I have been working on my book for FOUR YEARS. Four years. God, I hate to say it.
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving
Thanks for reading ♡
Read MoreAuthentic Gypsy Dray Cart For Sale
...containers full of stuff from all over the world - look what they have - an authentic antique gypsy cart. Pretty cool, huh? I couldn't believe it
Read MoreJane Says
I don't think I have ever seen a concert where the lead singer was enjoying himself so immensely
Read MoreMeet the Writer - Rhonda McCormack
an interview on the craft of writing and the changing landscape of publishing with debut YA author Rhonda McCormack
Read MoreMake Good Art
Please watch Neil Himself, and Make Good Art. I hope this inspires you as much as it did me.http://vimeo.com/42372767?utm_source=Ypulse+Updates&utm_campaign=ba9e633306-YDU5_25_2012&utm_medium=email
Gypsy Stallion Showcase (and) Why Am I Selling My Horse?
When I make my millions, I'll need to invest in some top quality bloodstock. Let's go stallion shopping!
Read MoreCool Gypsy Vanner Video
Here is a really cool video I found on YouTube of Gypsy Vanner horses doing what they do best - driving!
Read MoreOnline Art Gallery
A selection of original artwork by some fellow Arizonans
Read MoreMeet the Writer - Anna Questerly
An author interview on the craft of writing.Featured Writer: Anna QuesterlyBooks: The Minstrel's Tale I, II, and IIIYoung adult historical fictionBuy Anna's books:
Intro, from Heidi:I first met Anna at her bookstore, Dog Eared Pages Used Books in Phoenix. It is right next to the kitchen for the caterers where I work, and of course when I see a bookstore I have to go in and check it out. Let me just tell you, if you are ever in the north Phoenix area, and are in need of something to read, you HAVE to go into this store.Dog Eared Pages has that magical quality of looking very small on the outside, but when you walk in - look out! You could seriously get lost in here. And if you do, that's OK, because you will have PLENTY to read while you wait for the search parties. The atmosphere is complete with shelves and stacks of books that twist and turn and reach up to the ceiling. There are weekly discussion groups and writer events as well.When we got to talking and Anna told me about her first book, The Minstrel's Tale, I picked up a copy. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, and Anna's book does not disappoint. Her characters take you on quite an adventure, weaving the tale of a contemporary American teen with fairy tales, folklore, and little-known facts of 14th-century British monarchy.
On craft:
How old were you when you started writing? I attempted to write since I was about twelve years old. However, I was forty-six by the time I actually finished a story.Where do you write? I have a huge dining room table that I’ve taken over as a writing desk. It’s completely covered with manuscripts in different stages of editing, timelines, character sketches, maps, research material.When do you write? I get up early and write for a couple hours in the morning. Then I get two days off a week to work on my writing. Most of my editing and rewrites get done on those days.What helps you write—music, pictures, maps, journals, etc.—what gets you into that mindset?My magic book. My journal, is how I tap into the creativity, resolve plot issues, and develop characters. I write in it every day, yet I never reread it.What are some things that stand in your way? logistically as well as creatively?What do you do when you "hit a wall?" On days I just don’t want to write or can’t figure out where to go, I promise myself that if I just write 250 words, I’ll call it a day. I think taking the pressure off helps, because on those days I almost always manage to get over 1000 words done and have a good idea where I’m going from there.Do you use an outline—do you know exactly how the arc will play out—or do you just let the story develop as you write? If so, how do you outline? (notecards, etc.) I do a bit of both. Like a roadtrip, I want to know where I’m eventually going, but I like to leave the way open for fun adventures and fortuitous discoveries. I always know my endings before I begin, but leave the path open to get there. It’s more fun that way, since I want to know what’s going to happen next.How do you draft/revise? (i.e. do you just get it out in one big "dump," then revise, revise revise, or do you revise and edit as you go)I write my draft first and then revise-- forever it seemsWhat are some tools that you use? (reference guides, manuals, websites—a favorite pen/notebook/computer)I write historical fiction, so I use a lot of reference books, maps, andbiographies.Do you use critique groups?How did you find them? Yes, my critique partners have improved my writing immeasurably. I found them through writer’s groups at my bookstore, Dog-Eared Pages in Phoenix.
