Gratitude

This isn't a year in review post or even an optimistic list of all I want to accomplish next year. This is just me sitting at my computer waiting for my kids to finally fall asleep so I can bring out the chocolate mousse I made and cook the lobsters, in that order. Not that I didn't have a great year last year,I did, but not in the way some people define greatness. I grew alot closer to my family and to God. I started (finally) taking care of my body and rediscovered some amazing new/old friends. I've stepped out in faith alot and God has been right there blowing me away with his faithfulness and surprises. I've struggled over and over with giving up control of things and I've learned that God doesn't do things for us because we're good or worthy but because He is.
In the past I was paranoid enough that when I had a really good year I'd sit there on New Year's Eve dreading each second that passed, because I knew it couldn't possibly be that good twice. Surely God would see I was too happy and pull the rug out. But not anymore. I learned that too. God's goodness has no limit. So tonight at midnight you'll find me more than likely sleeping in my bed knowing that God has some pretty amazing things in store for me next year wither I deserve them or not.

To all of you I hope you have a marvelous and blessed New Year.

Have you heard the one about the blonde?

I haven’t actually. I’ve noticed that a lot of the books I’ve read recently have anything but blonde MCs. I’m not criticizing; my own books don’t have any blonde characters in them.

 I wonder why.

I myself am a blonde, my sisters are all blonde, dido with the kiddos- Which means with the exception of my husband and my dad, all the most important people in my life are blondes. So you’d think somewhere blondes would find a place in my books.  I don’t know what the reason is for everyone else, but I’ve lived through the stereotypes, I know what a blonde is supposed to be and it’s nothing pretty, let me tell you. Clueless, ditzy, and just plain dumb are the last things I want my MCs to be.

How about you? Have you heard or written any good blonde stories lately?

How much is you?

How much of yourself do you put in your books?

For me, it’s quite a bit, but it’s hidden. People who know me best might not even realize it’s there. It might be part of a memory, or a funny situation I’ve found myself in, or maybe nothing at all, just me. The odd thing is I’m nothing like any of my characters, but they’re all a part of who I am. Strange isn’t it? But I’ve discovered, for me anyway, it’s the only way for it to be real.

Transparency

Yesterday I was attempting to write my Author Bio for my book and really had a hard time with it. To start with I hate talking about myself; even these blog posts are a bit stretching for me. I almost never post on Facebook. Really half the time I wonder -who really cares that I took the kids to Aldi today?

Anyhow…

I was writing my Author Bio page and when I had a rough draft done, I showed it to my oldest daughter (14) who is one of my most brutally honest critics. She took one look at it and laughed, “Whose life are you writing about? It sounds like a fantasy to me.”

I looked at it again. Okay maybe it was a bit of a stretch to say I spend most of my time reading to my children under the reading tree… but there was that one time- Remember?

So I ditched that one and went for draft number two. That one was only slightly better.  So my question for today is- How transparent are you? Do you let others see who you really are- flaws and all?

The answer for me, as evidenced by the paper littered around my floor, is an unfortunate no.

What Genre is your book?

I tell you, I’ve had a hard time with this, and not just the nitty-gritty part where you try to decide if it qualifies as magical realism or paranormal. I’m talking big things like if it’s YA, or Adult.

I’ve been told I should gauge it on the age of my characters and since my MC is sixteen at the beginning of the book it should be a YA, but I’m still not sure. If that was always the case then Carrie by Steven King would be YA, along with Gone with the Wind and countless others. My books deal with some very adult subjects, so shouldn’t that figure into it as well? Just throwing it out there, wondering what you think.

Which writers have influenced you?

If you’d asked me that question a week ago I would’ve had a different answer than I do today. I would have spouted off something very intellectual sounding like Austen and Dickens and maybe slid a few contemporaries in there to beef up my list like Rynd and Orwell and then just when I had you convinced I was oh so smart I’d mention Meyer and Stiefvaterto show you I was trendy, too.

But that was a week ago. Sunday as I was making an Anne of Green Gables doll for my daughter to go along with the book I want us to read together and was wrapping the Laura Ingalls nine book set I’m going to give to my seven year old nieces because that’s how old I was when I read them, I realized something about myself. I’ve always been a reader, long before I decided that in order to be a good writer I needed to beef up my own have read list. I love to read, always have and sometimes the books that influenced me the most are the simplest. Amelia Bedelia anyone?

Weeding out Christmas traditions

Monday I was visiting someone’s blog and they were asking about family traditions in regards to Christmas. I answered quickly and then moved on, but as days have gone by I’ve given that question more thought, not just what we do for Christmas, but why we do it. Is it done because it’s good or just something we’ve always done; a miser of a chore that no one likes but does anyway.

Some of you might not know this, but we are a homeschooling family, so as you can imagine there are plenty of those things to weed away, but also plenty to give more time to. Like gift making; in the past that was something only I did and only if I got around to it. This year I’ve cut out the Christmas cards (sorry Aunt Jen, I promise you’ll love the homemade jam instead)  that take so much time to make and decided spend more time with the kids making presents  so they’ll understand Christmas isn’t just about their own wants.  And strangely the Christmas tradition I’m cutting out most is shopping. I used to spend hours and hours searching in stores and in the end I’d give up in frustration and grab from the rubble left on the shelves. Not that we’re giving up giving gifts, I’ve just discovered the amazing power of the internet.  In ten minutes I was done and had just what I wanted, for just who I wanted it for.

One thing we’ll never change is what Christmas really is and in the end this weeding out gives us more time for that; the preparing for the coming of a King.

Balance

Today I want to talk about balance.

When I first started writing, it was like an obsession for me, it was all I thought about, talked about and of course all I did. Whenever I had a spare second I was writing, on my computer, notepad, anything.  While that passion is good, it wasn’t so good for my family and my other (important) commitments. Now, about two and a half years into this venture, I can say I’ve learned a thing or two. Writing is important, it is part of who I am, but only a part. I am also a wife, so my husband deserves to have me be wholly there when we’re together. The same goes for my kids.

But balance isn’t just about people; there were whole aspects of my life I was squandering in my pursuit of being a writer. Like gardening. I love gardening and this last summer I got into it again and a thousand other things I don’t have time to mention. Balance.

And my writing? I think it’s better than ever because I haven’t neglected everything else in my life in pursuit of it.