Maeve Binchy (1940-2012)

We all have people in our lives who speak to us in one way or another, help us to reach for our goals and work to make our dreams come true. As a writer, there were two women who inspired me, and Maeve Binchy, who is one of them, died this past week. I am thinking of her and her work and how she has impacted me.

Ms. Binchy is an Irish writer. I was introduced to her back in the late 1980s when my best friend told me about her and gave me a copy of one of her books. “It make me think of us,” my friend told me. It was us. Binchy had so completely captured the feel, the reality of women and their friendships that I fell in love with her. She knows women, how they feel, how they relate, fight, support and love each other. My friend and I always kept each other up to date with her books. Once, when it was only available in the U.K., her husband bought us each a copy when he was there on business, and I remember thinking I was so lucky to have such a treasure!

Maeve Binchy wrote what she loved. She often said in interviews there were certain things she didn’t like to write about and so she didn’t. She wrote those things that she was familiar with, the people and lives she knew because she’d lived them herself. Full of humor, love and optimism, Maeve Binchy’s books make you feel as if these are not characters in books but real people. Men and women you might run into at the local cafe or store; who might be sitting next to you in church or the library. They’re real.

When I started writing my books I longed to tell women’s stories the same as she did. In my women’s fiction novel, In the Company of Women, I followed her example and wrote of a group of women telling their stories, weaving them together and following their individual trails as well.

As a tribute to her, I named the main character in my cozy mystery series after her. And while the Maeve and Kate Mysteries are about solving crimes, at their heart they are about a friendship between two women that will survive anything.

There will be one more book from Maeve Binchy: A Week in Winter will come out this fall sometime. I cannot believe she is gone so soon, and there will be no more short stories on her website, no books to wait excitedly for. I will read again and revisit that marvelous country and people she loved to write about.

On her website where they posted news of her passing, they also posted this quote that I would like to share with you here. It’s pure Maeve Binchy ....

"The happiest moments of my life are connected with family and friends. There is a great comfort about being with people who knew you way back when. There is a mental shorthand, an easy-going feeling that life doesn't have to be explained or defined; we are all in more or less the same boat. To have a community around you in a changing and unstable world is invaluable and nothing can beat the feeling that there will always be people out for our good."

It feels like I have lost a friend. I will miss her.

A New Book Released, A New Book Started

This is a busy year for me. In May the second Maeve and Kate Mystery, Lethal Prescription, was released. A new romance, set at Christmas, has been finished and is being edited, and I started the third Maeve and Kate book. Whew!

I'm also working on getting the cover for the romance novel designed and made which is a lot more work than you might think. In addition to these two projects, I also started a new cozy mystery based on an idea my husband gave me. I have the first few chapters written but have put it on the back burner for the moment while I get working on Maeve and Kate. Sometimes I wish I didn't need to sleep or deal with household chores (laundry, shopping, cooking, etc.) so I could get all the writing done that I'd like to.

In the meantime I write as much as I can and get done what else I can as I can. I also have a hard time with the lovely weather we have this time of year. I so want to be outside playing than inside working, but then, who doesn't?

The good thing about this is that after writing two novels and one short story with these characters, Maeve and Kate are real to me. They have their own quirks, personalities and strengths and weaknesses. I really love spending time with them. I like Elkhorn and the people they know in their hometown. I like going to the Koffee Klatch and visiting with their friends there, and I sometimes with Pizza Station was real so I could take my family there too!

Yes, my writer's life is busy, but when you're fortunate, as I am, to do what you love, it's also a wonderful life!

Well Said, Mr. Steinbeck

The writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man's proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature.



John Steinbeck
Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
1962

Hitting the Half-Way Mark!

I can't believe it's already November 15th! National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is halfway over, and it's just as challenging, maybe even more so, than last year.

This year I am using NaNo to kick start me into my next book. I'm hoping to get the first 50,000 words written this month so I can feel like slowing down a little as I get ready for Christmas.

