Hockey Season

It's hockey season! And that's a good thing.

Not that I am a particularily huge hockey fan. Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it, but for me it's more of a take it or leave it situation, and I usually leave it. However, my husband is a huge Chicago Blackhawks' fan. Which has worked out quite nicely for me lately.

Two to three times a week, he settles in on the couch to watch the puck drop, and I have fallen into the habit of settling down at my computer during these times to do some writing. It's really become a very productive routine. Last week I wrote over 20pages. Which for some of you may not seem like a lot, but given the fact that it's been months (like six) since I've put pen to paper (er...fingers to keyboard), I was pretty darn proud of myself.

And it's gotten me thinking about my latest sotry-line, so even when I don't have time to write (It's also the middle of basketball season, and being a cheerleading coach, this does directly involve me.), my mind is still going. I'm in that wonderful place where I'm jotting down notes and ideas here and there at various times so I don't forget them. I keep paper and pen in my purse and on my bedside table at all times now.

And I need to get moving on this manuscript. I recently sold my third book to The Wild Rose Press (entitled "This Can't Be Love"), so once that one is edited and ready to go, I need to have something new to pitch to my editor. And I'm meeting her in April. So that's my goal. To at least have a finished (although perhaps not completely polished) manuscipt by then.

So I'm rooting for the Hawks to make it into the playoffs and beyond. The longer hockey season lasts, the more time I have to write.

Until next time,

Happy Reading (and writing)!

Debra

www.debrastjohnromance.com

The Island of Delos by Margot Justes

About a thirty minute ferry ride from Mykonos is the island of Delos. And what an island it is. Uninhabited, that is not exactly true,there are approximately 25 people living there, but they are either archeologists or security personnel.

The island is bare, there are no snack shops, no hotels, no restaurants, the wind can whip up in a quick frenzy, it is in fact quite desolate. There is a museum where you can buy books and other Delos souvenirs, but that is the extent of the touristy trade.

What makes this island unique are the ruins. Amazing ruins. The whole island is covered with them. It is an immense site and one not easily forgotten.

Delos is said to be the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Archeological traces indicate the island was inhabited as early as 3000 B.C. Some of the ruins are so well preserved that you can actually imagine what the structures looked like and how they were utilized.

From the Doric Temple of Isis to the Archaic Lions, the mosaic floors, the sites are truly inspiring.

Off the beaten path, I observed an archeologist crouched on a low portable chair, a pad and pencil in hand as he meticulously measured something on the ground and then put it on paper. I snuck up on him and watched as he quietly continued his research. Time stood still and the serenity on the island was disturbed only by the fierce wind.

If you ever find yourself in Mykonos, do take the time to visit Delos. I promise, you will not be disappointed, you will in fact be enthralled. However, do wear comfortable shoes, the terrain is brutal.

Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris

On Becoming An Artful Writer by Robert W. Walker

Martin Scorscese was awarded a special life's work Golden Globe award for directing films, and his acceptance speech was a long eulogy to all those who came before him, all those he learned from and built upon. Ever watch a young artist at work? Go to any museum and you will find a young painter at an easel set up before one of the Masters—Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso, Rembrandt. A look over the student's shoulder shows that she's not painting just anything, but rather she is attempting to duplicate the master artist's method, trying to determine precisely how the artist in question used line, shape, light, shadow, brush stroke, color, medium, pick, pencil, charcoal—the whole of it. A student of art learns skills, tools, and techniques via mimicry and imitation, or if you prefer stealing—focusing so closely on how Renoir did it to learn it and own it. The how and why of the masters has to be harnessed. Even if one doesn't care for Picasso's art, one needs to know how he pulled it off. Writers do the same, but they do so via voracious reading. As a writer reads, so shall he reap. Learning the art of establishing shots, openings, dialogue, settings, character, plot, props, symbols, metaphor, simile, texture, depth, color, tone and the marriage of all the parts amounts to working on a PhD in Letters. Steinbeck liked to say, "I'm just a storyteller" and that's all well and good, but he was also an artist to learn from—a writer's writer in other words. Writers who succeed in finding their own brush stroke(s) or style do so by closely examining and trying their hand at crafting words in the "voice" of various writing masters—either consciously or unconsciously. All artists in all fields build on the backs of those who came before. Even the genius Shakespeare built upon playwrights who came before. For the struggling, thrashing young writer mimicry and imitation is the wisest form of flattery if one is to eventually learn from the masters and succeed. This success is measured in how far the young writer then moves on to find his own voice. In short, read it, study it, steal it, own it, and use it. As a crime writer, thievery comes easy. Look at E.B. White's description of the barn and later the rope in Charlotte's Web. The method he uses—simple, straightforward, making a singsong of the verb WAS—has become for me a tool I use when called for. I read those depictions and studied White. I can now move others with a simple description when I need it, where I need it in my own work. Does it harm White that I stole his method for my purposes? No, not at all, and I have no reason to apologize. My first novel was to be the sequel to Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, and I never looked back. Whether you plan to write literature or genre fiction, it behooves one to challenge oneself to learn the tools and skills of the masterful hand at work. The student writer has to set up his easel before the master, be it Dickens, Dumas, Austen or Dean R. Koontz, and put that understanding into actual practice—as in writing a chapter of Twain or Hemmingway, or Faulkner, trying out all the various ranges from simplicity to complexity and back again: the serpentine sentence to the hammer blow of a two-word declaration. Try out the extremes. Test and challenge oneself with the two-step of an O'Henry or the beauty of a Chekov. If it's Stephen King you wish to unseat, you do a chapter of King. It's your story in Kingly style. The point is any struggling writer can and should learn from the classics and the masters just as painters, sculptors, poets, and film directors learn. I for one am still learning, but thanks to those who came before me, I have learned a great deal, and I owe homage to them all. Thanks and do leave a comment, and find my 8 Free chapters of Children of Salem at www.authonomy.com and Dead On at a bookstore near you. Rob www.robertwalkerbooks.com

Going to the Dogs by Morgan Mandel

You may see more Rascal pics on my blogs off and on. That's because I'm going to the dogs, well, kind of.

I'm trying to piece together a children's lesson book with Rascal as the star. It's slow going since I've never done a children's book before. I need to learn such basics as how large the pages are, and all kinds of other not-as-much-fun things that drags down the process.

Since I'm not as organized as I'd like to be, I've had to hunt down all my Rascal photos. They've been hiding in all sorts of digital photo albums on two computers. Anyway, I think I may have them all, or close to it. I've copied them onto a memory stick, so I can pick and choose from them for illustrations.

Most of my videos of her are on Youtube, so at least I know where they are, thank goodness. Tonight, I was working in Microsoft Publisher, Adobe CS4 and Adobe Elements 7. As you can tell, I was all over the place, trying to get my bearings. It's got to get better. Well, at least I hope so. I'll keep you apprised of my successes and obstacles in the project.

What about you? Have you written either a children's or a book about a dog? Or, maybe you've included a dog in an adult novel. Please share.

Brainstorming by June Sproat

This past week I had the pleasure of dining with fellow Acme Author Margot Justes. Not only did we have a wonderful meal, but we had a great gab session. Writing is a very solitary occupation so when we get to chat it’s great.

I was stuck on my historical. I knew the basic plot. I had the hero’s conflict/problem, the heroine’s conflict/problem, the overall story plot, but how was I going to make it all work?

Yep, that’s right. I had a great idea; I started to expand on it and bam – brick wall! So I met with Margot, who’d read what I’d written so far and didn’t think it was awful. (Thanks again for that, Margot.) Here’s how the conversation went:

Margot: “So what’s the problem?”
Me: “I have no idea how the hero finds out the secrets.”
Margot: “Oh, yeah, so what are you going to do?”
Me: “I have no idea! That’s why we’re here.”
Margot: “Right. Do you want some bread?”

Okay, it wasn’t exactly like that, but we did talk about the book for about an hour and you know what? We figured it out. Between the two of us, tossing ideas back and forth, we figured how my hero learned the secrets from his family’s past. We also discovered two new characters that would assist with the plot. By the time I got home the characters that are living in my head were chattering so much I couldn’t sleep!! Now I just have to find the time to get it all down on paper.

We chatted about Margot’s next book too; A Hotel in Bath which I was allowed to read and it is fabulous. She also let me in on the third book in the series – she is so good at romantic suspense. I am so fortunate to have a friend like Margot. I couldn’t do it without you.

Brainstorming – it’s a great thing.

Thanks Margot and everyone else -- thanks for reading

Best
~June

www.junesproat.com

Beating the Winter Blahs

Okay, I realize we're only a month in to it, but winter is starting to depress me. All of the beautiful while snow is just about gone, leaving dirty, yucky black snow in its aftermath. The holidays are over. And the sun is rarely seen these days. Today it's raining.

To be honest, it's getting me a little down. I'm starting to feel grey like the outdoors.

So to beat those winter blahs my hubby and I have been using that most traditional of all cures...laughter.

At the moment, we are hooked on the hit comedy series "The Office". If you've never seen it, I highly recommend giving it a try. There are some episodes that make us laugh until we cry. It's that good. We started by DVRing all of the reruns as they're on several times a day, but over the course of the last month (Gotta love Christmas and birthday gifts!) we've obtained the first five seasons on DVD. Now we can watch whenever the mood strikes us...without commercials. I think one day over Christmas break we watched 12 episodes. Whenever we need a pick-me-up, we pop a disc in, and for 20 minutes (or those bonus 40 minute editions) we can lose ourselves in the healing power of laughter. The exploits of Jim, Pam, Michael, Dwight, and crew certainly do that for us.

TV, books, and movies often work like that. Whether we need a good laugh, a good cry, a good scare, some pulse-pounding action, or simply a heart-warming story, immersing ourselves in the world of fiction can help to brighten our day, no matter what the weather is like outside.

Wouldn't it be great if someday, when asked, "What do you do to beat those winter blues?", people all over the world would say, "Oh, I curl up with a Debra St. John book and lose myself in the story."?

A girl can dream, can't she?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra

www.debrastjohnromance.com

Mykonos by Margot Justes

The water lapping the shore, the beaches along the coast primed for tourists, the cafes and restaurants all facing the deep blue water, the caress of a gentle breeze, the radiant sun warming your soul; all is well with the world. At least the world of Mykonos.

I only spent about three very short hours in Mykonos, but they were memorable hours. I walked the length of the beach in the center of town and of course stopped in the obligatory shops, just because you have to stop, it's the touristy thing to do, and never let it be said I'm not a tourist. Nor were the cafes neglected, just in case there were any questions about my coffee addiction, I happen to love Greek coffee, sweet. Very sweet.

It has been said that Mykonos is one of the most beautiful islands of the Cyclades. It's history is vague, but somewhere around 1207 and 1390 the island was ceded to Ghisi family. There is also a record that at some point in time the inhabitants turned to piracy. By the 18th century the island established an economic presence and today tourists provide a great deal of economic prosperity. Of course there is more to the rich and vibrant island, but I'm only writing a blog.

There are some 400 churches on the island, the most renowned is the Virgin Paraportiani, and of course let's not forget the famous Windmills, as they beckon the ferries, boats, ships and anything else floating in the water. Up close and personal they are huge and oddly welcoming.

Next week, the reason I only spent three hours in Mykonos-the island of Delos-an island like no other.

Till next time,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris