My story is called Christmas in Venice and is set in the here and now but has a time travel element. It’s a tribute to a beautiful city and the tour guide who escorted us through it.
So, the crazy story continues and segued again last night. I think I’m going to say it’s a romantic comedy because it really doesn’t fit any other genre. It’s weird because I usually have some element of suspense or a theme of that nature. I do have a dead body and the heroine is a medical examiner but I find myself not really caring if the case is solved because I’m having so much fun with the dialogue between the main characters. I may just call this a writing exercise and never submit it anywhere- it has at least amused me and kept me out of trouble for a couple of days. Always a plus.
I’m gearing up for NaNoWriMo beginning in November and don’t really want to start anything new writing-wise until then as I don’t want to get wrapped up in characters and then change gears in two weeks.
I had nothing to read in my car yesterday so I took my alpha writer to lunch and started a short story, thinking I was going to submit it to a place looking for fantasy romances. I wrote 365 words with a plan (sort-of- not really) for a fairy to be part of the story.
So, today, I picked it up and worked on it at lunch again and added about 700 more words. It has now turned into a sort-of-not-really Valentine’s Day story.
I have no idea where it’s going and when the hero asked the heroine if she knew who the murder victim was, she said no and asked him to tell her. I was just as eager as she was to know the answer.
Hurry up, November, so I can focus. Please.
I love the early 1920s to the kate 1930s It was a time of peace in our country. Other than the stock market crash and Prohibition, people had fun, new dances were created, and the country underwent fantastic changes in many areas of life, such as architecture, art and science. The clothes were the cat’s meow and the shoes, well, the shoes were to die for. Being a shoe hound, I love that!
I wrote one book that’s out now called REDEMPTION FOR THE DEVIL and it’s based in 1920. I have a manuscript out on submission called THE GAMBLER and it’s based in 1937. They were both fun to write and weave in history and culture to the plots.
got to 13,697 today on my NaNoWriMo novel. It’s a romantic suspense called Obsession. I had a hard time getting a handle on my female protagonist until I changed her name. Once I got the right name for her, she came together in my head much easier. This happened on another story, too.
It’s funny how my writing process works. I get the hero first. Always. His name and his back story come easy to me. Wonder why the women are so much harder for me? Guess it’s like real life. I have male friends and female friends and the male ones are much easier to get a handle on. Simpler needs, I guess. Life imitates art? I think so.
That’s the question of the day for me. I am a writer. Part of that process is rejection. Duh. I know that. But each one I get makes me think I’m a hack. Why is that? The funny thing is, I know I’m competent and capable. But send me a rejection and I think I’m horrid and worthless. I’ve sold numerous short stories and two novels and just started a quest for an agent about a month ago. I got two agent rejections yesterday. And on Monday, I got two short story rejections. It was like a quadruple whammy.
And no, I wasn’t arrogant enough to think that the first agent I queried would fall in love with me but I did at least think I’d get a request for more pages. One of the agents said my writing was very strong but she wasn’t captivated by the first 5 pages, which was all she had. The other one blew me off completely. Short, terse, nothing.
So, determined not to give up, I sent out two more agent letters and I sent the short stories out again. This morning I woke up to a contract in my email for one of the short stories- It was accepted by a children’s magazine (for ages 14 and up). So, what a difference 14 hours makes. I went from Gloomy Gus who thinks she can’t write to Delighted Debbie, the master story teller! Until the next rejection, that is.
What a crazy industry this is. And me, too. Crazy, that is.
10 Random things that make me happy with a special tribute to fall in honor ot Oct 1
Boots
I love to wear boots in the fall and winter. They’re comfy and keep my toes warm.
A roaring fire in the fireplace
There’s nothing like a cozy fire on a cool day. sitting by a fire is a fine way to spend a fall day
Petting my cat
She’s a long hair cat and likes to cuddle only when the weather is cool. It’s relaxing and soothing to run my hand over her fur and hear her purr.
Writing
Writing is something I MUST do. It is part of my soul and my psyche needs it.
reading fiction
Escaping to other worlds is something I enjoy. There’s nothing like a well written book to take me to away from my day to day life.
Red doors
They are beautiful and represent sanctuary.
bare limbed trees
Mysterious and sexy, bare limbed trees speak to my imagination. A haze or fog over such a tree appeals to me. Have no real idea why. It just does.
lunch time
A break from the work day is always a grand thing.
Watching Cary Grant movies
He was so awesome and funny and suave and a wonderful entertainer.
Fridays
DUH!
had an enjoyable day off. Wrote for part of the morning. Went to a movie and saw Young Victoria. I very much enjoyed it. Men in tight pants always makes me happy. Rupert Friend was excellent as Albert. James Broadbent, as King William was, as usual, excellent. Love him.
Here’s a tribute to two great men of our Nation: one who helped found it and one who kept it together at all costs, even at the cost of his own life. Two men well worth honoring. I regret that more places do not close in their honor.
It is a bone of contention even. Anyway, I thank them for their service to this Great country. 
So, I was speeding along great guns toward my 50,000 words for NaNo and after I got to 40,000, I have slowed to a crawl. I still have great stuff in my head to put down but the back hurts and the arm hurts. I am working too hard at the real job- on the computer all day with that so, in the evening, I just can’t seem to get going. I have averaged less than 1,000 a night since my big sprint on Sunday. I still have time but I hate to watch that y axis crawl up so slowly.
I’ve decided to start my own blog to go along with the Southern Sizzle Blog. This way I can yammer on anytime I want to without hogging the blog that I share with my mates on the way to being published in the romance genre. I have had such fun with them that I decided to play more. I plan to upload some of my short stories here for amusement. Here is a photo of one of my favorite actors that serves as inspiration for some of my writing. He is such a versatile actor that he can serve as the hero of many of my tales and never seem like the same man. 
Ramblings of a Writer 