[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

~~~~

Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 12/27/12 ~ and…

…this is my last entry for 2012. Wow. Where did the year go?! Weren’t we just celebrating Independence Day? 🙂

Maybe not. But time sure has flown the past year and, looking back, I have a lot to be grateful for, both in my professional and personal life. The year hasn’t been all sun and roses but the good things so far outweigh the bad that I can’t help but focus today’s list on the good.

A Year in Review….

1.  I finally launched my writing career and place my stories in reader hands.  I had been focused solely on my romantic suspense series — which I’m still working on — but my wonderful critique partners convinced me that I had stories on both the light and dark sides of romance that readers would enjoy.  So, on Valentine’s Day, I debuted my first romantic comedy, SATIN PLEASURES, on Amazon. This book was one that did well in the traditional markets, even won a few impressive accolades in writing contests, but there was never an open spot for it with traditional publishers.  It made sense to give new life to one of my favorite contemporary stories. One, BTW, that was a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist!

2.  The decision to release SATIN PLEASURES exclusively on Amazon turned out to be a good one. Although I did get the story into other formats for a time, I ended up coming back to Amazon because that’s where I found my readers.  I sponsored three separate FREE days on Amazon over the year so that readers could sample my work. One of those times, I hit Amazon’s Best Selling list at #1 for two consecutive days. I can’t tell you how it felt knowing my story had been downloaded to so many Kindles. It was like hitting the jackpot. I ran around the house in a state of stunned confusion for nearly a week. Things like that just don’t happen to me. Now, if even half of those readers actually read it — we all know how many download books never to read them — I’ll be a happy writer.

3.  I’ve learned a LOT about social media and being my own boss this past year. Nothing like jumping into the deep end, feet first, and then learning to swim!  This was quite a shock to me.  I’d aimed at the traditional markets for years and thought I was prepared for the concept of self-publishing — I do have over 30 years in business management, being my own boss, too — but I didn’t have a clue what it would entail to connect with readers on my own. But, decision made, I waded into the fray and built a reader base on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Triberr, my blog and website. I have to admit there were days I railed at the necessity because it takes so much time from my writing, which is really what I’d love to do all day, every day, but it’s getting easier. It only takes me the morning to get through my social media, eight emails, nine Yahoo Groups lists, and a partriiiidge in a pear tree! 🙂

4.  Another first for me this year was my attempt to write a shorter story. Those who know me know that I write lonnnnnnng. My romantic suspense is going to top out at 90,000 plus…I think.  Even the thought of writing anything shorter than 50,000 words gave me hives. My romantic comedies are around that word count. So, I could never envision myself writing shorter, and you know what they say about saying “never”! I had a Christmas story pop into my head at the end of October and decided to aim for a short story…or allow it to tear at my psyche for an entire ‘nother year. CATCH THAT SANTA ended up being longer than I intended, almost a full novella length, but it was the shortest story I’ve ever told and it released the day after Thanksgiving. It was exciting to know that I could actually do it. I’ve decided to try to write Holiday Shorts periodically, just for the fun of shaking things up a bit.   I already have a Valentine’s Day story niggling at my brain so we’ll see how it goes!

5.  On the personal front, I’m getting my health ducks in a row. Been working on losing weight and getting back on my feet. Literally.  Spending the past two years essentially shutting down my activities prompted me and my docs into working harder to get my health back. I was fortunate to connect with superb orthopedic surgeon who gave me a whole new left knee for Christmas. I’m in physical therapy for next month or so, then it’s time to do the other knee. By springtime, this woman’s going to be as close to dancing as she can get!  If nothing else, I’ll be on the back of a motorcyle with my dear husband and able to do some exploring again.  🙂

Looking forward into 2013….

