MONDAY'S MUSINGS: Laughter Is Good For You

My sense of ridiculous is easily amused these days. I look for things that make me laugh whether its unusual stories, books, or videos.

This past week I got lots of giggles out of the story of the idea of walking out your backdoor because you’ve heard an unusual bellow and of course you’ve looked in the livingroom and see, no, it isn’t hubs—he’s sitting peacefully in his recliner. So you walk outside to investigate and find an elk. Problem is this elk isn’t at all where you expect it to be nor is she in the condition you expect an elk to be. She’s drunk and she’s up in your apple tree. As in stuck, can’t get up or down. Can you just imagine standing there trying to take that picture in from your back porch? Obviously, your eyes are lying, because there can’t possibly be an elk in a tree!  Try calling that one in to the fire department used to rescuing kids or cats from trees—unless you’re in Sweden where they’re used to strange antics by the local elk that munch fermented apples every fall.

Book blurb

Then there is the book (Judi Fennell’s Genie Knows Best) I just finished reading. Now, you expect some unusual antics when there is a genie involved. Hey, I remember I Dream of Jeanie and she did some really bizarre things (and didn’t you just love the reaction from Larry Hagman and his best friend to those happenings?). But the magical creatures in this book boggle the mind. First off, Aladdin and Abu have nothing on this genie and his fennec fox (who truly cracks me up with his activities). Then there is the Russian nesting doll sort of leprechauns popping out everywhere. No wonder the heroine is wondering if she’s having a nervous breakdown or having a psychotic episode. I had to read that passage twice and cackled each time. Then there are the arguing Dragon couple which both cracked me up and made me wish for duct tape. What really had me rolling was the mental picture of a baby dragon  with Ginsu knife teeth latching onto the villains finger as he kidnaps it. The whole sequence is hilarious as is picturing the villain trying to shake off a baby dragon dangling from his finger. Four star read! No one writes magic and mayhem and fun comedic chaos like Judi Fennell!

A video that made me laugh out loud was Julie Ann Long’s comments on the last 72 hours of insanity meeting her writing deadlines—and the *supplies* required to meet them (anyone else channel Joan Wilder in Romancing The Stone?).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2GkDNG1GKc&list=FLuRs-CkuctcA4iKBpwRhWPg&index=8

Laughter is good for you and a medicine I’ve been indulging in a lot of late. As my mind clears from the depressive fog and I can contemplate writing again, I think of ways to employ some of the unusual in scenes. Truth is stranger the fiction and there is a lot of fodder out there to use.

• Do you read or see something unusual, funny, or bizarre, and think about how to use it in your writing?

• Any funny stories or videos you'd like to share?

The Kitten Files

     

Writing With Jennifer Estep

Writers usually are pantsers or plotters.There is no right or wrong way only the way that works for you, the writer. 


My guest urban fantasy author, Jennifer Estep. She writes both an adult Elemental Assassin series and  Mythos Academy series for young adults.


Jennifer talks about how she writes her stories.

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to Sia for having me on the blog again today. Thanks so much, Sia!

So today I thought I would talk a little about my writing process since that always seems to be a popular question with readers, authors, and everyone else. How do you go about taking the characters and stories in your head, getting them down on paper (or in the computer), and turning them into a cohesive book? Everyone’s process is a little different. Some people like to plot out what will happen in every single chapter. Other folks just take an idea and run with it. There’s no right or wrong way to write a book. All that really matters at the end of the day is getting the words down and finishing that first rough draft.

I have to admit that I’m a total panster when it comes to writing. I don’t do detailed outlines, character descriptions, storyboards, or anything like that. I just think about my heroine, her magic, and how she can use it to defeat the bad guys. Once I have that in mind, along with some of the major turning points of the story, I just sit down and start writing.

Sometimes, it works out well, and the story just flows. Other times … not so much. It’s not pretty, but it’s the method that works for me. I find that if I outline a story too much that I sort of get impatient and even a little bored writing it, since I know what’s going to happen next. I guess part of me likes my characters to surprise me a little bit as I write them.

When I do start writing that first rough draft, I try to write at least 2,000 to 3,000 words a day (or more) until I have a rough draft of about 50,000 or 60,000 words or so. I find that working on the draft every day helps me keep the story flowing and the words pouring out. Then, when I’m finished with the rough draft, I let the story sit for a few weeks before going back to it, reading through, and seeing what changes might need to be made and what needs to be added to the story.

