Writing Away on Cedar Key

Spring Brings Change ~

2010-03-07T16:41:18Z

Yes....spring brings change and a time for renewal and I always welcome it! The photo above shows we're on a warming trend here in Cedar Key and this is a VERY welcome change from the coldest winter we've had in the Gainesville area in the past 100 years! Taking advantage of the change is Duncan and Foster.......soaking up those rays of sun on the hot tub.

Another change is occurring for us. You might have noticed some changes to my right sidebar. Chez Soleil is no longer listed, because we're going to be putting it up for sale. We've had our vacation rental almost three years and it's been a lot of fun, renting to some wonderful people, many of whom I've remained in touch with. But everything in life does change and it's time for this one. When we bought the property and turned it into a vacation rental home, I did not have my book contracts with Kensington. My son was not diagnosed with a major illness. We bought Chez Soleil for a little side venture for me to indulge in. I had a lot of fun decorating it, setting up the website, and then taking bookings and getting to meet all the guests and their wonderful furry family members in person when I checked them in.

But in all honesty, I no longer have the time to focus on this. I won't list with a property management agency because I'm a stronger believer of the "meet and greet" policy. We were very fortunate over the three years to have very responsible and great guests, causing no damage, but I think this has a lot to do with guests meeting the owners in person. So the time has come to move on, because my plate is literally overflowing. We have had guests at Chez Soleil since the beginning of the year and they will be departing in the next few weeks. I am honoring one last booking for Arts Festival weekend and the property will be listed for sale. As I said, it was a fun ride and I'm glad I did it. But all good things must come to an end, I've always said.

So you'll probably notice a new widget on my sidebar for Kona Joe's. My very favorite place on the island and owned by our good friends, Edie and Joe. I've added a link there for you to visit their website. If you're on the island, do stop by and check it out. And be sure to tell them that "Terri sent me." As the widget states, you can also purchase a copy of SPINNING FORWARD at Kona Joe's, as Edie keeps a stack on hand, in case the book store is closed or Dick is in the process of reordering.

My daughter, Susan, is flying down from the Boston area tomorrow for a much-needed R&R from work and her courses at college for her RN degree. So I'm looking forward to her visit and some down time for both of us. We're hoping to take a day to visit Cross Creek, the home of Pulitzer Prize winning author, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and if so, I'll share it here with you along with photos.

I have the first chapter completed on my book 3, tentatively titled KNITTING THE PAST. I'm very pleased and I hope my readers will also enjoy it. My characters are literally "taking over" especially Aunt Maude.......When I went to begin the chapter, she told me something about herself that I had no knowledge of until I sat down to write. I love it when that happens!

I'm still reading up a storm and just began "Very Valentine" the first in a trilogy by Adriana Trigiani. I haven't read her books before, but I'm really enjoying this one so far. I'm working on a very pretty scarf, done with my favorite yarn, the Bonsi Bamboo.

So while spring brings change, I remain extra busy............and I'm lovin' every minute of it! Any changes coming your way this spring?

See you here next time...................

Exciting News . . .

2010-03-01T18:12:33Z

Yes . . . I received very good news last evening. A phone call informing me that SPINNING FORWARD is a finalist for the New England Reader's Choice Bean Pot Award given out by the New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America.

My novel is a finalist in the Long Contemporary category and I was told that I'd receive 1st, 2nd or 3rd prize. The entries were read and scored by librarians, book sellers and readers and the award presentations will be at a dinner Friday night, March 26, as part of the RWA Chapter Conference at the Sheraton Tara, Framingham, Massachusetts.

I have a lot going on, but I'm going to attempt to make a quick trip up there for the dinner and award presentations.

Needless to say, I'm very excited that my novel was chosen and I wanted to share the news here with all of you.

See you here next time..................

Library Series ~

2010-02-28T14:21:21Z

Molly Jubitz, our wonderful librarian at the Cedar Key Library, has put together an exciting series to be given over the next three months. "Exploring Place: Finding Self" will feature six women authors who will speak about their writing and how it was influenced by Cedar Key.

I spoke last Thursday to a wonderful group and very much enjoyed sharing my writing experiences.

