A Writer's List of New Year's Resolutions

Dream Big for 2014. (Sunset over Pensacola Bay.)

Every New Year I make a mental list of New Year's Resolutions and then, as the year proceeds, I turn around and forget those resolutions one by one.

So why should 2014 be any different? Well, this New Year I'm going to write down some of those resolutions in my blog for the world to see and, hopefully, for me to remember.

Of course, it's not just about remembering those profound resolutions, it's about the doing too. Yesireee, it's the doing that's the hardest part, for sure.

So here goes, my List of New Year's Resolutions for 2014:

1) Write, write and write some more. (I can't be a writer if I don't write. Duh!)

2) Think good thoughts. (My mom says if I have good thoughts then I won't ever have any medical problems. I'm hoping it applies to writing too and I won't have any writing problems?)

3) Write every single day even if I delete it all the next day. (Best to delete the not-so-good writing of the day before so no ones sees it. Just sayin' ...)

4) Dream Big and then follow it up with some hard work. (Like writing my butt off.)

5) Eat, sleep and be merry. (Hey, it sounds good. Cheers!)

6) Finish all those zillions of short stories, novellas and novels pining away in my laptop. (Well, maybe not all of them, but at least a few.)

7) Publish more books in 2014. (More is better, so they say.)

8) Spend less time on Twitter. (This is a hard one. I happen to love Twitter.)

9) Read for inspiration. (Oh, this is an easy one. I always read, lots and lots of books.)

10) Keep the Faith. (I am a writer. I know how to write. I am going to write. Hip hip hooray!)

Now I have to admit these New Year's Resolutions are pretty lame, but if I follow them I will get some writing done and some of my works-in-progress finished and out there for my readers to enjoy.

In the meantime, wishin' y'all a very wonderful, awesome and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! May your New Year be filled with peace, prosperity and lots and lots of books.

The Importance of Names

Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler are favs.

I happen to have an obsession with names. Maybe due to my rather ordinary birth name of Teresa Ann and my lifetime nickname of Teri. I know, there are more ordinary names than Teresa Ann, Terry Ann and Teri, but come on, couldn't my parents have come up with something a bit more unique?

As a kid I was always changing my name. Nicola and Nickie featured prominently in my early years. I'd read Mary Stewart's The Moonspinners and the heroine, Nicola Ferris, sounded so exotic as she traipsed around the Island of Crete.

I went by Samantha and Sam in my early high school years. I suppose it had something to do with the TV show, Bewitched. I could wiggle my nose just like Sam. My boyfriend at the time, Scotty, always called me Sam for that very reason.

I've always loved the name, Nicola Ferris.

Later in high school I became Tracy and then Traci. It had to do with a character in a James Bond movie, I forget which one. In fact, I think my mom is the one who actually started calling me Tracy after she saw the movie.

For many years I was Missy. My mom started that one too. I don't think she's ever told me why she started calling me Missy, but she still uses it now and then to this day.

I've used Tes off and on for years. I'm a sometimes artist and Tes is a great signature on a painting. Plus, I just like the sound of Tes.

As a writer I know that naming your characters is ever so important. It just won't do to write a medieval romance and name your hero and heroine, Bob and Sally. No kidding, I came across a medieval romance a long time back with just those names. I didn't read the book, because the names just didn't seem to fit the medieval genre.



What better character name than Travis McGee?

If your hero is supposed to be a to-die-for hunk, I don't think you'd want to name him Larry, Harold or Donald. If you happen to have one of those names, please forgive me for using your name as an example. I don't think I'd swoon over a hero with one of those names.

Some names are so well known, like Scarlett O'Hara and Elvis, that it's maybe not such a good idea to use those names in a book. Though if you're wanting readers to always think of Scarlet or Elvis as they read your book, then the names work and serve a purpose.

I just saw online that the top baby names for 2013 are Imogene and Asher. Well, at least those are different and I rather like them. Hmm! I can instantly imagine characters with those colorful names.

My favorite resource for character names.

I'm currently working on a Young Adult Dystopian novel and I've given the characters the coolest of names. Or at least I think their names are cool. However, I'm not going to mention the names here. You'll have to wait until the book is finished, which may take me a while (I'm writing rather slow these days).

I've been writing practically forever and I have this name book that I'm always using when I create my characters. I imagine it's still in print: The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon. There are dozens of other books of baby names which would also do the trick.

I have so many favorite literary characters/names. I'll always love Travis McGee, James Bond, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler, Bathsheba Everdene and Gabriel Oak, Katniss and Peeta, Darcy, Hawk-eye, D'Artagnan, I could go on and on.

Read Shakespeare for great names.

If you want to find some awesome names, just read Shakespeare.  Nothing compares to the names: Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet. 

Just remember, whether you're naming your baby, your dog or cat, or your literary characters, names are of the up most importance.

Hmm! I almost forgot to mention my latest name, Nana, bestowed upon me by my three adorable grandkids. I have to admit, that's the best name of all.

(Note - This is my college edition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare. The text is old and well loved. I also have a copy on my Kindle Fire. I can't get enough of Shakespeare.)

The Sun Sets on 2012

Sunset over Pensacola Bay on 12/26/12.

The year 2012 has been a long one what with all the campaigning and presidential election, the tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, early winter storms and then ending with the Newtown, PA shooting. It has not been a particularly good year when you look at all that has happened around the world.





Another photo of the awesome sunset on 12/26/12.

I have hopes that 2013 will be better, but then we are facing "The Fiscal Cliff" so who knows how the year will turn out. I tend to be optimistic, so I hope and pray for a better year and another step toward world peace.





Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge on 12/26/12.

We have family visiting for the holidays, so it's been a bit chaotic since before Christmas. I've had very little time online, so my emails have piled up to over 500 and my tweeps on Twitter are probably wondering what happened to me.





A close-up of the Graffiti Bridge on 12/26/12.

I've had very little "me time" and almost no time to read. Though I have added an assortment of new books to my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my new Kindle Fire, I love both by the way).

In spite of all the holiday rush and lack of time for much of anything, I have managed to squeeze in time with my grandkids. They're awesome and I love every minute I spend with them. There's nothing better than seeing the world through the eyes of little kids.



A mention of Newtown on the Graffiti Bridge.

I took some great sunset photos on 12/26/12. Any sunset over Pensacola Bay is beautiful, but this one was spectacular. I also took some cool photos of Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge that same day.

On one side of the bridge were the Three Kings and on the other the Manger and a "God Bless" for those lives lost in Newtown. So I've included those photos in this post.





The next day the Shutter Button on my Sony digital camera broke. It's no longer under warranty and I've yet to find anyone local who can repair it. My husband did find a company online that will repair it for $70 plus the cost of shipping. So now I'm looking at new digital cameras. I feel naked without my camera. Just sayin'...

Yesterday we lost our Internet service with AT&T for the whole day and all night. I've only been back online for around an hour or so and hope to get this posted before the service disappears once again. Little things like these are irritating, but certainly not the end of the world.


My Azaleas are blooming.

Speaking of the end of the world, I guess that didn't happen on 12/21/12 like "they" predicted. Thank goodness. In spite of problems with the economy and the general unrest, I rather like this world of ours. I have great hopes that things will improve.

On another note, here on the Gulf Coast of the Florida Panhandle, the weather has been rather strange. Our temps have varied from the mid-30s to the high-70s from one day to the next. Trees are already starting to leaf out, because they think spring is already here. Only winter has barely started. Azaleas and other flowers are starting to bloom. Birds and squirrels are building their nests. Maybe they know Florida will have a mild winter?

