All posts by Susan Jeffery

About Susan Jeffery

I am loving the challenge (sometimes) of re-entering the contemporary romance market after a lifetime of raising two fantastic children (it never ends, btw). Just when I thought I was done with kids, I accepted a position as librarian to 900 boys in a Bronx private school. I'm a vintage published author, Harlequin American #206 Fair Game (1987). Winner of the Golden Heart, 1986. Currently exploring the possibility of indie publishing under my new pseudonym (see fresh name, above). View all posts by Susan Jeffery →

NaNo for you, but NoNo for me

November 25, 2013mermaids, Motivation, Susan Jeffery, WritingSusan Jeffery

That’s right. I didn’t do NaNo this year. The final days of last November brought on a sly, simmering uneasiness about my health. It was a feeling I couldn’t quite shake, but knew I ignored it at my own peril. Yes, nineteen years with the unpredictable and unforgiving disorder of MS have taught me to respect my intuition – if you’ve got the shakes, Susan, for God’s sake slow down. And, if you know me, I’m an all-in or a who-cares kind of girl, and I felt it unwise to subject myself to another month of NaNo stress. Writing is meant to be fun. Why spoil it with another trip to physical therapy?

Instead, I embarked on an entirely different type of insanity. One where *I* was making the rules (sort of). In fact, I have been on a writing hiatus this month in order to preserve my sanity (what little I have). And do you know what? It sucks.

I’m taking an online course to earn graduate credits and earn the next level of fifteen hours so I can also earn another raise at work. That is, beyond the yearly seniority raise that’s built into our contract with the school. If I can look smarter by earning additional graduate credit hours, I get more cash in my pay envelope:

*Right.* Like I said, mo’ money.

So, I’ve been taking this course on using primary sources at the Library of Congress. I go around hunting up really cool pictures that I might be able to use in my teaching:

How did the Civil War turn out for these two?

And not paying enough attention, so I find this, which I sent to my son. He lives in Binghamton, so it seemed like the right thing to do:

Panorama of Binghamton, NY – 1909

And he liked it a lot, since he recognized the landmarks (the town hasn’t changed much in a hundred years, which is part of its charm.)

Then my local writing group, CTRWA, reminded its members to enter the chapter’s “fun” contest: the Marga-RITAs. Chapter-only, it celebrates the best and the worst in our writing. Categories like “most creative and anatomically impossible sex scene” and “best run-on sentence” help exorcise the misery of our writing “errors”, while we celebrate another year of writing good stuff (“best use of adorable child and/or cute animal” is my fave)(you are so going down this year, Kristan Higgins!)

Do you have any idea what it feels like to find your writing, hidden away while you slave over primary sources in pursuit of filthy lucre in your day job? It really stings! Little gems of prose are discovered, just waiting for the tacky margarita glass that is the prize (I have two).

What say you, Mermaid friends? Did you ever have to go on a writing “diet” to achieve other… er…. achievements? How did it feel? And, knowing how it felt at the other end, how hard was it to get back into the writing swing of things?

Enquiring minds want to know!

A Temptation So Beautiful

October 21, 2013mermaids, Plotting, Susan Jeffery, WritingSusan Jeffery

There are stories in my treasure chest that refuse to be completed, for one reason or another. One, LAKE EFFECT, has bedeviled me for several years. Gerald, the father, has never decided if he will be dead (enabling his rambling daughter to sell the house and move on) or alive (chaining her to a life of servitude, shuffling between the old house and the nursing home)?

Worse, what of my two lovers? Nicole is a devoted girlfriend, with an overseas boyfriend. She just doesn’t know he has wandering eyes. Sam is being pursued by a girlfriend-wanna-be in relentless pursuit of his favors. I’ve loved writing Desmond’s and Tara’s scenes – as the unfortunate foils for my hero and heroines, they’re both such worthless material as potential mates and so completely clueless.

Occasionally I struggle with midnight “monkey mind” as I wrestle again with the frustration of seeing this story complete and finding readers. There are other stories I’m writing, or trying to write, but LAKE keeps rearing its head. The one that got away. It’s hard to let go, ya know?

So, this morning, I was helping Brain with his preparation for NaNoWriMo. We found, and printed, a ten page document from Susan May Warren (www.mybooktherapy.com) outlining Ten Beats of a Romance. In Beat 3, she discusses with the challenge of Why/WhyNot and WhyNot/Why in a blossoming relationship. In one, the situation where I most often place my characters, they understand why they can’t get together and gradually fall in love in spite of the barriers. But in the WhyNot/Why, the characters feel an instant connection. Only later are they aware of just how wrong this is.