I explained how moving to Cedar Key five years ago (Yes! It was 5 years last Wed. since we relocated here) stirred my muse and helped me to create SPINNING FORWARD and my cast of characters. Originally, I had attempted a mystery, but realized it wasn't working for me. A cute story, with Miss Dora as my main character. When I abandoned that project, I returned to writing what I knew best......women's fiction.....and I took Miss Dora and Saren with me into the novel that ended up becoming SPINNING FORWARD.

A huge thank you to Molly for organizing this great series at our library and another thank you to those of you that attended my speaking event. I enjoyed meeting and chatting with all of you.

Yesterday we had another woman author speaking, Maureen Landress. Maureen is a former Cedar Key resident and was editor of the Cedar Key News. Maureen and I first met in 2002 when my debut novel, Lost Souls of the Witches' Castle, had been released and I was at the Cedar Key book store doing a signing. Maureen showed up to cover my signing for the newspaper and also do a review. I lived in New Port Richey at the time, but we continued to stay in touch and got together during my visits. When I moved to Cedar Key, it was Maureen that gave me a great orientation.......on local families, folklore, island history, touchy subjects and a multitude of other information. Although she moved away the following year, we have still managed to stay in touch. Maureen and her husband did attend my book launch in November, but unfortunately we found little time to actually chat, since I was trying to mingle a bit with everyone. So it was great to see her again yesterday and be able to catch up.

Her debut novel, Sour Grapes, won First Place in Humor/Satire from the Florida Writers Association 2008 Royal Palm Literary Awards. This was the first in her humorous Marvella Watson mystery series. Marvella is a "woman of a certain age" who's still passionate and filled with life. The setting is a small southern town and the characters are quirky and believable. The book was a delightful read and now we can follow Marvella again in One Bad Apple, Maureen's second book in the series.

There's a new man in town who's set his sights on Marvella. His romantic attentions throw her off stride and with a killer on the loose, she doesn't need that kind of distraction. I'm looking forward to visiting with Marvella again, so I bumped up this book to number two in my "to be read" pile. Coming next for Maureen and Marvella........Mango Madness, due out in a few months.

Our next woman author will be speaking on March 25 and I'll be sure to share that with you here at Island Writer.

See you next time..................

Heard It Here First . . .

2010-02-21T00:48:23Z

As promised, I wanted to share my new titles here with you first before the news gets around. So it's official! Book #2 in my Cedar Key series has been named, CASTING ABOUT. I love the title, but I'm afraid I can't take credit for it.....I was at a total loss and the few I came up with weren't that great. So credit goes to my editor for her clever idea. I like it for a few reasons......First of all, as any of you knitters know "casting" is a term used in knitting. I also like it because it seems to flow with SPINNING FORWARD, since both are two-word titles. But it's also appropriate to my story.....Monica, my main character, is "casting about" for her place in life, her new marriage and her role as a step-mom.

CASTING ABOUT will be released on October 26. However, it is now available on Amazon.com for Pre-Order. We don't have a book cover yet, but again, I'll be sharing that first here on Island Writer also.

October 26 will be a mighty exciting day......because my novella in the Christmas anthology will also be released that day! Ta da...............and the title that Kensington chose for that is:

Yes......HOLIDAY MAGIC and I love it! Especially since, ironically, (having no clue what the actual title of the book would be) I titled my novella, A Magical Christmas. And yes, you can also Pre-Order this book now at Amazon.com. My setting for my novella is Cedar Key and my main character is Josie, a single mom raising her eleven-year old daughter, Orli, who feels perhaps the time has come to reevaluate her life. It has to do with community, family, forgiveness and of course, Christmas!

And another piece of news to pass on here: SPINNING FORWARD is being released in large print on March 1. Since the rights were bought by another publisher for the large print, they have changed my cover and here it is:

I do like it. A lot. I especially love the little spinning wheel in the lower right corner. But, okay, I won't lie......I think I'll always have a very special feeling toward my first cover that Kensington did. It's hard to compete with that luscious, squishy, pink yarn. But I have to say, I also like this cover as well.

