Entering the World

No, I'm not talking about birth. I'm talking about writing. The cool thing about writing is that you create your own world. It doesn't matter if you're writing science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, historical; the world of the novel is yours even if you base it in reality. You have to know your world to write the story. I lose myself in the world of the story. I sometimes have to remember that the reader doesn't necessarily care about the color of the wallpaper in the bathroom even if I can see it vividly. I have to let the reader do some of the work, to get invested in the story and use his or her own imagination to fill in the images.

The same thing happens to me when I read. I can see the story from the words. They won't be the same images that the author had when he or she wrote the story, but that doesn't matter. Reading is a active thing and requires participation from the reader. At least a good book will require participation. That's one of the reasons I don't like movies made from books (although if Hollywood wants to film one of my novels, I'm all for it). The images and actors just don't match the picture in my head. Not that some movies from books aren't great. Some are; but I can think of only two movies from books that I liked better viewing than reading. One was Seabiscuit; the other was The DaVinci Code.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley
True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson
The Third Circle by Amanda Quick
Nerds Like it Hot by Vicki Lewis Thompson
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

The Magic

When I'm writing, I always doubt that I can fill one page much less the thirteen through twenty that constitute a chapter. Even when I know what's going to happen, I doubt that the pages will be enough, especially since I am a short writer to begin with (And that has nothing to do with height). And then I start writing. Basically I'm just describing the pictures in my head and transcribing the dialogue I hear there. Not that it's a smooth and easy process. Sometimes the "film" breaks, or the projectionist takes a break, or the film is fed into the machine (Yes, this is old fashioned stuff here--no DVD's) wrong so the film isn't clear or runs ratchety. But the chapter grows and I am always amazed by how much I get on paper. Soon I worry that I'm going to overrun the chapter by five or six pages, because there's always so much more to tell. But eventually it always works out and my chapter is complete and the right length.

I call this the Magic. The story keeps playing in my head and all I have to do is get it on paper. Or computer if we're trying to modernize the process here.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson
Fast and Loose by Elizabeth Bevarly

Interruptions and the Real World

The worst thing about being a writer is when your characters are waiting to jump on the page, the plot is wanting to pour out of you, and you can't sit down at the computer. The real world intrudes. The dishes need to be done. Toilets must be scrubbed, laundry has piled up to its limit, the floor can't be walked on without boots, and more. OK, not to be gross, but my house needed attention. And worse, my day job requires me to work at home this weekend. I have tests to correct. The Real World is a drag when my fantasy one is calling.

But at least the story is there and the magic exists. What a great feeling.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
All of Me by Lori Wilde
Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas

Two weeks...

and still flying. Good news, getting validation and having someone believe in your ability to tell stories does wonders for the ego.

I've already started work on the next book and have made good progress. Unfortunately I have a day job that gets in the way of writing--like the essays I have to correct right now. But only five more weeks until summer vacation and then I can turn into Super Writer Woman. I plan to have the rough draft of book two done by RWA National (hope to see some of you there.)

Odd how when you are involved with schools (as a parent, as a teacher, as a student), the year begins and ends with the school schedule, not the calendar. I keep trying to tell my students that the way we measure time is arbitrary anyway. It's for our convenience, without any real meaning. We could rework a clock to have ten hours, consisting of 100 minutes of 100 seconds each (they wouldn't be hours and minutes as we understand them now). Who designed this weird 24 hours, 60 minutes, 60 second thing anyway (I know, I know, the Babylonians)? Just as it would be easy to have one time zone for the world and we could simple do things at different times--In England they eat breakfast at 7:00 AM, while in California they would eat at 3:00PM, when it would be morning in California. No more resetting your watch. And different cultures already have different year counters--The Jewish calendar, the Chinese calendar, the Mayan calendar which claims the world will end in 2012 (actually this isn't true at all--the Mayan calendar doesn't predict the end of the world at all, but I won't go into that here).