Dude says, "Happy New Year!"

Like I said, I'm optimistic that 2013 will be a better year than 2012.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

Ecstatic About Books

Two of my bookshelves.

I have to confess, I am ecstatic, passionate, giddy about books. Between the books on my bookshelves and the ones on my two Kindles, I have more books than I can read in two lifetimes. So in reality, I guess that I am obsessed with books.

Well, as I've pointed out before, I have my mother to blame for my obsession, passion, love of books. At a very early age she read not only the standard fairy tales to me, but the wonderful stories by O'Henry and Terhune. When I could read on my own I took off like a racehorse and never looked back.

In two of my August posts, "Crazy About Books" and "In Love with Books," I gave a guided tour of three of my bookshelves.  Well, this post is a guided tour of my last two bookshelves. All my other books live in boxes under the bed in the guestroom, in boxes and stacks in the guestroom closet, on my Kindles, or in the Cloud. More books than I care to count, but still never enough.  There are just so many great books out there, that I keep buying more.

You can imagine my husband's relief when I started buying more eBooks than paper books. At least the next time we move there won't be additional boxes of books to lug around. I think with our last move, from the Texas Hill Country to the Florida Gulf Coast, I had approximately twenty-seven very heavy boxes of books. But all those zillions of eBooks can be carried around in my purse. I have to say that's awesome!

So here's the guided tour of the bookshelves in the photo above. Obviously there are too many books to list them all, so I'll only list a few of them. The top shelves have "treasures" collected through the years, but the other shelves are packed with books and magazines.

Left bookshelf from top to bottom:

Clouds and Eclipses (The Collected Short Stories) by Gore Vidal
New Stories from the South (2007 - The Year's Best) ed. by Edward P. Jones
New Stories from the South (2008 - The Year's Best) ed. by Z. Z. Packer
Like unto Like by Sherwood Bonner
Mothers & Daughters (An Anthology) ed. by Alberto Manguel
American Avenue, Rhythm & Reason (A Collection) by William Steding
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The Best American Short Stories (2006) ed. by Ann Patchett
The Best American Short Stories (2009) ed. by Alice Sebold
Half in Love (Stories) by Maile Meloy
Best American Voices (2003) guest editor, Joyce Carol Oates
Best American Voices (2004) guest editor, John Casey
Best New American Voices (2006) ed. by Jane Smiley
Best New American Voices (2007) ed. by Sue Miller
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald Selected by Malcolm Cowley
Girl with a Pearl Earring (A Novel) by Tracy Chevalier
The Lady and the Unicorn (A Novel) by Tracy Chevalier
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
The Forest Lover (A Novel) by Susan Vreeland

Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
The Day the Cowboys Quit by Elmer Kelton
The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton
Sandhills Boy (The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer) by Elmer Kelton
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Shane by Jack Schaefer
Education of a Wandering Man (A Memoir) by Louis L'Amour
Louis L'Amour's wonderful books (54 of them on this shelf, too many to list)
The Great Trek by Zane Grey
Shower of Gold by Zane Grey
The Everglades: River of Grass by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas
The White Witch of Rosehall by Herbert G. de Lissor

Southwest Art (Magazine) (two stacks, several years)

Art of the West (Magazine) (one stack, several years)
Southwest Art (Magazine) (one stack, several years)

Right bookshelf from top to bottom:

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Revised Ed.) ed. by Hardin Craig
Masters of Modern Drama ed. by Haskell M. Block & Robert G. Shedd
A Field Guide to Central Australia by Penny van Oosterzee
Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways by National Geographic
Guide to the National Parks of the United States by National Geographic
A Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies by Roger Tory Peterson
Seashells of North America (A Guide to Field Identification) by R. Tucker Abbott

House Plants (How to choose, grow, display) by Sunset
Introduction to Basic Gardening by Sunset
The House Book by Terence Conran
Illustrated Guide to Gardening by Reader's Digest
Best Loved Garden Plants by David Myers, Lance Hattatt & Lindsay Bousfield
Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel by Cathy Yardley
How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yalof
Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy
Handbook of Short Story Writing by The Writer's Digest
Handbook of Short Story Writing - Volume II by The Writer's Digest
Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter
Character Naming Sourcebook by The Writer's Digest

Art Books (48 of them, which I'll save for another blog post about art and art books)

American Art Review (Magazine) (one stack, several years)
Birds & Blooms (Magazine) (one year)
Hallowed Ground (The Civil War Preservation Trust Magazine) (one year)
American Art Collector (Magazine) (one year)
Country Lifestyle (Magazine) (one year)
Plus an assortment of other art magazines.

I hope you've enjoyed the guided tour of my bookshelves. Please check back for other blog posts, because I'm always talking about books.

The Road to Indie

My old Mustang on the road to Indie.

The road to Indie is a long and winding one. It is one filled with twists and turns, pot-holes and ruts, washed-out roads and ones that often end abruptly at the top of a precarious cliff. You quickly learn to make quick turns, back-up, swerve and go bump-de-bump over rocky roads. That's what it takes to get to Indie.

I started out young, optimistic and terribly naive/blind. Yeah, way back in my grade-school days I was sure I'd be an author someday.

I remember meeting the children's author, Scott O'Dell, when I was just a kid. Mom took me to the big library in the town next to ours. That's where Scott O'Dell was doing his book signing. Mom bought me a copy of Island of the Blue Dolphins, which Mr. O'Dell promptly signed.  I still have my signed copy of that wonderful book. Anyway, I shook hands with Mr. O'Dell and explained to him that I was going to be an author some day. He was kind enough to tell me that he hoped I'd get to do just that.

Well, the road to Indie meandered on after that. I entered the 4th grade and won a 4th runner up in an American Legion essay contest titled, "What the American Flag Means to Me." That win entitled me to ride on the American Legion float in the 4th of July parade in the tiny little southern California town where I grew up. Wow! Sitting on that float and waving to the crowds of people was an awesome experience. I thought I was well on my way to being a genuine author. By the way, the road for the parade route was a great big square around the park in the center of our town.

When I reached middle-school age I volunteered one summer at a mental facility, Pacific State Hospital. Those were the days when kids who were diagnosed with Down's Syndrome or  hydrocephalus were put in hospitals, something that is still shocking to me today. I wrote a short story about the kids I met there. It was a heart-breaking story about throw-away children who were no longer loved. The road to that hospital was a winding one through the hills.

As a teen I wrote a short story about my maternal grandmother, Viola, who was stricken with polio at the age of sixteen and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. The story was about Viola's collie, Lady, who died of a broken heart because she wasn't allowed to be with my grandmother when she was in the fevered throes of her disease.  The road back to my grandmother's childhood was one fraught with sadness.

I graduated from high school at the age of sixteen, a month before my seventeenth birthday. I'd managed to squeeze four years of high school into three and so graduated a year early. I was in such a rush to get into college, that I enrolled in the summer quarter and started college just three years after my graduation day. Back then I travelled the roads in the hand-me-down Mustang my parents gave me for my senior year in high school. Those were rocky roads over stream beds, switch-back roads up to Mount Baldy and down the Glendale Mountain Road, and the winding narrow roads to the California beaches where I surfed and lazed in the sun.

I entered college via the backdoor. I had to agree to be a Biology major even though I wanted a degree in English. Don't get me wrong, I like biology, but had no intention in heading down that career path. So after two quarters I petitioned to change my degree. My college counselor had a fit. If I wanted to change my major, it needed to be a degree in Business. What the heck? A hopeful author didn't get a Business degree. In fact, I would have preferred a degree in Journalism, but Cal Poly, the state college closest to my home, didn't offer degrees in Journalism. Well, I won out and changed my major to English. So the first road I took to college was one of many obstacles and detours.

In my early college years I was writing short stories and poems and submitting them right and left. All I managed to get published was one poem in an obscure literary journal. Somewhere through the years I lost my copies of that journal. Oh, well. I still remember the poem and love it to this day.

About this time I took the road to marriage and a baby and had to drop out of college. Life got in the way and it was many years before I was able to finish my college degree. In the meantime, I kept on writing. More short stories. Lots of short stories. I remember one from those years, "Blue Roses," about a woman standing up for her rights. I gathered rejection letters in those early years. The rejection letters pointed out that the market for short stories was declining, that even though my stories were quite good, there was no market for them. So the roads those days were road-blocked.

At twenty-six I was finally able to go back to college to finish that degree I'd started so many years before. The same guidance counselor tried to push me once again into that Business degree. At least get a double major, he'd said. So I took those business courses and didn't much care for them. English Lit and Shakespeare were my thing. Well, I'd made my way around one of those dreaded road-blocks.

Around that time I'd started writing my first novel, a suspense thriller about a woman who was high-jacked on her sailboat and taken south to Mexico. I made the serious mistake of having one of my college professors read the first five chapters. His response a few days later was that it was the worst novel he'd ever read. OMG! That was heavy criticism. I went home, gathered up everything I'd written up to that point with the exception of my poetry, and burned it all.  My road had reached a fiery dead end.

A couple weeks later my professor stopped me in the quad. He wanted to apologize. He explained that he'd been thinking about my novel over the last couple weeks and he'd decided I actually could write. Sheepishly he acknowledged that suspense thrillers weren't his thing, but he had to admit that my novel was a really good one and to keep writing. What the heck? I thanked him, but didn't bother to mention that I'd burned everything, including all my notes. I realized then that on some roads you can get blind-sided.

I never tried to recreate that first novel or the stories I'd destroyed. I considered that a learning experience. Don't ever take the criticism of any one person too seriously. Everyone has an opinion. Take what you can from the advice and keep on writing. So I'd learned the hard way, if one road is closed, try another.

In my final year of college I attended a lecture by Ray Bradbury. I was in awe, totally mesmerized by his every word. Fortunately, I got to meet him afterwards. He held my hand and looked me in the eye and assured me that he knew I'd be an author someday. I already wrote a more detailed blog post about the wonderful Ray Bradbury, so be sure to check it out. Anyway, let it be known that he pointed me in the direction of a road that looked promising if I cared to venture down that winding lane.

I finished college with a BA in English and moved from southern California to Florida. I needed new roads to travel, ones in the land of sunshine and paradise. Besides, Hemingway found inspiration in Florida and I could too. The roads in Florida headed south to the land of Hemingway and Key West. I was sure my dream of being an author was closer than ever.

Before leaving California I'd started my next novel, a contemporary romance, The Sailor's Way. I was going to do it the right way this time. I attended writer's conferences and even met with an agent. I met other authors who were published via Harlequin and Silhouette. I read everything I could about writing. I studied my craft. I was a wife, a mother, worked full time and wrote late at night and weekends. I was on my way with an open road up ahead.

I sent the partial for The Sailor's Way off to that agent I'd met in California. She'd agreed to read it and I was elated. Weeks later I got the rejection letter, "If I'd only worked with you from the beginning." Excuse the language, but WTF? The beginning of what? The beginning of time? I boxed up my novel and put it in the back of the closet, underneath my shoes and other paraphernalia. Obviously I didn't know how to write. Yep, another road-block and this time a big one.

Some people never give up. I happen to be one of them. Yeah, some of us like to beat our head against a brick wall. We don't take no for an answer. Yep, we dream, and we dream big. So I kept on writing. I wrote a bunch of short stories and sent them off every which way. I gathered rejection letters, none of them helpful. "If you were a known writer we'd consider your story." Huh? Well, I had to get published first to be known and that apparently wasn't going to happen. More road-blocks.

My favorite rejection letters at that time were for the same short story, "Harry's Garden." The letters arrived on the same day. One said, "I loved the first half of your story." The other said, "I loved the second half of your story." Now why couldn't those two get together and like the whole story? Well, not to be deterred, I kept on writing and studying my craft. After all, if there were two editors out there who loved half a story of mine, there had to be someone who would love a full story. Gee, I could see a clear road up ahead, if I could just get past that hairpin curve.

That's when I started writing my big novel, a dystopian view of the future, all 899 double-spaced pages. For eighteen months I wrote late into the night and every weekend. My husband helped me work through the plot and willingly added some great scenes and dialogue. My "baby" was born, ten full pounds of paper.

I sent out queries, partials and one time, at the request of an agent, the whole ten pound novel. Months passed and I gathered one rejection letter after another. None of them had anything constructive to say about my novel. The general consensus was, "This can never happen." The story was set in 2020 and although I hate to admit it, many of the things I wrote about all those years ago have already happened. Well, I boxed up that novel and added it to my other writing residing in my closet. I got out a map and started looking for a better road.

About this time I got back two rejection letters that led me down another road. One said that if only I was a known author they'd consider my novel. Gee, I'd heard that one before. But it also meant that maybe my writing was okay. So how did I get known? Another rejection letter advised that I needed to write a short novel in order to get published and then I could get the long one published. So I started working on a short one, this time a historical romance set in Virginia City, Nevada. I was travelling an old wagon-rutted road this time.

My husband, daughter and I had just moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Talk about new roads! I figured I'd hit the jackpot there and finally get published. I just had to write the perfect romance novel and it would be a done deal. I joined RWA and the Cactus Rose Chapter of RWA, attended writing conferences, met an assortment of published and aspiring authors, belonged to a critique group, etc. I kept on writing and writing and writing. In Nevada all roads lead to Vegas, and that's where I was, Vegas, baby, Vegas.

In Vegas I met the aspiring romance author, Ruth Kerce, at an RWA Chapter Conference. We eventually started our own writing group, Desert Rogues, and critiqued/edited each other's writing. We all submitted query letters, partials, attended conferences, met with published authors and agents. We did it all the right way, the traditional route to publishing. Ruth found the right road and was published by Ellora's Cave and Changeling Press. Michele Bardsley, yeah, that Michele Bardsley of the urban vampire comedy fame, found her own road. I crashed into another road-block and gave up, but only for a while.

Move forward many, many years and many roads later. I'm back in Florida again and this road leads right to the beach. But it also happens to be on the road to Indie. August of last year I ePublished my contemporary romance novel, Outback Love. I followed that with a short story prequel, Jetting Away, which was written because a reader wanted to know more about Priscilla's back story. Moon Over Madness came next, a paranormal romantic comedy novella. I had the most fun writing that one. Most recently I ePubbed Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows, which is a collection of my short stories and poems, some of them written years ago and some new. The infamous "Harry's Garden" is one of those short stories. Hey, it took me a heck of a long time, but I reached the right road, the road to Indie.

For the record, Outback Love was written following a three week, 5000 mile road trip my husband and I took with his sister Barbara and her husband through Australia and the Outback. Somewhere between the Great Ocean Road and the Stuart Highway in the Outback I came up with beginnings of the romance I would eventually write. So even the roads through Australia lead to Indie.

Now a year down the Indie road, I'm still cruising along. I hit a bump now and then, but the road to Indie is a good one and I'm going to keep on going on.

In Memory of Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury is a name that brings a warm fuzzy feeling to my soul. It goes back to my childhood days when I first read  Dandelion Wine. New tennis shoes and summer were never the same after that.

I was saddened to hear that Ray Bradbury passed away yesterday. Certainly he has left behind an empty place where he once had been. Of course, living into your 90s is something that most of us only hope to obtain, so it can be said that Ray lead a good, long and productive life. I counted up his books, thirty-six in number, unless I've missed a few. What a treasure trove to leave behind to mark your place in the world, in the universe.

Ray Bradbury holds a special place in my heart. Back in my college days, in 1979, I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture by Ray Bradbury. I was mesmerized as I listened to him speak. His eyes sparkled as his voice wove words of magic through my soul. I laughed, smiled, sighed, dreamed, sat there enchanted by his words. I was truly in awe of the man and his books.

Afterwards a few of us wandered down to the podium to meet Ray Bradbury. He smiled and talked to each of us. When it came my turn, I reached out to shake his hand and tell him how I admired him for all his wonderful books. I explained to him that I was writing and that I dreamed of one day being an author. He held my hand in both of his and gazed deep into my eyes. Then he smiled and said, "You're going to be an author some day." Just like that I felt he'd bestowed the power of being an author onto me. It was a heady moment for sure. I was certain that he knew, really knew, that day would come to pass.

In all the years since my few moments with Ray Bradbury I've carried his words with me. He has been a guiding light and an inspiration for every word I've ever written. I could never claim to be anything in comparison to the great Ray Bradbury, only that he somehow knew I'd be an author sometime in the future.

Now that I have four ePubbed books to my name, I have to say that Ray Bradbury was able to see into the future and knew that I could fulfill my dream of being an author. How can I not hold him in the highest esteem? I shed tears for the passing of a wonderful, brilliant, enchanting, inspiring man, an author whose words will live way beyond his mortal years.

I went to the library today and checked the shelves for Ray Bradbury's books. I found six of his books, two of which were favorites of mine from those long ago days, and four I'd never read before. I brought home The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. I put in a request for Fahrenheit 451, surprised that in our whole county library system they only have one copy of that great book. How could that be? Don't people read Ray Bradbury today? The book has been requested from a library 20 miles away.

In the meantime, I may go to Barnes and Noble or Books-a-Million and buy some copies of his books instead. Of course, I can always order his books online or download them onto my Kindle, but it seems that in this case I really should make a trip to a bookstore.  I imagine I have a copy of Fahrenheit 451 tucked away in a box somewhere, but it could take me close to forever to find it.

I'm sure Ray Bradbury means many things to many of us readers/writers/authors. I'm hoping you'll add your thoughts and memories of Ray Bradbury and his books in your comments below.

Do We Hear Voices?

"We hear you!"

Do I hear voices? Well, that is a touchy subject. The answer depends on who is asking the question. If it is a medical doctor, of course not. If a fellow writer, why yes, I do hear voices. More often than not, in fact. Though I have to admit that oftentimes those voices are not saying the things I need to hear. You know what I mean, when those voices go off on another tangent and are working on a book of their own which has nothing to do with my current work in progress.

Now I am pretty sure the rest of you writers hear voices too. If not, oops, I didn't say that. But if you know what I'm talking about, then you certainly understand. It's those voices that we hear that help us write those novels that plague our nighttime dreams ( or nightmares) and our daydreams. When we sit down to write, those little critters, writer-elves, whatever, start yammering big time. Sometimes they're all in agreement and the words flow so fast your fingers can barely keep up on the keyboard. Other times, they argue incessantly. "No, you can't kill her. Not in chapter three." "What about chapter five?" "No, no, no, you can't kill her off at all."  "Maybe just maim her a bit?" "Sheesh, scrap this book and write something else, anything else." "Hush, we're working here." "Yeah right, you call this work?" Do you all have those kind of voices?

Sometimes, maybe it's just a fluke, but I wake up and the whole story is right there in all its glory. Those writer-elves (yes, mine are writer-elves) dictate and my fingers fly across the keyboard. Then I read it back and go, "Wow! Where did that come from?" It always amazes me when that happens.

Other times, lately for example, those voices are mute. Where do they go at times like this? I swear they're in there somewhere? Is there a door I can knock on so we can have a talk? Is there some secret password or code that I have to give them before I can enter? Did I offend one or all of them? I swear I've been nothing but kind to those little elves. Hey, maybe I need to dedicate my current work in progress to them? Would that get them talking again?

If I described all this to a doctor I might have those men with white coats knocking on my door. So I'm very very careful to say, "Nope, no voices at all." Of course, I don't have a doctor these days so I needn't worry about that aspect.

As a child those voices were a bit worrisome. I'd be sitting in class listening to the teacher drone on and on about something boring, like algebra or geometry, and the next thing I'd know, wham, I'd be tuned into their conversation. Often it had to do with pioneers, covered wagons, cowboys and Indians, adventure, pretty much any subject other than what the teacher was discussing. The next thing I'd know, said teacher would be standing over me, glaring down and saying, "Teri, what is x minus y x 3 squared?" Honest, I remember zilch about algebra and geometry, so I don't even know if that's a real question. Anyway, I sure I'm not the only writer with those kind of memories.

My dream back then was to be an author and illustrator of children's books. If I wasn't daydreaming and listening to those voices in my head, I was doodling. In grammar school I was known for my "Wanted Dead of Alive" drawings of classmates and teachers. I'd doodle an incredible likeness and make it a part of a wanted poster. My classmates loved them. Well, one day in 6th grade, my teacher caught on and was standing over me as I finished his wanted poster. This guy had a great profile, a big nose, big lips, big ears. As I finished with a flourish the teacher reached out and snatched up my drawing. Oh my gosh, you can imagine my horror. I was certain I'd be sent to the office, my parents called and my report card would once again say, "Daydreamer." Only this time, my teacher said something like, "No more doodling in class, Teri." He tried to look very stern, but as he turned away I saw that smile on his face. To this day I wonder if he still has that wanted poster. I'd like to think that he does.

Now see what I mean about my voices going off on tangents? This post was supposed to be about voices and writing and somehow art popped into the picture. You see, I have absolutely no control over those little writer-elves.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of you readers/writers/authors adding your comments to this post. Come on, I need you all to kick in and say something. Don't let me be the only one admitting to hearing voices.

The Art of Reviewing

Wildflowers, not perfect but beautiful.

There is an art to reviewing. Think of it this way. In my yard there are numerous wildflowers. They are not perfect compared to the lilies, roses and other hybrid flowers bought from the store. But in their imperfections they are beautiful in their own right. That is what reviewing is all about.

We can all pretty much agree on the literary greats, Tolstoy, Hardy, James, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck. The list can go on and on. As readers we can all put together our own list of authors who outshine all others, the authors we put up there on a pedestal.

