Books acquired--new and used

Freely admitted--I'm a book ho.

I grew up in a library. Mom worked at our small town library in the '60s and '70s. I volunteered in the middle school and high school libraries. One of my college workstudy jobs was at the library. I was a retail bookstore manager for almost ten years. I had a temp job at a medical library. On vacations, my husband and I usually scour the local bookstores. You get the picture.

So, when I started writing again, I wanted to get back into the swing of things. I was on the road for work and spent a lot of time reading, which I considered research. I got back into my Regency romance obsession when I found Stephanie Laurens' Cynster series, the first two in one volume, on a bargain book table. Since 2007, I've kept a list of books read and in 2008, I read well over a hundred titles.

When I signed onto Facebook, Blogger and Goodreads last year, I discovered whole new worlds of authors and reading communities in which to wallow. While it's been very enjoyable, it's significantly cut into my reading time. Plus the fact, I've been writing my own stuff. I've skimmed through parts of dozens of books, but only read enough of maybe two to consider I've "finished" them.

That hasn't stopped me from buying books, though. Whether it's checking out what they've got for $3 at Big Lots, spending a hour skimming the huge wall o' books at The Mission Store or pointing and clicking on-line at Better World Books http://www.betterworldbooks.com/ I check my printed out list (not that I've EVER bought duplicates grumblegrumble) and give an inner squeal when I find things I don't have. I've been checking the book giveaways on various blogs and on Goodreads periodically http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway and it's a real thrill when I get a package in the mail with a "freebie." Another obsession is autographed books and if I see a posting by an author I follow that they're doing an autographing somewhere, I have a credit card and I know how to use it, unfortunately. Other new and used bookstores, Walmart and last month's Evansville Vanderburgh County Public Library sale add to the growing piles of books in the dining room. Let us not forget the closing of our local Borders, where my husband and I purchased our birthday and Christmas presents for ourselves at 40-70% off.

So, here's a PARTIAL list of what I've acquired this past three months, new, used and freebie. Imagine if I started reviewing stuff--no, therein lies madness.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=viscount+breckenridge+to+the+rescue+a+cynster+novel&sprefix=viscount

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_4?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=geek+wisdom&sprefix=geek

Geek Wisdom edited by Stephen Segal  

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=no+proper+lady+isabel+cooper&sprefix=No+proper

No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lord+langley+is+back+in+town+by+elizabeth+boyle&sprefix=lord+langley+

Lord Langley Is Back in Town by Elizabeth Boyle

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1%209?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=georgiana+duchess+of+devonshire+amanda+foreman&sprefix=Georgiana

Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=caught+by+harlan+coben&sprefix=caught+by+&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Acaught+by+harlan+coben

Caught by Harlan Coban

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=jeanie+london&sprefix=Jeanie+L&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ajeanie+london

Then There Were Three Harlequin Super Romance by Jeanie London

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=chains+of+ice&sprefix=Chains+of+&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Achains+of+ice

Chains of Ice by Christina Dodd  (autographed)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Cn%3A283155%2Ck%3Ajust+like+heaven+julia+quinn&keywords=just+like+heaven+julia+quinn&ie=UTF8&qid=1316121847&ajr=0

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn (autographed)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Cn%3A283155%2Ck%3Ahis+country+cinderella.+karen+rose+smith&keywords=his+country+cinderella.+karen+rose+smith&ie=UTF8&qid=1316121947&ajr=0

His Country Cinderella by Karen Rose Smith  (Special Edition autographed)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Cn%3A283155%2Ck%3Amy+favorite+countess+by+vanessa+kelly&keywords=my+favorite+countess+by+vanessa+kelly&ie=UTF8&qid=1316122093&ajr=0

My Favorite Countess by Vanessa Kelly  (autographed)

http://www.amazon.com/Parable-Sower-Octavia-Butler/dp/0446675504

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_19?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+truth+about+lord+stoneville+by+sabrina+jeffries&sprefix=The+truth+about+Lor

The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=nowhere+near+respectable+mary+jo+putney&sprefix=nowhere+near

Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=a+kiss+at+midnight+eloisa+james&sprefix=A+kiss+at+mid

A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=kristan+higgins+books&sprefix=Kristan+Higgins

Kristan Higgins books

Too Good to Be True

The Next Best Thing

Just One of the Guys

Fools Rush In

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=a+fatal+waltz&sprefix=A+Fatal+Wa&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aa+fatal+waltz&ajr=0

A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=oliver+macdonagh&sprefix=oliver+macdona

Jane Austen Real and Imagined Worlds by Oliver MacDonagh

keywords=on+this+day+in+history&sprefix=on+this+day+in+h&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aon+this+day+in+history

On This Day in History by Leonard and Thelma Spinrad

Which ones would you want to read?

101 Plots--Used and Abused for your pleasure

I was looking downstairs for some items and saw a thin volume on top of a box of books. Sure enough, it was a book titled 101 PLOTS –USED AND ABUSED, by James N. Young, The Writer, Inc., publishers. I’d gotten it from one of the “bargain book” outlets over twenty years ago, probably for less than $5. Originally written in 1945, the revised edition was reprinted in 1961, which is what I have. It is only 71 pages and while some of the items in it are very outdated, it is frightening how many of these plots I recognized, reinterpreted and combined into an “everything old is new again” movie script or book.

Of course, the first thing I did was check to see if it was still available. First, I checked Amazon, to find it selling for $99.95, WITH the dustcover. It is the 1961 edition I have, in very good shape, but no dustcover.

(http://www.amazon.com/plots-abused-James-Nicholas-Young/dp/B0007E53JC)

Ooohhh! How interesting. So, I checked Alibris, a website for antique and out-of-print books. They were selling the 1946 edition in “good condition” for $85.50 for one of my favorite websites, Better World Books.

(http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/-87116059/used/101%20plots%20used%20and%20abused)

Still, IF I should ever want to get rid of my copy, I’m betting I could get a decent sum. All in all, a pretty good investment.

In the Forward, Young tells about getting a call from a friend, who has a great idea for a story, that just happened to his cousin/friend/uncle/whatever. The author bursts his bubble by interrupting, telling the rest of the story and saying it is Plot No. 46. (A pickpocket/thief returns a favor by helping the protagonist escape.)

Don’t you wish you could do that?

“In this little book you will find briefly outlined a number of old plots (with a few of their many variations) which have become hackneyed through much use….Old though they be, the skilled craftsman can still reclothe their bones so as to produce the illusion of novelty.” Mr. Young worked as an editor, so he compiled his list from what he saw submitted, but also wrote himself.

Rule Number 1 is from Francis Lewis Wellman, author of The Art of Cross-Examination.  “Rule 1 for every writer should be: Write a certain number of hours every working day in the week. Whether you’re in a writing mood or not, write: Let nothing, other than illness, keep you from your typewriter!”

Rule Number 2 is from our author. “And, however impatient you may be, never submit a story to an editor until it is as near perfect as you can make it. Work over your plots again and again, before you start writing. Live with them, take them out to walk with you, sleep with them. Edit your stories line by line, word by word; and, if necessary, rewrite them again and again…and again…and yet again. When you have put the finishing touches on a story, when you have done your ultimate best, hold it for a time—with a little further thought you may be able to improve it.”

Rule Number 3 is on page 15, where our author is trying to write his own story for publication. “Which reminds me: One of the most important things the beginner must learn, if he hopes to succeed, is how to avoid the use of cliches. Many a piece of fiction never finds a market simply because of the author’s choice of trite words. If you are a beginner, go over your stories before you send them out, and delete as many hackneyed words and expressions as you can—and as many adjectives! This, take it from me, is good advice.”

He includes the super short story he gave to his editor, called “A Song in France.” It was his fifth draft. Remember, that was in the pre-photocopier days of the manual typewriter. I remember those and carbon paper, don’t you?

In fact, I have this very typewriter from my mom and dad on my quilt case.

