CAKE!

Nothing like a low carb diet to make you desperately want cake.





Check out Hyperbole and a Half! You won't regret it. Must reads include:
This is why I'll never be an adult
Party
The God of Cake

Visible Change

Some change you can see right away, a new haircut, the devastation from a storm, a de-cluttered office.

What about glacial change? The kind that definitely has a lasting impact, but is barely perceptible?

After attending a weekend “Warrior Writer” workshop that explains the green beret way to conquer fear and succeed, I think I “get it”: identify your biggest blind spot/weakness and face it.

Picture Louis Gosset Jr. screaming at Richard Gere while RG holds that ab crunching legs out position.
“I want your DOR!”
“I got nowhere else to go.”
Okay that’s a little extreme, but we get the point: Gere has faced his biggest fear: this is the end of the line for him. If he can’t make it, he’s got nowhere else to go.


My biggest weakness and blind spot is self-doubt. I hold myself back. What do I fear? Rejection. Ridicule. I got nowhere else to go!!

How can I tell if I’ve really changed my thought patterns or behavior? I keep writing, and keep sending my chapters to my critique group even if I think they stink. Have I really changed my thinking?
Or is quantifying everything and trying to rank it a sign that I’m still up to my old tricks? Sadly, I won’t know until I can look back and see the effects of my actions.

Here’s my new ‘glass is half-full’ positive roundup of writing-related news:

One of my critique group members signed with an agent! Yahoo!

I devoured The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and have arranged my weekend to allow time to read the sequel Catching Fire.

I revised my “to do” schedule so that I have daily writing goals, but the weekend is free for reading and watching movies. I have NEVER been a work 24/7 kind of person, so why would I write 24/7? It makes no sense.


Hey, cool - just found this warriorwriters blog...

Who will play Ranger?

Katherine Heigl will play Stephanie in the movie version of One for the Money - maybe this project will get off the ground!

I think they should find an unknown to play Ranger - a cross between Antonio Banderas and The Rock. I'm just saying...

: )





If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?

That Covey Guy May Have Been on to Something

I read Stephen Covey's 7 Habits book a while ago, and while it all made sense, I never seemed to put first things first. Finally, this year I decided that even though I am not a morning person, I will get up an hour earlier each morning and work on my book every day. And... it's actually working. Who knew? I'm seeing progress!
I can't go straight to it in my 'dream state' because I'm in a fog without a cup of latte, but I set up my little latte machine each night and my steaming, frothy mug is ready in a few minutes in the morning. I fire up my laptop and ka-bam, I'm in the zone.
Turns out that first things first stuff works!
I'd try the other habits Covey recommends, but I don't want to push my luck.
As for my laugh more resolution, we just re-watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith for the bazillionth time. We're starting to notice small details, like that the 'hostage' is wearing a Fight Club t-shirt. Funny.

Laugh more and eat more ice cream

Those are E’s resolutions, not mine. He was trying to get me to relax about goal setting and strategizing for the new year. I officially agreed to keep “laugh more” as my resolution, but I am a goal-oriented person, and I need specific long-term objectives in front of me or else I feel lost.

1- Finish my current YA work-in progress from NaNoWriMo. So far so good. I’m on a new schedule where I spend the 1st hour of my day working on this project and I’m sticking to it.

2- Revise my women’s fiction manuscript. When I’m ready for a break from the above project I’ll jump back on this one.

3 - Train for and enjoy a physically challenging but rewarding active vacation this summer. We’re looking at visiting the Columbia ice fields in August.

The above three goals should govern where my time and money are spent throughout the year. When deciding whether or not to do or buy something, I’ll come back to this list.

In the mean time, for laughs I am watching the Big Bang Theory.

Awesome weekend

Celebrated my birthday in Quebec City - went xc skiing, followed by a swim plus an icy sprint across a snow-covered courtyard to an outdoor jacuzzi. It was -12C (that's 14 F).