So back to the two weeks. I've sold again, and I'm still thrilled no matter how you measure it.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Some like it Wild by Teresa Medeiros
Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman

News, news, news

I'm baaaack. My agent has just finished negotiating a three book deal with TOR for my contemporary paranormal series, The Time of Transition. Every seventy-five years, the safeguards between the magical world and the human world are weakened as a new group of protectors are put in place. This time, someone is trying to take over. It'll take three special women to keep the entire world safe. Don't mess with them. They are the next Fairy Godmothers!

These three books are lighter paranormals with a lot a fun and seriousness in them. TOR is changing the titles of the novels, and I don't know yet what they will be, and I'm taking on a pen name, which I will release here if you want to follow me, but the release dates are May 2010, April 2011, and March 2012.

I can't tell you how excited I have been this past week as negotiations were underway. And I can't tell you how thrilled I am with my agent. And I can't tell you how thrilled I am being a TOR author.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
In Golden Blood by Stephen Woodworth
So Enchanting by Connie Brockway
What a Lady Wants by Victoria Alexander
Waltzing with Tumbleweeds by Dusty Richards

Fear

To catch you up...I didn't get the job in Australia. They picked a bunch of young people. Not one appears over the age of thirty. Which has totally turned me off from even looking at the site any longer. No that there's anything wrong with young people, but please, not a single applicant was qualified who has some life experience?

Anyway, enough grousing. I'm here to talk about fear. Rebuilding a career is a scary thing. I found an agent and she's terrific. She's already sent off my manuscript. And I'm filled with fear. Of two kinds. First is that fear of rejection. What if I'm rejected everywhere (which despite everyone's kind words is a distinct possibility). It isn't the rejection itself I fear. It's that my agent will then say, What was I thinking? and dump me. The second fear is the I will be published again.
There is a fear of success that no one talks about. It's a frightening thing to realized that if success happens your life will change. Change isn't always easy.

But at least it adds excitement.

And I'm looking forward to the opportunity to experience the change. (Wait...that sounds like menopause)
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Dogs and Goddesses by Crusie, Stuart and Rich
Tick Tock by Dean Koontz
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Dead after Dark by Kenyon, Ward, Squires, and Love

And now for something completely different...

Speaking of dreams...

I don't know how many of you remember around the middle of January, the news reported on "The Best Job in the World." It's the position of "caretaker" on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Queensland Tourism is actually looking for someone to live on the island for six months, do touristy things and blog and report on it. To apply, one has to create and post a video on line.

Well...I did it. The odds are certainly not in my favor (they've had over 15,000 applicants), but what the heck. I had a good time making the video and dreaming big. So if you want to see my video you can click on the link below and view my application for "The Best Job in the World."

http://www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/xmkhAGLTl44

How awesome would this job be????

--Gabi
Also reading:
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig (I got interrupted by Rita judging)

Good News

I'm happy to announce I've been taken on as a client by the Marlene Stringer Agency. It's exciting to be starting this new phase in my writing career and I'm ready for the challenge.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Dogs and Goddesses by Crusie, Stuart, and Lane
Pandora's Box by Natale Stenzel
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz

Froth

I write froth. Fluff. Brain candy. You name it. And I'm proud of it. OK, my critique partners say that my books have definite depth and emotion and that I get into some heavy areas, but, you know, my taste in reading leans absolutely to works that make me chuckle (I like my movies that way too) or are uplifting (Think SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION or SECOND HAND LIONS).

Now I honestly believe that everyone has different tones that are their favorites, but personally I HATE books where the characters have so much baggage that they need porters to help them move from scene to scene. I will fight for your right to read and enjoy such books, but don't force them on me.

If I'm reading a romance, I don't want heaviness. That doesn't mean no villains--I love a good villain--that doesn't mean no suspense--I love a good suspense--but it does mean that I get turned off by a hero who comes from an abused childhood who has beaten an adult drug addiction , who pairs off with a heroine who's been raped by her foster parent and then spent the rest of her childhood in and out of institutions. Not that such histories don't have a lot to be admired, but that's not the reason I read romance. I read for total escapism. Too much reality ruins it for me.

I have accepted that my books will probably never reach the status of "great" American literature because of my tastes, but they're MY tastes and I don't have to justify them to anyone. Doesn't mean that I don't have themes in my novels--I do. My last novel's theme was "all gifts have a price" (along the lines of "all decisions have a consequence") and I've often written the theme that "home is not a place, it's a person". Themes are the great universal truths that I (again this is about me) believe in.

