Whew.....there's so much going on at the moment, it's difficult trying to keep it all straight!  But in the midst of it, I did manage to get a new "do."  It was time for a change and back to a short style that's easy to manage when I'm so busy.  Duncan and Brie also feel a bit slighted here at Island Writer, so I'm giving them a chance to say hello to all my great readers.  Now on to the exciting news:

Please enter my July Contest for a chance to win a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card AND an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of my upcoming novel, SPINNING FORWARD.  Just click the link below to be taken to my author website and you'll see the info right at the top of the page. 

                           CLICK HERE TO ENTER MY JULY CONTEST

Fill out the form to register and you'll be all set.  Winners will be drawn on August 1.

Wishing all of you a very happy and fun-filled 4th of July weekend and let's not forget our troops.

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

the WRITERSPACE ANNUAL BEACH PARTY

 

DATE:  Sunday June 28

MY TIME SLOT:  8:30 - 9:00 P.M (ET)

WHERE TO LOG IN:  THIS LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO THE CHAT TOMORROW EVENING

 

My publicist has arranged my first event for SPINNING FORWARD and I would love it if you could join me there tomorrow evening!

The event is from 8 - 11 p.m. but my time slot to chat is above, 8:30 - 9:00

The authors are going to be giving away over 100 prizes!  BUT, in order to win, you must go NOW, yes.....right NOW, because it ends today...........and sign up to register for the Beach Party.

You do not have to be present in the chat to win.....but it sure would be nice to "see" you there!

The prize I'm giving away for the contest is a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card and an autographed copy of SPINNING FORWARD as soon as it is released.

So please join us in the Writerspace Chat room tomorrow evening.....but DO go register AT THIS LINK right now, so you'll be eligible to win one of the prizes.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you at the first event for SPINNING FORWARD.....................

I took the golf cart downtown to Kona Joe's one morning last week.....packed a little tote bag complete with my cell phone, iPod, notebook, ink pen, eye glasses........and OF course, my muse!

Ordered myself a coffee and muffin and proceeded to settle in on the deck overlooking the Gulf.  It could be because I'm a Pisces, but I receive a lot of inspiration from the water.  I was there to do some work fleshing out my characters for the Christmas novella I'm going to begin writing for Kensington.

And it was an extremely productive two hours.  Except for the sound of gulls soaring overhead or a boat engine in the distance, it was quiet and peaceful.  Listening to the water slap against the building I was able to stare out at the horizon and allow my mind to wander.  And wander it did.

A new creation began to take form.  The story that I'd been thinking about slowly became more solid. Since this is a novella it will only consist of 20,000 to 25,000 words, but it still has to be a complete story with a beginning, a middle and an end.  Therefore, for me at least, it's not any less difficult developing this compared to a full novel. 

I still have to know my characters inside out, backward and forward.  I have to know everything about them......from how they look (in my mind) to what makes them tick. 

My novella will have four main characters......each one being connected to the other.  By the time I left Kona Joe's, I had a pretty good grip on all four.  I need to give it a bit more thought, but I don't think it'll be much longer before I can actually sit down and begin the writing process.

                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update on shopping for those cocktail dresses I'd mentioned............a very successful shopping trip to Gainesville last week had me finding all three of the dresses.  Needless to say, I was very pleased! 

FedEx delivered my page proofs from Kensington last Thursday.  So I spent Saturday going over those.  This was my final read-through, checking for accuracy of data, typesetting and editing.  So another step in the process has been completed.

I finished reading Secret Keepers by Mindy Friddle and when I get a chance I'll tell you about it here.  Her debut novel was The Garden Angel, which I also enjoyed very much.  I'm now reading Kate Morton's second novel, (her debut was The House at Riverton) The Forgotten Garden......all I can say is, I do NOT want to put this book down!  At 548 pages, I want to savor her great writing and wonderful story and yet, I'm anxious to keep reading.  And I have to say this Australian author is quickly becoming my very favorite!