Okay, folks, that's it for this time. Just wanted to give you the latest breaking news and now you can say, I heard it at Island Writer first.

See you here next time.........................

Cold Weather Negatives ~

2010-02-16T20:33:29Z

I've never liked winter. Not ever. You'd think growing up in New England I would have adjusted, but I never did. I remember being a kid and wanting to go outside to play. My poor mother would get me all bundled up in leggings, hat, scarf, mittens and boots. I'd be out there ten minutes and want to come in again. I've never found anything delightful about snow and ice. So when we moved to southern Ohio when I was seven years old, I was very happy to have more temperate winters. But I remember moving back to the Boston area in 1960.....just in time for the huge Valentine's Day Blizzard. At fourteen, I detested winter even more. I mean, come on, how cool was that to have to wear all that cold weather gear?

And as I got older, I hated winter even more because I found that it now affected my sinus. So moving to Florida twenty-three years ago pretty much eliminated both my shivering and my sinus problems. Until this winter.

You know that surprise birthday party we were supposed to go to on Saturday? Well, it was for our friend, Joe, owner of Kona Joe's...........and I couldn't go. As the day wore on and the pressure in my face, eyes and neck got worse, I knew I was going nowhere and I was pretty disappointed.

But we went to Kona Joe's yesterday for lunch and and to bring Joe the gift I'd ordered for him. I found a site on the Internet where you can personalize tee shirts and this is what I came up with to put on Joe's.

And I had this printed on the back.

Kona Joe's caters to us locals as much as the tourists, so it's the ideal place to drop by and find out what's going on here on the island. From my first day visiting there, I knew it was my answer to "Cheers".......where everybody knows your name.

Some of you might recall that Ray and I have unofficially adopted four cats in the neighborhood. They're sure not used to this cold either. So a couple months ago I put out two doggie crates, complete with pillow and blanket. At least this keeps them warm and dry at night to sleep. And yes, they do sleep in there......They've paired up and it's so sweet to see two of them huddled together in their crate. And during the day, I leave my garage door open so a few of them take advantage and come inside to warm up a bit. When we got back from downtown yesterday, we found Black & White Kitty taking a respite from the cold in the garage.

We have a new establishment (one of a few, actually) that opened downtown on Dock Street. I briefly popped in yesterday to see it and meet the new owners, Connie and Jay. A very friendly couple and I was totally captivated by their dog, Otis! What a handsome lad he is! Ray and I plan to drop by there on Friday for a drink, so I'll be sharing photos and details with you soon.

Never one to dwell on the negative.......concerning the weather, the good news is that we're going to have a slow warming trend headed our way. According to the local forecast, we just might see 70 degrees by Sunday! And I, for one, will certainly be welcoming that. I almost feel guilty complaining when I see what the rest of the country has been enduring. But hey, come on, this IS Florida after all......you know, that state where people come to try and escape the winter cold, not be subjected to it. Have to admit though, it certainly does beat all that snow the north has recently received.

So make sure you stay warm and I'll see you here next time................

The Joy of Knitting . . .

2010-02-09T20:40:35Z

For me, the joy of knitting isn't just one particular thing.........I feel great joy walking into a yarn shop and seeing all the different yarns available. The colors, the texture, the promise of a finished project. I also experience joy as I sit, relaxing, needles in hand, working away. But there's also great joy when I've finished a project and the fruits of my labor become reality.

Ah, and I bet you thought I just sit around all day munching bon bons, huh? Nope. When I do take a break from my writing, I can usually be found relaxing with my knitting. I've recently finished up some scarf projects and wanted to share them here with you.

This one above was actually completed a couple months ago and I've worn it a number of times this winter to keep my neck warm. Not to mention, the great colors blend nicely with just about anything. This is simply a straight knit project and works up very fast. I used a yarn called Vagas-Multi, which is a polyester metallic and rayon. It's also pretty warm.

Some of you might remember when I began the above scarf. It's now finished and I just love, love, love the yarn! It's by Berroco and is a Bonsai yarn. The shades of silver, black and white will also go nicely with just about any outfit. This was done in a lace pattern and while not difficult, it was a bit more tricky. Lots of yarn overs, knit two togethers, etc. Here's a close-up of the pretty lace pattern it produced.

