Shaken But Not Stirred

January Newsflash…

Saturday, January 12th, 2013

A few things I’d like to share in the form of acknowledgment and shameless plugs. Let’s start first with an acknowledgment.

Today is my anniversary. Blog anniversary, that is. Two years ago—on this very day— I catapulted myself into the blogosphere hoping to forge new territory for my writing endeavors.

And here I stand. Hurray!!!!!

However, there’s still so much more ground to cover on my writing journey, so it’s not over ‘til it’s over.

Join me in a round of applause for the 2nd Anniversary of Shaken But Not Stirred, and let’s continue to strive for NOT being stirred when we get shaken up by life.

Now on to the shameless plugs…

The next issue of Sexy Savvy Growth (SSG) is about to hit the cyber waves and show up in a lot of email boxes next week. Is yours one of them?

If not, you’re missing out on plenty of helpful information on personal growth and self-empowerment that I only share in the SSG newsletter.

Jump on the bandwagon and Subscribe Here, it’s free. And who doesn’t love a freebie? Click here if you need more detailed information about the newsletter.

Plus, SSG is a nice little tool to use throughout this New Year to help you stay focused on who you are, your goals, and your personal growth. Because growth is sexy! (Couldn’t leave out that SSG tagline.)

And for my final plug….

A new online book club has been launched by my friend and fellow writer M.L. Swift. 

It’s called the Progressive Book Club.

M.L. is excited about this new venture and would love to have you join the party as they read, discuss, and socialize over books. (And probably a whole lot of other fun, off-the-cuff stuff.)

To learn more about this exciting new book club click here, and then JOIN!

I’m sure M.L. is pulling out all the stops to make this well worth your time.

Tags: Blogoversary, ML Swift, Progressive Book Club, Sexy Savvy Growth, SSG
Posted in Writing Journey | 18 Comments »

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

When I started this blog I was unaware of peer recognition awards in the blogosphere. The direction of my writing career led me to blogging so I dived in with a butt-load of hesitation and reluctance.

But now, almost two years later, I can say with all honesty I feel at home here. And what makes me feel at home is the remarkable peer recognition I receive from fellow writers, bloggers, friends, and colleagues.  

M.L. Swift (Mike) is one such remarkable person who makes me feel at home. He has graciously awarded me the Very Inspiring Blogger award for which I’m truly grateful. Grateful because this award, in particular, speaks to my goals for this blog—to inspire, uplift and entertain. Therefore, this award is very appropriate for that mission.

In order to accept this award I have to reveal seven random facts about myself, so grab your hip boots and try not to step in all the manure I’m about to dish out.

1. I cry at Babies R Us.

On the rare occasions I find myself in the aisles of Babies R Us, I get misty-eyed and melancholy of days of old. It reminds me of the tremendous amount of time I spent there when my boys were babies and of how their new baby smell, their toothless grins, their innocence is now forever gone. It deeply tugs at my heart.

2. My girlfriend and I went to Chicago O’Hare airport to pick up cute guys.

Back in my early twenties my girlfriend and I hopped in her Volkswagen Bug (or maybe it was my Buick Skyhawk) and drove to the airport hoping to meet some handsome, rich, jet-setters to whisk us away from our routine Illinois lives. Of course we found no jet-setters worthy of our time.

3. I jumped off a cliff into a lagoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

My husband and I (and other tourists) were riding horseback on a guided tour in the mountains (at the base of the mountains, not high up). One of the activities on the tour was cliff jumping. And considering I’m a mediocre swimmer, jumping off a cliff into a bed of water was stupidity and crazy madness.  But I did it. Though I never would’ve, had there not been life guards at the bottom of the cliff waiting to save us from drowning.

4. I speak fluent Spanish.

Not! But I would like to, and I plan to once I get my Rosetta Stone Foreign Language system.

5. I walked right past a snake in my house.

I thought it was a stick on the floor one of the kids brought into the house (like they always do) so I walked by it and thought nothing of it. Then from the corner of my eye I saw its head lift and its body slither down the hall. I stood screaming as I watched it slide under the doorway into the hall closet. Long story short, it was killed (not by me or my snake-fearing husband) by local southerners who are used to these kinds of incidents. Unfortunately, that’s something I’ll NEVER get used to here in the south. I’ve had way too many snake and other weird critter encounters since moving here, which I’ve never experienced back home in Illinois.

6.  I hit a man with my car.

Well, sort of. I was on a one-way street in the downtown area of my community and stopped at a red light. Needing to make a right turn, I checked the traffic to my left to see if it was safe to proceed, totally oblivious of the sign that read “NO TURN ON RED.” And of course there’s a stupid nice young man on the corner at my right waiting to cross the intersection and walks out in front of my car just as I take my foot off the brake and turn my head his way. The car rolls to a near miss of his legs as he leaps out of the way and I slam back on brakes. Of course, I was in the wrong. Of course, I apologized through my partially opened window. And, of course, he gave me the finger and shouted obscenities as he scurried to the other side of the street.   

7.  I’m in a fitness DVD.

Yes, it’s true and no autographs, please. In this DVD I’m decked out in my Nike sportswear garments and showing off my cycling, Zumba dance, and kickboxing skills. Okay, sure it’s just a promotional video for my local gym. And sure, it’s not just me but a crowd of other gym members strutting their stuff, too. And sure, you’d have to look very hard to even spot me. But I’m there. And my 15 minutes of fame is indisputable.

So there you have it, wayyy too much random info you didn’t need to know about me. Thanks again to M.L. Swift, and take a moment to stop by his blog for a friendly visit.