Reviewing books written by contemporary authors is not the same as reviewing literary classics. How could we ever compare say, Lisa in Love  (not a real book) with The Grapes of Wrath? As reader reviewers we don't want to do that. Most of us would admit that if the literary greats are 5-Star books then our books are somewhere in the zero or below. I'm not saying that contemporary writers don't write great books. We do. It's just that our short stories, novellas, novels, have yet to season and stand the test of time.

Does that mean we shouldn't review books by contemporary authors? Of course not. Authors need reviews for their books. Good reviews help authors promote their books and help readers find great books to enjoy.

Here's the deal, this is where the art of reviewing comes into play. If you're a professional reviewer, I ask for your patience here, you already know your craft and I'm not trying to tell you how to review. This is for the rest of us, we readers who love books and want others to know what we love.

The book you're reviewing is not a literary classic, so don't compare it to those honored tomes. You're comparing the book to others in the genre. You're weighing the book to see if it is what it claims to be. Lisa in Love is a romance novel, a bit steamy, with love at first sight, some misunderstandings and a happy ending. After you read Lisa in Love did you love it? Did it give you a warm tingly feeling? Did it make you think about the characters or the situation after you read the final page? Did it make you want to read more books by that same author?

A lot of books don't fit into any one genre. Let's look at Alexander's Demise (not a real book). It has elements of mystery, romance, time travel with some thrills thrown in. Be open minded when you read and review that kind of book. Don't write a bad review because it didn't have enough romance to your liking. Or perhaps you dislike time travel. Remember, every book stands alone. Every book is an individual entity. Please review the book for what it is and not denigrate it for being something different than what you expected. Books are insights into the heart, mind and soul of the author who wrote that book. Enjoy the read, savor it, relish the journey.

I am always awed when I read a book, knowing the author spent countless hours, days, weeks, months, years of their precious time writing that book. I feel privileged, honored to be offered the opportunity to read that book. What if all authors decided to hide their books, keep them hidden in boxes in their closets or under their beds, because they're afraid someone out there won't like their books? It would be a sad world if that happened. So please remember that you're reading an author's treasured words. Those words may not be the exact same ones you would use if you were writing that book. Please don't tell the author, "I could have written it better." You didn't write the book, the author did. Just remember, a positive, kind review means the world to an author.

This is what I'm talking about. Here are my suggestions for learning the art of reviewing.

1) This is not a time to spew hate. If you personally hate science fiction, romance, thrillers, paranormals, time-travels, historicals, this is not the time to attack a book for belonging to your hated category. Walk away and mutter that hatred to yourself. Don't put it into a review.

2) Did you like or love this book? Did it make you feel good? A review is the time to say just that. It doesn't have to be a long review, two or three sentences will do.

3) Would you recommend this book to others? Be sure to say just that. Other readers are going to see your review. They're looking for books that others liked, enjoyed, loved. It's as simple as that.

4) Were there some formatting errors, typos, misspellings, etc. in the book? Yes? Well, of course. Writers are  human and not perfect, so how can anyone expect their books to be perfect? Do you point all this out in your review? Hopefully not. Email the author and let him/her know your concerns. Don't denigrate a good book just because of a few errors. If the errors are overwhelming, maybe you should just walk away and not review the book. Email the author and let him/her know why you couldn't review the book.

5) In reviews, it's all about the stars. If you liked, enjoyed, loved a book and would recommend it to others, then you should give the book 4 or 5 stars. If the book caught your interest, but maybe was so-so, then that's probably a 3 star book. Personally, if I can't give a book 4 or 5 stars then I don't review it. Bad reviews hurt authors and I don't feel that it's my responsibility to do that to another author.

6) Be kind. This is so important. Authors are fragile beings who put their whole heart and soul into their books and then put them out there for others to read. So weigh your words and strive to be kind.

7) Remember that what you write in a review reflects upon you, the reviewer. If you spew hate, then it shows you as a person who hates. If you show kindness, others see that you are kind.

8) Write reviews. Authors need those reviews on their books. The reviews can be simple, only two or three sentences, or longer if you feel the desire to write more. Readers want to see  reviews. So let readers know why you liked/enjoyed/loved the book.

9) Where do you write those reviews? Since Amazon and Barnes&Noble tend to carry the market these days, be sure to write your reviews there. If you're on Goodreads, Facebook or other social media, write your reviews there too. If you have a blog, that's a wonderful place for your reviews. Though if you do write reviews on your blog, please remember to at least write a shortened review on Amazon and Barnes&Noble so that more readers can see that review.

10) Encourage the author to write more. If you liked/enjoyed/loved the book, then encourage the author to continue writing. It's so easy for authors to get down in the dumps. But if they know that readers love their books it boosts them up. A kind, positive review is inspiration for an author's soul.

11) Share the love. Tell the world about the books you loved. Tweet about it. Tell your family and friends.

Once again, thank you to all who read this post. I'm an author who is an avid reader. I love books, short and long, old and new, romantic and thrilling, contemporary and historical, funny and sad, mysterious and inspiring. I love them all. I hold all books in awe, in reverence for the written word. I hope other readers feel the same.

If I have one wish in writing this blog it's this, please share the love. That's all I ask.

I hope others will weigh in on this discussion and comment below. What are your tips for writing a good review? What do you hope to convey to readers? If you have blog posts about writing reviews, please include the links in your comments below. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Celebrate Indies - Part 2

Teri Heyer, Indie Author

I keep saying we need to celebrate Indie Authors. Hey, since I am one of those Indie Authors, I need to celebrate me. Makes sense, right?

Well, here is a photo taken of me earlier this month. This is where and how I write, in a recliner with my feet up, my laptop on my lap and surrounded by books. This is in the living room. My house is tiny, so I don't have an office. The flat screened TV is in the far corner. I might be watching football, an old movie, the Top 20 Country or the news. If the TV is off I'm listening to country music. I like background noise while I write. If I was sitting in a quiet office I probably wouldn't be able to write a thing.

Most of the time my two dogs, Shani and Dude, are asleep at either side of my chair. They need their beauty sleep and don't want to be disturbed unless it's time to eat, go for a walk, or to sit outside on the patio.

I look out through two double windows that are almost floor to ceiling and that face the front yard. My view is of two old giant Naval Oaks, some native palms, colorful azaleas and lots of potted flowering plants. My neighbors have yards full of flowers and trees, including flowering magnolias, so it's a beautiful view.

The windows are open and a nice spring breeze is blowing through the house. An assortment of birds are singing out there. From time to time a squirrel sits in a flower pot and looks through the windows. I guess he or she is checking to make sure I'm still on the computer.

This is where I get my inspiration, right here in this comfy chair. Though I have to admit that some of my inspiration comes from dreams, those little elves in my head creating stories while I sleep.

I live close to the beach, only a couple miles away. So any time I feel like it I can go walk on that sugar-white sand and wade in the turquoise waters of the gulf.

Right now I'm sipping a tall Tequila Sunrise, though usually I'm drinking coffee while I write. Snack foods are a plus, crackers and cheese, celery with cream cheese or something chocolate. Yes, I love chocolate. I'm sure that chocolate keeps the inspiration going.

So yes, I'm an Indie Author and today I'm celebrating me. We Indie Authors are awesome! So please take the time to try out some of our books. We all have some great stories to tell.

What Would We Do Without Indies?

I keep asking myself, "What would we do without Indies?" I mean, really, think about it. There are like a zillion indie books out there right now, mine included. Many of them are really great reads (mine included?).