I'm still not participating much in social networking this month, and feel a little out of touch. But the writing is going really well. I'm working on the second full novel in my Maeve and Kate Mysteries series, and it's taking some surprising turns. One of the grand adventures of writing is that you don't always know how things are going to turn out in your book, not matter how well you've outlined and plotted it out. Sometimes the characters take you where they're going to take you, and you just need to follow along.

Case in point, this is a murder mystery, and I was sure I had the murderer down pat. Not so. Turns out, the person I thought was my killer isn't. Strange. I had a friend ask if Agatha Christie ever met with this dilema. I don't know, but I would suspect so!

I hope, if your participating in NaNoWriMo this year, that you are having fun. I know writing is work, and writing a book is a LOT of work. But try to remember to enjoy yourself. This is an experience that few get to have, and while you are writing this particular book it too is a unique time. So have fun, enjoy it, and hopefully by November 30th you'll have something to be proud of.

And So It Begins!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) starts today! I'm very excited to get going. I have my novel plotted out and a character list ready. Still don't have a title, but don't really need one yet. This will probably be my last blog post for awhile, and I'll be absent from my other social networking while working on getting 50,000 words written in 30 days!

My background is in journalism, and as a newspaper reporter I was trained to work under a deadline. NaNo is right up my alley in that regard. I may not finish my novel this month, but I will get the 50,000 words written, and that has me excited. Will this be a novel I publish? Who knows. I just like the exercise of writing like this for one intense month. It's challenging, it pushes me, and I think it sharpens the grey cells.

An author I admire greatly, L.J. Sellers, has the philosophy of "write first, clean later." This is the perfect situation for that. Write. Just write. If you have a good story, then over the next several months you can clean it up, edit, rewrite, make it the way it needs to be. I've found that the creative process of  writing is really a very small part of it. Most of getting a book out is rewriting and editing, formatting and marketing.

So, since this is a month of almost nothing much but creating, I am anxious to get to work. It's the part of being an author that is the most fun.

Join me, if you like. I would be happy to be your writing buddy should you decide to participate in NaNoWriMo. And if you do, enjoy it. Don't stress about it. It's basically 1,600 words a day. Easy to achieve. If there's a part of you that's always wanted to write a book, boot up the computer, open a blank page, and do it!

It's Getting to Be That Time of Year Again!

And I don't mean Halloween! Nope, it's almost time for the annual writing fest known as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo!

I participated last year and it was a ton of fun. It was also a ton of work, but I found it an uplifting and satisfying experience. I also found myself challenged, and felt I grew more as a writer as a result.

From November 1st through November 30th you are to write a 50,000 word novel. It can be about anything you like. Just write 50,000 words. The point of the project is to get people writing.

If you like, you can also participate through Smashwords (http://bit.ly/ajLNlb) where you can also publish your novel as an e-book is you like, and sell it to donate the profits to NaNoWriMo's young writers program. It's a worthwhile cause on many levels.

So, if you have ever thought about writing a book, look into it! Visit their website http://bit.ly/nj2e58 to get more information, and see what else they do. I think you'll find it a rewarding experience!

Don't Rely on Your Memory!

Ever since the weather has finally gotten nice I’ve been having a heck of a time writing. For the current book I'm writing I had this great code worked out somewhere in my grey matter, and started writing a chapter with it a couple of months ago. Trouble is that I got sidetracked for awhile doing some cleanup on another project. When I got back to my WIP I couldn’t remember what the heck I was thinking! Number one rule: when you get an idea OUTLINE IT!!

But of course I didn’t follow my own advice. After brainstorming with my husband and youngest son I came up with new ideas--now outlined and saved-- and am back into it and doing well, thank you very much.

I’m not much of an outliner but have discovered that it’s important to take notes, lots of notes, about your plans for your writing. Even names you come up with should be jotted down. Trust me; don’t expect to remember these great ideas later. I’ve even taken to keeping a notepad by my bed. I’ve learned the hard way that those great things that come to you in the middle of the night won’t necessarily be there when you wake up!