On your current project:
What kind of research did you do for this book? And, were you surprised by something that you learned in your research?I was surprised how much 14th century politics resembles our current political/economical problems. For example; the Peasants Revolt in Britain was similar(although bloodier) to the Occupy Wall Street movement.How good did it feel to write that last line? Bittersweet. I am so happy to have finished, but I’m going to miss those characters.
On the business of publishing:
How did you find your agent/editor? Great question; I actually had to make my own editor. My daughter edits for a living and has been so helpful with my books. I trust her more than anyone else I can think of and probably wouldn’t have dared publish without her help.How has self-publishing shaped your career as a writer? OR What is your opinion of self-publishing? I love the ease of self-publishing. The more I learned of traditional publishing and the problems authors have with their rights, royalties, and marketing, the more certain I am self-publishing was for me. It’s more important than ever to have good editing when you go it alone.What can you share with our readers about marketing? (i.e. what, if any, support did you have from your publisher? Costs involved? Things that worked best/weren't worth it, etc.) The Kindle program that allows me to be paid for books borrowed has been great. I’d recommend it to any author.
About You:
What is a trick that you've learned along the way that has made the writing process easier? I can’t remember where I read it, but it’s one of my favorite lines. If you get a button chair (butt-in-chair), you can write.What writers inspire you? Tolkien, Twain, Dr. Seuss, Steven King, JK Rowling and so many moreWhat do you like to read for enjoyment?Historical fiction, fantasy, horror, sci-fi (pure escapism)We all know that learning from our mistakes is part of the process of becoming who we are. As a writer, what's one lesson you've learned that you would like to pass on to others? How to handle a critique. This was a huge lesson for me. One of my readers pointed out that I had a character in the story I hadn’t introduced. I argued and showed her where I had introduced him in the previous chapter. I was ready to discount her suggestion, thinking she hadn’t read it correctly. While I was discussing it with another writer, he said to me, “Maybe you didn’t make the character memorable enough.” This was a big wake up call. If something isn’t clear to the reader, you can’t blame the reader. As the author it’s my job to make things clear to my readers.What's next for you? Another series. This one will be present day. If Nancy Drew and Indiana Jones had a daughter wouldn’t that be a blast? That’s my main character for the new series.While reading Kris Tualla's book, Becoming and Authorpreneur; Navigating a 21st-Century Career in Publishing, I was pleasantly surprised to see her refer to you in her chapter on the importance of "branding." It must be an honor to be referred to by other authors!It is a wonderful feeling to be referred to by other authors. It’s always an honor to be recognized by one’s peers and Kris Tualla is an amazing author so it was special.Here are the books: The Minstrel’s TaleAmos Questerly, a wandering minstrel in fourteenth century Europe, takes on a mysterious young apprentice. But his new protégé, Richard, carries a deadly secret. A secret someone is willing to kill for.To reach safety they must earn their way to England by telling exciting stories of magical swords, princesses and dragons, while danger follows on their heels.By the time Amos learns Richard’s secret, it’s clear even England may not be safe. The two, trapped in an adventure as thrilling as any of the Minstrel’s tales, must follow a perilous path that leads straight to the royal palace. The Minstrel's Tale IIThe Minstrel’s Tale continues…A boy with the power of a king.A wandering minstrel bound by an oath.A secret that unites them.When Minstrel Amos Questerly’s ten-year-old apprentice, Richard, ascends the throne of England, Amos soon finds himself entangled in royal affairs.Determined to return to his wandering ways, the minstrel instead finds himself drawn further into the king’s inner circle where powerful enemies conspire and scheme for control.The country at war, the treasury low, and the young king’s first decision triggers the roiling anger of England’s peasantry to erupt, and plunges London into a revolt that shakes the foundations of a nation.The Minstrel's Tale IIIThe Questerly saga continues...King Richard II, once a friend -- now a powerful enemy, refuses to release Minstrel Amos Questerly from the impregnable Tower of London.A daring plan to rescue Amos leads to more exciting adventures and incredible dangers in this thrilling conclusion to the Minstrel's Tale.