Enjoyed wonderful food (rabbit, duck, lots of chocolate!) plus wine.

Quebec City is beautiful- we've got to go back.

Then as a bonus, when I got home I found out I won a box of books! I LOVE free books: )

I'm really happy. Thank you Cindy Procter-King

50K HOORAY!

It got ugly by the final weekend - I had to crank out 5k per day but I did it. Thanks for the kudos Dodi (or 609b e3455...)

E kept himself entertained by going out drinking with ex-girlfriends from high school Saturday night and then "hunting" Sunday which again resulted in him coming home with nothing to show for it. On any other weekend I might have been suspicious and imagined all sorts of sordid scenarios, but all my imagination was focused on NaNo, so as long as he was keeping himself entertained without cutting the power to the house I didn't ask too many questions.

Now I'm taking a break from that project, reading some more how to books and devouring more YA lit for analysis.

And oh, right, it's December which means we'll be celebrating the birth of me, E, and Jesus soon. Need to get the house decked out, make some lists, bake some cookies.

Everyone wants books as gifts, right? I know that's my favorite gift : )

Forget Firemen, Give me an IT Guy Any Day!

This isn't E, it's Moss from the IT Crowd. E doesn't wear ties.

After freaking out over my NaNoWriMo project and almost abandoning it, my writer friends talked me off the ledge at brunch Sunday so I buckled down Sunday afternoon and cranked out 5,000 more words to get back in the game.

Monday I lost everything I'd done Sunday.

And it was my fault.

I didn't follow the proper protocol for file naming on the laptop, there was a mixup with old folders with same names, and... *poof* all gone.

Distraught, I stumbled down to the robot lab in tears mumbling 'laptop' and 'all gone.'

After stabilizing me with a couple of hugs, E put down his chain saw or whatever he was doing, went upstairs and somehow managed to cobble together bits of files from the laptop and my memory key and was able to piece back together what I'd lost. I have no idea how he did it, but he's officially my hero!!!

So, I'm telling you, IT guys are the new firefighters. I mean what are the odds of you actually starting a 5-alarm blaze? The only accidental fire I ever started was when I tried to sterilize a sponge in the microwave (bad plan).

Having your IT guy sprint up the stairs, roll up his sleeves, tell you not to worry and retrieve your 5,000 words is priceless.

He doesn't do it for the glory or for the chicks, he does it for the Nanaimo bars. I owe him a big batch : )

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Writer Scorned

Torstar, the parent company of Harlequin has started a SHITSTORM with Harlequin Horizons which is basically a vanity publisher that Harlequin will be 'mentioning' to all writers it rejects. Nice, huh?
As if it's not bad enough to receive a rejection letter, theirs will now say, "Oh, and by the way we'd also like to rip you off by selling you a bunch of crap (overpriced useless marketing tools, editing services, etc.) to cash in on your hopeless dream of becoming a published author, you talentless LOSER."
The RWA (Romance Writers of America) has responded by telling Harlequin it will no longer receive many privileges (free rooms, space at signing tables, etc.) at the RWA annual conference. RWA does not recognize vanity publishers, so Harlequin is now out. How RWA and Harlequin are going to manage without each other is a big question mark. I am not writing for Harlequin, but the situation is of great interest to me because the publishing industry IS changing, and I think this is just the beginning of what will definitely be a rough ride. I'm really happy that RWA told Torstar where to stick their vanity press.
I'm not saying there's no place for self publishing, where a writer basically pays to have his or her book printed, but then also makes 100% of the profit. Some successful writers started this way and it is a viable route for some people. That is not what Harlequin is doing in my opinion. They are tying to cash in on their slush pile by ripping off writers who don't know better or are desperate enough to do whatever it takes to get "published."
Here's an excellent explanation of the situation from author Jackie Kessler: Harlequin Horizons vs RWA, and an update The Day After: Harlequin Blinks.

NaNoWriMo GO GO GO

After a shaky start due to E giving me a horrific cold with a tuberculosis-like cough he has titled J74N1, I am finally on track NaNo wise.