Then, he goes into the plots, with the addendum in the headline “(With twenty-four extra, for good measure).” He numbers them, each one paragraph synopses, sometimes with generic character names.  While most would not sustain a novel, I recognized these old chestnuts, every one.

Number 114 is the: It was only a dream. (Remember that whole season of “Dallas”?) Number 55 is the: He’s dead, but the reader doesn’t find out right away. (Remember “The Sixth Sense”?) Number 72 is: The husband went off to war and was reported as dead, but returns years later, having just been captured. (Remember “Castaway”?)

So, it’s safe to say, anything we write has been written before. How many secret baby, fake marriage/engagement, misunderstanding keeps them separated books have you read the past few years? Quite a few from me, but I know I’ll keep buying them and reading them. It is simply up to us to make it interesting, different and worthy of our readers’ dollars.

Progress--slow but sure

First, may we observe a moment of silence to mourn the passing of my laptop. [insert prayers and good thoughts here.] Thank you. It makes me sick, because the HP was my Christmas gift in 2006 and birthday gift in 2007 from my husband, expressing his faith in my desire and drive to write. It has served me very well and I am grateful beyond belief. While there are a couple of good repair shops around the area, I daresay I can get a reconditioned one or a little net book for about what it would take to repair this bad boy. Only one file I didn't get transferred over from MS Works (which the laptop had) to MS Word (which the desktop has) and it is easily recreated from copious notes. It is on a flash drive in Works, if I ever find a way to "translate it" (save it in Word).

Which reminds me again to tell all of you: Be sure to back all your work up frequently and keep a copy in a secure location.
I'm quite serious about this, folks. The first time the laptop tanked, I would have lost a week's worth of work, so it was panic time. You can get thumb or flash drives very cheaply at Wally or Target. Keep one in your desk and one in a firebox or safety deposit box at your bank or credit union. Or even with a friend across town. Swap them out weekly or monthly. If you're old school, burn a CD and date it, that works. I also backed up the thousands of family pictures I've scanned in and all my digital music on flash drives. By the way, also in the safety deposit box at the credit union, I have car titles, insurance papers, my autographed Asimov, Heinlein and Bradbury books and a bunch of old coins and money.

Respect my paranoia, please.

Also, I have to step up my efforts in the job search, because the TV station my husband works at has been sold. The employees will all be "interviewing" for their jobs over the next two months and needless to say, after 27 years at the station, my husband is handling this as well as could be expected. I promise to redouble my efforts, while being the supportive wife, not panicking if I find the perfect job here and he decides he wants to move to Louisville or Indianapolis to get another job in his field.

So, while I've had this past year and a half to hone my writing skills, get my notes in the computer, finish one manuscript and get running starts on at least four others, I will have to go back to grabbing a few minutes here and there or more targeted editing time. Probably good for me, so I won't spend so much time checking email and Facebook or playing Jewel Quest III, right?

We will be fine, really. We haven't touched the "Oh sh@t fund" and we have several certificates of deposit carrying pitiful interest rates if our Worst Case Scenario happens. Chris jokes about keeping enough money for one way tickets to Hawaii--if you're going to be homeless, may as well be where it's warm. Or cashing in all the retirement money, taking it down to the boat and putting it on 34. Somehow, I don't think either option is very funny.

There's also the question of benefits, of course. And I know you're asking, "Julee, how is your wonky anti-yeast infection diet coming?" Why, thanks for asking. It's easier than I thought it would be. At Texas Roadhouse the other day, I had the grilled pork chops, green beans, carrots and broccoli and it was a great meal. At Los Bravos, I had the steak fajitas, with the rice and beans on the side for Chris to eat. It was a huge amount of food and there was only a momentary flash of lust for the fried ice cream.

My ENT doctor prescribed some anti-fungal/anti-yeast medicine without me even asking and said the diet was a great idea. I have lost some weight, because I can fit into my jeans again. I've been taking some pro biotic capsules and just went in for a fasting blood test for my physical next week. We shall see what we shall see. After another week, I get to add beans, sweet potatoes with butter only and peas back into my diet. Life IS good.