Then, I start my second draft, where I layer in more emotion, description, and dialogue. With my second draft, I usually aim to have about 90,000 words by the time I finish it. Then, I let that draft sit for a few weeks before going back to it and layering in even more emotion, description, and dialogue. I usually do this a couple of times until I have a draft of about 95,000 words or so and the book is the best that I can make it.

So there you have it – a little bit about my writing process.

• What about you guys? What’s your writing process like? Are you a plotter or a panster? What books are you enjoying right now?

Spider's Revenge Available 9/27/11 

Old habits die hard for assassins.

And I plan on murdering someone before the night is through.

Killing used to be my regular gig, after all. Gin Blanco, aka the Spider, assassin-for-hire. And I was very, very good at it. Now, I’m ready to make the one hit that truly matters: Mab Monroe, the dangerous Fire elemental who murdered my family when I was thirteen.

Oh, I don’t think the mission will be easy, but turns out it’s a bit more problematic than expected. The bitch knows I’m coming for her. So now I’m up against the army of lethal bounty hunters Mab hired to track me down. She also put a price on my baby sister’s head. Keeping Bria safe is my first priority. Taking Mab out is a close second. 

Good thing I’ve got my powerful Ice and Stone magic—and my irresistible lover, Owen Grayson—to watch my back. This battle has been years in the making, and there’s a good chance I won’t survive. But if I’m going down, then Mab’s coming with me . . . no matter what I have to do to make that happen. Excerpt

Buy: AMAZON, BARNES and NOBLE, BOOKS a MILLION,

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. The books focus on Gin Blanco, an assas­sin code­named the Spi­der who can con­trol the ele­ments of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing peo­ple and right­ing wrongs, Gin runs a bar­be­cue restau­rant called the Pork Pit in the fic­tional South­ern metrop­o­lis of Ash­land. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vam­pires, and ele­men­tals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone.

Books in the series are Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, and Tangled Threads. Spider’s Revenge, the fifth book in the series, will be released on Sept. 27.

Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series for Kensington. Touch of Frost, the first book in the series, was released in August. First Frost, a prequel e-story to the series, is available as a 99-cent download. Kiss of Frost, the second book, will be released on Nov. 29.

For more information, excerpts, and more, visit Jennifer’s website at http://www.jenniferestep.com/.

You can also find Jennifer:  FACEBOOK, GOODREADS, TWITTER

CHRISTIE CRAIG: How To Ward Off A Gremlin

It's something all writers face—published or unpublished—self-doubt.


Romance author, Christie Craig tells how she deals with it and offers Five tips for overcoming and preventing self doubts. 

There’s a monster hiding under my desk.  He lurks there, waiting for the right moment to attack. He’s an ugly little bastard, too.  I have a lot of names for him, but for the sake of not overusing profanity in this blog, I’ll call him by his real name, Self-Doubt.  

Most of you might think that after two decades in the business, I’d have managed to kill the gremlin.  But you’d be wrong.  That sneaky little devil won’t die.  He keeps popping back up. 

I think self doubt is something most writers face throughout their careers.  And by careers, I don’t mean from the point that you become a published author, I mean, from the point you start writing.  I think the inability to fight the gremlin is one of the biggest things that prevent a writer from becoming published.  And it’s probably one of the reasons published writers stop writing.  That’s right, this monster doesn’t care what you’ve accomplished.  All he wants is a big bite out of your confidence.

He’ll tell you that whatever you’ve got on that computer screen is crap.  That you just need to delete it. He’ll convince you that no matter how good of an idea you may have, it’s probably already been done.

He’ll whisper in your ear that you’re wasting your time, that cleaning out your grout in your kitchen tile with a toothbrush is much more important.  Sometimes he possesses your family and friends and they’ll say things like, “How long are you going to put yourself though all this pain before you find something else to do with your time?”  He’ll stare you right in the eyes and tell you that your dreams are silly and you’ll never reach them.  He’ll make you believe that the one negative review out of twenty good ones is the one you should listen to.  If you let him, he not only can slow you down, he’ll rob you of the joy and passion you feel for writing. 