Of course, I've completely changed one of the characters already, despite doing a LOT of pre-planning, pre-plotting and character development. Lesson learned from the last NaNoWriMo - no plot is a HUGE problem...

I've also been reading more YA:
The Year of Secret Assignments and Wintergirls.
Also read and really enjoyed Uglies - now need to finish the series. AND, bonus! Scott Westerfeld will be at our local bookstore tomorrow. I really want to go but I don't want to cough all over him so I'll have to wait and see how I feel.

In the words of the Godfather from GK,
3 words:
TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO

As if I Don't Have Enough Angst

I am re-entering the world of teen angst as I prepare a YA (young adult) plot for NaNoWriMo 2009. Yes! I am doing NaNo this year.

My writing peeps suggested I take a break from women's fiction and try something else. I toyed with the idea of romantic suspense, but the books I've been reading and enjoying most lately are all YA, so that's where I'm going.

Recently read:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns by John Green
Speak, Twisted and Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

I am in the process of coming up with my own story while analyzing what worked in my favourites above, while trying to quickly devour more current YA. Deadline: Nov 1. I need to have my character sheets done, my plot outline ready, a logline in place and ideally a complete scene by scene breakdown of the book.

Meanwhile, it turns out my teen angst novel match is : Looking for Alaska. nice!
Take the quiz here.

Because I Wanna be a Cowboy, Baby*

We're off to the rodeo this weekend - yee ha!

Of all the small world coincidences, the remote town where E's family is from is the site of the 2nd largest rodeo in the country after the Calgary Stampede.

Who knew?

So we're heading north instead of west so I can get my fill of cowboys. I have been begging and begging and begging to go to the rodeo. E has a 'been there/done that' attitude toward the whole thing (of COURSE he used to ride broncs - this is E we're talking about). I'm hoping I don't get freaked out by all the people, and that I can manage to soak up enough detail for possible future use. Writing is becoming my excuse for making all kinds of crazy requests, and so far it's working.

I even get a cool hat out of the deal. : )

*title reference to lyrics by Kid Rock (Trackrick style)

Why I'm just like Dan Brown

People either love or hate my writing.

I just received contest feedback ranging from a 61 to a 92 out of 100. Either I stink or I'm brilliant, depending on whose critique you read.

At first I thought "what the?" but then I realized it's the same with published novels. People either love them or hate them. I couldn't get through The Da Vinci Code, and to be honest, I didn't love The Time Traveler's Wife as much as I thought I would, but plenty of other people loved both of those books.

Instead of agonizing over why the low rankers hated my manuscript, I took what I could from their critiques and focused most of my attention on the feedback from the judges who liked my writing. Their suggestions for improvement carry more weight for me because I feel like they 'get' my writing style.

On the Kindle front, even though I can now store zillions (ok, lots) of e-books, I have still managed to accumulate so many print books that we now need to add two more floor to ceiling bookshelves in the guest room/library. How did this happen? There's my stash from the RWA conference, plus a shopping spree at Half Price books while on vacation, plus a $1 sale at Borders, plus books from my parents, plus picking up a few books from the sharing shelf at the family cottage. Is this normal?



Currently reading: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Currently listening to (audio book in my car): Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner

Guess What I Got?

A Kindle!!

An early birthday present from my parents.

Love it!

Can't use the whispernet feature in Canada, but I can transfer books from my computer to my Kindle here.

So much fun : )

Packing for my cycling trip just got a whole lot easier and less bulky. Instead of agonizing over which books to pack, just grab the Kindle and go.

bio

Karen had a dream job working as a public relations specialist for a major cosmetics company. She wrote press releases about the latest makeup and skin creams and took home so many free samples she didn’t even have time to try them all. When layoffs were threatened at the company, Karen knew she’d never be able to find another job she liked so much, and asked herself the question, “If I could do anything, what would it be?”

The answer was write a novel.