Okay, my mind said. Let’s play “what if?” Nicole and Sam instantly hit it off. They get each other, their little hearts go pitty pat, they’re a thing, they’re in it for the long haul. But what about those inconvenient other lovers? How do I move them aside?

I didn’t have any problems disposing of Desmond, the cheating boyfriend; he breaks up with Nicole before the story gets too far along. But what about Tara? She just wants to get married and make babies. She has the rings picked out, the wedding party, rehearsal and ceremony planned. All she needs is for Sam to pop the question and call the realtor. How do I get rid of her?

So, friends, this is my question: how do you give your hero permission to step out on his girlfriend when she has the noose as firmly tied around his neck (whoops, ring on his finger) as one woman can manage in 200 pages? Mind you, Tara needs to make her not-so-graceful exit at the end of novel, along with Desmond – who makes a late entrance to eat crow (happily, he is unsuccessful).

Is there a rule for a boyfriend whose heart has never been fully involved to be allowed to touch the goods before the others are returned? How do we handle this?

(In another post, which I started before writing this, I’ll talk about characters that refuse to make up their minds – which happens all too often in this writer’s world)

From The Heart

September 30, 2013Conferences, generosity, mermaids, Susan Andrews, WritingKristan Higgans, Nora Roberts, sufferingSusan Jeffery

Several weeks ago I sort of volunteered to give a talk at our school’s annual faculty retreat. The day is filled with breakout sessions, much like the typical romance writing conference. Usually, the experienced teachers are quick to propose their pilgrimages, their prayer retreats, their journey of faith through the study of art… anything that might help fill a day of Teacher Detention. They’re the wise ones of the faculty: they know how to fill time. I’m not a popular teacher: I sit in the peanut gallery.

So why, this time, did I put myself in the hot seat? My work BFF, raised in the evangelical Christian tradition, summed it up: “You have been Called. Do It.” I thought for a second, told myself stop thinking, and shot off a possible topic to the organizer.

My proposal, on Finding God in the Midst of Suffering, was accepted immediately. What? No argument? No questioning? No “gee, we appreciate your thought, but…” Nope. In this game of Tag, I was It.

Librarian that I am, I started with marathon research, viewing the topic from every conceivable angle. The results were depressing. With good reason: how could the human experience of suffering, with all its dimensions of pain, anxiety, despair, and agony not be depressing? We’re not talking about build-your-own sundaes here.

I printed out pages and pages of learned examinations of suffering. Those genius brains had written volumes that avalanched down the high hills of history and buried unassuming teachers alive.

Every single time I tried to read these papers, my eyes glazed over. I couldn’t do it. I had nothing. Do you hear me, world? Nothing!

Worse, I was facing off against a more experienced teacher. His talk was on Gratitude. Great, I complained at home. I get the widows and orphans. He gets the cool people, the ones who are easy to please. Who doesn’t want to be happy? Having been programmed against the Catholic high school equivalent of Kristan Higgins or Nora Roberts, I printed out 15 handouts. Nobody would come, I figured. I stopped trying.

When the hour of doom came, people trickled in, picked up the handouts from the chairs, and, to my surprise, didn’t get up and rush to find a seat at the (better) (happier) (more fun) celebrity talk. More people came in. We ran out of handouts. The room filled. What were they thinking? Didn’t they know they were in the wrong room?

Raymond introduced me. I was petrified, mortified, A Beautiful Mind come to life. “It’s not my job to make you feel better,” I said, to start. “ Or solve your problems. And everything that goes wrong in this talk—“ I pointed at the friend who’d put me here “– is all his fault.”

They laughed. Then, as I assured them we didn’t have time to cover all my stories of suffering, they began to quiet. When I touched on my problems with post-partum depression, the room went dead still. Nothing I said was complex or earthshaking. It was me sharing, my own sad, stupid experiences. My own struggles to find my way back to the light. And three verses of Scripture I hoped would guide them, and me, through the shit-storm.

And somehow, it worked. This presentation, weak and ill-prepared, this testimony, touched my peers. Not just immediately, but every day for a full week, people shared their own experiences privately. And thanked me. Praise can be humbling. Disconcerting. Confusing.

I found myself in a conversation with a fellow teacher, a woman I admired and feared. Her congratulations were difficult to take, and I’m afraid I blurted out how bewildered I was.

