woman he spent all his adult life with, just as Doris is learning to live without her deceased husband.

Linda, though, must face her first Thanksgiving without her beloved mother-in-law --- and with Doris, her "replacement," and Amber, Nick's totally unacceptable excuse for a girlfriend. (In Linda's defense, Amber's later description of the Revere kitchen as a "culinary Siberia" doesn't do all that much to endear readers to her, and those same readers may even find themselves rooting for Linda at that point.)

Not unexpectedly, and despite Linda's attempts to make the best of a number of awkward and uncomfortable situations, things start to go downhill fast. Anger, hurt and disappointment bubble to the surface and at times erupt into distressing public scenes. Just when Linda thinks things can't get any worse, they do.

What makes OUT OF HER HANDS such a fulfilling read is the way Linda responds to the worst of the many bad situations that plague her life all at once. She rises to the occasion when circumstances are so severe that she simply needs to stop worrying, begin finding solutions to major problems and start turning the reins over to the people who should have held them all along. Also satisfying is the way the story ends --- not in perfection but in the not-so-perfect reality of everyday life.

Fans of DiMaria's previous books will likely find this one to be equally enjoyable, while newcomers to her novels won't be disappointed. Readers of contemporary "Mom Lit" should also find a lot to like here.

New Christian Women's Magazine

Have you heard of Shine? It’s a new Christian women’s magazine published in the Denver area by Word of Life Christian Center in Lone Tree.

I’ve got to tell you, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Being a girl who loves pretty things, my first reaction to seeing Shine was to sit down and investigate inside. That’s when I discovered that this substantial glossy has content as well as style.

The topics covered in the current issue are encouragement, fashion, food/entertainment, health/wellness, home décor, legal issues, life and abundant living, marriage, parenting, prayer, and the workplace. It also has a devotional calendar and book and media section.

The magazine’s publisher is Gayla Bagwell. She’s the classy lady on the cover of the current issue. Gayla’s the senior pastor’s wife of Word of Life Christian Center, and she’s been ministering alongside her husband for 33 years. She’s also launched a new website in conjunction with Shine that’s another outlet for her women’s ministry.

I have to be careful when it comes to magazines because I love them. If I had the time and money, I’m sure I could be a magazine junkie. But after finding Shine, I think I’ll give into my weakness and subscribe to just one more magazine.