Although Karen had been writing professionally for over fifteen years as a marketing, advertising, public relations and technical writer, novel writing was a new challenge.

Tired of waiting to be laid off, Karen left her full-time job to learn the craft of writing fiction. Her former employer hired her as a freelance writer, and as word spread that Karen was available, other former employers started calling, launching Karen’s freelance business. Karen’s work has been published in the Montreal Gazette, and her flexible freelance schedule allows her to reserve time for novel writing.

When she’s not reading or writing, Karen is learning or trying something new. Karen majored in chemistry and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts and Science from the University of Illinois. She’s an advanced open water scuba diver, a triathlete, a kayaker and she’s summited (fixed typo) Mount Kilimanjaro. She enjoys winter camping, and even attended an afternoon meeting of her Canadian RWA chapter last February after waking up that morning in a tent pitched in the snow.

Karen enjoys reading a variety of fiction genres and is currently working on a romantic suspense story.

D.C. Action

Highlights:

My bag!

Look at it! I love the cover. I want to write a book with that scene in it just so I could have that cover on it.

Books, books and more books! I spent $110 at the literacy signing, and the rest were FREE! The publishers set up book signings for their authors, where they sign their books and give them to you for free. As you know, I LOVE meeting authors. Meeting so many of them was my version of Disneyland. : )


Speaking of the literacy signing, I was in line at Susan Elizabeth Phillips' table when a redhead in a walking cast cut me off. I thought I recognized that redhead, and sure enough, it was Janet Evanovich!

In JE's official talk, she made me cry when she described giving up, dragging her box of rejection letters to the curb and taking a normal job. She was out picking up her daughter from something when her husband and son showed up to tell her, "Your editor just called..."


All the keynote speakers were fantastic: Linda Howard (bless her heart) and Eloisa James "Art Garfunkel born into the Bach family"

TONS of great workshops. My favourites: Donald Maas explaining how to avoid creating a "MWOO HA HA" antagonist, Jenny Crusie explaining propping up the sagging middle with a clothesline analogy, and Robin Wells' Power of Significant Detail, complete with clips from Gone With the Wind, Office Space and It's a Wonderful Life.

I met the Smart Bitches AND got a signed copy of their book, Beyond Heaving Bosoms. I read it on the way home - hilarious, and filled with recommendations now on my TBR list.

Also met a bunch of people I formerly only knew on line from the Chick Lit loop and the From the Heart groups. Also got to spend some time with fellow Ottawa chapter-mates.

I stuck with my strategy of floating around solo instead of sticking with any one group, and the results proved that it's definitely the way to go. I met many people from across the US and Canada in various stages of their careers, each with an interesting story.

And, yes I did have a scheduled pitch and managed to do an impromptu pitch when a fellow writer introduced me to her agent. Both requested to see my work, so I have 2 submissions to polish. : )

As you can see, it was action-packed. In E's words, on the first night I sounded like I'd had 7 Red Bulls with an espresso chaser.

People were really dressed up, especially for the awards gala - see below.

No kitten sweatshirts!

I loved it - definitely worth every penny. : )


The only lowlight was non-RWA-related: at the airport something on me beeped and I got sent into the wave machine - a tube-like scary phone booth-ish contraption that looks like something out of Star Trek. grrrr. I had the exact same outfit on when I flew IN, why did it beep on the way OUT? After apparently seeing me NAKED grrr they decided I was NOT a security risk and I got to go. grrr grrr grrr
I'm beginning to really hate flying. Too bad I also hate driving. I need to find high-speed trains to take me to my destinations.

Apart from that, I am now trying to get caught up, unpacked and working on those submissions (that just means pulling together whatever the agent asked for: 2-pg synopsis, bio, 1st 10 pages, or whatever).

Next up: the reading pile!! Where to start? YA or ROM Suspense?

En route to DC

Signed up for the BIG conference, described as 'exciting, motivating, and overwhelming.'