Well, I leave for Washington and the big RWA conference 3 weeks from tomorrow and I'm getting super excited about it.  When I attended two years ago in Dallas, with my girlfriend Alice, I hoped that THIS would be the conference that would make a huge difference in my writing career......and as we now know, it was.  So I return this year in a very different category that I am very grateful for.

That's it from the island for this time. 

I do hope all is well with you and stay tuned for all the news and updates that will be coming..........

(One of my favorite photos with my Dad...1985...sipping Calvados I brought back from Normandy)

You've been gone six years now, Dad and this year I find myself thinking about you and missing you more than usual.

It's because after so many years of struggle and disappointment, I now have a novel being released by a major New York publisher.  And oh, how I wish you were here to share all of it with me. 

How I'd love to pick up the phone to tell you that I finished my page proofs yesterday.  The final proofing is now done on SPINNING FORWARD and another step in the process completed.  I would have loved to pop by with the 8x10 glossy of my book cover to show you.

And how nice it would be to have you there for my book launch on November 14. 

Over these past few weeks as my release date draws closer I have found myself being emotional because you're not here to share it all with me.  For brief moments I also find myself thinking "why couldn't this have happened 20 years ago, even 10 years ago, when I could have shared it with Mom, Dad and Aunt Marie."  But I quickly let go of that thinking, because I've always been a firm believer that...........everything happens in it's own time.

So this year on Father's Day I'm thinking of you very strongly and I feel you extra close to me.  I love you, Dad and I sure do miss you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And for you, my readers, if you're a dad I'm wishing you an extra special Happy Father's Day.  And if you're fortunate to still have your dad in your life...........make sure you take the time today to acknowledge him with a phone call or a visit.

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

Yes . . . I'm extra busy right now, but it's such a good busy, who could complain!  And gosh, where to begin?

Well.........things are really rolling along well in the process of getting SPINNING FORWARD into the hands of the reading public.  As you know, I have my gorgeous cover, the book is available for pre-order on Amazon and I'm waiting on my galleys. 

One of the biggest things going on right now is that I'll be flying to Washington, DC on July 15 for the huge RWA conference.  This year is proving to be quite exciting for me!  I'm now on board with the Nancy Berland agency as my personal publicist and I've been invited to a VIP party at the Hay-Adams Hotel in DC (yesssssss! the VERY same one where Obama briefly lived before moving into the White House and OH, yeah! I'm excited!) hosted by Nancy and her staff.  The party will be attended by some very important and influential people in the book industry and there's a fair amount of prep required by me.  All details will eventually be revealed here at Island Writer.  But this is one of the items requiring my time right now.

I also received a very nice invitation the other day from Kensington to attend the cocktail party that they're hosting for their authors at the RWA. 

Am I excited about all of this?  Nah!  (Terri, you lie!)  But these are two very posh parties that will require cocktail dresses and the glam that goes with it and to be honest, I haven't had the need to wear a cocktail/special occasion dress since my daughter was married over twenty years ago!  So guess what else Terri is doing in her "spare" time?  Yup.......shopping for not one, but two cocktail dresses.  Details to follow.

And in addition to all of the prep for DC, I am now focusing on that second contract I recently received from Kensington..........writing a novella for the Christmas anthology with Fern Michaels.  So it's also back to "work" (is it work when you love what you do?) for me.

But all work and no play is never good and I've always been one to know and respect this.  For me, reading and knitting is my "down" time but I also have to say that both reading and knitting is extremely valuable and beneficial to my writing career.  Actually, for me, I feel they go hand-in-hand and I devote some time each day to both.  I don't think it's possible to be an author without being an avid reader.  It's one of our tools, plus a way to always get better and keep learning.  As for the knitting.....my novels have a theme of knitting and I'm working on some scarves right now that I plan to be wearing to my book signings, etc. 

So I think this brings you up to date and also explains why, all of a sudden, my time has become even more precious. 

I'm going to leave you with a link RIGHT HERE that will take you to Kensington's book page for SPINNING FORWARD.........I'm absolutely thrilled with the synopsis blurb they've written on the back cover for my book!  So go ahead.....right now........go read it.......I'll wait.

Back?  Isn't it great?  I was blown away by how they "GOT" it......my message, my story, all of it and yet........they gave nothing away.  There's so much to my story and it's all only hinted at.  I love it!  It's called "pull in those readers" and I sure hope I've pulled YOU in.

Well, I'm off to Gainesville today.....yup, you guessed it!  Shopping for cocktail dresses.  So I'll see you here next time................

Well, I'm back, but oh wow, have I been busy!  There's so much going on right now concerning my book, book-related things, etc. that I'm finding less and less time for blogging.  Oh, I'll never stop.....gosh, no.  But I'm afraid it's becoming impossible to read other blogs like I used to.  I simply do not have the time anymore and even doing this blog will be cut back in frequency.  But with two contracts now with my publisher, that's my priority. 

I wanted to tell you about this novel I recently finished and in my next post I'll tell you some of the things that have been going on concerning my book.

I'd met this author at the conference in Monroeville in May and this is her debut novel.  Fannie Flagg (author of Fried Green Tomatoes fame) did the introduction and she was spot on when she said "When you close the book, you'll miss these characters."  Because the Well and the Mine was a book about people.

The setting is a small Alabama coal-mining town during the summer of 1931.  There really wasn't much of a plot and in the case of this book......that didn't matter.  Because it's a story about nine-year old Tess Moore and her family.  One evening as Tess is sitting in the dark on her porch she sees a woman toss a baby into her family's well without a word.

Yes, we do find out in the end who the woman was and why she did it.  But it almost became irrelevant because of so much richness to the surrounding story about the characters.  This author captured the essence of the characters in her story and if any writers out there are wondering what makes great, memorable characters, after reading this novel perhaps you'll understand. 

When an author is able to put you in the characters shoes she's accomplished the feat of writing and Phillips has done that.  I loved all of them for different reasons, but I'd have to say that the father was my favorite.  Albert was a loving and caring man and both parents provided the love and compassion that enabled Tess to deal with a difficult emotional situation in a healthy way.

I just loved this book.  The prose flowed along and the dialogue was authentic.  And Fannie Flagg was right.........I didn't want to leave these characters, but I'm glad I got to inhabit their world for awhile.

If you're looking for a very good southern read, I highly recommend this one!

And I'll see you back here next time when I bring you up to date on this author's latest activities......

I'm down in the south of Florida for a few days at a writers conference.

I recently finished an excellent novel and now I'm in the middle of another great one. 

So you have a good weekend and I'll see you back here at Island Writer next week when I'll share my thoughts on the finished book.

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

The graduation ceremony was very nice.  Poignant and meaningful.  There were eighteen graduating this year.  I apologize for the photo being so dark but.......there's no air conditioning in the gym and trust me, it gets mighty hot in there!  Even with the windows open and fans blowing.  So to minimize the heat, they keep the lights off during much of the ceremony.

And the reason there's only the one photo from the ceremony?  Hmmm.  Well, Terri's batteries went dead on her new camera.  Oh, but not to worry.....I had 4 others with me.  ALL dead!  So much for that.  On to the party.

The cake was so appropriate.....depicting everything important to R.  The setting outside was perfect.....huge oak trees providing so much shade that it was actually comfortable sitting out there.  And the highlight, of course, was that low country boil.

For those of you that didn't know.......a low country boil is famous in the Low Country of Georgia and South Carolina.  The boil is done best on an outdoor cooker as above.  And the ingredients?  New potatoes, sausage, fresh ears of corn (cut in thirds), shrimp and ours also had Cedar Key clams.  The large pot of water is heated outside on the cooker, the ingredients added, then the water is drained off and the contents is poured into a huge container for everybody to enjoy!