“Are you kidding?” she said. “It was so completely different from anything we’ve ever had at retreat before. And you said what you felt, and you were honest. And you said things that were real.”

Now, taking this back to the perpetual Mermaid topic, how does this story speak to writing? We writers put ourselves out there, every day. We kill ourselves to tell stories. Our audiences compare us to award-winners, childhood favorites, geniuses of the craft, and the other writers who inspired us to take up our pens. I can’t compete with the Greats. But I can tell stories and this is what readers look for… the fresh, new, personal voice. We can’t compete with the Noras and Kristans in RomanceLand, but we can entertain. We can share our stories and touch people. All we need to do is speak from the heart.

Learning to Keep Your Balance

August 21, 2013college, generosity, mermaids, Susan Andrews, Writingchildren, draft, graduation, recession, sonSusan Jeffery

Did you ever have a moment where a challenge you’ve known of for a long time seemed seemed to suddenly, magically resolve?

My lovely, talented, rapscallion son, Skitch, graduated from college two years ago. He needed five years to complete his studies in engineering. I was happy to give him that extra year – he chose a very affordable state school and I had (at the time) sufficient funds to help out. We were thrilled when he was ready to fly the coop, get a job and spread his wings.

But the graduation gift… what to give this only son, who spread himself among so many interests and passions? He suggested, and hubby liked the idea of, an electric violin. But the best electric violins cost many thousands of dollars. They need accessories, expensive ones. We don’t know anything (much) (nothing) about electric violins. And even Skitch wasn’t sure which one he might want. Or how much he would use it. Did an elementary school viola career equal (merit) the cost of such an expensive instrument?

Plus, the family was now short on cash (thank you, recession). Our dearest son didn’t press, and the idea was dropped. His father fretted from time to time, feeling we were being ungenerous. A graduation gift is customary. We’d let it slide. Were we good parents? Over and over, I assured him that we were, our son loved us unconditionally, and a gift would eventually be discovered, procured and delivered. And we would forget all about it again for several months.

Last month, I exited CVS with my usual mix of necessary (toilet paper) and unnecessary (lipstick) items. New York, for once, was enjoying a perfect blend of sunshine and mild weather. I glanced left and, as usual, and saw the rows of bikes outside the village bike shop. Bikes. Surely, after all this time… Could it be so easy?

My request was simple: bike for 25-year old man. Needs more than a sidewalk cruiser, but not that $2000 cliff jumper over there. No tricks, or challenging courses, no big drops. Young man in question still gets crazy ideas, so it needs to be able to take a beating. And he still lives in a college town, so any lock or cable needs to be able to survive that caliber of thief.

Forty minutes later, I was texting my son with questions and sending photos. Two weeks after that, we arrived at his apartment with a bike, carrier, helmet, tire pump and (most important) a gnarly cable lock. Since then, he’s gone riding several times a week, hoping to build up enough mileage to cycle-commute to work and back.

Happy boy, happy and relieved father, brilliant mom. Thus, the saga of “what do we get Skitch for graduation?” closes.

Which brings me to the real topic today: how many grand plans for our writing have we made that go unattended? How many minor disappointments do we harbor? In some ways we allow ourselves to construct these disappointments, all on our own, simply by allowing the time or opportunity to slip past. Okay, circumstance occassionally visits them upon us and we watch, helpless, as all our lovely plans are shattered. The editor or agent request gone stale. The rejection that continues to sting and fester. The rewrite that goes so badly we give up – and can’t forgive ourselves, even when we know it was for the best. Or, the story that’s dry, parched, neglected and, sadly, left alone (thank you, dearest husband for that addition). Sometimes we allow ourselves a little moan but, mostly, we let ourselves “live poor.”

In Skitch’s case, the lack of knowledge, compounded by lack of money bred the lack of gift – a kind of “living poor” that wouldn’t let go. We don’t have the money for a violin. We don’t know how to buy a violin. Hubby let this fester and I tried, very hard, not to absorb his disappointment as my own. I had to believe that one day we would be able to solve the problem.

Enter Bikeway! I do have the money for a bike, Skitch already knows how to ride a bike, I can afford a bike! Once I had the Smaller Gift idea it happened. I even used my new “live with the money you have” mantra and paid cash. Well, debit card, but it really was “cash.” My bank account knows the truth…

Having gone through this now, I want to bring this lesson to my writing. Enough disappointment with what I have not accomplished. More celebrating the tiny steps. The finished (begun) paragraphs, pages, outlines, scrawled notes, gathered ideas.