I wonder how many people are born with the "writer gene." Yeah, there has to be some genetic connection to being a writer. We're wired for story telling. Something, from the moment we are born, is telling us that we have to tell stories, have to embellish the life around us. We write this cool stuff and try to convince others to read it.

Well, I'm digressing here. I wanted to write about Indies, those mysterious writers who lately popped out of nowhere in record numbers. Actually, we've been here all along, writing our little fingers to the bone. We've been making up stories from the crib. Yeah, that's not my poop in the diaper. The dog did it. Our stories started in the crib and have progressed from there.

There's a lot of controversy over Indies. Are we good enough to be published? Do we have something worthwhile to say? Well, of course we do. We've been writing this stuff down since day one. No one has paid us to write these stories. We just started writing and can't stop no matter how often the world tries to beat us down. Monetary reward has never been our thing. We just write because we have to write.

So most of us Indies have bunches of short stories, poems, novellas and novels stored on our computers, in boxes in our closets or under our beds, in stacks by the bedside, in storage in the garage. It's been said that everyone has a story to tell. Well, a number of us keep writing this stuff down, day after day, month after month, year after year.

Most of us Indies actually tried to get published through the years, but to no avail. I have bunches of rejection letters, most from my earliest years of writing. I started out with a published poem in my late teens. I was sure that would eventually lead to published short stories and novels. It didn't happen, but I kept on writing.

I remember one of my early rejections for a short story. It went something like this, "I love your short story, but short stories are no longer popular. If you'd written this before, then it would have been published." Huh? Before what? I've always wondered.

My first contemporary romance novel garnered similar responses. An agent said, "If I'd only worked with you from the beginning." The beginning of what? The beginning of the novel? The beginning of time? What beginning?

Somewhere along the way I got brave enough to let one of my college professors read a suspense thriller I was working on. I really trusted this professor. He'd read a couple of my short stories and liked them. So I figured, what the heck, let him read the first five chapters of my novel. Bad mistake. This professor slammed my novel, actually said it was the worst thing he'd ever read. Was I really that bad? Needless to say, I was devastated.

Well, I went home and gathered up everything I'd written up to that date, with the exception of a few poems. The short stories, my novel, writing notes, everything, went into a big pile. Do you know what I did with that stuff? I burned it all. Yep, every bit of it. If I was that terrible of a writer, then it all had to be destroyed.

Two weeks later my professor approached me and apologized. He said he'd been thinking about my novel for the last couple weeks and he realized that it really was good. He explained that he didn't normally read suspense thrillers, so he had a negative reaction to my novel. Only when he thought about it, he realized that I really could write, that I had a way with dialogue, etc., etc. He said I really needed to finish my novel.

Did I tell my professor that I'd burned the novel and all the rest of my writing? No! Did I try to rewrite what I'd destroyed? No! I considered it a lesson learned. Then I started on a new novel (one that is still sitting in a box somewhere). I've accepted the fact that everyone has an opinion. Some love what you write and some will hate every word.

Now fast forward by many years. Am I still writing? Yes. Did I ever burn any more of my work? No! I keep everything, all my notes, all my ideas, all my partials. I keep writing because I have to write. Oh, there have been years in between when I put aside my writing and turned to other things, like working a day job dreaming that someday I'd go back to writing.

So here's where I get back to the Indie thing again. Ask any Indie author and they'll tell you about their long road to ePubbing their books. They all wrote and wrote and got rejected and kept on writing. How can we not write? We have all these stories to tell, stories we hope others will read.

The ePub industry has been our release. After years of hard work and dreams our stories are out there. Many of these Indie books are incredible reads. If it wasn't for the ePub industry these books would still be hiding out in boxes or still taking shape in our heads.

Think of these indie books as little gems, little nuggets of gold. Read them, savor them. They may not be perfect, but they're glimpses into worlds that never would have existed if it wasn't for the ePub industry. Do we really want Indies to go away?

Happy New Year!

The New Year 2012 snuck up on me. How did it get here so fast? I swear that Thanksgiving was only a couple days ago and Christmas was just yesterday. Did I get lost in time somewhere? Did I spend too much time on the computer?

Well, 2011 was a very good year for me. I fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an author by ePubbing four books between August and November: "Outback Love," "Jetting Away," "Moon Over Madness" and "Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows." I guess that is why the year zipped by so fast.

"Jetting Away" went free on Amazon October 27th and from that date on I've been on a roller coaster ride. To date, over 20,000 people have downloaded a copy of "Jetting Away." For weeks it was on the Best Sellers Top 100 Free ebook list on Amazon and then for weeks more on the Best Sellers Contemporary Fiction Top 100 Free ebook list. What an exciting ride for a new indie author. I can't thank you all enough for getting "Jetting Away."

In addition to the excitement on "Jetting Away," "Outback Love," my contemporary romance novel, was on the Best Sellers Contemporary Romance Top 100 Paid ebook list for a number of days. Needless to say, I was on Cloud-9 for all of those days.

In the midst of that roller coaster ride, I ePubbed a collection of eight short stories and eight poems, "Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows." The date, 11/11/11, just seemed like a perfect day to bring out a new book. Unfortunately, "Bayou Blues..." is off to a slow start. However, it's now available as a free ebook to members of Amazon Prime. This is a book I've worked on for a very long time and am so pleased to finally have it out there. Writing poetry and short stories was my first love before writing novels.

November and December have been months of mostly dreaming and some writing. I've been working on several different ideas for some new novels. I managed to write partials on some of them and have hopes of finishing and ePubbing them in 2012. For now, I'll just say that I think you'll enjoy the novels I've been dreaming about and writing. If all goes well, I should have a new contemporary romance novel out before spring.

Many thanks to everyone who bought my books from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords, Apple, Sony, Diesel and Kobo. Many thanks too to those on Twitter who re-Tweeted my many Tweets, mentioned me on Twitter, and/or chose to Follow me on Twitter. Thanks too for the very nice reviews I've received on my books on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

In the meantime, best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year for all.

Procrastinating

I'm probably better at procrastinating than anything else. I have no problem finding one thing or another to distract me from what I should actually be doing. Though I like to think I'm not alone in this trait. I must be related to Scarlet O'Hara, because I'd rather think about or do something tomorrow rather than today.

Well, this isn't a good trait for a writer. So I'm having to write against the grain, make myself do now what I'd much rather do later. Oh, I have lots of story ideas bouncing around in my head and as many more partials in boxes in my closet. Those are all stories/novels I'll finish later, much later.

Anyway, it was a milestone for me to ePub my books "Outback Love" and "Jetting Away," because I would have rather finished them later. But I did something uncharacteristic for me and wrote both of them in record time. I write fast, when I make myself  sit in the chair and write. It also helped to have a fair amount of nagging from my husband, mom and best friends. But now I'm in the groove so to speak. I've made a bargain with myself. I give myself time to procrastinate and then I sit down and write, usually around 2,000 words a day.

So let's see, there's that box of partials in my closet. I will get to them, one by one, eventually. But in the meantime, these new stories keep popping up in my head and insist that I write them first. I guess it's pretty much a case of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." The stories that clamor the loudest in my head get written first. The others have to wait their turn, because I'm busy procrastinating.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm procrastinating right now. I should be finishing my novella, "Moon Over Madness," which will be released as an ebook in early October. Instead, I'm writing this blog post about procrastinating.