I also like to write a brief synopsis (usually around ten pages) of where I see the story going. It’s not carved in stone though. As any writer can probably tell you, as you write the characters claim their own lives and often tell you what’s going on in the story. That’s one of my favorite things about writing; how the story lives on it’s own! You think one thing is going on, and then something else happens.

When I was writing my novel In the Company of Women, one character in particular was intriguing to me. Jane was a young woman with a secret. I knew she had a secret but I didn’t know what it was. Her pain was evident to me, and as I wrote the story I described her as someone with something to hide; something that was drastically affecting her life.

Then one day as I wrote, she whispered to me what her truth was, and suddenly things became clear to me and I was able to see why she acted the way she did, and also how the other characters would be able to help and support her. It was an exciting experience for me as an author, and hopefully for my readers too.

So now, as I work on my next Maeve and Kate mystery, I’m trying to document more the ideas and thoughts that come to me as I work on their latest adventure. I want and like things to be revealed to me as I go along, but not to the point that I can’t support what is actually happening in the book.

I guess I’ve learned my lesson a little too well!

A Note From A Reader

As a reader I love to discover writers who have a lot of books out. I love to read the books in the order they were written, even if they are not a series. It’s interesting to see the development of the writer’s craft; to see the way they grow the more they write and as they mature. That’s interesting to me.

One of the sadder things I find is when success affects those writers to the point where it feels, to me as a reader, that the author has basically checked out and is phoning in the books. This happens most often when there is a great deal of financial reward and fame bestowed. I’m not sure why this is so; it would seem that the better you do would inspire you to be better at your craft, but it often appears to have the opposite impact.

I’m not going to name names here, but if you are a reader who has followed any writers as they’ve gone “viral” (for wont of a better word) then you probably know what I mean. It’s as if they have a template and they just change the pertinent information -- character names, locations, etc. -- and it’s all pretty much the same from book to book.

For example, in one author’s books the heroine is always torn between two suitors: the noble one to whom she is wildly attracted, and the other who is great, but doesn’t quite light her fire. The bad guy is always the one she is crazy about and the other one comes to her rescue. It’s frustrating that as a reader there are no more surprises awaiting me from this writer. I will continue to read the books, but the ho-hum factor is definitely quite high.

So what causes this and how do you keep your writing fresh? I don’t know the answer to either question, but I suspect that the money might have something to do with it. Perhaps you aren’t as inspired to write when all your needs are met, i.e. the “starving artist syndrome.” Or maybe when you are wildly successful your time is more limited because there are so many other demands on you that take you away from actually writing. I have no idea.

Or maybe after awhile the act of writing is boring or doesn’t inspire you the way it once did. What ever the reason I still read many of these authors who seem to struggle with this problem. I keep hoping they’ll return to their glory days and give me a new book that will keep me glued to it and surprised by its content.

I believe they can do it.

Spring Is Here and So's My New Book!

It’s the first day of Spring! This is the time of year when young men’s (and women’s) thoughts turn to those of love. Love means romance, and romance means -- romance novels!

My latest book Finding Normal is now out! This book is my foray into the romance genre and I hope you’ll check it out.

Here’s a brief synopsis: Cassidy Maguire is a world famous actress and singer who longs for the normal life she knew as a child. Deciding to take a break from her hectic life in Hollywood, she moves to the small town of Aspen Grove, Colorado to try to find some peace and quiet. When she meets the town’s veterinarian Seth Walters sparks fly almost immediately. Seth likes his life as it is, but his heart is drawn to Cassidy. Can they make their relationship work? And as rich and famous as she is, will Cassidy be able to gain the love she seeks and find normal?

Finding Normal is available for $2.99 on Amazon http://amzn.to/el9vua and Smashwords http://bit.ly/fxERs4 and will be available on other e-book retailers soon.

Question: One Genre or Not?