This journey as a writer is a process of discovery all its own. The more I know about my writing, the more I try (and fail), the better I know myself. How can I mine this newly realized (lesson) (discovery) knowledge of “small victories” and use it to conquer “living poor?”

What would you do with this discovery?

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

June 17, 2013Draft, Health, mermaids, Motivation, Susan Andrews, Writingmermaids, Susan, travel, writingSusan Jeffery

Susan Mermaid The joy of being a school librarian: I’ve made it all the way to summer! Yippee! Twelve weeks of nothing! No commute, no kids, no bells, no bag lunches! Nothing! What could be better?

What could be worse? I have twelve weeks of nothing, and I know exactly what can go wrong:

Summer can be wasted. On Twitter, Facebook, shopping (especially shopping!), lazing by the pool, etc. Friends call it “the time to relax that you need/want/yearn for.” I call it “time wasted.”
Time can be stolen, even though I agreed to the theft. I will fly to Saint Louis next week and listen to several days of educational conference material. But I want to learn something, so that’s good. And I am happy for the bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, and other celebrations. Still, it is theft.
I will need additional time, once I return, to recover my writing mojo. So far, I’ve started well, but I’m aware that all interruptions have an additional price.
I work better with deadlines. In fact, I’m missing two at this moment: getting my Mermaid post up in a timely manner, when I should have drafted it last night, or even last week. And sending my WRW retreat prize submission to Gail Barrett, who kindly agreed to look at my synopsis and chapter today.
A house filled with clutter is a time thief. I spend precious time looking at and worrying about the clutter on my dining room table. Why don’t I just clear it off, you ask? Because I might need that! (Case in point: I suddenly feel compelled to take a particular basket and stow it in another room, so I don’t have to look at it.).

Clutter = Thief!

Aware of these pitfalls, I also know that I write more efficiently when I am sequestered. I’ve posted before about how I enjoy working on my writing when riding to work on the train. Peter and I drove to Philadelphia over the weekend to a niece’s bridal shower.

notebook

I brought writing tools with me and spent the time – three hours back and forth – planning the synopsis that is now late. But I used the six hours (well, four of them, probably)! I thought, wrote, planned, talked and told my story to my captive audience as we rode along the New Jersey Turnpike. It was productive in very much the same way as my train rides to the Bronx.

I’m also reminded of sister Mermaid Pintip’s recent post on making her own home-based retreat. I need to find that RWR article, and Pin’s Mermaid follow-up, and craft my own ongoing retreat. The public library is only a mile from home, and it does NOT have books and papers and outdated statements littering a dining room table.

Once upon a time, I got up and dressed and sat down at my computer (an Osborne!) at 9 a.m. every weekday. This was in the early 1980s, when Peter and I planned our lives so we could afford my career as a full-time writer. I worked three hours, broke for lunch, then allowed myself to do housework, groceries, whatever was needed to keep the house and our married life comfortable.

Those were good years… can I find that discipline again? Or have the years of child-rearing, illness, graduate school and career stolen that urge? Can I get it back? And can I forgive myself if the quest proves impossible?

Reflecting on all of these ideas, I want to do certain things this summer in order to hit my own expectations for a successful vacation:

Schedule my writing sessions as I used to, once upon a time
Claim my space
Celebrate the milestones
Forgive the rough patches that slow or stop me.

What rough patches do you anticipate this summer? Will you celebrate when September comes?

Author Interview with KIMBERLY KINCAID!

May 30, 2013mermaidsSusan Jeffery

Wow! I’ve been offered a chance to interview the fabulous Kimberly Kincaid, and she promised to tell me all her secrets – she was able in just a few short years to go from unpublished to agented, indie-pubbed and is expecting her first SERIES to debut this fall! And while you’re waiting, her current title, Drawing the Line is available NOW.

So, let’s welcome our Mermaid guest for today with a cool, tall frothy drink. We’ll even toss some petals into the lagoon for some aromatherapy. Ready, Kimberly?

1. Please share you life story and how/when you decided to be a writer. Coming right out of the gate with the hard questions! (takes long sip of frothy drink) I’m a wife and mom of three girls, and some of my former jobs include yoga instructor, English teacher, and working in a bagel bakery. I write full-time now and it’s my dream job. I love every second– even the ones where I’m thunking my head on my desk!