I can't wait. I'll get to meet a lot of people I know from online groups, learn from the pros in workshops, schmooze with agents, editors, and authors, and get piles of free books.

I am trying to control myself and not go berserk touring the DC area, even though it's tempting. Must have down time.

Looks like some cousin visits and even a zoo trip are coming together - nice!

Karen = revolutionary? Viva la revolution!

I seem to have knack for doing this... I jump into a new industry just as a revolution is taking place.

I did it with desktop publishing - I was one of the writers for [company's] first digitally produced (not typeset)catalog

Again with online help and then creating 1st generation websites - managing content and helping clients envision what their website could be - no, NOO - not a dumping ground for all your brochure text...

Here I am again: e-publishing.

I jumped into novel writing thinking strictly in terms of traditional print, with the only question being hardcover or paperback. Once again a revolution has broken out. E-publishing is here and no one knows what form it will ultimately take.

Am I somehow attracted to rapid change, or am I Forrest Gump, stumbling along and coincidentally getting caught up in these events?

Either way, I am thrilled to be here. Even better, I will be in the thick of things next week.

Kat of Quartet Press has summed up exactly my feelings about next week's RWA Conference (there's a whole big thing going on about RWA not embracing e-pubs, but I won't get into that here..)

In Kat's words:

"Mostly though, I’m thinking about RWA. I have attended plenty of conferences in my lifetime: [...] But RWA – this is the first time a conference has me feeling like I’m headed to my first school dance.

I’m excited, and nervous, and worrying way too much about what to wear. [KS note: I spent my lunch hour yesterday selecting the right shade of nail polish!]

I am looking forward to meeting all the authors, and publishers, and agents, and I can’t wait to attend some of the sessions. But, what really brought it all home to me was today’s announcement of the Rogue Digital Conference/ session. Taking place on Thursday, July 16 at 8:30 am in “The Harding Room,” this event is co-sponsored by Quartet Press, Books on Board, Red Sage Publishing, Samhain Publishing, and Smart Bitches.

This is cool stuff. There are a lot of wonderful people in romance publishing. People who are doing some very groundbreaking, collaborative and forward thinking things, and I get to hang out with them in DC next week."

: )

Who knew I was such a rabble-rouser? "Rogue" conference? I'm there. Can't wait!!

Living in the Land of No Excuses

Last night I got grumbly. My computer stopped working last week after several power outages, and my tech support guy (aka E) advised me to take the opportunity to upgrade with a new system and dedicated UPS, so upgrade I did. However, setting up the new system is taking a little while, and in the mean time, I've had no access to my NovelWriter software or my printers. boo hoo.



Jane Austen managed to pen a few classics without Microsoft. Why can't I whip out my quill pen and get on with it? I've been identifying plot holes and tightening the Action/Reaction scene objectives in my Marshall Plan, but not having a computer was becoming a handy excuse to not get a whole lot done.

After I whined about not making good progress because of my lack of computer last night, E slyly reset the alarm, got up freakishly early this morning and set up a laptop in my office with access to everything I need.



I swear, if I lost a leg and said I couldn't run he'd go build one for me and tell me to lace up my Reeboks.

Unbelievable.

So I have a computer. Now it's up to me to meet my productivity objectives.

NO EXCUSES.

What are you grumbling about, and putting off doing for some lame reason that could be fixed with a little E-like ingenuity? Do it.

NO EXCUSES.

E's tech support charge for all of this? one fresh batch of Nanaimo bars. I'm even going to make them with dark chocolate.

Summer Reading

Several of the blogs I follow have been talking about their reading lists, so I'm jumping in. My taste varies - my shelves are filled with a wide range of books.

Lately I've been enjoying YA, reading everything from John Green (favorite= Looking for Alaska), Laurie Halse Anderson (favorite = Speak, but Twisted a close second), recently finished and loved Out of Reach by VM Jones (a New Zealand author).

On my TBR pile are Generation Kill (because I loved the HBO series so much), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Time Traveler's Wife and Practical Demonkeeping.