And this scarf below was done with one strand of Berroco Jewel FX and one strand of Katia Sevilla. It worked up very quickly with a simple knit stitch and every ten rows I dropped three stitches to produce the ladder effect.

I'm one of those people that are never without a knitting project in the works. At the moment, the scarf below is the one I'm working on. A gorgeous cable twists its way up the center and it's a very easy pattern to follow. As for the yarn......I actually purchased this yarn about five years ago. It was in a kit to make a hat. That never happened and the yarn got stashed. I loved the colors and the yarn has a soft, cottony, feel to it. I thought it would be perfect to wear this spring as a fashion accessory.

Those of you that are knitters, what are you working on?

While the mid-Atlantic and northeast is getting bombarded with snow, there's mudslides and rain on the west coast and here on our island we've had our share of cold, a deep freeze and enough rain to make me consider looking for a blueprint to build an ark.

Although I knit year round, I know many people prefer it more in the winter time. What could be better than curling up on a gloomy, cold, wet, snowy, day with a cup of hot tea or coffee, knitting needles in hand, creating a project that gives you joy. Both in the making of it and in the finished piece.

UPDATE ON WRITING: Well, folks, book #2 has been revised, completed and mailed off to my editor over a week ago. My Christmas novella is also finished and was mailed to New York today. And I'm already in my "thinking" mode for book #3 in my Cedar Key series.........This will be Grace's story. You'll meet Grace in book 2. She's Monica's best friend and has her own story to tell. And I'm in the process of creating that story. I really love this part of my writing process. This is when I literally get wrapped up in my story. My characters are constantly with me and I'm trying to figure out what they need to say. Therefore, if you see me out and about.....you'll probably also see me with a notebook and pen. Thoughts, images, dialogue, suddenly appear to me and I jot everything down. Everybody writes differently. But for me, I have a pretty good "road map" of my story and where I'm headed by the time I actually sit at the computer to begin composing. As I said, I really enjoy this phase of my writing. It's always so much fun to meet new characters and try and figure out what they're saying.

Ray and I are invited to a surprise birthday party this weekend for somebody on the island. Nah, I can't tell you who right now. Heck, then it wouldn't be a surprise! But join me here next time and I'll tell you all about it, complete with photos, of course.

See you then.......................

This & That . . .

2010-02-03T16:51:43Z

WHAT is that, you ask? Well........it was a puddle of water on my hot tub cover that froze a few weeks ago. Yup! It's been mighty cold here in north central Florida. And I hate it! I'm longing for some 70 degree temps with more sunshine than the rain we've had. I know, I know......shouldn't complain when I see what the rest of the country has been experiencing. But come on, this IS Florida!

You may have noticed that I've been rather scarce around here lately. I mean, gosh, January has come and gone! Well, I was super busy working on my revisions for book #2 and finishing up my Christmas novella. And I'm happy to say........book #2 was mailed out to my editor last week and I'm in the process of doing a final edit on the novella. Soon I'll be able to breathe a bit easier.

MORE EXCITING BOOK NEWS: I was recently notified by my editor that SPINNING FORWARD is going into a second printing! And yes, I'm excited! So many good things are occurring with my novel and it's all because of YOU, my readers and fans! Thank you so much for reading my book, loving my book and then promoting it to your friends and family. It truly means everything to me! I really appreciate all of the emails and phone calls that I've received from so many of you.

I think we've pretty much decided on a title for book #2, but I want to wait and get the final okay from my publisher before I release it. I love it and you can be sure that I'll share it here first with you! So stay tuned.

Let's see, what else has been going on.........I finished up another very pretty knitted scarf. I'll get some photos soon and let you see them here. In addition to knitting, I've also been reading and just finished Elin Hilderbrand's novel, A Summer Affair. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great women's fiction and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This was the second book by her that I've read and I'll be getting more.

I was at a writers conference last week on the east coast and also did a book signing there. I very much enjoyed meeting new people and to those of you that bought my book......thank you and I hope you'll enjoy it.

