When I Become a Rich and Famous Author....

The first thing I'm going to do is buy my mom a new red, Ford Edge. Four door, power steering, power breaks, CD player...all the bells and whistles.

Next stop is to the bank, where I withdraw a couple thousand dollars in cash, head on over to Plaza Frontenac dressed in my usual jeans and t-shirt with my hair in its customary ponytail, where of course I won't buy a single thing! Why the hell would I want to spend my hard earned money on over priced designer duds, sold by snooty bitches who probably had their finger on the security button the second I walked through the door.

From there, I'll take my little ass over to good old Kohl's, then Chesterfield Mall and buy something I like, not because of the tags, or price. Just because I liked them!

I'll buy my family a large home on some sprawling ranch, a few ATVs for myself and the kids, a couple of horses, and of course put money aside for my kids education.

Doesn't that all sound wonderful? If this is your goal for becoming a writer, well, turn your laptop into a paperweight....it ain't gonna happen.

Those of us who devote hours a day, or sometimes only a week, do it because we love it. We write because it's who we are, and because we really have no choice. I've constantly got stories and characters running through my mind, and if I didn't put them on paper (or screen), I may very well go stark raving mad! I've made many friends in the cyber world, some who have been published, some who are working at it, then there are others who only do it to keep the characters quiet in their heads. Sounds a little crazy I'm sure, but the writers are all sitting there nodding in understanding.

Someone once said they wanted to be a writer because it seems like such a glamorous life. For those of you who believe that, feel free to stop by my house any day of the week. You'll find me still in my pajamas around noon, drinking my, oh I don't know, tenth cup of coffee, sucking on a cancer stick and screaming at the laptop to tell me what it wants. Very glamorous I know. Hey, at least my teeth are brushed upon rising!

And by the way, I really will buy my mom that car with my first large advance. It may not be for a couple of years, but that doesn't mean I'll ever give up!

Am I good enough?

Oh, but where to start?

It's Thursday, which is one day closer to Friday, but unlike everyone else, I prefer the weekdays! Of course, I get to sleep in on the weekends, but I get time to write during the week. I like the quiet of the day.

Problem is, I haven't written hardly anything this week. I've been reading two fantastic authors of my genre, and now I feel inadequate as a writer. Now, I'm sure everyone goes through this at times, so I'm just gonna ride it out and wait until my wonderful muse decides she's done punishing me.

So, here goes the question of the day...do you often doubt your abilities? Do you push away the laptop, notebook, keyboard and think "Why am I trying? I suck!"?

Sound off, y'all! Let me hear that I'm not going completely insane!

Yep, It's Wednesday...Happy Hump Day

Wednesday morning, and two of my monkeys have doctor appointments this morning. Why the frown, you ask? Because they've been fighting since six am. Every morning, the same thing, kids screaming at each other, me threatening to ground them until their forties, then finally....the bus comes. Nope, not today.

While I'll still be dropping them off after the doc appointment, I still get to deal with my mentally challenged daughter doing everything in her power to piss of her brother, and my thirteen year old...well, behaving like a typical thirteen year old boy.

Is there a secret remote control to fast forward through the teen years? I'm ready for grandkids. That way, I can send them home at the end of the day!

Back to the Grind

Well, it's Sunday night, and the weekend is almost over. Finished a great book by Jeaniene Frost from her Night Huntress series, and loved it. I love reading awesome writers...it gives me something to strive toward. I'd love to write as well as Rachel Vincent (who made me cry...I don't cry), Jeaniene Frost (who's romances are more my taste), and Rob Thurman (who's imagination is unbelievable broad). Therefore, I read as many of their books as possible, perhaps to soak up their talent through osmosis.

So, I began to wonder...what do others read? And why? Is is because it was suggested to you? Do you take inspiration from their style? Is it a release, or escape?

Of course, you can answer all of the above as I do for these questions. I was an avid reader long before I decided to try for publication. I've been reading since before kindergarten, and will even read a cereal box if it's the only thing in front of me in the morning. If you saw my book shelves, you'd wonder how I have any time to do anything else. Lucky for me, I've always been a fast reader.

So, let me hear from y'all. Who's your favorite authors, what's their genre, and if you have a specific reason...why do you like them?

Founding Member of Adverbs Addicts Annonymous

Hello. My name is CL (or Christy to some of you), and I'm and adverbaholic. There, I feel so much better admitting it.

Sounds funny, but it's true. I have quite an affection, or would that be affliction, with adverbs. Stephen King, as well as countless others, refer to them as lazy. And they're right. While I love to lean on my adverbs, for fear of over describing a scene, or action, it allows my readers to become disconnected to my characters. I want them to love Reece, Marley, and Charlotte, or even Michael, Julianna, and Jeffrey as much as I do. These characters have become part of my life, and I've put my blood, sweat and tears into them.

(Ok, maybe I didn't bleed for them, but Lord knows, after I broke the flash drive there was plenty of tears.)

Now that I've admitted I have a problem, the next step is trying to fix it. Of course, I won't stop writing to go back through the entire story right now. I'll start right where I am, then fix it during the editing process. That's what's for after all, to edit out all the garbage, redundancy, and crappy writing.

For those of you who wish to join me in a meeting, feel free to stop by anytime. We lunatics don't hold banker's hours.

It's Thursday...one day closer!

Why is it when you sit around all day, the first thing on your mind around lunchtime is a nap? Granted, I'm usually not just sitting around...I'm usually cleaning, writing, running errands, etc. Either way, come around 1pm I just want to snuggle under the blankets and sleep for at least an hour.

Lately, I've been laying down until the kids come home, then writing until the hubby comes home. Then it's dinner, family time, and what ever book I'm reading at the time.

Oh well, guess it helps my creativity because as soon as I wake up the first thing on my mind is the next part of the new book!

Doing research on Native American Traditions has my head spinning!

Yuh Tsalagi. I am Cherokee. Perhaps not full blooded, as I've found Choctaw and Chickasee, as well. But I'm interested in learning more. My new book includes some embellished Native American traditions, and some Indian words. Unfortunately, Cherokee language is way more complex than I had originally thought. For the English word 'love' there are about six Cherokee words. The way to speak correctly is by gesturing with your hands. Not so easy when you're writing a book.

Today, I'm heading to a store in Maplewood called Mystic Valley on a hunt for more Native American goodies. It's a lot harder to find authentic material than I thought. Hell, the "authentic" ones on the Internet are hundreds of dollars, and that's just for little things like jewelry, throws, or mugs.

Now, I've heard some bad things about the employees at this store, so I'm dying to find out if they'll suffer my wrath like so many before them. Nothing worse than a hippie with an attitude! Peace and love, sister, peace and love!