But, other than a couple of days having to stay close to a bathroom, we're feeling better, thank you very much. So, while there have been many changes in my life, I've been doing some good writing, I'm getting healthier and I've even done some beading and counted cross-stitch. We are grateful.

So, what sorts of craziness has been going on in your life? Aunt Julee always strives to be a good listener.

An Even Bigger Adventure or Countdown to Thanksgiving

In 2003-2006, I was working for a state agency that required me to travel between a third and a half of my life. Dad died in 2001, we'd sold my parents' house in 2003 and Mom was in a nursing home, then passed in 2004. My husband had a seizure in 2004 and was told he couldn't drive for six months. And I got the crazy idea in my head I could get by on less than six hours of sleep a night.

Needless to say, my immune system was a wreck. My asthma started acting up, the allergy tests came back I was allergic to EVERYTHING (seriously!), I could not lose weight and my family doctor kept pumping me full of antibiotics, because I have a heart murmur and there was concern if I let my near-constant strep throat go untreated, it would damage the defective heart valve further.

So, yes, it sucked to be me. This continued on until 2011. I finished my eighth (that's 8 folks) round of antibiotics last week and I got fed up with it all. I'd asked my doctors about a systemic yeast infection several times before and both smiled, with the unspoken "Don't worry your pretty little head."

I did massive research and found said systemic yeast infection has the side effects of bloat/inability to lose weight, high blood pressure (taking a med for that), high cholesterol (taking a med for that) and inflammatory allergies, most specifically mold (took three allergy shots a week for seven years). Jeez, Louise, does that sound familiar? This correlated over multiple sites, not just the ones selling supplements and stuff.

TOMORROW, I am starting a "colon cleanse" specifically designed to get rid of that yeast infection. I will also be taking a pro-biotic to repopulate the good bacteria in my gut. I will also be starting a diet that is more strict than the South Beach Diet. This is the tough part.

I will be eating lots of salads, vegetables and lean meats. I will NOT be eating:

Breads, grains, cereals, corn, rice, pizza crust, pasta, etc. My husband took me to say goodbye to pasta last night at Olive Garden's "never ending pasta bowl" promotion. The nix to starches includes potatoes. *sigh* I also won't be eating:

Yeah, that includes the extra cheese I had them put on the pasta and the pizza buffet I ate at Old Chicago Friday, saying "goodbye." Now, they have several things I can still eat, as does Olive Garden, but I sure will miss it. I can, for whatever reason, still have butter.

Another thing I'm supposed to avoid is fruit. This is killer. I got one apple, one pear, a small container of watermelon and the smallest package of cherries at the store yesterday to savor today. For tomorrow, the sugar in the fruit would feed the nasty yeast in my gut. *sigh*

Another thing--what uses yeast to make it yummy, besides bread? That's right, kids, beer and wine. Now, my parents were alcoholics, so I rarely indulged, but better believe that I had a glass of wine at Olive Garden.

The hardest, most difficult, suckiest part of this whole thing is:

That's right. No CHOCOLATE, no refined sugar (Stevia is the only sweetener I'm allowed), no Hersey's Dark Chocolate with Almonds, no DeMet's Treasures Dark Chocolate with Carmel, no Mounds bars, no--I think I'm going to cry. :::pardon while I have a moment of mourning:::

I SWEAR I can do this, because you know what? I only have to do it for eight to ten weeks. I can eat lean meat, lots of salad (most dressings have vinegar and sugar, so I got some hummus and will flavor some mayonnaise). What's at the end of November, kiddies? That's right, Thanksgiving! Oh, the mashed potatoes, the pies, the dressing, the, well, everything! And I'll be feeling better, I'll have lost weight, I won't have to take three prescriptions a day, my allergies will be better (Fall is bad because of, you guessed it, leaf MOLD and pollen) and I'll be "cured" of my sugar cravings.