Anna can be found online:
Thanks for taking us on 3 amazing adventures, Anna!
A Thousand Words
Desert Rain - a picture post
We have FINALLY gotten some much needed rain down here in the desert. It is making for some very humid don't-even-bother-straightening-your-hair days, but things have cooled off ever so slightly and the dust has been kept to a minimum.There is a certain smell that springs from newly damp desert ground, but I suppose it smells just as good as any other place when long overdue rains arrive. I actually put it into the first chapter of my book. Here's a peek:
The western sky was the kind of blue that comes after a cleansing summer rain, and the breeze still smelled of damp sage and pine. Leather reins lay slack in her fingers, resting on the saddlehorn in front of her. Closing her eyes, Ruby breathed in the beautiful day.
You'll have to wait to read more, but I'll try to pop in a few tidbits here and there. Until then, enjoy some recent photos of the girls (click images to enlarge):
For some more AMAZING Arizona photography, check out this local photographer's page.Thanks for reading,Heidi
Meet the Writer - Virginia Nosky
An author interview on the craft of writing.
Featured Writer: Virginia Nosky
Books: The Fall from Paradise Valley; Blue Turquoise, White Shell; Ring of Fire; Pima Road; Kachina
Coming Soon: To a Certain Degree; White River
Buy Virginia's books:
Intro, from Heidi:
Virginia is an award-winning author, and one of my earliest cheerleaders from my beginning days at the library critique group. I have to say, she intimidated me at first, being one of those no-nonsense types who would put a huge "X" over an unnecessary paragraph, scratch corrections over my manuscripts, and has a take-no-prisoners attitude when it comes to punctuation and grammatical errors.I learned a great deal from Virginia. She gives amazing feedback, and I knew I was getting better at this writing thing when I started to see that she drew a star in areas of my work. That was a sign that she liked what I wrote. And if I got a star on the front page—whoa! Look out! A star from Virginia is like a nod of approval from the Queen.If any of you are interested in writing romance, take a cue from Virginia. This lady may look polite and proper, but, man can she steam up some pages! And she writes a hundred times better than E.L.James, so if 50 Shades of Grey left you wanting more, pick up a copy of one of Virginia's books—you won't be disappointed!
Virginia Nosky:
On craft:
How old were you when you began to write?All mixed up in my mind are these little plays my sister and I would put together with neighbor kids. There was very little written down, but these little dramas were full-blown affairs, with beginnings, middle and ends. They were also fully costumed with whatever our fevered imaginations could come up with. I remember playing a Maria Montez role—she was a popular sultry movie star—always, it seemed, in harem type costume. I wore my mother’s tin measuring cups as my bra, over my nonexistent chest. There was a little woods beside our house and once we even built a little fire in a clearing—to dance around. We had a lot of freedom back then. My point is that I spent a great deal of my play time in a world of glamour and exotic situations. My imagination was engaged constantly in other worlds. Making up stuff has always been with me, and I can’t really remember when I started writing it down. I majored in Communication at Ohio State, worked in broadcasting and advertising. Writing is just there, in my life.Where do you write?When my sons went off to college, my husband took one of their bedrooms for an office, and I took the other one. It didn’t happen suddenly…we just sort of moved their stuff out…like squatters.What helps to inspire you? Music, maps, journals.I have never liked background music. Total quiet is best, but I can tune out ambient household noise when I really get into something. Sometimes I would like to screech at interruptions by my sweet family…but I don’t. I can’t come out with “Do you realize I’m trying to get this woman in bed with the guy and now, NOW”…etc. But that scene will be different for the interruption. That’s true of any artist whose train of thought is broken. The piece will change. You can only hope it will be as good or better.What stands in your way? Logistically/creatively?Not much. A busy schedule is the most disruptive. Or some kind of emergency that requires your attention. It’s hard to be creative when you’re troubled about something.What do you do when you hit a wall?Just going back to reread what I’ve already written just gets everything going. The worst thing is to get into a corner, where something doesn’t work. But I find those insomniac hours at night can come up with some amazing solutions. “Sleeping on it” is really good advice.Do you outline? Know how the story will