Now, that gremlin is always close by, nipping at your toes, giving you moments of doubt.  I think that’s somewhat normal.  But let that creature scramble up your leg, hang out in your lap, or even worse, let him climb up on your shoulder, where you can listen to him all day long, and you’ll soon be playing Russian Roulette with your passion for writing.  Because writing with a self-doubt gremlin sitting on your shoulder is about as easy as brushing your teeth with a brownie in your mouth. 

So how do we slay the gremlin or at least keep him at bay?  Below are five tips for overcoming and preventing self-doubt from chewing on your sanity.

• 1)      Be Aware or Peer Pressure.

We preach this to our kids but so often we forget that the bad habits of the people we hang out with are as contagious as a stomach virus.  If you’re hanging out with negative people, people who have lost their ability to chase their dreams, you’re at risk of becoming just like them.  Find positive people who validate your dreams and work ethics to share your life and support your journey.

• 2)      Ward off the message that you don’t know what you’re doing by continually growing at a writer.  Read how-to books, take classes, attend those writer meetings and listen to what other writers offer as advice.

• 3)      Mentor someone else.  Nothing can inspire you more than helping and encouraging another person.  Telling others that they have to believe in themselves is a sure fire way or rekindling your own self-confidence.  It also creates karma.

• 4)      Be leery of ruts.  If you’re not feeling the passion for your writing, try spicing things up by doing something different.  Try writing something in a new genre, or try writing something in a different point of view.  Nothing can get you out of a rut quicker than feeling challenged.

• 5)      Accept that sometimes you are going to fail. That you’re going to make mistakes.  That you’re going to get rejections—that it might take you years to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Understand that you aren’t the first person to get fifty rejections, or a hundred, or even a thousand. The truth is, the number of rejections you receive doesn't matter.  You are not defeated until you let yourself be defeated.

Writing isn’t for wimps.  Chances are, you’ll face those gremlins, not once but many times, so just be armed with good friends, knowledge, Karma, a sense of adventure, and perseverance.  And never, ever lose your sense of humor.  And now that I’ve shared with you my tips for slaying gremlins, I’d like to hear some of yours. 

• How do you tackle self doubt?

DON'T MESS WITH TEXASAvailable now on bookshelves and e-book 
Nikki Hunt thought her night couldn't get worse when her no-good, cheating ex ditched her at dinner, sticking her with the bill. Then she found his body stuffed in the trunk of her car and lost her two-hundred-dollar meal all over his three-thousand-dollar suit. Now not only is Nikki nearly broke, she's a murder suspect.

Former cop turned PI, Dallas O'Connor knows what it's like to be unjustly accused. But one look at the sexy-though skittish-suspect tells him she couldn't hurt anyone. The lead detective, Dallas's own brother, has the wrong woman and Dallas hopes a little late-night "undercover" work will help him prove it . . . First Chapter Excerpt (blog excerpt page)

BUY: Amazon : Barnes & Noble : Books a Million : Katy Budget Books

~*~*~ 

Photojournalist, Author and Speaker

Christie Craig, an Alabama native, is an award-winning, multi-published writer, multi-published photo journalist, motivational speaker, and writing teacher.. Her non-fiction articles and photography have appeared in almost three thousand national magazines. A Golden Heart finalist, and a finalist in more than fifty RWA-sponsored contests, she has gained a well-deserved reputation for writing romance fiction that has both witty humor and a suspenseful, sexy tone. Published by Silhouette in the 90s, she recently broke back into fiction in a big way, making four book sales in one day. Her seventh humorous single title romance novel, published by Dorchester, will hit the stands in June 2010. Her non-fiction book, co-authored by Faye Hughes, released September 08, is The Everything Guide To Writing A Romance Novel and their second non-fiction book, a humorous self-help relationship book, Wild, Wicked and Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You Are in a Romance Novel is scheduled to be released December 2010. Craig's latest writing adventure is the sale of a young adult paranormal romance series, Shadow Falls Camp, which will be published by St. Martins Press in the near future.

  

JEANNE ADAMS: The Dream Writing Space

It's my pleasure to have romantic suspense author, Jeanne Adams, visiting with us Over Coffee. You may have read her Deadly Little Secrets, nominated for Best Suspense of 2010 and today I'm featuring another RT Top Pick and the follow up, Deadly Little Lies. 