"Outback Love" - The Story Behind the Story - Part 1

It was very exciting this morning to see that my debut ebook, "Outback Love," is now available at BarnesandNoble.com. This is one more milestone for a new indie author. "Outback Love" should soon be available online at Kobo, Sony, Apple and Diesel. Now all I need is some more readers.

For those who don't already know, "Outback Love" was inspired by a three week, 5000 mile road-trip, my husband Ben and I took through the Australian Outback a few years ago. It was a grand adventure that we began in the end of June, which was the beginning of winter in Australia.

We arrived in Melbourne, New South Wales, Australia in the middle of the night following a 13 1/2 hour flight from Los Angeles, California. We were tired, exhausted, ready to get some sleep, because I'm never able to sleep on a plane. Unfortunately, our new luggage was damaged in flight due to a hydraulic fuel leak on the plane. So here we were in the middle of the night with an oily mess of luggage. When we unzipped the luggage, much to our horror, at least half of our clothes were covered in that same oily mess.

It took close to an hour to convince the airline that they were responsible for the damage. Finally they handed us a bunch of red, white and blue striped, zippered bags and told us to put whatever we wanted to keep in those bags. Then they took our two duffel-style roller suitcases and gave us a receipt. We were told to come back at 9:00 the next morning to receive a check for $200 in damages.

I then called the hotel I had booked to ask for the free transportation that was part of our hotel stay. Only the desk clerk who answered said they didn't do airport pick-ups after midnight. Huh? No one mentioned that when the hotel was booked. Well, the next step was to get a cab. Only it turned out the cabbies wouldn't accept American dollars and the money exchange booth at the airport was long since closed for the night.

At this point I was about ready to sit down and cry. I had done all the bookings for this trip and it was all starting out bad. Then a Good Samaritan stepped forward in the form of a friendly, middle-aged, Australian business man. This kind man said he'd listened to our whole ordeal over the luggage, no transportation from the hotel to pick us up and now no Australian money to get a cab. He handed me a twenty in Australian dollars and assured me that would be enough for the cab ride to the hotel. I tried to offer him American dollars in exchange and he declined. He said that sometime down the line I was to help out another stranded tourist in return. Definitely a "pay it forward" kind of agreement.

Totally exhausted, we finally made it to the hotel. By this time we were well into the wee hours of the morning. After a quick shower we fell asleep in very hard twin beds. No, I hadn't requested twin beds, but the desk clerk said all the doubles were already taken. I managed to fall asleep in spite of the hard mattress.

My husband's older sister, Barb, and her husband, Dick, were traveling with us. They'd managed to sleep on the plane so hadn't been as tired. Their luggage and clothes were not damaged by hydraulic fluid. Though their hotel room also had hard twin beds.

In the morning I was counting our blessings. Only half of our clothes were oily. So the oily clothes were in separate striped bags from the good clothes. We'd traveled pretty light, so we didn't have much of a wearable wardrobe. We got some weak coffee for breakfast, but that was better than nothing, but no food was available. I swear that when I booked with that hotel they'd advertised a free continental breakfast.

To make a long story short, we exchanged some money at the front desk so we could all take a cab to the airport. Then, after a little haggling, we finally got our check for $200 U.S. Then another cab ride to the rental place where we were supposed to pick up our rental conversion van to start our trip through Australia. My husband, who was going to do all the driving, noticed immediately that the van's four tires plus the spare were all bald. We weren't about to venture into the Outback in a vehicle with bald tires. So after more haggling the rental people agreed to put new tires on the van. Only we had to wait in their lobby for several hours while that was done.

It was mid afternoon before we were ready to start out. I was very apprehensive by that time. I'd planned our trip day by day, having figured out how many miles we could travel each day and had booked all the hotels in advance. We had our doubts about making it to that night's destination. Because of the long delay waiting for the tires we didn't get to visit the sights I'd planned for us to see in Melbourne. We had to head out immediately and didn't even have time to search for a market where we could stock up with some food and other supplies.

I think at this point Ben, Barb and Dick were not that happy with me. With the trip starting out this way, what would happen next? I had my fingers crossed and I was praying that the rest of the trip would go smoothly.

Please continue to check back to read the rest of "The Story Behind the Story" of "Outback Love."

Indie Authors

I've started wondering if indie authors are supporting other indie authors. I can't help but feel that's important in this ePub industry. After all, if we don't support each other, like buying each other's books, then who will? I, for one, buy a lot of indie books. Finding a new author is exciting. So I search for the indie authors and download one ebook after another onto my Kindle. What a wonderful surprise as I read each book. And the coolest thing, I keep going back for more. Am I addicted to indies? Maybe so.

So what I'm asking is, am I the only one? Or are we actively buying each other's books? This is important. We're in this together and, it seems, we need to stick together. This is a "Paying it Forward" kind of thing. I buy your books and someone else buys mine and so on to keep the ball rolling.

Remember, as indie authors we're starting out at a grave disadvantage. No one knows who we are. That's a scary proposition to readers who want to know what to expect. We're an unknown quantity. But, trust me on this, we indie authors have some great stories to tell.

So set aside some money each month, whatever feels right, and spend that amount on indie ebooks. Try out new authors, new story ideas. Take a chance. I've been doing this for a long time and have come across some great books by some wonderful authors. In fact, I did this long before I became an indie author myself.

Think of it this way. What if you threw a party and nobody came? That's how it is for us indie authors. We're having a party and right now we're waiting to see if anyone walks through that door.

Well, enough said. I just had to get this out there. Sorry to anyone who might be offended by this. It doesn't mean we're abandoning our favorite authors in order to buy unknowns. No, we'll keep reading our favorites and at the same time discover some new favorites.

It's like when my grandson was asking me about my giant 100 pound puppy, Dude. I assured him that Dude was really sweet. "But Nana," he said. "Are you sure about those teeth?"

Well, I can't guarantee that every indie book you buy will be the best of the best. But chances are, you'll discover some really great reads.

A special thanks to all readers who take a chance on us indie authors.

"Moon Over Madness"

This is the season for witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and ghouls. So it's the perfect time to be writing my latest book, "Moon Over Madness." Imagine a half-witch meeting up with a vampire. Add a couple precocious kids, a hundred pound puppy, some meddling neighbors who happen to be witches, a grandmother who wants to be part of the action, a couple dragon hunters, an angry female dragon, some really bad guys and you get the picture. This is a really fun novella to write and should be as much fun to read. So I'm working really hard to get "Moon Over Madness" finished in time for an early October release.

What to Write?

What to write? This is a big question for all writers. Of course, we write what we personally enjoy. That's a given. But often that isn't what others want to read.

I've been studying the book market. Paranormals are big, I mean really big. Vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts and others I still know nothing about are more popular than a sweet romantic comedy or a historical romance.

How many times have I heard the words, "Write what you know." Duh! Then my writing, and the writing of so many other authors, would be sooooo boring. Personal experience is limited, so the corresponding fiction would also be limited.

Write what you love? I love dogs, horses, travel, family, friends, laughter. That sounds like romantic comedy to me. Do I write that? I guess I do. My contemporary romance novel, "Outback Love," and my short story prequel, "Jetting Away," can be considered romantic comedy. So do I keep writing in that genre?