1.  I HAVE to finish KILLING SECRETS!!!! Soon. It may mean I have to put off writing the Valentine’s short story, but I need to turn my complete attention to finishing this first romantic suspense in the Thorne’s Thorns series.  Like my readers, I’m eager to see it completed. I finally opened up the file last night for first time in two months and read the first seven chapters through. I LOVE this story and think you will, too.  I’m setting a personal deadline of January 31st to get it done. I doubt I’ll have my second knee surgery before then so I’d like to finish it and get it published before I get sidetracked by health issues again. Cross your fingers!

2. If I have the time around KILLING SECRETS, I want to write my Valentine’s Day romantic comedy short story. But, if it comes to making a choice, my time’s going to belong to the suspense story. So, we’ll see.

3.  I figure my next knee surgery will  be scheduled around mid-February. This one is liable to lay me up a bit longer since it’s my right knee and the one that’s kept me mobile for past 5 years. Guess we’ll see how much rehab I can get into my left knee, huh?

4.  After KILLING SECRETS is done, I already have KILLING PROOF queued up.  Ben and Cynthia’s story is already started so picking it up next just makes sense. Ben is the second brother of the six who will get their own stories.

5.  I’ve purchased a Dragon Writer program for my computer so I can save my hands and wrists. I intend to upload and master this program as soon as possible. It’s going to be weird reading my story out loud into a computer and I’m a bit intimidated at the thought of my husband or kids or grandkids walking into my office in the middle of a racy or murder scene. Maybe I need to have a clock on the door with hands that point to the kind of scene I’m writing telling them to walk in at their own risk! LOL

6.  I’m going to explore new ways to connect with my readers. I’ve been essentially doing my promo solo, and I need to look into what a publicist might be able to help me with. After all, I’m a writer, not an advertising exec! (Do you hear Bones talking in your heads? I do! 🙂 ) The more time I can devote to my writing, the happier this writer will be.

7.  I do have another full-length romantic comedy in my head that I’d like to finish in 2013, too. I want to get the first two suspense books out first, though, so don’t know the timing on the comedy.  Aiming for early/mid summer.

I wish I could see past the summer months in 2013, but I’m still trying to get a handle on the current writing schedule around my personal and health things. I do know I’ll publish at least three stories in 2013. Four would be gravy.  Five? Not completely out of bounds if I write a couple of shorts and wrestle my schedule into line.

Ack! Who am I kidding? If my schedule could be wrestled, it would be. I’m just happy to HAVE a schedule I can manage for now.

I would like to wish every one of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope it’s everything you want it to be, that you realize your dreams and find the happiness you all deserve.

See you next Thursday — and a New Year — for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

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Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 12/13/12 ~ and…

I’ve had an exciting and fun filled couple of weeks.  If you’re a regular reader, you know I didn’t post a diary entry last week because I was in the hospital getting a new knee.  Now, one week later I’m doing extremely well, using a cane, and wondering why in the world I waited so long to do this. 🙂 I’m already looking forward to getting the other knee done in about six weeks. But, that isn’t even the best part of what’s happened since my last diary entry.

I am happy to introduce my daughter, JM Kline, and her first YA (Young Adult) story!!!  She’s working on a complete paranormal (shape shifter) series that promises to be spectacular but, for the holiday, she’s releasing a short Christmas story that will give you a taste of the world she’s creating. And, yes, I may be biased, but I think you’re going to love her stories.

THE CHRISTMAS SHIFT, Now Available on Amazon!!!

It’s Christmas Eve, and Holly Barry’s seventeenth birthday. This is the year she will shape-shift for the first time, and she is terrified of what she may change into. The holidays are already a hard time for her, missing her mother’s Christmas cheer. Her embarrassing seasonal name doesn’t help matters. Her dad doesn’t seem to understand Holly’s reluctance, and decorates to his heart’s content.

When Holly shifts into something truly grotesque, she has to find the Christmas spirit. Will she discover it in time to make dreams come true?