So, I promise not all of my postings will be about cravings or how my doctors will probably call me crazy, listening to hacks on the interwebs. I will challenge them to re-test me after this is done to see if it works. But, after all these years of doing it their way and trying to fire up my immune system, I'm going to try to soothe it down. This is also called an anti-inflammatory diet. It will help prevent stuff later on, like, well cancer.

Pray and think good thoughts for me, okay? I'm going to need help to not dream of chocolate for a while....

Some life rules and decisions to share

This was posted from a friend on Facebook last week and it really struck home to me.

Also, Patty Pote, who at one time was my boss and is also a writer, posted this recently:

"You weren't created to be a failure. Sure some things may not have worked out and there have been some disappointments. But all these things helped guide you in a direction that was meant for you. Your life has purpose and significance. Try to be patient if it isn't all crystal clear just yet. For now, just know that you weren't created to fail."

Some good stuff, huh?

I need a good kick in the rear now. I've procrastinated and missed several job opportunities in these past few weeks that I regret. I've sat goofing and watching bad TV, while playing computer games rather than writing. I surf the web and Facebook, drilling down on related links, instead of getting my fat butt in gear to write and rewrite the half dozen stories I have going and transcribing my notebooks.

On the other hand, I made two bracelets and two necklaces out of projects I'd done years ago that I didn't like. I deconstructed them (tore them apart, LOL) and added some more beads. I'd post a picture, but my camera isn't cooperating. I also packed up two boxes of craft items I will never, ever use and got them mailed out today to a company that sells stuff on consignment.

That was another decision I have made over the past week. Inspired by my buddy Pam Asberry, I'm going to start an etsy store. Problem is, the camera. I just deleted about twenty pictures from all angles and distances that were horribly blurry. But, I do have a handy father-in-law that sells stuff on line and several friends with really good digital cameras that might be able to help me.

Yet another decision is that after I finish the eighth round of antibiotics so far this year (!), I will go on an "anti-yeast" diet, based on produce and lean meats. Problem with that is I'd have to give up chocolate and breads, which are like major food groups to me. *sigh* Pray for me.

And another reason why I haven't posted in a while is that I made some decisions about my fiction writing as a result of my Maggie contest critiques. I've made the decision to publish on-line and postponed my deadline to do all the things necessary to upload AT LEAST TWO of my stories until later in February 2012, around my birthday. The judges' notes told me I'd cut too much from the beginning of SEVEN DAYS, in my quest to get the word count to meet traditional publishing standards. Since I'll be self-publishing, that won't be as much of a concern now, will it? I can go back and explain the situations that seemed unclear to the judges and move up some of the revelations. This is a HUGE relief to me. I sent my thank you note to the judges last night.

I will be renewing my Romance Writers of America membership, despite the fact that they don't consider self-published authors as meeting their standards of "professional." This upset me until I realized how tied in they were to traditional publishing. Things will have to change in the next year. I may go ahead and send queries out to a couple of agents just to send in and get my PRO pin, but I'm betting there will be some fireworks. I want to watch the fun. Maybe stir some of it up by sending a letter with my membership renewal asking the organization to justify my dues.

Did I mention, when I was working for the State of Indiana, my nickname was "Troublemaker"?

So, you may see a little less of me on the interwebs, since I soon have to find the dreaded "day job." I also have to get going to get some more things out to a resale mall where I have a booth with another friend. I've been selling some antiques and household things we haven't used in years there and some months it's paid off, some months it hasn't.

I'm paring down my life. I'm desperately trying to be more productive and meet goals. I'm going to be healthier and more active. But, I will still love to hear from each and every one of you who visits, comments and politely kicks my big butt to get it in gear. What are your goals for the rest of the year?

 

Some Questions for Writers--Mining Your Memories

A high school buddy drove all the way up from Georgia to our small Illinois home town for a visit last weekend. She posted an invitation to get together on Facebook, I called another buddy to drive over with me and with a few others, we met at a Mexican restaurant. One guy even rented a car in St. Louis and drove over to visit with us and his family. But, just us girls, well, we spent a lot of time together in high school and while the afternoon wasn’t long enough to get everything said, there were some revelations and much laughter.