Tags: Chicago O'Hare, Cliff Jumping, Inpiring Blogger Award, Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Random Facts, Snakes
Posted in Living Life, Writing Journey | 24 Comments »

The Next Big Thing

Wednesday, December 5th, 2012

My literary friend and writer, M.L. Swift (aka Mike) asked if I would participate in a blog hop called The Next Big Thing, where I’d answer ten questions about one of the novels I’m writing.

The theory behind this being my manuscript could possibly be The Next Big Thing in the literary world and beyond. Okay.

Anyhoo, considering I hardly ever talk about writing on this blog, I figured this would be an opportunity to expose readers to a behind-the-scenes look at one of my manuscripts, or as we writers call it, my WIP—Work in Progress. (Yesterday’s post gave an excerpt of this WIP.)

And if you haven’t had a chance to do so, stop by M.L. Swift’s blog to get a taste of his flair on words. The guy is truly talented.

Here we go:

1.     What is the working title of your book?

A Little Bruised

2.   Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was brainstorming a new idea for a novel one day and the voices in my head wanted to explore the relationship between a widowed woman and her dead husband’s mistress. I wanted to find out if these two women could possibly develop an unshakeable and deeply rooted friendship.

3.   What genre does your book fall under?

Women’s Contemporary Fiction.

4.   Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Well I haven’t thought that far yet. The main character, Nyla, is a mixture of women I know, and so is the secondary character, Vivian. So if I had to choose actresses off the top of my head to fit these personalities, I’d say Angela Bassett and Sanaa Lathan, respectively.

Angela Bassett

Sanaa Lathan

5.   What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

The death of Nyla’s husband comes as a shock to everyone except Nyla, though what’s more shocking to Nyla is the brutally honest, deeply flawed and terribly devoted friendship she develops with her dead husband’s mistress in the aftermath of his death.

6.   If you plan to publish, will you self-publish or publish traditionally? 

I’ve been trying to get traditionally published for a few years now, and the gatekeepers won’t seem to open their doors for little ‘ol me, so I’m now exploring ALL my options.

7.   How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It generally takes me six months to a year to write a manuscript. Including edits and rewrites I get from my critique group during the first draft process. Having my critique group every step of the way during the first draft makes my second draft a lot less painful.

8.   What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors, so I would compare the tone of it to any of her books.

9.   Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Nothing in particular inspired me, it’s just an idea that popped into my head one day.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Considering the genre of this novel is Women’s Fiction, it touches on all the things women like to chew on, absorb, and be transformed by. It delivers the good, the bad, and the ugly women have to go through in order to get to where they’re going.

And now the final step of this blog hop is to select other bloggers and have them answer the exact same questions above about their WIPs. The three people I think could definitely become The Next Big Thing are:

• Susan Boswell at skirt.com/susan-boswell
• Melissa Kinnel at A 5-Minute Piece of My Mind
• Charlene Ross at charleneaross.wordpress.com

Thanks, ML, for the tag, and I look forward to reading the answers of these ladies I just tagged.

 Photo by Adamr

Tags: A Little Bruised -- Novel, Angela Bassett, Sanaa Lathan, Synopsis, WIP, Women's Contemporary
Posted in Writing Journey | 16 Comments »

You Got The Look

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

I decided to participate in an open call from Julie Luek’s blog where you show an excerpt of your Work In Progress (WIP). I thought this would be a perfect lead in for the blog post I’m doing tomorrow (12/5) called “The Next Big Thing.” More on that tomorrow. For now, let’s highlight “U Got The Look.”

Here’s how it works.

1. Do a search in your current WIP for the word “look” or any form of the word.
2. Copy and post the paragraphs surrounding the word “look.”

 __________________________________________________________

WIP Title:  A Little Bruised

Excerpt:

         Nathan is in the family room watching sports on TV. My handbag and car keys are on the foyer table next to the flower arrangement I sent myself yesterday for our twenty-third wedding anniversary. I grab my keys, my handbag, and open the front door. I pause in the doorway to look back over my shoulder, at the life I lived here. Then silently, almost invisibly, I walk out the door.

         I have no idea where I’m going. All I feel is the overwhelming burden of where I’ve been. The toll and heaviness of an undesired life. So for now, a hotel will have to do. One where no one can find me, and has big, fluffy pillows to hold my tears and muffle my screams. Tomorrow, when Nathan’s at work, I’ll go back for a few personal things. All I have now are the clothes on my back—clothes which are hanging wearily from my marriage-torn body.

         The truth of the matter is, I’m a murderer. I’ve killed the one person who could’ve saved me—myself. I’ve traveled down this lifeless road for far too long, and now I’m stuck in blandness. I miss the flavor of life. The pleasure and joy of actually feeling feelings, instead of faking feelings. Faking joy, faking happiness. I’m living life without the spice of life and it’s taking its toll.

         Nathan will be calling me when it becomes the middle of the night and I haven’t returned home. He’ll wonder where I am with a slight bit of concern. Or perhaps he’ll sleep like a corpse through the night and never give my absence a second thought. Either way, I’ve turned off my cell phone. His concern or lack of concern is no longer an issue for me.

____________________________________________________________

Thanks, Julie, for opening this meme up to all interested parties. It’s the perfect way to give readers a brief excerpt of my WIP in preparation for tomorrow’s blog topic.

Also to my regular blog readers, I realize you’re getting three, yes THREE blog posts in one week. And, no, I’m not on crack. Things will be back to normal next week.

Tags: A Little Bruised, Manuscript, WIP, Women's Contemporary Fiction, Work In Progress
Posted in Writing Journey | 11 Comments »