develop?Outline? No. Never. I know how the story begins, how it will end, and there is usually a dramatic scene somewhere in the middle that triggered the whole idea. That’s not to say the story will end like you thought. Stories develop lives of their own, and sometimes the end will be different than you started out. A character will assert herself or himself. But it’s important to know where you’re going when you start out. For that matter the beginning might change a bit. The best advice I ever read was from Tony Hillerman. Don’t spend so much time polishing and polishing the beginning. You’ll make some changes when you’ve finished. He said when he started out, he did that. He wrote the most perfect first chapter in the universe. It was lapidary in its brilliance and it still nestled unread in a dusty drawer. That has stayed with me and saved a lot of grief.How do you revise and edit?I edit as I go. I get ideas as I go along and work with them. Then when the book is finished I go back and do it some more. And, as I mentioned, if I’m stalled, it’s a good way to get going again.Do you have any special tools?I work on a desk top and I have an extensive library. I have books on birds, astronomy, flowers, history, physics, geography, wildlife, minerals, weather, sports, games, food, wine, native plants, survival, Native American healing. I have maps and word books: Roget’s, Word Menu, Synonyms, Reverse Dictionary. I have several grammar books: The Chicago Book of Style; the Oxford Book of Grammar; Strunk & White. I have a French Dictionary, and Spanish, Italian, a Japanese, Navajo, Portuguese. I have books of quotations. One book I love is the Book of Everything. Everything has a name and this book has every screw, spark plug, beam, anchor, sail, knot…well, you name it. And it’s there. I have dozens of books on writing. Then I’ve collected a number of books on Arizona Indian culture, mostly Navajo. If I don’t have an answer in those books, Google is my friend.Do you belong to a critique group?Yes. I belonged for years to the Scottsdale Writers Group at Mustang Library. That’s where I met you. And many lovely people. My most valuable group is an offshoot of that. There are five of us and we read much longer excerpts from each other. Take them home and write serious criticism. I love them. Every serious writer needs readers to bounce their work off of. We all write different things, but that isn’t a problem, and sometimes it’s invaluable.What kind of research do you do?A lot. One thing leads to another. You read that something happened. Then you find you have to know why it happened. I’m working on a sequel to Blue Turquoise, White Shell called White River. But in writing about an important incident in the Navajo history, it took place during the Civil War. And I had to get into that, which I hadn’t meant to. That’s the trouble with history. Nothing happens in a vacuum.Did something surprise you? Not really. Particularly with White River. Oh, fascinating details crop up, but I had immersed myself so much in the first book, I pretty much knew what was going to happen.How does it feel to write the last line?With Kachina, my first book, there was a huge surge of pride that I had done it. But I face the last line now with a sense of uncertainty. Is this the right ending? Also a sense of regret. You do get into the lives of your characters and you can’t stop thinking about them. But you do have to send that baby out into the world. A book isn’t truly finished until somebody reads it. I always sense that it’s the same with an artist. When to lay down the brush.
On the business of publishing:
How did you find an agent?I don’t have one now. But it was endless queries, endless sending out mss. Two of my books I’ve used a Canadian publisher that I met at a conference. Conferences are a great place to meet editors and agents. They’re sort of obligated to look at a little bit of your stuff.Has self-publishing shaped your career?I’ve had all my books come out with traditional publishers. I don’t have a problem with self-publishing and I’ve thought about using it to publish my poetry and short stories. These have been in anthologies, but I may get to it one of these days as the rights devolve to me. One has all that nice control when you do it all yourself.What can you share about marketing? What didn’t work?It’s ongoing, it’s time-consuming and most writers hate it. I do. But publishers don’t do it anymore. Oh, maybe if you’re ever so famous. I’ve tried a bunch of stuff, even hired a publicist, but it was pretty much a waste of money. I have a great gal who helps me with computer things and we’ve become great friends. But it’s just getting your name and work in front of the public on and on and on. Speaking to groups is great, and you can hope that the more you write the more your name will become familiar. All the social media is a must.