Should an author stick to only one genre or is it okay to branch out into other styles? This is a question I’ve been asking myself. I have two books out: one cozy mystery, and one women’s fiction. I’m wondering if readers can accept two such divers styles from one writer.

I think so. I write what I like to read, and I certainly don’t read only one genre. I tend to prefer mysteries over other types of books, but I will read just about anything if it’s well written and interesting to me. And as a reader I don’t stick to fiction. I love reading memoirs and biographies as well as histories.

Personally I think that most readers are sophisticated enough to tackle all types of books. If there is a reader who doesn’t like cozies they may like my women’s fiction. I also have a romance novel that may be coming out soon and that may appeal to yet another reader.

So I guess the answer to my own question is no. A writer should write what they want and not be forced to choose just one genre. Just as readers shouldn’t be corralled into one section of the bookstore, neither should authors.

What do you think?

Writers Helping Writers

What made you decide to be a writer? Was your head bursting with ideas for plots, characters, situations that you just had to put down? Did you have a message you wanted to put out there for others to read? Or was it something else? For instance, were there no books out that made you ache to read them; books that were in your heart? Did you read something and think “I would have said it this way” or “I would have described it thus”? Or maybe you just need to tell stories.

Whatever your reason for becoming a writer, my hat is off to you! I think writing, story telling, is a noble and wonderful calling. Most of us love to crawl inside a story and be lifted away from our cares into a world different from our own--even if it’s a book about people just like us, maybe especially then; to escape our own situation and delve into someone else’s.

As a writer it is important to remember that other authors are not in competition with you.  On average it takes eight months to write a novel, sometimes more, sometimes less.  And on average it takes three to seven days to read a book, sometimes more, sometimes less.  It would be ridiculous to think that if you write, say, detective mysteries, that another writer comes along who writes a detective mystery is trying to “steal” away your readers.

Not so! There is most assuredly room for all of us on the bookshelves out there. I would love to encourage other writers to come and let me interview them for this blog, or to give them the opportunity to guest here and would hope they’d do the same for me. Read my book and I’ll read yours and review it. I think competition/cooperation is good for us as writers as well as readers.

I have learned so much from writers who are further down this path than I am, and hope they will continue to share their knowledge and experience with me, and hopefully I will be able to do the same for others coming up behind me. If we work together, we can all succeed.

So to those authors on social networking sites who tell me not to bother them if I want to promote my own writing as they’re not interested, I ask, what are you afraid of? Open up! We can all help each other and benefit from the experience. It’s a big world out there and there’s room, more than enough room, for all of us.

For the Love of Writing

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and I probably should have posted this then, but I was having too much fun with my family and eating chocolate. Who can blog with chocolate in their mouth?

To be happy in life, it’s been said you need to find what you love to do and then do it. My first love when I was a child was reading. When I was a little older, say nine or so, I discovered that I could write down the stories I made up in my mind and then I could read them along with the books I discovered. What a euphoric moment that was! My father made me a desk and I would sit at it and make up all kinds of stories that, quite frankly, only interested me back then.

As I got older I found that others began to enjoy my writing. Teachers would single my work out to read to the class which was both embarrassing as well as thrilling. When I was a freshman in high school my English teacher told me he thought I should pursue writing as a career. It had never occurred to me that doing what I loved to do would be something I could do with my life.

It’s taken me awhile to actually do it. I studied journalism for years, and worked as a reporter and a columnist. It was at this point in my life I discovered that newspaper reporting wasn’t for me. While I enjoy writing, I found I didn’t have the aggressive personality to be a successful reporter. After working as a features writer for a short period I eventually left newspaper work and moved onto other things.

So here I am, all these years later, finally working at what I knew at nine was what truly made me happy. Writing. Telling stories and having other people read them. I’d be willing to bet that if you are a writer your story is probably very close to mine. As a child you spent time spinning tales in your head, creating characters and scenarios to carry forth those stories.

Writing is a passion. If you have it, follow it. Don’t put it off!

Here’s to the love of writing!