Since it's February, that means I'm running a new contest. So head on over to my author website and get yourself registered to win a really nice Valentine's prize that I've chosen. My home page over there has also been updated with new info and a new photo, all done by my dynamo publicist, Jeanne.

FAMILY NEWS: Shawn is doing fairly well and will be seen next Monday by a thoracic oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. I'm hoping for some very positive info. My daughter, Susan, is on the home stretch with her RN program (she graduates this December) She's doing her clinical training now, every Saturday and Sunday.......in addition to working as an LPN in the ER during the week. NOT an easy schedule. She's on spring break from college early March and truly needs a break! So it looks like she might be coming down here for that week to visit. Cedar Key is certainly the best place to chill out and relax.

Well, folks, I think that's it for this time. I do apologize for not being around more often but my writing was calling. (NOT to mention I'm on deadline) I'm hoping to now be able to visit here at least once a week.

So see you here next time.....................

Very honored . . . .

2010-01-10T13:37:45Z

I was notified last night about some very great news and wanted to share it here with you. My book was chosen as one of the 2010 selections for the Agnes Jayne Memorial Book Fund at the Dickinson County Library in Iron Mountain, Michigan.

I had no idea it was even being considered, so what a wonderful surprise this was. You can go and read about it at the link I'm giving you here. And I must say.....I'm in some mighty good company with Nora Roberts and Barbara Delinsky! Out of all the books they could have chosen, I'm so honored to think that they chose MINE!

Here we are only a few weeks into the new year and it's been non-stop busy for me. I have finished all the revisions on book #2 and I'm very pleased with it. I hope my readers will love this one as much as I do. And now.....I'm busy meeting my deadline for the Christmas novella.

Speaking of Christmas.....it seems it came and went in a blur for me. But we did have a very nice one. Shawn spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day with us and we also had our good friends, Edie and Joe, for dinner on Christmas day.

Duncan was like a little kid this year....he could smell the treats for him and Brie under the tree and took it upon himself to be the guard, making sure those pesky cats didn't get near the canine stuff.

Without the presents under the tree, Duncan wasn't interested.....but as soon as I put the gifts there, he set up his sentry post and had to be coaxed away.

For the most part, I think the cats understood and kept their distance.

Waiting for Santa.......(actually, they were both captivated by a cat in the tree!)

And Christmas Eve, they were both pretty excited about the toys and goodies that Santa brought for them...........

And Christmas day we had a wonderful dinner of roast lamb, cheese potatoes, carrots and green bean casserole.........

A lot of you have emailed or called me to see how Shawn is doing. Actually, he's "doing" fairly well but we've been in limbo as far as making any progress. The news from Shands wasn't that great but even more important is that I feel we haven't even begun to scratch the surface as far as treatment. We're now in the process of getting a second opinion at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. Please keep sending all those prayers and positive energy our way because we deeply appreciate it.

To all of my new readers, thank you so much for the wonderful emails that you've sent telling me how much you loved SPINNING FORWARD. There's no better music to an author's ears and I love hearing from you.

I hope that so far the new year has been good to you. I'll be busy working away to finish up my Christmas novella but I'll see you here next time..................

Author ~ Susan Crandall

2010-01-05T00:54:06Z

Please welcome author, Susan Crandall, to Island Writer. She joins us this evening as part of the Cyber Tour sponsored by the RWA Women's Fiction online group.

BACK ROADS was Susan's first solo work, her first published work and her first award winning novel, having won a prestigious RITA award for Best First Book and two National Reader's Choice Awards.

Susan says she was born with an incredible love for books and eventually this evolved into the penning of her own stories.

Susan grew up in a small Indiana town, married a guy from that town, and then moved to Chicago for a while. She is pleased to say that she has been back in her hometown for many years and plans to stay. She and her husband have two grown children.

Susan's latest release is titled, Sleep No More, and we'll begin by having Susan tell us a bit about the story.

SLEEP NO MORE is the story of Abby Whitman, who was a sleepwalker as a child, setting a fire that destroyed the ancestral home and scarred her younger sister for life. Abby's sleepwalking passed with puberty, but the guilt did not. She lives alone, structuring her life to insure that if her sleepwalking reoccurs no one else will be in harm's way.