Oh, and the reason I didn't get a photo of the actual boil?  We were all too busy digging in and enjoying it and OH my, was it ever GOOD!  I absolutely loved it!  But we also had fresh mullet, deep fried and I have to say.....that was THEE best mullet I've ever had!  I was told it was caught late the night before and of course, that's what makes mullet so good.....very fresh.

Well, this convinces me even more.........I'm a Yankee girl with a southern soul.  I may have been born in the north, but I'll tell ya, I sure have soaked up the south over twenty years.  I love grits.  I love swamp cabbage and hush puppies.  Sweet tea?  There's nothing better.  I love the sense of family that still exists in small towns like Cedar Key. 

But yeah, I have to have to admit....even after twenty-two years down here.......I still pak my ca in the Havad yad.  Guess I'll never find those "r's" in my vocabulary.

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

Ray and I received this high school graduation invitation in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  The mother of the graduate is a born and bred Cedar Key girl......probably fourth or fifth generation.  I always lose track.  I'd met the mom about two years ago,  while I was out walking Duncan and Holly. 

And her daughter, the graduate, I had in the writers group that I did through the school four years ago when I first moved here.  I remember being very impressed with R's writing ability.  So while the mom and I don't "hang out" together, we've come to know each other pretty well from chit chatting every time we see each other.  I might also add that the mom decided to return to school last year and is now in college to become an RN........I love to hear stories like this, so every time I see her, I want an update and I share a bit about my own nursing experiences. 

So when the invitation arrived in the mail I was both surprised and flattered.  I'm not "kin" as they say here in the south.  I'm not even a local that was also born and raised here.  And yet......they thought to include me in such a special event.  Actually, this is the third Cedar Key high school graduation invitation that I've received in the four years that I've lived here.  One was for the daughter of our neighbor and one was from a girl that was always our waitress at one of the local restaurants.  And I have to say......I feel very honored, because it sure makes me feel like I've been accepted. 

Is it any wonder that I based my novel on this unique and loving island?  It was the people themselves, these locals, that stirred my imagination and allowed me to create the story that I did.

So this morning Ray and I will be at the school gym at 10:00 to watch and acknowledge another group of Cedar Key seniors get their diplomas and begin a new journey in their lives. 

A note was slipped inside the invitation that read, "We're celebrating R's accomplishments by having a low country boil party after the graduation ceremony.  So bring your party attitude and your appetite. We'll see ya there."

A "low country boil party?"  Now, I have to admit.......this Yankee girl ain't ever been to one of those!  But  I plan to have a good time and I'll come back and tell ya all about it.

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

When I recently went to Moneroeville, you might recall that I mentioned meeting the author, Carolyn Haines and that I purchased her latest novel, Wishbones.

Well, in-between reading Duma Key, I've now finished this novel. 

It's a Sarah Booth Delaney mystery and I believe it's number eight in her series.  However, I haven't read any of the others yet, but I plan to.

Sarah Booth is a PI from Mississippi.  She has a delightful hound dog, Sweetie Pie, some great girlfriends and in this book she gets involved with a past lover, Graf Milieu.

I believe the previous books all took place in the south, but this one has Hollywood and Costa Rica for the settings.  Sarah packs up her hound dog and her PI business and takes off for Hollywood for a chance on stardom.

The chemistry between Sarah and Graf builds, as mysterious accidents and a murder occurs.  Although Sarah put her PI business on hold, she finds herself getting deeply involved in solving the case, along with the help of her friend and partner, Tinkie, who flew in from Mississippi.  And also on hand for the mayhem is Jitty (loved this character!) the ghost that inhabits Sarah's ancestral home in Mississippi. 

All of it makes for a romping and entertaining good time.  Wishbones was a fun and delightful read and I plan to look for the previous books in the series.  You can visit Carolyn's website at the link I'm giving you here.

Everybody take care and I'll you see you at Island Writer next time.............