2. These are Indie titles, right? What prompted you to choose the Indie route? Pros and cons? I’m a bit of an anomaly in that I do both. The “line” novellas are published through Curtis Brown Digital, which is my agency’s digital imprint. We use Amazon’s self-pubbing format. The short answer is that I wrote the stories because I could– I had time in my schedule in between print projects for Kensington and my agent and editor thought it would be a great way to launch my career. I love learning the ins and outs of the industry from this side, but it’s a lot of time-consuming work. You get a very quick education the first time around! But it’s been successful for me, and of course I’m thrilled to get my work into the hands of readers.

3. Police procedure and cooking. It’s fascinating. It’s sexy. It’s When Worlds Collide. Discuss. Ahhh, police procedure! I was lucky to have a contact for the technical stuff, and he was very patient in answering my questions. The cooking part was a lot easier for me, since all my books incorporate food. But cops and chefs are both very intense, very “Alpha” type people most of the time. Putting those strong personalities together just made sense in my head. Plus, when the sparks fly…they *really* fly!

4. For our TBP (to-be-published) authors, please share your path to publication. How long were you writing? Any particular moments of doom or glory? I wrote for about a year before I was agented, and about two and a half before I sold. From the beginning, I took it very seriously. I did online courses on query-writing and honing my craft. I attended RWA events. I did a lot of reading. I finaled in the Golden Heart in 2011 (moment of glory!) but not in 2012 (moment of doom). And then 12 hours before I got on a plane to go to Nationals last summer, I got The Call.

5. Any particular class or friendship that has helped you along the way? I would absolutely shrivel up without my five critique partners. I met the first two at Nationals in 2010 when I happened to sit with them by sheer happenstance at a lunch. Then the third came into the fold as a fellow GH finalist in 2011, and then fellow Mermaids Avery and Robin followed not long after. They are everything from a sounding board to a cheerleading crew to drinking buddies.

6. Do you have any special or “odd” thing on your desk that gives you focus? I am cut from early-80’s Tiger Beat material, and I have pictures of whoever my dreamcast hero is on a bulletin board next to my desk. It changes from book to book, but I always have an idea board. Last month, it was slathered in Chris Pine. I am a firm believer in really. good. inspiration.

7. I’m particularly interested in the Pine Mountain series! Can you tell us something about this set of particularly delicious titles?

I’m thrilled to be kicking that Kensington series off in September with a collaborative effort. Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell and I put our heads together on The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap. The entire anthology is set in my town of Pine Mountain, and all three heroines are best friends. There’s a prologue, where they’re all together, and then each woman finds her happily-ever-after at Christmastime. My characters, Pete and Lily, re-appear throughout the series (to be released in March, June and October of 2014). Suffice it to say, there are a lot of hot chefs in that resort town. And they don’t just keep that heat in the kitchen!

Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance that splits the difference between sexy and sweet. When she’s not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as “The Pleather Bomber”, she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. Kimberly is a 2011 RWA Golden Heart® finalist who lives (and writes!) by the mantra that food is love. She is thrilled to have collaborated on a Christmas anthology with Donna Kauffman and Kate Angell, titled The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap, to kick off her Pine Mountain foodie series with Kensington this October. Her first full-length novel, Turn Up the Heat, will follow in February 2014. Kimberly resides in northern Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters. Visit her any time at www.kimberlykincaid.com or come check her out on Facebook and Twitter.

Peter Andrews swims with the Mermaids and shares his tips on HowToWriteFast!

May 2, 2013Guy Day, Interview, mermaids, Susan Andrews, Writinghowtowritefast, Peter Andrews, writingSusan Jeffery

Addressing the crowd at a Great Lakes event.

I’m thrilled to introduce Peter Andrews to the lagoon today for a different sort of Guy Day interview. Peter has been writing and earning a living at it (!!!) for many years. He keeps a blog on how to write fast, and teaches online courses on the same subject. A writer, hubby, great dad, and all-around good guy, he even makes dinner!

It’s exhausting work, let me tell you! So, first, let me offer the nice man a drink with an umbrella… and let the questions roll!

1. What if you finally can sit down to write and realize you can’t get started?

Starting is dependent on preparation. Before you finish writing each day, you need to determine what you will work on the next day (or next definite session). This is a promise to yourself. And you keep it. You can still do other things, but you need to commit to work forward.

How not to write fast (duh)!

2. What if you’re suddenly not in love with your book?

Everyone falls out of love with their books. Occasionally, a book is just a bad idea. So be it. Usually, though, we forget why we love the book. The passion fades. I always write out why I MUST write the book before I do more than a few pages. Ten or more reasons. In complete sentences. Designed to persuade me to persevere. It almost always works.

3. Susan profiled your “bagel” practice for unknown words in an earlier post. Is there a story behind this? (pretty please?)

It used to be the Next Best Thing in our quest to write fast.

When I was writing a lot of science articles that were jammed with facts, I kept coming to screeching halts. I lost my momentum, over and over again, as I looked up names, dates, places, and materials. I realized I needed a placeholder that would be unlikely to be in my final copy. Bagel was born.

4. Do you have a “think positive” mantra that gets you going in the morning? Susan says you get up at the same time as her (she has to be up at 5:30 a.m.) and you’re already working when she comes into the kitchen at 6:15. Are you secretly a machine?

Well, it could be the Puritan genes, but I think I just have found work that I am passionate about. Writing is what I was born to do. (it’s true)

5. What’s the most you’ve ever written in a week?

I don’t know. I’d estimate 15,000 words. Not heroic, but exhausting for me.

6. What are you most proud of?

It changes. I am delighted by the script and the novel I just finished. But I have also gotten a real thrill out of writing a speech and hearing laughter (or seeing tears) as it’s delivered.

7. Do you have plans for the blog you run? www.howtowritefast.blogspot.com

The blog will keep going. It already has led to courses (an online version begins on Monday), and, eventually, I’ll edit up the material from these into a book.

Peter’s blog offers every writer ideas for increasing their output. Find it at http://howtowritefast.blogspot.com.

He is also teaching an online course this month at http://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/workshops.

Thanks, Peter! The Mermaids are all clapping their fins and splashing around, now you’ve given them the keys to How To Write Fast!

A BAGEL, ANY KIND, TOASTED AND BUTTERED – JUST AS LONG AS IT GETS THE JOB DONE

April 23, 2013Draft, mermaids, Revision, Susan Andrews, WritingSusan Jeffery

from mermaid Susan Andrews:

There’s a problem I’ve experienced as a writer sometimes that just knocks me on my back. Mind you, I can plot, draft, write and create. I carve out time to write. I’ve created a little space for my books and my papers. I’ve learned to draft manuscripts on the train, to use my phone for making notes and jotting down ideas. I have a nifty new keyboard for my iPad. I’ve even discovered the charm of the Yonkers Will Public Library for its blissfully silent study tables.

But, every once in a while, right in the middle of things, I get stuck. That one word, the one fact I was so sure I knew, escapes me. It’s right there, ready to be typed and, at the same time, out of sight.

I’m frozen. Stuck. My dream of being A Productive Writer is smashed at my feet, at least for the moment. And, frankly, I’m a little pissed.

However, I’m blessed to know (and be married to) a very clever writer, who makes his living writing. And has met deadlines for nearly thirty years. Who also has his moments of grasping for a word, a phrase, or an idea.

He tells me, “Susan, you need a bagel.” Damn, that man has good ideas.

Here’s the idea: You type along, thinking good thoughts, getting into the groove of your writing, and suddenly you’re not sure what the next word is supposed to be. Peter (aka Word God for this post) types “bagel” and continues writing. Since his non-fiction work is science writing, and bagels have never figured in any of his published science articles, “bagel” is his preferred word for “silly me, not able to think of that just now.” When he’s ready to revise, he also cleans up the “bagels” and gives himself the time to think of the proper word or phrase.

I’ve started using it myself in my work, and it’s marvelously freeing. “Bagel” allows me to keep working. It’s a funny, cute, small way to acknowledge that a draft isn’t intended to be perfect right out of the box. I’m able to forgive myself for not knowing the word and move on.

Just this past week, I used it when I saw a hole in my plot. “Bagel”, I typed. “Insert sex scene here.”

Dang, that’s a lot of bagels.

Peter Andrews writes the How to Write Fast blog at www.howtowritefast.blogspot.com. He has a hundred tips like this one for the WannaBeProductive writer and will be featured on April 29 in a Waterworld Mermaid Guy Day interview.

True Confession: The Well is Dry. Help!

February 12, 2013mermaidsSusan Jeffery

From Susan Mermaid.

Okay, friends. It’s time for true confessions. I’ve tossed and turned and I’m out of excuses but here it is:

I have not written a page since NaNo ended.

November and NaNoWriMo were crazy. It was thrilling and scary and fun, all at the same time. I threw myself at that project with everything I had. Wrote at a pace I didn’t remember ever achieving. And I produced! For me, an astonishing 18,000 words in a month. And it was killing me.

By late November, I could feel the effect – no, not the boy, howdy I’m writing at a pace I never have before! More the oh crap, I can’t live like this, what was I thinking? And the inner voice that said keep it up kid, and you’ll have a complete manuscript in no time! had changed its tune to slow down, or your doctors are going to shaking their heads. Your body is not meant for this. I mean it. MS is the cruel cousin who drops in for a visit, smashes all the prettiest dishes you own and leaves you to clean up the mess with no broom.

So, when December rolled around, I was more than ready for a break. A week, I told myself. That became two. And then the holidays. And New Year’s eve. And then school started again and we were back to the races with work!

Now it’s February, I’ve forgotten most of what I’d intended to write, my story seems sad and my characters are dead to me. The well is dry. Try as I might, it refuses to be pumped. Every day (just like my promise to get on the treadmill more often) I find another excuse.

So here’s my confession: I’m a turtle writer. I don’t have stories pouring out of my fingertips and I’ve got a lot more on my mind than writing on most days.

So before I let those voices of you faker, you aren’t a writer, you’re just a wannabe win, I’ll ask you:

How do you slay the fear of doom and nurture the well of creativity?

Tawny Weber (aka Hot Sassy Romance Author) dips a toe in the water!

February 8, 2013Interview, mermaids, Motivation, Publishing, Susan Andrews, WritingHarlequin, SEAL, Street Team, Tawny WeberSusan Jeffery

From Mermaid Susan: The Mermaids are delighted to welcome author Tawny Weber to talk about her titles A SEAL’s Seduction, and its equally hot companion, A SEAL’s Surrender, both from Harlequin Blaze.

Welcome to the lagoon, Tawny! Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to embrace the writing life.

Thank you for the lovely welcome! And what a nice lagoon you have here! Can I get a frothy drink in a coconut shell? I’m a fan of froth. 🙂

Here ya go!

I love the writing life. But I wasn’t one of those gifted writers born to it, or even one who discovered it in their early years. Growing up, though, while so many friends worshipped actors or rock stars, my pedestals were all saved for authors. I love books. But it wasn’t until my husband asked me what I’d do if I could have any dream career that I even considered writing. Once he’d prodded me in the right direction, I embraced the idea. It took me 4 years and 6 books to get a strong enough handle on the craft, my style and find the right story to sell.

A SEAL’s Seduction is part of a series. What is already out and WHAT COMES NEXT?

A SEAL’s Seduction and A SEAL’s Surrender are a very sexy pair of Uniformly Hot Blaze novels. A SEAL’s Seduction is Blake’s story – a good boy with a penchant for following the rules. Until he meets a woman who makes them all worth tossing away. He’s debuting on bookshelves this month (2/13). His best friend and fellow SEAL, Cade, will be on the shelves next month (3/13). Unlike Blake, Cade is a lady’s man. He’s got that slick, sleek appeal that makes women swoon. Which becomes a problem when one of the swooning women turns out to be his favorite girl next door.

One of your recent blog posts discussed the use of theme in your story, and how you consciously used it in planning A SEAL’s Seduction. Can you explain some of that thought process to our readers?

This was actually a different process for me, as I’m not an analytical reader or writer by nature. I’m never strategic and don’t tend to see that big picture that theme usually embodies. But A SEAL’s Seduction was one of those blessing stories. The kind that just arrive in your head, fully formed with the scenes all crystal clear and the characters alive and dancing. Because I could see the story so clearly, the contrasts were just as clear to me. Hot and cold. By simply keeping that contrast in my mind while I wrote, I was able to mirror a lot of the story elements between the first and second halves of the book. In the first, she eats chocolate ice cream, in the second, it’s hot chocolate, for instance. In the opening, Alexia welcome the concept of a hot, exciting relationship. She’s warm and caring, while Blake is hurt and closed off. That switches in the second half of the story, while the setting changes from sunny San Diego to frozen Alaska.

The theme and contrasts aren’t overt or major forces in the story, but they were fascinating to weave into the elements as a supporting thread.

Most of us know nearly nothing about the world of Navy SEALs. How did you do your research?