Anyway, I write the books I would like to read. If you're looking for angst; deep, soul-wrenching pain; or people overcoming insurmountable (which I never believe the characters can overcome--why do you think they're called "insurmountable"?) problems, find another author.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
RITA books are finished
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves

The Stomach Flu

That's right. I was laid low by the bug. For twenty-four hours I didn't eat, I was racked with fever, and I slept (and a few other things that don't belong in a refined blog such as this). But the throes of illness are over, and I'm weak but fine, even if I can never eat sunflower seeds, frozen thin crust pizza and artichoke hearts again.

Have you ever noticed while in the delusions of illness, your thoughts are strange. I tried to watch a movie (Made of Honor, in case you are interested) and every time I tilted my head the story made no sense. I had to watch it sitting straight up and focusing. This is not a comment on the movie itself, but on the way my head was working. The movie made perfect sense when my head was straight. So I started pondering about the way we view our world and the skewed images we get of things. Not the best subject to dwell upon when you have a fever of 103.

Luckily, I slept again and all I can remember is having the thoughts, but not the thoughts themselves. Or maybe not so lucky. Who knows what profundity has been lost to the generations because I didn't have the presence of mind to jot my thoughts down as I was having them. Of course, I don't think I could have grasped a pen at that point.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
My Rita entries (to judge)...four down four to go and I'm still not telling you the titles.

Winter

It's cold. Not so much for me as the rest of the country, but it's still cold. My daughters are off in Massachusetts and Georgia. One picked MA because she liked winter (OK, that wasn't the only criterion for her college choice) and the other picked GA because she didn't. I called both of them to see how they're liking the weather. One is loving the 3 degrees Fahrenheit because she now has a coat that keeps her warm (Don't get me started. We told her that she needed a coat, but she waited until she came home for Winter break when we could get her one for Christmas), and the other is complaining , although she got a coat as well, about the 30 degrees that Atlanta has been suffering.

I don't mean to make light of the cold. People are hurting out there, but I've never been a fan of winter. Oh, I thought that perhaps I could enjoy winters (I went through several in Illinois, New York, and Colorado in my life), but the best part of winter for me has always been sitting inside where it's warm and drinking hot chocolate. I could never understand paying tons of money to strap slats onto one's feet and brave snow covered slopes (Not to mention going too fast, but that's another issue entirely). Of course, it easily could be that I'm the crazy one.

So this winter I'm dreaming of sun soaked beaches, islands surrounded by blue water, and warmth. I don't have that either. More's the pity. And we won't even discuss how I find scuba diving and snorkeling safe as opposed to skiing.

Stay warm,
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig
My RITA books...all seven of them

Odd Thoughts

Happy 2009!

I hate to say it. I'm looking forward to getting back to the work routine. Not that I didn't love the break, because I did, but with family here, the daughters home from college, I didn't accomplish half of what I had wanted to. So I'm actually looking forward to returning to school and teaching. This is a first for me. I know exactly what I am teaching (Huck Finn--which, as a complete aside, fills me with terror that some day I'll switch letters on the title or character, as I am prone to do, and say something completely inappropriate for eighth graders), I'll have my office back (as soon as one daughter goes back to college) and, I guess I have to admit it, gives me a reason not to sleep in. I love sleeping in.

So new year, new possibilities, but as I've written here before, I believe newness can come at any time. This is just a convenient time to dwell upon it because of the calendar.
--Gabi


Books I'm reading now:
Eclispe by Stephanie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
The Spearwielder's Tale (3 novels) by R.A. Salvatore
Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey

Integrity

I don't usually like to blog about serious or downer subjects, but this one is getting me down. Lately my writers' loops have been filled with links to sites that upload copyrighted material and allow you to download books for free. This is stealing. Ok, maybe you don't have sympathy for the "big" publishing houses, but it's also stealing from the author, and as an author I can tell you that my writing "income" hasn't been "income" in any year--not when I was published by a big NY house, nor when I was published by a small press.