I was curious about her writing area where she creates these fun romances and you know me, if I'm curious, I ask.
Describe your writing space—what would be your DREAM writing space?




You know, Sia, when you asked me about writing spaces, I thought, “How can I answer that, I have a great writing space!?” 

But the more I thought about it, the more I decided it would be SUCH a fun topic.  I can talk about this topic for hours of course (and have, because I teach a class about it) and it got me thinking.  What would I want to have that I don’t already have?

I have a great room, all to myself.  It’s the size of a closet, but hey, it’s got a door that shuts, and bookcases, and a desk and chair.  I’m good.

I have a really big monitor that keeps me from straining my eyes – and what a god-send THAT is, let me tell you! 

There’s floor space enough for the dogs to hang out with me all day, which they usually do.  And two windows, which let in natural light, and which if I’m really bored or trying to think of something to do next, allow me to see the world passing by and get some ideas.

Granted, my ideas usually run to blowing things up – one of my favorite pastimes – so I’m not so sure the FedEx guy would appreciate knowing what I’ve contemplated doing to his truck.  Snork!  But it helps to have that visual distraction sometimes.

I’m very visual, so I have a lot of pictures and inspiration pieces around.  Clutter, according to my DH.  And I have toys.  Things to toss and play with, as I’m very kinesthetic as well. 

But a dream space….where would that be?  What would that look like?  Well, it would have to be bigger, maybe 12 by 20 feet.  BIG windows, looking out on the street. 

The street, you say?  Yep.  I know some people like the quiet pastoral view, but I’m an extrovert.  Seeing the people moving and driving and going and doing helps me concentrate.  Too much quiet makes me jumpy.  Which is why a dream workspace would also have to have a rockin’ sound system.  A Bose sound dock for my iPod would work, maybe some auxiliary speakers to that so the bass can really reverb.  Grins. 

That would mean soundproofing too, I guess, since I like to work late at night as well.  So good lighting too – lights in the ceiling (currently missing in my office) as well as task lighting on the desk.

A mini-fridge would be good...or maybe not.  As it is, I need to move around more, having a fridge in the room would be toooo convenient and contribute to writerly “spread” from so much sitting.  Ha!

Color.  It would have to have color.  I might paint a neutral and do pops of color that I could change.  Yeah, I think that would be it.  And have huge bulletin boards where I can collage stories and hang idea things, and then take it all down when I needed some peace.

More than anything else it would have to have bookcases.  Lots and lots of bookcases.  I have some now, but my research books spill out into other rooms, not to mention all the books from “keeper” authors.

And I think it’s time for a new chair.

That’s kind of the dream – big, spacious, well-lit, bookcase-lined, music-blasting, big-monitored space.  Room for the dogs, room for me, room to spread out the research and rock and roll the writing (and the music.)

• What about you?  Whatever work you do, where do you like to do it?  Do you need quiet, or can you concentrate better with a lot of noise around you?  (I like to work at a busy Starbucks)  Do you want to see a pastoral, quiet scene of nature, or the bustle of the city, or at least your street?

• And if you could change one thing about where you work now – even if it’s your boss – what would it be?

~*~*~

Caught In A Game

Secrets are what drive billionaire security expert Davros Gianakopulos to succeed. And no one intrigues him more than striking art gallery owner Carrie McCray. But when a vengeful enemy traps Dav and Carrie in a ruthless battle of wits, the only thing he can trust is desire…

Carrie has faced down trouble before—betrayal taught her how. But staying one step ahead of those hunting her and Dav is as dangerous as her urgent feelings for him. Each move brings them closer to disaster, just as Dav’s every searching kiss challenges Carrie’s hard-won reserve. And he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her…even putting their last chance at love on the line…Excerpt

Buy: AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION

Jeanne Adams lives near Washington, D.C., with her handsome husband, two charming sons, and her Dalmatians. Formerly in the dark and dangerous world of business marketing, she's also worked in bookstores, for a cemetery, and several funeral homes. A member and frequent speaker for Romance Writers of America and its various chapters and a proud member of Washington Romance Writers. Jeanne loves to connect with readers and other writers. 

twitter.com/JeanneAdams 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JeanneAdams8 
Blog: www.RomanceBandits.blogspot.com
Website: www.JeanneAdams.com

Kilt Kilpatrick: The David Bowie of Erotica

Céad míle fáilte romhat, a Kilt!

BUY AMAZON & RAVENOUS
PREVIEW

So maybe you can help me with my dilemma - how do you label a writer when all their stories are so different from each other? 

Take my very good friend Kilt Kilpatrick, the author of the new Ravenous Romance anthology UNDER THE KILT. Kilt is a literary chameleon who has written first time gay male erotica, naughty romps of a college co-ed, touching lesbian love stories, and even the occasional straight coupling (or tripling...). And though I have it on good authority that Kilt is a straight male, he certainly has been mistaken for some other sex and /or sexual orientation by readers who’ve assumed that only a gay man, a lesbian, a naughty co-ed, etc., could have written the story in question.

If that weren't enough tomfoolery already, when he’s not gender-bending, he’s genre-bending. I don’t normally look for spicy erotica in my historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, steampunk or horror stories, but damn if Kilt isn't part alchemist and somehow manages to blend the most unlikely ingredients into wickedly delish literary cocktails. Come see what I mean:

A few of the twelve stories in UNDER THE KILT are perfectly contemporary; albeit very hot - but they’re arranged alongside other sneakier stories that seem buttoned down, ordinary and respectable until they quickly slant into the paranormal like a werewolf at that time of the month. Then there are lush historical tales with settings so richly detailed they’re like stepping into another world.  And you’ll also wander through stories set in the strange and scary surreal estate of fantasy, science fiction and horror (Yes, horror - who knew?) The Tiger's Tale is a historical fantasy set in the British Raj, featuring romance, intrigue, danger, tigers and gods in Victorian India.

A feisty Berkeley grad student says Later Days, Saints when two Mormon missionaries come knocking on her door with surprising results.  Next is Handsome and Grateful, a fractured fairytale take on the classic Brothers Grimm story of Hansel and Gretel, complete with a celebrity narrator, a slightly more mature Hansel and Gretel, a wicked witch, and a heroic woodsman – or are they? When the zombie apocalypse hits in Last Times at Ridgemont High, is it a nightmare come to life or a surprisingly sexy dream come true for our high school hero? Maybe a little of both...

What, two zombie stories in an erotica collection? A Zombacalypse horror story is an odd place to have a tender romance, but Kilt’s readers have especially liked the touching, haunting Love Bites: A Survival Guide. A Seattle fireman thinks he may be the last man on Earth after zombies overrun the world – until a mysterious woman appears. But is she real, or just his imagination, or something even worse? Don’t let the title of Humahumanukunukuapua’a scare you. It’s actually a charming story of a mainland girl in Hawaii having to cope with her increasingly powerful girlcrush on her best friend.

For the m/m fans, there are three more treats: Reach Out and Touch Someone is the "lost chapter" of Kilt’s debut novel, The Manny Diaries; in fact it’s the original opening to the book, but it was so hot the publishers decided to make it a stand-alone story. That Afternoon reads like a stand-alone story of a young man’s first time with another man, but it’s actually an excerpt from TMD, as is the sweet and spicy Christmas story Santa Claus is Coming.

Three truly fantastical stories round out the collection, including two never before published: Mutated States Of America is a post-apocalyptic romance-adventure set in a bizarre, savage but strangely beautiful near-future earth changed almost beyond recognition. Lady Cassiopeia’s Amaranthine Palace; or, the Aerial Xanadu is a quirky, baroque little Steampunk tale with a twist, a high-tech Tolkienesque fantasy set in the wild, wild, west of a techno-magical America that never was. Last is a novella, The Blue Morpheus Inn, a magical collaboration between Kilt and another popular Ravenous Romance author, the fabulous Inara Lavey (the bold, brilliant, wicked woman who rocks his world on a regular basis). Three college students heading home for the holidays are forced to spend the night at a mysterious motel where dreams come true, like it or not...

Though set in different times and places, and even different worlds, with varying degrees of fun and seriousness, these dozen Kilty pleasures all share the spicy romance elements that Ravenous readers have come to love. Some are wicked, some are sweet, some feature M/F action, some M/M, some F/F, or varying combinations of hot ménages; something for everyone, really. But make no mistake - these stories aren’t for everybody. Just you.