About You:
Tricks to make writing easier.It’s not supposed to be easy, but it’s fun most of the time. When you get a good scene going, you soar.What writers inspire you? Updike, because he notices the smallest things. Maybe all the good writers do. Don Delillo, Pat Conroy, T.C.Boyle, Chrisopher Moore, Richard Russo, Barabara Kingsolver. David Sedaris is hilarious, Christopher Buckley. Tony Hillerman, Elmore Leonard so simple…well, on and on.What do you read for enjoyment?All of the above. I’m really all over the map in what I read. I sort of lean to literary, but well- written trash is fun, too.What’s next for you?As I mentioned above, White River has gone off to the publisher. It will probably be out the first of the year. I’ve done some short stories, and have put together some contest work. I’m relaxing doing a little romance that’s been around in my drawer for awhile.Where can we find you? My website is www.virginianosky.com. I have a trailer on YouTube for The Fall From Paradise Valley. I just did a long interview on web radio with Al Cole, a broadcaster out of Boston. All my books are on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChampagneBooks.com/store. Some of them are in libraries around town, but they can always be ordered. Poisoned Pen book store has several.Thanks Virginia!For those of you in the Phoenix area, Virginia will be giving a Workshop:"Writing Romantic Scenes" for the Scottsdale Society of Womens Writers on October 31, 5:30-7:30, at the Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale.Blue Turquoise, White Shell is a contemporary multicultural romance mixed with historical fiction. It has won three First Place Glyph Awards from the Arizona Book Publishing Association.When a privileged east-coast Med school student agrees to work on the Navajo reservation in exchange for getting her Harvard education paid in full, the last thing she expects is to fall for the tribe's newest congressional Golden Boy, Nicholas Nakai. But what is in her secretive grandfather's past that makes him send Lily to the Rez? You'll have to read to find out!
Back to the Mountains - a picture post
If you've been reading my blog for awhile, first of all, THANK YOU!! :) and second of all, you'll be glad to hear about a place familiar to us; our favorite spot in the beautiful White Mountains of eastern Arizona. This is where you first heard of it. Here's the follow-up from last year where you see our lovely tree burned to the ground.In celebration of quitting my job, the last hurrah before school started, and my husband having 3 days off, we headed back to the our favorite spot for a cool break from the 115° heat. Here are some AAaaaahhhh moments:
...and then my battery died.
The nice thing to know is that the area is bouncing back nicely. Fire kills forests, but in the ashes come new life. Grass is growing thick, and our camp spot had the biggest surge of baby Aspens that we've seen since we've been coming here. The wildlife will feed on the fresh new growth, and the whole cycle will begin again.
Thanks for coming along with us, and I hope each of you has a chance to get out and enjoy a nice weekend with your family.
Take care!
Heidi
I am Leo Hear Me Roar (or) Why I Quit My Job
I am a Leo. I totally connect with it. I've always loved cats, the color yellow, and the warmth of the sun on my face. And a big fluffy mane.I'm super-creative, super sensitive, I love being the center of attention. The biggest compliment you could give me is to appreciate something I've made or laugh at something funny I've said. It makes me happy to make others happy. And recognition. Just say,
Hey, Heidi, you did a great job.
In other words: I do it for the applause.
