magick musings…

I’m sitting at home today. Again.

Snow and sleet hitting the windows and covering the lawns, icy and white. Again.

Old man winter and mother nature either joined forces to wreak havoc or are battling it out to see who wins. Not sure who to place my bet with.

Last night, I felt overwhelmed. And a little lost. So much to do and so little time to do it. In today’s publishing world, it’s up to you (unless you are Nora Roberts, James Patterson, Dan Brown, etc) to promote and sell yourself and your books.

How do you build your platform (according to the pros, it needs to be done BEFORE publishing) which includes promote, blog, facebook, twitter, read (read craft books, read to stay up with the market, read for pleasure and relaxation). And find time for family, friends, Critique partners, Yahoo groups, work, housework, yardwork… and most important – WRITE!

I decided I needed help.

Twitter? joined awhille back, but was scared to death of it. Didn’t know the rules or how it works. What if I did something wrong and looked like a doofus?

Facebook? Only do I get on it occasionally.

MySpace? Forget it. Haven’t been on it in years.

Blog? I try to blog on this blog as much as I can, but it gets sporadic. The YA blog, I’m trying to find posts that are appropriate for well….a YA blog.

So I did a little research. Found Kristen Lamb’s blog. Kristen is a Social Media expert and teaches how to build a platform and an author brand. She also has a series going on the blog titled Twitter Tuesdays which she talked about the do’s and don’ts of tweeting. Very informative and helped me feel more comfortable and stick a toe out in the twitter ocean. In fact, I downloaded her book, ‘We Are Not Alone – The Writers Guide to Social Media’ on my nook. Hope to get some hints and suggestions that may help me get a handle on what I need to be doing at this point in my career along with the most important thing – WRITING, of course.

How to get this all done? Planning. Lots and lots of planning. And discipline to stick with the plan.

I just completed a course with Kerri Nelson titled Book Factory and she taught how to be productive and prolific using timed increments in both your writing career and day to day tasks. Very good. Check her out.

BTW! Our Napa Valley Vacation photo scrapbook we made and ordered from Photoworks is here! And it is awesome!!!!!

Still freezing out there so I’m planning on fixing a roast chicken tonight ala Emeril’s recipe. Will soon have the house smelling yumptious!

Hang in there and stay warm!

~Sandy

For the third day, Old Man Winter has blown its icy breath on North Texas.

Slick roads, power outages, school closings (much to kids delight and parents dismay), bone numbing take your breath away cold, and record temperatures.

Yesterday I slipped and slid all the way to the mailbox, today almost got my car totaled. But, thank the good Lord, the green minivan that lost control on a patch of ice, missed me and hit a parked car. I was okay except for the falling on my butt in the ice when I got out to check on them. Once I saw they were all okay in the vehicle and I jump started my heart again, I came back home and called and cried like a girl to GW.

But the pity party for one soon passed and I got busy with writing (finished my chapter I was *this* close to completing), did some spreadsheets for record keeping, did a little face book time, made a few calls, and then started a new chapter.

Now the weatherman is predicting snow tonight!

Stay warm and BE CAREFUL out there!

~Sandy

“Writers make sentences. Wanna-bees make excuses .”

~Paul Raymond Martin

Ouch! That quote hurt!

But so true it is. And it applies to everything in life, not just writing.

I know I have been so totally guilty of it. And, although I am probably on the top ten list, I’m not alone. When I really search my soul, I know the things I really want done, I get done, come hell or high water. Make my list of housekeeping chores and at the end of the day, they’re all checked off. But not when it comes to my writing. And I don’t know why. But I am working hard to overcome that.

Yesterday, I promised myself I would not worry about the house, the laundry, or any of the many, many things on my to-do list. And I got 2300 words in on my Young Adult I’m working on. And it felt SO dang good!

Lucy Moment of the Day:
Earlier this morning, before getting out of bed, I was half asleep and listening to the news about Puxatony Phil and, according to legend, if he sees or not sees his shadow, predicts an early spring or a longer winter. While his handlers held Phil and talked about today’s findings, I asked GW what kind of animal Phil was. He very nicely reminded me it was a Groundhog! Sheesh! After I stopped laughing, I explained I meant what ‘kind’ of animal a groundhog was. I just got that ‘yeah,right’ look from him.

Today I’m still not going anywhere so will see how much I can get done. Michelle, I did no editing like ordered!

Pack your bags, Teresa! Practice your words, Denise!

~Sandy

“A sense of humor is just common sense dancing .”

~William James

This morning, the sound of sleet hitting the house woke me. Well, once I got out of bed and walked to the front of the house where it was beating against the door and windows, did I actually hear it. Then I really did wake up.

And run back and jump in bed yelling ‘the iceman cometh’. GW laughed until my cold feet hit his.

So today, we have stuck around the house just doing what we want to do. Which is writing for me. (Yay me!) and ‘working’ on the computer (playing solitaire) for him. I have a big pot of chicken/sausage/okra gumbo on the stove and it smells so good. Except I burned my tongue taste testing it and now it is peeling. Can’t wait for dinner tonight. Yum! GW loves my gumbo!

I braved a trip to the mailbox and it is solid ice about 2-3 inches thick on the sidewalks, streets, and driveway.

Stay warm everyone and careful out there!

~Sandy

“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.”

~Russell Baker

… to Hell?

Today, here in North Texas, the temperature with the heat index was a roasting 108 degrees.

I walked outside to help GW fix the micro-sprinkler system on our lemon trees and the heat was almost suffocating. Needless (and embarrasing) to say as soon as we were finished, I ran, not walked, back inside.

The rest of the day was spent catching up with household details and getting some writing done.

Friday night we went out to eat with some friends and tried a new Italian restaurant. Their pasta pomodoro was awesome, but the cannoli for dessert was to die for. Even though GW and I shared it, it was still way to much for us and we were so stuffed, we had to roll ourselves out of there.

But great wine, great food, great dessert! And the best of all, great company!

Have a busy, busy week so gotta run.

~Sandy

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”

~Winston Churchill

…I attended the RWA National Conference at Disney World in Orlando, FL.

Had such a blast!

Dennie M, Michelle M, and I arrived Tuesday afternoon and got checked into our hotel, unpacked, and headed for dinner and drinks at the Cabana Restaurant on the small beach at the hotel. Sat outside where, surprisingly enough, the weather was very comfortable. We munched on their speciality pizza (I tried the fresh tomatoes and basil one) and it was great! Yum!

Wednesday morning we headed for the Magic Kingdom where Dennie and I rode as many rides as we could until the heat took over and we cried uncle and called it quits. I was game to ride anything that didn’t involve getting wet (you can call me a wimp but at least I be a dry one).

Space Mountain, Big Thunder Roller Coaster, Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean – they totally rocked!

Wendesday night, Nikole B flew in and we ate at the sushi bar in the hotel and, after enough sushi and saki sangria, got brave enough to do karaoke. Michelle and Nikole sang, I pretended to sing (trust me, better that way), and Dennie took pics. Evidently, we were in THE place to be that night, because the next day every workshop we attended, someone mentioned it. Needless to say, I bet that night it was packed to the rafters with others wanting to get into the fun also.

Just for the record, I was not brave enough to try the raw sushi kind. That would take more than a few glasses of wine and by then I would be asleep and not eating anything anyway…

As usual, the conference was not only tons of fun, but so productive. I saw some friends I’ve not seen in like forever. Met some new friends like Raeann Parker from my YA group. (Waving to you, Raeann, and thanks for your help on twitter). Also got to meet some of my favorite authors like Tera Lynn Childs, Ally Carter, Tina Ferraro, Melissa de la Cruz, Sophie Jordan, and many many more.

Listened to Nora Roberts talk on how to suck it up and get the job done and how important friends are. She’s such a hero(ine) and inspiration to me. Every time the thought of how ‘hard’ writing (or life in general) crosses my mind, I hear Nora’s voice in my head and I stop whining.

Laughed hysterically at the Chat with Meg Cabot. I so love her.

Sat with Margie Lawson at the Rita awards banquet. She is one awesome, classy lady.

The YA RWA group had our first business meeting and it was so much fun getting to know them and put faces to the online names. This is going to be a really powerful group in the Young Adult field. Happy to be a part of it.

And congratulations to all the RITA and Golden Heart Winners!

If you are serious about writing, attending RWA Nationals is worth every penny.

Even if it is not at Disney World, LOL!

But it’s great to be back and looking forward to another trip with the hubby in a few weeks. This one is just for fun.

Must pack lighter, must pack lighter…

~Sandy

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

~George Bernard Shaw

The beauty of the internet is that there is so much you can do from the comfort of your home. You can ‘window’ shop, buy, sell, keep in touch, make new friends, find old friends, play games, take classes, all in your comfy clothes and bunny slippers.

Occasionally, I will sign up for a writing workshop that many of the RWA chapters offer, but being so busy, will just print the lessons off and put them in a binder (I’m very organized, ya know). My intentions are to read through them and learn and apply what I can to my writing.

Recently, for the month of June, I signed up for C.J. Lyons workshop called Character Driven Plotting. This time, I decided to be an active participant and actually do the lessons and the homework and -(gasp!) – send them in for review.

I cannot stress how much more I’ve learned by doing this. Like many, I can read something and THINK I have the concept and then just move on down the road. But, by participating, you get such informative feedback that helps take it to a new level. And CJ makes you really think hard and dig deep for motivations and conflicts and emotions.

And for us who are such visual creatures, she provided the script to the movie Die Hard and is using the lessons to dissect the movie which is kinda cool. Unfortunately, now I am dissecting movies even worse now. Poor GW!

But try dissecting Shutter Island. Talk about weird!

Great workshop, though!

I recently reconnected with some old friends whom I have not been in touch with for several years and talked on the phone to one of them for TWO hours the other night! It was great catching up and hearing what everyone has been doing. Hard to believe that their kids are now grown, out of the nest, college graduates, and some even married. Wow! Do I feel old! (Not really, LOL. They may all be older, but not me! Although, I do wonder who that woman in the mirror is sometimes…)

Not much to tell on the cooking front. Haven’t been in the mood to try anything special or different.