And btw, true confessions time... As you may have guessed by now, I’m not just an acquaintance who sure knows an awful lot about his very good friend’s anthology: I am Kilt Kilpatrick... and I truly hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed writing them for you!

Kilt Kilpatrick is the pen name of an Irish author sometimes called "the Ferris Bueller of San Francisco." When he's not writing sexy stories for Ravenous he is a nonfiction writer, public speaker, Bay Area event organizer, and somewhat oxymoronically, a biblical historian and atheist activist.

He is linguistically promiscuous; he is conversant in Irish Gaelic and bits and pieces of about two dozen other languages, including Welsh, Breton, Hungarian, Japanese, Arabic, American Sign Language, Cherokee, Klingon and Elvish. He loves reading, movies, dancing, sex, and has been a saber fencer for over 25 years.

He lives in San Francisco with his steady girlfriend and # 1 fencing partner Inara Lavey; who is also a Ravenous Romance writer. And yes, he does wear kilts. If you know anybody like that, it's probably him.

Titles by this author: The Manny Diaries, Bedknobs & Beanstalks: Anthology of Gay Erotic Fairy Tales (Contributor), Hungry for Your Love (Contributor), I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology (Contributor), I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus (Contributer), Threesomes: An Erotic Anthology (Contributor)

You can find Kilt: Ravenous Romance and Facebook

JERI CAFESIN: Because I Love To Write

It's my pleasure to have novelist, Jeri Cafesin, visiting Over Coffee today. 


Many writers question our writing process, our ability to tell a story that takes readers to another place and another time. Writers are also readers and have read many good author's works. We can't help of comparing ourselves to those we respect and admire. Some how our writing, at least in our eyes, seem like *crap* in comparison to *real* authors.


Jeri touches on that insecurity and why we write.

I sat on the floor in the back of a bookstore in old town Pasadena perusing the selections. It was Saturday, late afternoon, another sunny day in L.A. I didn’t notice the store owners hustling everyone out the door and they didn’t see me in the back on the floor. After a while I picked a book I liked, got up and went to pay for it. The store was empty except for an old man sitting at a large desk awkwardly placed in the center of the main aisle. It blocked my way to the checkout so it was impossible to ignore him.

I greeted him with a quick ‘Hi,’ and smiled as I wriggled around the desk. He smiled back and asked me if I could get him a glass of water before the signing. I told him I didn’t work at the store. Then he asked me what I was still doing there. Buying a book, I told him. He took the book out of my hand and read the title, looked at me and smiled. This is good, he assured me, and handed the book back but kept staring at me with this funny grin on his face, like he had a secret.

He looked familiar but I couldn’t place him. There was a tall stack of books on the desk next to him. The Martian Chronicles, one of my all time favorites. Then I noticed the sign on the easel in front of the desk. Ray Bradbury Live! Today at 5:00.

I blushed. He smiled with my acknowledgment. Ray Bradbury was one of my few idols and he was sitting in front of me. I was speechless at first, which is rare for me. The man was what I aspired to be, a great writer. I picked up one of the ‘special addition’ hard cover books on the desk and held it up. This is really good, too, I assured him. He laughed. In the all years I’d been writing fiction I was sure nothing I’d written touched his talent. And then I got sad.

I felt the tears come. I couldn’t stop them. I smiled at him, put his book back in the stack and turned away, started to walk to the checkout but he stopped me. He asked me what was up but I told him he couldn’t possibly understand, knowing who he was, what he was, and what I was not. Try me, he insisted.

So I did. I explained that I wrote too, but didn’t label myself a writer. Though it was easy for me to recognize talent when I read it, it was impossible for me to see it in my own work. Every time I put word to paper I questioned if it was any good.

Surprisingly, he laughed. Then he told me that he too had the same question running through his head with everything he wrote. More often than not when he read his own work he thought it was crap.

I was astonished. The man was a renowned novelist. How could he still question if he was any good? I had assumed once my work was recognized the uncertainty would never plague me again. The idea that I would have to battle my self-effacing ego the rest of my life, published or not was appalling, and I told him so.

His expression softened and he shook his head. Then he asked me why I write.