Now Abby's mother has recently died, her sister is being her usual manipulative self, and her father is showing signs of Alzheimer's. And her sleepwalking has returned.

One night Abby awakens behind the wheel of her van at a fatal accident. Sleepwalking, or more specifically, sleep-driving, is the only explanation she can come up with for her presence at the scene. But it soon becomes clear that there was a third party involved, and that person begins making threats for Abby not to tell what she saw. But Abby has no recollection of the accident. She seeks the help of a family acquaintance and psychiatrist, Jason Coble to try to figure out what happened at the accident and why someone is threatening her.

Abby's journey toward truth and self-forgiveness uncovers long buried secrets in both her family and her town. Secrets someone will go to any lengths to protect.

When did you first begin writing?

I didn't actually begin writing until I was in my thirties. My younger sister sort of dragged me into it. She came to me one day with a stack of paper and admitted she'd been writing in secret and wanted me to look over her work. Being the older sister and an avid reader, naturally I had an opinion. We worked on some stories together, then she stopped writing, but I was totally hooked. I could no more stop writing than I could stop reading.

What's your favorite and least favorite thing about writing?

I absolutely love the beginning stages of writing a book. I love the brainstorming, the research, the exploring of possibilities, the laying awake at night pondering "what ifs." It's the stage when everything is possible and you aren't yet hampered with the reality of making all of the parts work.

My least favorite? This may sound contradictory, but it's the blank page, the blinking cursor waiting like a teacher with a tapping foot. It's that stage between all of the daydreaming and actually having something concrete to work with. It's the place where you have to begin to make the real choices that will chart the course of your character's journey. Once I have something started, it's fun to work with it, expand, delve more deeply into my characters.

Can you offer any advice to other writers still hoping to become published?

1) Read widely, and read like a writer. When an author has elicited a particular emotion from you as a reader, take the work apart and figure out how he/she achieved it. Study the story construction, the pacing.

2) Continually hone your craft. Learn from workshops, classes, and just chatting with other writers.

3) Learn to trust your writing instincts. We writers are filled with self-doubt, constantly questioning the quality of our work. If you're a writer, there is something special inside you that lead you to it. Don't follow every suggestion made by everyone who has glanced at your work. Carefully evaluate criticism. It's a valuable tool, but it must be weighed.

4) And lastly, put on your armor and send your work out there into the world. No one is going to come knocking on your door and say, "I heard you're writing a book. I'd like to publish it." Yes, you'll probably receive rejections. That's all part of the process.

Can you tell us what you're working on now?

Now that SLEEP NO MORE is safely launched, I'm focusing on two novels. One is a mainstream women's fiction. The other is a slow-boil psychological suspense. I'm having a great time with both of them!

Thank you so much, Susan, for stopping by Island Writer for the Cyber Tour. I'm wishing you much success with Sleep No More and all of your future novels.

And readers............you can visit Susan for more information at her website at this link.

Please leave your comments and/or questions here at Island Writer and say hello to Susan.

I'll see you back here very soon with some better-late-than-never Christmas photos.............

Welcome to 2010 ~

2010-01-01T14:33:47Z

Here we are on day 3 of 2010 and a new decade and we were able to welcome it in with a blue moon. I was able to capture it from my back yard and I couldn't help but feel it had a certain symbolism for me.

The moon was so intensely bright it lit up my entire yard. I'm hoping this coming year will also bring that kind of brightness.

The holidays are always a busy time so I'm rather glad they're over and it's back to my routine. My priority right now is my looming deadline for book #2 and my Christmas novella. I've actually been working away on the revisions for book 2 and this coming week I'll be totally focused on that.

I have lots of tidbit things to share with you along with photos. Just haven't had a chance to get here and share those things on my blog.

So do come back soon to visit and catch up. Hope your holidays were wonderful and I wish all of you a healthy, happy and great 2010! I also want to thank my treasured blog friends Naomi, Heather and Dave for stopping by and leaving a comment. I miss visiting all of you at your blogs but I certainly love hearing from you here. Unfortunately, many others no longer stop by to say hello.

See you here next time.....................