Later!

~Sandy

“Not only must you renew your commitment to writing every day, you must work up your nerve again and again.”

~Paul Raymond Martin

…every year our local RWA chapter holds it annual awards luncheon.

This year was one of the best we have ever had.

Friday night was our members only get together and we met at Geri Foster’s beautiful home. The morning started out with strong thunderstorms in our area, so we all held our breaths and frantically checked flight information every five minutes to make sure the guest editors would make it and not be stranded somewhere they were not supposed to be. But they both eventually arrived as did one of our guest speakers Christie Craig.

It was wonderful getting to know Editor Laurie Rauch of Samhain, and Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks. They both were so nice and friendly and funny and it wasn’t long before we were all laughing and having a great time. Ya’ know, editors are real people just like all of us. Very approachable. And they like to talk and visit and meet people and have fun. So I hope they enjoyed it here as much as we enjoyed having them.

Christie Craig was hysterical and if you ever get a chance to hear her speak, don’t miss it. And just ask her the story about a pick’em up truck, a cowboy, and a mattress. But remember not to be drinking a beverage when she tells it. Or you will be snorting liquid out of your nose. I shared that story with GW and even he was laughing out loud.

Rachel Caine was awesome! She is a successful published Young Adult author, a super talented one, and I am so totally in awe of her now. I have read several of her books, but will be downloading some more on my nook for my digital TBR file.

A day of inspiration, motivation, fun, laughter, and a nightcap of the Cheesecake Factory. What more does a writer need?

~Sandy

“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! .”

~Mark Twain

I love Spring, but not fond of Spring Fever.

This weekend, we worked almost the whole time in the yard. Planted 6 knockout rose bushes, 5 hanging baskets and 5 large plantars with various colorful plants. Killed weeds. Killed ants. Took motrin.

I don’t know if it is because we worked so hard or if Spring Fever plays a part in it, but I crash so hard at night. In front of the TV. And then don’t sleep well at night.

So not getting as much writing done as I should. Because I sleep when I should be writing, and then lying awake trying to sleep thinking I really need to be sleeping so tomorrow I can write and not sleep.

I know, doesn’t make much sense to me either.

But, I am writing a little. Very little. But there are words every day added to the story.

Must find more energy and time to write.

On the cooking front: last Friday night, I roasted some corn on the grill and it was awesome. After husking them, I mixed some herbs from the garden into soft butter, added salt, pepper, and a dash of garlic and spread it on the corn and cooked it over the fire for about 8 minutes or so. Even GW said it was pretty darn tasty. I also roasted some yellow squash.

Sunday was GW’s turn to cook and he grilled marinated flank steak and steamed corn in their husks on the grill.

I so love that gas grill!

Here’s a cute joke about Spring Fever:

Four high school boys afflicted with spring fever skipped morning classes. After lunch they reported to the teacher that they had a flat tire.

Much to their relief she smiled and said, “Well, you missed a test today so take seats apart from one another and take out a piece of paper.”

Still smiling, she waited for them to sit down. Then she said: “First Question: Which tire was flat?”

~Sandy

“The fear of rejection is worse than rejection itself.”

~Nora Profit

Last June I finished my first Young Adult novel, When Darkness Falls. Of course, being the way I am, never wanted it to see the light of day. But, Dennie, Michelle, Brenda, Geri (all writer friends of mine) and, of course, GW kept after me as to why I wouldn’t submit it to an editor or agent. “Put it out there. Get some feedback. See what happens.”

But it sucks, I cried. It’s awful, I moaned. It needs more revision, I whined.

So it sat. Hid under my cyber bed for almost a year. I tried to forgetaboutit. And almost succeeded.

Until…

At the beginning of each year, my local RWA chapter has us make our goals for the new year. I diligently wrote out mine. Two of them included:

I really wanted to attend Nationals.
I really wanted to attend Nationals in PRO status.

But in order to attend in PRO status meant I had to actually submit – and get rejected – by an editor or an agent.

And I wanted my PRO status. I wanted it bad enough to take the plunge and send my first novel baby out into the world.

As Dennie, said, ‘It’s a win-win situation. If it gets excepted, you win. You get published. If it gets rejected, you win. You get PRO’. And the benefits of being PRO are so worth it in the long run.

I thought about it for awhile and with Dennie and Michelle and Brenda and Geri, and of course, GW’s prodding and pushing and encouragment, I worked up my query letter, attached the required pages and, holding my breath, clicked the send button!

In today’s digital world, it doesn’t take long for answers and I got mine back swiftly. My first rejection letter! You can’t imagine how excited I was. With the help of our chapter’s president and PRO liason, the required paperwork was submitted to RWA and I received the notice Friday that I now have PRO status in the RWA publishing world.

Now, you may be thinking that getting rejected is a bad thing. Well, it’s not.

So wonderfully put in the email GW sent when I announced the good news:

It is one more step toward my ultimate goal.

Thanks, Babe!

~Sandy