I’d never really considered the question before. I’d been writing for as long as I could remember, diaries and journals when I was younger, then stories and eventually novels. I assumed once I got good enough someone would publish me and I could quit my day job and write full time, but that hadn’t happened yet. Clearly I wasn’t good enough. Perhaps I never would be. I constantly questioned when I should give it up, though the thought of not writing anymore was on par with going blind.

I write because I love to, I told him.

He smiled. Good answer, he said. The question is not if you’re any good, but if you love the process of writing. Published or not, keep writing as long as you love doing it.

And so I have. I still get disheartened, every other day it seems I’m back to black, trying to talk myself into making my day job my career. Even though I’m publishing now there isn’t any money in it. Yet. Hope springs eternal. Good or not, published or not I keep writing though, because I love to write.

Thanks Ray.

• So, why do you write?

REVERB, Jeri Cafesin, Available now.

Music was all he needed  music and then the music was gone.

James Michael Whren is brilliant, beautiful, wealthy, and taken with himself, or more precisely, his genius for creating music. The object of desire for many, his greatest passion is for his muse.

But on the evening after his brother's funeral, his father turns his life upside down, and James is left abandoned in hell with no one to save him.

He finally escapes, and on his run for freedom he's forced to confront the man he was as he seeks asylum from old friends and ex-lovers. Humbled and almost defeated, he finds refuge on a small Greek island. But with solitude comes madness

Then he meets Elisabeth.

Reverb is a story of redemption, and follows one man's extraordinary journey of emotional growth through his discovery of his capacity to love. EXCERPT

MY REVIEW of Reverb 

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J. Cafesin is an L.A. native, born and raised on the Valley side of the Hollywood Hills, among the TV and movie studios. Creativity abound and inspired growing up with the kids of producers, directors and screenwriters living in the quiet suburb. 

Journals were kept under the bed or close at hand to scribble prose, lyrics, or manic rants, but art and illustration were the focus during the early years. A BA in Advertising Design, and three years as an Art Director in corporate servitude pushed her from the proverbial window and into freelance as a floater for CBS, NBC, and movie studios from Transworld Entertainment to Lucas Films Ltd. Attending UCLA film school at night, she finished her first screenplay before quitting their program to escape the wild and crazy Hollywood scene, and moved to the San Francisco area to focus on corporate and literary writing.

Now a freelance writer of fiction, essay and copy in the Bay Area, J. Cafesin is currently working on her second contemporary romance; a YA series of short fables; and adapting her Sci-Fi screenplay into a third novel. Her articles are featured regularly in local and national print publications. Essays on her ongoing blogspot have been translated into multiple languages and distributed globally: jcafesin.blogspot.com

J. Cafesin resides on the eastern slope of the redwood laden Oakland Hills with her husband/best friend, two gorgeous, talented, spectacular kids, and a bratty but cute pound-hound Shepherd-mix.


You can find her: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog

MONDAY MUSINGS: In Need Of Amusement

My sense of ridiculous is easily amused these days. I’m basically stuck indoors. I can’t watch the antics of puppies—don’t have any—which is a good thing considering my health and weather. No teen angst to filter since he’s elsewhere this weekend and can’t amuse me with silly tales of tragedy and comedy, otherwise known as his friend’s life choices. Shame I don’t write YA. I have enough plots to write a library of books. And I thought adults had screwed up love lives.

I’m reduced to finding my amusements elsewhere. Today it was sorting through my junk mail folder. Aside from half the African nation sending me emails starting with the word Dearest, and can I trust you (you’re kidding, right?) or urgent response needed in a business matter (which I take to mean rapid delete), I have people confused with regard to my gender. I mean, really, you’re new in town and lonely and want to chat with a hot GUY like me… about life? (read sex here). Last time I checked my email wasn’t listed with any sites as a *hot guy* looking for an easy chick.

Then there is the whole confusion about Viagra. I really have the wrong equipment to be flaccid and I don’t need directions for personal Viagra usage. The closest I’m going to get to rock hard is when I hold Olivia Cunning’s book in my hands.

Sigh...Well, at least the African nation knows I’m a woman.

.

I need a fresh source of amusement. Grab a cuppa and have a seat... 

SO... 

What’s been amusing you of late?
Seen any good movies? Read any good books?
Have any good news?