What's the difference between reading a book on line from someone's free upload or going to the library to take out a book. Well, the library had to buy a copy or several copies of a book and has a limited area of access. A book uploaded reaches the entire world...at least where you can get internet. If every library in the US bought my books to have on their shelves I would be thrilled. My book available as a free download off the internet... not so much. I spend six months working on a manuscript (sometimes longer, sometimes less). It IS work, and while I write because I love to write, you're stealing from me if you're downloading it for free. You wouldn't dream of taking somebody's painting and hanging it on your wall without paying for it. You wouldn't dream of asking a chef to cook for you for free. Why do you think it is your right to steal my books without compensation?

Of course, I'm not a big enough author to worry about free downloads, but that's not the point. The point is doing the right thing. What has happened to integrity? Is it no longer considered a virtue? Is cheating OK now? A study recently came out that showed that 64% of students have cheated on tests, 36% have plagiarized, yet 94% were satisfied with their ethics (David Crary Associated Press, December 1, 2008). Look at the fat cats CEO's bankrupting their own companies while walking away with their golden parachutes of millions of dollars. Look at the mud slinging in the latest election.

Maybe that's why I like fiction, especially genre fiction, so much. In my books, good guys win, and bad guys get their just deserts. Ahh, the Polyanna in me.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Flashback by Nevada Barr
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennfier Crusie and Bob Mayer
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (yes, again)

The Post Thanksgiving Blahs

I cooked, I ate, I shopped; it was good. But now I'm still battling whatever made me ill last week (not a cold, slight fever, a cough deep in my chest, and thank you, but I don't need a diagnosis) and I have to get back to work tomorrow.

So the blahs have hit. I know, I know, I could start decorating for the next holidays, but my husband hasn't even removed the Halloween stuff from our living room yet (Yes, I know I could do it, but do I want to?) So instead I'm taking today to wallow (and correct homework papers) and just enjoy being out of sorts for a day.

On the other hand, the writing is going well. This historical feels like coming home and slipping into something comfortable. Of course, if my paranormal sells, I will love to write the next two stories that are in my head. Let's just say, I really feel like a writer first and a teacher second, a good place to be.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading:
The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts
Tall, Dark, and Texan by Jodi Thomas
Deep South by Nevada Barr
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

T-shirts and bumper stickers

I don't wear T-shirts often, except when I'm at home or I work out (which should tell you how rarely I wear T-shirts. I know, I know, I should work out more) and I don't put stickers on my car except when I have to, but that doesn't mean I don't like the sayings printed on these two media. I'm a sucker for a good pun or witty turn of phrase. So here is a random sample of some of my favorites:

I am the Grammarian about whom your mother warned you.
I am an English major (you do the math).
National Sarcasm Society (Like we need your support)
There are 10 types of people who understand binary: those who do and those who don't.
Visualize Whirled Peas
When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.
Hyperbole is the best thing ever

And for you cat lovers, this is a warning. Don't read the following!

So many cats, so few recipes

(Don't send me hate mail. It made me laugh. I can't help it if I have a sick sense of humor.)

So, do you have any favorites?
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Dark of the Moon by Susan Krinard
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Ill Wind by Nevada Barr

Changes

No, this isn't a blog about the election (And how many people did you have calling your house today to vote? We stopped counting at 16). It's about changes and the things we want to change and the changes that are thrust upon us.

Too often we are complacent in our lives and not wanting to risk anything that might upset the status quo. But I believe, and I always have, that most change is good. It helps you grow, it helps you learn, it helps you live. Change can be painful, but in most changes bring positive energy into your life. At least they have in mine.

I've been meditating why lately I've been afraid to take those risks that bring change. Goodness knows, I would enjoy a change in my life right now (and no, I'm not talking about changing husbands or children for that matter). And I guess I've had change--my daughters are off at college, but that really was just a natural extension of events--but I'm looking for some sort of personal change. I have set some wheels in motion, so now I an actively pursueing a change. I'm certainly ready for a change in the writing career.

So, Universe, are you listening? I'm ready for a change.
--Gabi

--Books I'm reading now:
Men in Kilts by Katie MacAlister
The Undead Next Door by Kerilyn Sparks

Red River again

It's that time of year again. To leave the the city and head for the mountains of New Mexico and Red River. Our annual writers' retreat (our non-conference) happens this weekend, and I am looking forward to it. And the ducks. Gotta love the ducks.

Watch this space for a rejuvenated me after I return.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
The Warrior by Kinley McGregor
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

A Pet Peeve

As many of you know, I speak three languages. One of my biggest pet peeves is when authors or movies or TV shows speak in a language I know and the language is wrong. Case in point: Chicago (the film of the musical). Not until the second viewing did I realize that the one innocent woman on death row (who gets hanged) is supposed to be speaking Hungarian. The accent was atrocious, the intonation abysmal, and the words barely understandable. My mother, who is native born Hungarian, didn't believe me when I told her they speak Hungarian in the movie. I showed her the scene and she didn't understand a word. Keep in mind that my mother still reads books in Hungarian and most of her friends are Hungarian and she speaks Hungarian every day.
If the producers spent that much money making a movie, the least they could have done is hire someone who speaks the language and fix it!

The same thing happened in a book I read recently. The story takes place in Germany (Prussia, which in the story is right next to the Black Forest!). The German was wrong from the start. None of the nouns were capitalized, and the word endings were wrong in spots. But my first real guffaw came when the hero called the heroine "messe," and she said in English something like, "Yes, I am messy. Just look at me." And the hero said, "No, I mean messe. Messe means fair in German. " Well, it does...only it means a fair like a state fair or a convention. It's a noun, not an adjective.

It got better (or worse; opinions may vary). During a love scene, the hero is kissing her and using German words like Liebchen (which is fine, except it wasn't capitalized), and messe (Again, and it wasn't capitalized as nouns are in German), but the worst was when he used the word Leiche (not capitalized). The author must have used a German/English dictionary to find the word body. Leiche is body...only it means dead body or corpse. Good thing I wasn't drinking milk at the time. Would have had fountains from my nose.

I have written a novel with Spanish in it, and I freely admit that I don't speak Spanish, but I had three different native speakers translate and check it for me. It isn't that hard to find native speakers of a language. This author should have found one.

And now, back to work.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart
Never Romance a Rake by Liz Carlyle

Short stories

We have just finished our short story unit at school (you do know I'm a teacher by day, right?), and my students had to write their own short story for class. I gave them prompts, but they also had the option of writing something of their own. For the second year, I joined them in the writing. I have great respect for short story writers. It isn't an easy task. To write a truly great short story requires discipline and talent. A short story has to pack so much into just a few pages. Mine have turned out to be three and five pages respectively. Like my romances, they spring into my head almost fully formed.

The odd thing is that unlike my romances, which I hope have humor and wit and lightness, my short stories turn out rather twisted and dark. Hmmm. I wonder what that says about me.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
The Daughters Grimm by Minda Webber
Where's My Hero Anthology by Lisa Kleypass, Julia Quinn, and Kinley McGregor

The Political Beast

The U.S. is getting close to an election that I believe will be very important. I've tried to stay away from politics on this blog because I believe that my blog was just for getting to know me and my writing and other sundry things, but I'm almost to the point of letting loose here.

Normally I love to argue politics with family and friends, but I get highly passionate and incensed when I do so. Although I may seem upset, I have never felt any less toward anyone who argues against me or disagrees with my views. I may laugh at them to myself afterwards, but I've never lost a friendship over politics. I also prefer to argue in person with people that I'm comfortable with, not put myself out there for the world to see. I do that enough with my books.

But politics is ugly. Always has been, always will be. I don't like ugliness (I'm not talking about appearances here). And now it's become divisive. I can't believe some people think the way they do. Actually I believe they aren't thinking because if they did they wouldn't vote they way they plan to.

So although I hold strong opinions about this upcoming election, I'm keeping them to myself. I won't change anyone's mind who doesn't think like me, and if they already think like me, Why argue? But I do plan to vote.

I just can't believe this election is at all close and considered a legitimate and valid electoral race.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley