Tag: IF I LIE

My Book is Finished – Thank You, Betas!

I’ve been writing Interior of a Heart for a while now, and I really felt like I’d never see the end of it. A story that began as a fun romance morphed into this beast of a book – proof that sometimes what you think you’re writing isn’t what your subconscious wants to write. The story has all these tough themes and difficult situations, most of which have no right or wrong answers. It’s the hardest I’ve pushed myself as a writer. It’s the hardest I’ve been on myself, too, always feeling like there was more research, more crafting, more that I could’ve done.

This is where beta readers and crit partners are so vital. When I made excuses, I got a kick in the butt. When I needed quick reads, they were there for me. And when I needed encouragement, they pushed me. I can’t thank you guys enough!

My Stupendous Betas:

My Family, Stephanie Kuehn, Abby Stevens, Debra Driza, Laurie Devore, My MFA Professor Mary Waters, my crit group members Dawn Miller and Jay Lehmann, and Roger Perez.

Also, here’s a tweet from Laurie that I am saving forever and ever.

Interior of a Heart New Playlist

A new month and a new playlist for this book, which is finally going to be finished this month.  It was time to refresh my tired playlist. Warning: this book is all kinds of sad and intense, so the music is the same. Lots of solemnity + amazing lyrics = me churning pages. I couldn’t find everything on my playlist at playlist.com, but my most listened to songs are here. Obviously I love  my Glen Hansard (he’s also lead singer for The Frames and Swell Season). Enjoy!

On Research

I’ve been quiet on my blog, and I thought I would share a little about why. My current wip, Interior of a Heart, didn’t start out as a story with military roots and ties. I began this book last year and at the time, I knew it would be a young adult book about honor. From there, it evolved and many of the characters naturally transformed into veterans or soldiers. The town in the story became a military town. Recently it hit me. Real men and women have fought – a couple of those veterans from my family – and died. I had better do them justice. And suddenly the stakes in my work were raised.

The last few weeks, when I haven’t been writing or editing, I’ve been lost in research. I’ve read books and articles on the Vietnam War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve watched hours of video footage of soldiers. I’ve not given a lot of attention to politics or grandstanding or personal views on whether or not we should be fighting. Most of my research has been on what war is like on the battlefield, how the experience has differed from war to war, and what it’s like to return home after fighting. This topic has not been easy to delve into, and I’m not out to push my views on others. But wow. What a wakeup call.

On a personal level, I feel changed by what I’ve learned. I am overwhelmed by how little I still know. I am filled with a desire to do more. I am guilty because I’ve done nothing before now. I am saddened by how little we care about our soldiers as a society. I am shamed by how little I’ve cared about our soldiers personally. I am worried I won’t get it right in my story. I am moved by the power of words. I am hopeful that my words will be honest.

So, yeah. These are just some of the things I’ve been thinking about.

October Writing Month

I’ve said it to my friends and I’ve said it on Twitter. Now I’m saying it here to make it stick.

I WILL FINISH INTERIOR OF A HEART BY OCTOBER 31.

Something must be true if it’s in big, bold, red type, right? I have been working on this novel in fits and starts for ages. The thing is outlined and just needs my butt in a chair writing. So. No more fussing around. As of October 1, I made a commitment to myself, and I intend to keep it. You may get sick of me talking about it here and on Twitter.

You know how you should retaliate? Join me. Write!

To that end, notice the nifty chart in my sidebar. I will be tracking my progress each day as I go.

(Side note: Obviously, this means my blogging will be sorely lacking this month.)

A Peek at the Future

Certain readers have the ability to crush your ability to type another word. In the past, my sister has been that reader. This is why she didn’t get to read Touched until months after it was complete. See that story here. See, she is my best friend. A beta reader tells me this character needs some work, and I take it with a grain of salt and get down to the business of editing. My sister tells me this, and I’m ready to kill off the character completely.

Now I’m working on Interior of a Heart, and I believe this novel has something. Most days. And my sister asked to read it, and I immediately began whipping out excuses to explain why it wasn’t ready, and she said, “Oh, we’re going to go through that again?” and I thought “Maybe, soul-crusher” because I hate to get called on my crap. And then I felt guilty because she has been extremely supportive.

So I caved and sent the first part of the manuscript to her last week. I made her swear in blood and spit to only offer praise or questions, but no criticisms because this is a first draft and what kind of sister criticizes a first draft – I’ll tell you, a monster, that’s who.

Then, on Friday my sister and her husband drove from LA to San Francisco to visit me for the weekend. On the way, she read my wip out loud to my brother-in-law. When they arrived here, we spent two hours discussing my book. Mostly, I just sat back and listened to them debate the themes and the way the story would end. They passionately discussed my characters as if they were real people, ones who my family had a vested interest in. How amazing it was to see something I created – characters I pulled out of my head – talked about like this! To hear certain lines repeated because they loved them and were touched by them.

They gave me a wonderful gift – the gift of a peek into the future when readers will buy my book and perhaps discuss it in the same way. Man, that future is exciting and scary and wonderful. I can’t wait for it to get here!

Teaser Tuesday

Another snip from my current WIP, Interior of a Heart, a YA literary novel about a girl treated as an outcast in her town when she keeps a secret for her boyfriend, a soldier fighting in Afghanistan. George is an old vet Sophie has become friends with after her father forces her to volunteer at the VA Hospital.

*Removed snip*

Teaser Tuesday

Another teaser from Interior of a Heart, my literary YA novel. Note: there is some nudity in the scene below.

*Removed snip*

Teaser Tuesday

Another snip from my work Interior of a Heart. Quinn snuck out when her father told her not to leave the house.

*Removed snip*

Summer Sabbatical

I'm going old school, baby

School, my day job, travel, and all my online socializing have sucked my free time into a black hole recently. As many of you know, it is too easy to spend what little precious writing time we have in the wrong places. It is WAY past time for me to get down to some serious writing on my novel. To that end, I am taking a brief – I’m talking weeks here – sabbatical from the online world. I may pop in from time-to-time (when I’m dying of loneliness or need a breather), but for the most part, I’m going MIA for the next few weeks.

Do not call out the hounds.  I’ll be back in July with more writing tips when I have some serious words under my belt. In the meantime, enjoy the soundtrack from my current work in progress, Interior of a Heart, and know that I am most likely sitting in a Starbucks listening to the same song as you. (Come to think of it, don’t imagine that. It sounds creepy in a stalkerish kind of way. Just listen to the songs, and don’t imagine me at all. Imagine you are sitting ALONE in a car while it storms through the car wash. That’s much better, right?)

Love,

Teaser Tuesday

A new work to tease from! Hallelujah! This is the opening of Chapter One of a new work – uncut and unedited. Working title: INTERIOR OF THE HEART. I’d love to know what you think!

*Removed snip*