I love romantic/mystery/suspense. In fact, I read a lot of books in that genre. So is that what I should be writing? I guess that's why I'm working on "Murder on Sunday Beach" at this time. I find it difficult to write about blood and gore, so mine is more of a cozy mystery. Will others want to read it? I certainly hope so. Abby Love has so much promise. She's trying to get by in the world. Trying too to hold her sometimes loving, sometimes crazy, often dysfunctional family together. Can she keep her sister, Chelsea, out of jail? Chelsea has been a challenge since day one, when she entered this world, and Abby feels totally responsible for her actions. It doesn't help that Deputy Chase Bodine keeps getting in the way. Of course, Abby doesn't mind looking at Chase, he's a sight to behold. No, Abby doesn't mind looking at Chase, but she sure as heck doesn't want to be confronted and dogged by him. Chase has an attitude and an agenda, both of which conflict with Abby's struggles to hold her small world together. Well, it goes without saying that I will finish writing "Murder on Sunday Beach," the first in my Abby Love Mystery Series.

Now comes another question. Will I write something that would be daring and edgy for me to write? Something so not me? Yep, I'm doing just that. Chantel in "Moon Over Madness" has come charging onto the scene. Chantel is struggling to deny her genetic inheritance. After all, she's only half a witch, from her mother's side, and half what else? Normal? Not exactly! But her college professor father certainly doesn't fit into the witches and warlocks category. So who or what is he? Chantel never wanted to know about that side of her genetics until now, when it matters. The answers are threatening the welfare of those she holds closest to her heart. Then there's the problem of her neighborhood going downhill, big time. What with the new crowd who's moved in, witches next door and vampires down the street. Yep, the neighborhood is going downhill.

As for the question, what to write? I guess I'll write everything I can think of. And the characters who pester me the most will get their book(s) out there first.

ePub of "Jetting Away"

Yea!!! The ePub of "Jetting Away" happened yesterday. It's a short story prequel to my contemporary romance novel, "Outback Love," but it can be read as a stand-alone. "Jetting Away" is available as an ebook at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.

It's so exciting to now have two books out there. Once again, I'm on a "high" and can't wait to finish writing the next one, "Murder on Sunday Beach." Guess I'd better get busy in order to meet my self-imposed September deadline.

My dogs, Shani and Dude, think I'm spending way too much time writing my books. However, all I had to do is remind them I'm earning money to buy them dog treats. Hey, that's all it took. Now they're taking a mid-day nap and snoring away.

To Family and Friends

To my family and friends, if you happen to discover your likeness in one of my books, please forgive me. Your character strong-armed me and insisted on being a part of the story. Believe me, I have no control over this. And remember, only you and I know who you are.

In the meantime, the latest one to push his way into a story is my ten month old, 100 plus pound, liver-red puppy, Dude. Part retriever, part setter, part hound and 100% love. He's a big, goofy pup who loves everyone he meets. Just be careful, because he's been known to knock people down in his exuberance. So far, two and counting. Dude doesn't bite, but as my grandson asked, "Nana, what about those teeth?"

Dude rarely barks, but he is a talker, with a "Roo-roo" here and an "Ah-roooo" there. Well, Dude wriggled his way into my latest book, "Murder on Sunday Beach." In the doggie character by the name of "Roo," he takes center stage from the moment the story opens.

"Murder on Sunday Beach" is a mystery/romance set in the quaint beach community of Sunday Beach off Scenic Highway 30A. Sunday Beach is my creation, but 30A is a very real, beautiful part of the Florida Panhandle.

Now as I was saying, some of you may have cameo appearances in my books, while others, like Dude, may hold center stage. Enjoy reading about your alter egos and please forgive me for any parts you don't like. Remember, these stories are fiction and I have a very vivid imagination.

"Jetting Away"

I'm just finishing up writing a short story prequel to "Outback Love." This is the story of what happened in San Francisco that made Priscilla Alexander want to escape to the Australian Outback.

Things were not going well for Priscilla at work. The morning's big meeting was disastrous. At first, Priscilla locked herself up in her high-rise office. Then a co-worker, Darcy, convinced her that she needed to get out of the office for a few hours. Maybe head to the salon to have her hair and nails done?

Priscilla escapes from the office and heads to the salon, stopping en route to buy a couple of yummy donuts from San Fran Donuts. Then she stops at a magazine kiosk and buys a copy of "Travel Adventures Magazine." That's how the escape idea comes about.

A couple weeks later, Priscilla is jetting away to Australia and an unforgettable adventure into the Outback. She's already dreamed about meeting a to-die-for hunk in the Outback. But she isn't looking for any guy, hunk or non-hunk. She doesn't need a Mr. Right. She doesn't need anyone. Priscilla wants to make this escape all on her own. Or does she?

"Jetting Away" should be available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com in the next few days. It will be offered as a "freebie" eBook download. So don't hesitate to get your free copy of "Jetting Away." You'll want to escape to Australia right along with Priscilla.

"Outback Love"

I'm really excited about the ePub of my debut novel, Outback Love, a contemporary romance set in the Australian Outback, which is now available as an ebook on Amazon.com. It's currently listed for .99 cents, which is a bargain in this economy. Please buy my book today and help out a "starving writer." That said ... I had a fun time writing Outback Love and hope that you will have just as much fun reading my story.

Priscilla Alexander, a city girl from San Francisco, is taking an extended vacation, alone, through the Australian Outback. She is not looking for Mr. Right, not in Australia and not in the Outback. But Ian MacAlister, an Aussie hunk wearing a bush hat adorned with crocodile teeth, comes to her aid. Will Priscilla decide that Ian is her Mr. Right after all? Will Ian decide he wants to fill that forever role in Priscilla's life? Please read this story of Priscilla and Ian's romp through Australia and the Outback as they struggle with their momentous decision to stay together or walk/run away.

The inspiration for Outback Love was a 3 week, 5,000 mile journey through the Australian Outback which I took with my husband, Ben, a few years back. It was a grand adventure and many of the locales we visited are written into the book. We traveled the Outback in a conversion van and actually stayed at all the hotels and motels I wrote about. We came back home with bunches of photos, a very long home-movie and lots of memories and dreams. Would we venture back to Australia and the Outback? Yes, in a minute, only we'd take more time to visit all those places we missed in the first trip.

As far as writing goes, I've been writing since my grammar school days. I had a vivid imagination even then and wrote about cowboys and Indians, traveling the Oregon Trail, dogs, horses and adventures.

I'm so excited that, with today's technology, books can now be published as ebooks. So Outback Love is my debut novel on Amazon.com. It's now available as a download to your Kindle, PC, iPhone, Blackberry, Nook or any other eReader.  If you don't own a Kindle, then just download the free Kindle Reader App from Amazon.com. It's a wonderful way to enjoy reading.

Outback Love should be available on Smashwords.com within the next few days or so. I'll be sure to announce it here on my Blog when that happens.

I'm currently working on my next novel, Murder on Sunday Beach, which is a mystery/romance set on the Florida Panhandle amidst the white sugar-sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This is the first book in the Abby Love Mystery Series, which should be available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com in the next few weeks.

My husband, Ben Heyer, and I also wrote a Futuristic/Thriller, Firefall, which will be offered on the same venues as Outback Love. The trilogy, which should be available in the fall, is Firefall: The Rising (Book 1), Firefall: The Journey (Book 2) and Firefall: The Dawn (Book 3). I'm working on the final edits now.

In future posts I'll be adding some of the photos I took in Australia, in addition to photos of our beautiful Gulf Coast beaches.

Please check back to hear the latest news on my writing, future ePubs, and adventures.

You can read more on my Facebook page and my Amazon Author's Page.