A good time was had by all. Suddenly, the thirty plus years didn’t matter. Pam blogged about it in her article http://petitfoursandhottamales.com/2011/08/17-things-i-wish-id-known-in-high-school/mt/ and had some great advice for her fifteen year-old son, who took the pictures.  I know he was laughing at us and I’m glad. It’s good to see your parent having fun. The most important to me was “12. Most of the things you are worried about now will be forgotten in five years. Once you are in college, it won’t matter that you weren’t popular, looked like a geek, and missed the senior prom. You will have the opportunity to reinvent yourself.”

It’s true, isn’t it? We are all competent, accomplished women (and men) who survived and thrived, despite the desperate angst we may have felt during high school. Perhaps, because of what we endured during high school. While two of us at the table did not have children, we are leaving a legacy by the life we’ve led.

As we discussed various memories, we realized how much we’d forgotten. Incidents that were earth-shattering at seventeen had evidently been stored on neurons that were killed by alcohol, stress or neglect. And that’s okay.

But, my first question for everyone is: Why we choose to remember what we do? I remembered the KISS concert, but not that Rush was the opening act. I remember Debbie being there, but I didn’t remember Pam had gone too. It had been a major event in her life, right up with the David Cassidy concert we’d gone to years before. My parents had taken us to that one, but for KISS and a half dozen others, they’d handed me the keys and said go for it. They knew they’d raised me to be a good kid. Heaven knows, I wasn’t as wild as Mom had been in high school.

The guys that met us for a visit played in a band that achieved some notoriety in our area, with gigs at various teen clubs. I think they were a little surprised that nerdy Julee was such a corruptive influence on the Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the class. I felt a twinge of pride.

But, this brings me back to the question that I will rephrase from a writing point of view: What will your characters remember ten, twenty, thirty years from now? More importantly: Isn’t that what should be in your story? Pam said her parents would have freaked and not let her go if they’d known how much weed was smoked around us at that concert. Since I was the child of alcoholics, I really didn’t even notice. But that was an important sense memory for her and I can see how my characters would remember different aspects of the same event, from their different points of view.

As the afternoon progressed and the guys headed out, we got to some serious girl talk. The subject turned to boys (as it often did back then). For some reason, I mentioned my first date and the guy I went to prom with, but did not mention the guy I dated my junior year. I actually didn’t think about it until I was driving home. I don’t know why. It wasn’t like I was ashamed, though the principal all but admitted I didn’t get nominated for Who’s Who in American High Schools my junior year because of it. Which brings me to another question we need to think about with our characters: What are they not telling you?

I’ve tried to put that into my first novel, SEVEN DAYS. Both my hero and heroine did some stupid stuff in their college years. They are horrified when they realize who exactly they married. It’s a major plot point and there are some other secrets my characters are keeping that affect later stories as well. There was a sidebar article in Writer’s Digest a few years ago that mentioned it’s more fun to bring the audience in on their characters’ little secrets earlier in the story, rather than later. Think of the fun tension, as the reader wonders if the reveal will totally mess things up. That's what we want to do in fiction, after all, is mess things up. Don't want to make it too easy.

While my personal reveal on a Saturday afternoon over Mexican food wouldn’t have been earth shattering, I was interested in my reaction. I will use that, maybe not overtly in my novel, but as another layer of flavor, like the guacamole I didn’t get.

And I got to see Rush, circa 1976. My characters would think I was cool. And Pam, I would have totally had a crush on your son in high school. And thank you for admitting you too had a crush on Jon. All of those feelings and memories will get recycled in my fiction.

Living with Other People in Your Head for Five Years

The other day, I realized I’ve been writing on this series of novels and stories for the past five years. The novel-length manuscript in the twenty year-old hard drive in the basement has already been rewritten in my head and notes. Its hero makes a brief appearance in SEVEN DAYS, the first book I’ve completed and am editing.

Friends and family are used to me zoning out in the middle of a discussion, grabbing my journal and pen to scribble something down or pointing out something and saying, “That’s so [fill in the blank with the character’s name].” They even egg me on, sending me quotes and links for articles or pictures.  My husband is used to dubbing all sorts of odd things onto DVDs for my “research.”

He has supported my dreams, laughing at me (of course), but saying he anxiously awaits the day I can make him a “kept man.” For Christmas 2006 and my birthday 2007, he bought me a laptop. It was an awesome statement of faith for which I will ever be grateful. Hundreds of files are there, all backed up on duplicate flash drives in secure locations. Most everything is now done on the much faster, flashier desktop in the office, but I’ll still use the laptop to type in notes or do quick edits while watching TV.

You all are backing up all your files, right?

But back to my imaginary friends. These characters are almost as real to me as my local friends, sometimes. I’ve certainly spent more time with these fictional phantoms, laughing at them, crying at their heartbreaks, rejoicing when they come up with just the right witty retort or when they’re in danger of exploding from so much love. Songs will conjure up scenes or intense feelings at odd moments. My husband works evenings and for my last job, I travelled a great deal. I was never alone, though. I’d just invite one of my peeps to tell me a story. It’s been my honor to transcribe them to share with you.

At their heart, these are all love stories, though other topics and literary events happen along the way. It starts with love, though. Lizzy and three of her four sisters are in Vegas for a bachelorette party. Will helps her during an emergency and she ends up marrying him, bringing home the ultimate souvenir.

The next seventy years are mapped out in my timeline. You see, his younger brother hooks up with her younger sister and there are kids, friends and ancestors’ stories to tell. Oh, yes, I have two historical novellas started, along with a juvenile for Grace’s story.

It’s been a wild and wonderful journey. My “real life” persona cross-stitches and I’ve given that obsession to Lizzy/Elizabeth. I’d like to share pieces I’ve done that remind me of my characters.

At the top of the article is Love Is Patient by La-Dee-Da. Elizabeth stitches it for Mary Margaret and Rob’s Christmas gift. It’s ironic, because Rob is dyslexic, but once he finds out the Bible verse, he’s very moved.

Will—graduated from The Naval Academy and loves to sail, so I chose Bass Harbor Lighthouse (Maine), by Cross My Heart for him. He sees it finished at Elizabeth’s apartment and she offers it to him for his office. She figures it would be appreciated and not sold at a yard sale for $5 (every stitcher’s nightmare).

Elizabeth—is fierce, but struggles to believe this new husband of hers can really keep her heart safe. This is an unfinished piece, I Believe, by Mosey & Me. It reads:

I believe

That myth is more potent than history

That dreams are more powerful than facts

That hope always triumphs over experience

That laughter is the only cure for grief

And I believe that love is stronger than death.

Mary Margaret—loves to garden and has hidden in her garden, at her piano, in a book, on a computer, for all of her thirty years. She sees her sister happy, gets her dream job, meets the love of her life and comes into her own in the second book, SEVEN MONTHS. This is Calla Lilies by Sue Powell and Mary Margaret has deep red ones in her wedding bouquet.

And finally,

Rob—the hardest to pick. He’s very old world, very sensual, so I chose one of Patricia Anderle’s Gothic Samplers. This piece saved our lives, literally. Our car ran out of gas outside of Atlanta, GA, in 2000. We made it to an off-ramp, but it was after midnight and cars were whipping past . I had this in my embroidery frame and we held it to flag drivers and keep us safe. Some extraordinary people helped us that night and I’d like to think Rob would be the one who stopped for us.

So, thanks for joining me on this extraordinary journey of the past five years with these wonderful characters. Though I’ll have to return to The Real World fairly soon (meaning getting a “real job” again), I promise to concentrate on editing and polishing the first two books, which are essentially written. Please follow me on my Facebook Fan Page and you may Friend me on my personal page, if you’d like. I’ll be here, trying to post a little more regularly on this blog, too.

Because, as Mary Margaret says, “Fate and faith puts us where we need to be.”

Love ya, Julee