The biggest insult you could give me is to assume that I can't do something. In which case I will most likely treat it as a challenge to prove you wrong.I also have a cat named Leo.In this, my birthday month, a lot of changes have been taking place. First of all, I left my job as a magazine merchandiser. I have to say, it has been a great job for me the past three and a half years. The hours were flexible & the pay decent. I will miss the people at my two stores, the employees as well as the customers. Even though I worked for an outside vendor, the people at the store always made me feel I was part of the team. I absolutely LOVED making sure all of the magazines looked JUST SO: perfectly spaced, stacked evenly, and easy for the customer to browse, and appealing to buy. It helps to be crazy-detail-oriented and slightly OCD when making a magazine rack look so AWESOME.But my greatest pleasure of the job was helping a customer finding something to read. I love selling books.My biggest frustration with my job is that I had absolutely no control over what books we stocked. They came pre-ordered, shipped in cardboard boxes every week. Most were your big-name sellers: James Patterson, Nora Roberts and the like. We did get a few literary treasures, and I did my best to help guide people to new and noteworthy authors, and try new genres (like YA! - see my little YA section in the front there?)But every week, I'd have folks asking for something that we didn't carry. And I'd read Publisher's Weekly, hear about all of these great new titles out there, and on our shelves, in pre-plan-o-grammed slots, stood the same sorry old titles, month after month, collecting dust. Why? Is it someone meeting a sales quota? Does Nora Roberts have evil geniuses hitting the "buy" button at distributing warehouses? Who knows. All I know is, in the great scheme of things, I was simply the schlub unpacking the box in the backroom, and getting merchandise out to the sales floor. And then I'd walk into Barnes & Noble or even (shudder) Costco, and see the titles that PW wrote about that week. I mean, even the book page in People magazine had better titles than we had a t the store. Ugh.Once I had a customer ask me:
Are you the book BUYER?
I wish.Besides my frustration at my limited amount of input, I began to have physical problems. Today, in fact, I am going in for an MRI so the doctor can see a nice pretty picture of the disk in my neck that has bulged out enough to pinch a nerve, causing numbness and tingling through my arm to my fingertips, and a baseball-sized knot in my shoulder. Ouch.Thanks, in part, to:This is how magazines come shipped to the store. Each of those bundles* weighs approximately 25 lbs. They get delivered in these red plastic totes, and each tote weighs 40-50 lbs each. A typical delivery at my biggest store averaged 25-30 totes. I figured on a good day, unpacking new magazines, lifting and stacking the totes, and carrying stacks and stacks of magazines to the checkouts and the main aisle and then packing up all of the old magazines, for about 6+ hours, I would move about 1,500 lbs of merchandise in a day.So, while it is a very good workout, it's also a little hard on the ol' bod. And when my company announced that they were no longer going to have the accounts of the stores I serviced, I figured the timing was just as well. So I decided to move on. But I am very grateful for the experience. I learned so much in the past three years—not only about work, but about people, and a lot about myself.I do have a couple of ideas in mind about where I want my future to go, career-wise, but for the immediate future, I'm going to concentrate on some yoga & physical therapy, get back to nesting, being a mom, playing with my horses and writing a lot. (Insert happy face here)Which brings me to the last thing I wanted to share with you: pictures of our latest outing. You may recognize one of our favorite get-away spots in the mountains.
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*BTW: Shame on Oprah. For some reason, her magazines are some of the heaviest. I like Oprah, I think she does some really great stuff. But for someone who preaches how to make everything better all the time, she should really be printing her magazine on recycled paper. REAL SIMPLE is printed on recycled paper, AND they don't use that heavy-duty plastic wrapping either, and they are the lightest weight magazine I have stocked. THANK YOU, REAL SIMPLE! Rachael Ray also prints on recycled paper. Oprah, your magazine needs to get in shape.
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P.S. In brief: In recognition of one of the true pioneers of the feminist movement, and the founder of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown, who passed away this week at the age of 90.Here's a piece from NPR.
Meet the Writer - Deborah J. Ledford
An author interview on the craft of writing, with mystery/thriller writer Deb Ledford.
Read MoreFrampton Comes Alive, Food, and Divorce.
My brother and I have lived 1800 miles apart since I was a sophomore in high school. It's been hard to live so far away from one of the few people on the planet who knows you better than anyone else.
Read MoreGet this App - Clearly
Distraction-free reading. It's a Good Thing.
Read MoreMeet the Writer - Anne Tibbets
An author interview on the craft of writing, with YA writer Anne Tibbets.
Read MoreReally Good Pizza
For a home cook who's still trying to figure things out, it's pretty damn good. And you know what? We never have leftovers...And if you ever say YUMMO around me, I will slap you.
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