My husband is ex-military, so I relied on his expertise and research capabilities a lot. And I spent a lot of time online staring at hunky pictures of military heroes *g*. Yes, that is research!!

Plotter or pantser?

Plotter! I need a solid direction when I write. A map, if you will. I never know exactly what the scenery or sights will be on the trip, but I have to know the destination, who’s driving the car and where the major stops will be.

And I love plotting boards. The colored sticky notes appeals to my office-supply addiction *g *

Hot writing. WOW. Do you have a secret weapon for getting women to fan themselves? Discuss.

We like looking at hot guys, too!

LOL –well thank you! I’m glad you found it WOW-worthy. I wish I did have a secret weapon! And if I did, I wish I’d always remember to keep it in the same place so I could find it again next time.

But, sadly, no. I write the love scenes the same as I write the humor and the suspense elements of my stories. By focusing on the main characters and trying to stay true to their personalities, their issues and their fantasies. Hopefully, that translates into characters that readers can connect with, ones they empathize with. If a reader can see and feel the story through the characters’ eyes, then they will see and feel the same things that character is going through. Which means if the love scene is hot enough to get the character all worked up, then the reader is on board, too. 🙂

At least, that’s the hope.

A little about your writing day? What’s the weirdest thing in your writing space? The most important to your writing karma? (thanks to CTRWA’s February newsletter for this idea)

Oh wow, cool question. I love the idea of writing karma.

So, lets, see. My writing day is really the middle of the night. I started writing when my youngest was only 2, which meant my days were very busy and night was the only time I had to focus. Most nights, I start writing around 10pm, after everyone has gone to bed. I keep going until about 3am, unless I’m against the deadline wall or the story is flowing like crazy. Those days are usually the ones that my husband finds me at my desk when he leaves for work in the morning *g

The weirdest thing about my writing space. I’m looking around, but it all looks normal to me LOL. I guess the weirdest would be that my office opens up from two doors – one has a view of the long hallway and loft area above the living room. The other is to my bedroom. And I never shut doors, so there is no such thing as privacy in my writing space.

Like these? Yum.

And oh wow –Writing Karma. I think the most important thing for me, personally, is to remember that beyond any writing or career goals, it’s all about writing the story for the readers. To bring them joy, satisfaction, happiness or just a good time for a few hours. If that intention is in place with every story, then I believe that karma will find a way to return the same joy, satisfaction and happiness in return.

What is the best writing advice you ever received? The worst?

The best writing advice I ever heard was to write what you love to read. We spend an awful lot of time with a story, we should try to find a way to enjoy every second of it. The worst, I think, was to accept realistic limits. While I’m all for keeping it real, I’m not a fan of limits.

Are there any teachers, books or courses that helped you refine your craft?

I love Romance Writers of America. I’ve taken so many workshops and classes and met so many amazing writers through that organization. In the beginning of my writing adventures, RWA provided the most instruction opportunities.

Do you or did you have a life beyond writing? Crafts or hobbies? Do they distract you now or offer a chance to unwind?

What’s this thing of which you speak? Life? Beyond writing? LOL. Actually, I try to keep life pretty balanced. I don’t actually do it well, but I try. My favorite hobby and other life-obsession is scrapbooking. I do card making, too, but the scrapbooking of memories is my favorite thing. I like to have a project going while I write, so when I get stuck on a page or scene, I can leave my desk and go play with paper and embellishments. The act of creating in a different medium, especially such a visual one, always seems to shake loose whatever is stuck. So after a ten, twenty minutes I’m able to go right back to writing with the scene unstuck and my scrapbook project closer to finished.

Last, but not least, please tell us about your path to publication. Especially for our unpublished readers, how long had you been writing before The Call, and did you ever wonder how it would take for the editors to wake up and see your brilliant talent? (heh heh heh)

I was always focused on writing for Harlequin, first for Temptation, and then when the line closed shifting my attention to Blaze. It took me 4 years, 5 manuscripts and 3 Golden Heart finals from starting to write to my first sale.

This entry isn’t complete without a sincere note of gratitude to

the Navy SEALs

and all the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Your work keeps us free. Thank you.

Just one more! (So much fun! Thank you Tawny, for stopping by!)

Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first Harlequin Blaze hit the shelves in 2007. A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color coordination, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking and hanging out on Facebook.

Readers can check out Tawny’s books at her website or join her Red Hot Readers Club for goodies like free reads, complete first chapter excerpts, recipes, insider story info and much more. And for a limited time, she has a few open spots on her Street Team!

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