 ~~~~

JM Kline was born in Colorado, and was raised to love books by her mom, a published author. While she grew up reading many different genres, anything with paranormal or fantasy elements caught her eye most often. She grew up writing fantastic stories about Rindercella and her Prince, talking monkeys, and fairy princesses. 

I sat up in bed and held my breath. I waited to hear the noise again.

Thump. Thump. Jingle.

Yup, that was it. I got out of bed and pulled my curtains back. The sun was just beginning to come up from behind downtown Denver in the east.

Thump. Thump. Jingle.

“Seriously, what is that?” I threw my fuzzy pink slippers on my feet and ran downstairs. I opened the front door and walked sideways down the walk so I could see the roof.

Nothing there.

Then my dad’s head poked up over the peak. “Good morning, Holly! Did I wake you?”

I rolled my eyes. Dad loved Christmas. He was constantly moving the decorations around and adding new ones. Last year, he added a giant snowflake on the roof on Christmas Eve. Apparently this year wasn’t going to be an exception. It looked like he had a new life-sized Santa to go with the almost life-sized reindeer and sleigh.

“Geez, Dad! It’s not even light yet! What is it, like six-thirty?”

Dad checked his watch and grinned. “No, it’s six forty-five already. Early bird catches the worm!”

“Very funny.” I rubbed my hands on my arms.

The last few years, I just couldn’t get into Christmas. Not like Dad did. The decorations and songs and everything just seemed so pointless.

I guess it had something to do with Mom. I remember how she used to decorate the whole house with twinkling lights. Our tree always sparkled more than anything I’d ever seen.

Every year, hundreds of people would drive by our house. Mom would always hand out candy canes to the kids who came up to see her handmade Polar Express train.

She loved the holidays – the sparkling lights against fresh snow, the looks on the kids’ faces when they watched the moving elves on the train. I missed her so much. She was always so generous with her time and love.

I didn’t mind Christmas back then. I probably even enjoyed it a little. But now, I was just reminded of how my mom was gone.

Dad took over decorating after she died. I think it made him feel like she was still around.

He stood up and looked around. He saw something he didn’t like and reached down to grab the lights to re-arrange them. As I watched, his foot hit a patch of ice and he slipped. His arms flailed around and around. His upper body rocked back and forth. Finally, he just fell over the side of the roof.

I crossed my arms and sighed as the air around him shimmered and he changed into a little black bird with white-tipped wings. Lark Bunting-Dad flew to land on the sidewalk in front of me.

“Seriously, Dad. It’s a good thing we don’t live in town. You would get into so much trouble, changing like that in public,” I said. “Sometimes I wonder if you have wings just because you can never stay on your feet.”

The bird shimmered into Dad again. “Thanks for the concern, Holl, I’m fine.” He kissed my forehead. “I guess I’m done up there for now anyway, huh? Why don’t we head inside and get some breakfast?”

I followed Dad through the front door. I hadn’t realized it would be so cold outside, and I sat on the heating vent in the living room to warm up. I stared at the over-stuffed brown armchair Dad loved and thought about what my life might be like after I turned seventeen tomorrow.

This was one birthday I’d be happy to skip.

Dad didn’t tell me that we were shape shifters until I started high school. Dad had changed into a bird so many times over the last two years, I’d kind of gotten used to the idea. I wish I’d had a chance to see my mom change. Dad always told me she was the most beautiful swan he had ever seen. It was part of why he’d fallen in love with her.

Really, it wasn’t the shape-changing that scared me. The truth is, I was terrified I’d change into something weird.

I’d been thinking about the worst case scenarios for a while. What if I changed into a shark or something and I suddenly couldn’t breathe? I know they have precautions, like having a nearby pool or something, but what if they didn’t get me there in time? I moved through other terrible possibilities. A cow – I can imagine the taunts now. A vulture – has to be the ugliest bird on the planet. A giant snake. I shuddered at that one. I know a couple of snakes. One of my teachers is a rattlesnake, but they still give me the creeps.

I shook my head. Thinking about these things was completely pointless. There was no way of knowing what was going to happen tomorrow, so there was no point in getting worked up about it.

~~~~

FREE on Amazon December 13 & 14!!
http://www.amazon.com/Satin-Pleasures-ebook/dp/B0078VSY6G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330384089&sr=8-1

Not to steal the thunder from my talented daughter, I also wanted to tell you that today and tomorrow I’m sharing some of my Christmas joy with more readers. SATIN PLEASURES will be **free** exclusively on Kindle December 13-14. If you haven’t had a chance to snag a copy, now is the time to slip this cute, romantic comedy into your Christmas stocking. If you already have a copy, I hope you’ve enjoyed Dan’s and Tess’s story.  I hope you’ll feel inclined to share the luv with a review. Tell your family and friends. This has been a spectacular, debut year for me and I’d love to share the smiles with all of my readers.

See you Thursday, December 20, 2012, for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

~~~~

Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 11/22/12 ~ and…

The ’57 Fairlane in my holiday, CATCH THAT SANTA, novelette that was supposed to make a debut appearance this morning somehow got lost on the publication highway.  Don’t you just hate when that happens?

No worries, though.  It’s just a minor malfunction.  With any luck, she’ll be pulling up to the curb tomorrow, Saturday latest.  Keep an eye out because I’m planning a blowout Black Friday weekend FREE sale so you can drive this baby right into your Christmas stocking.

In the meantime, let me officially run out the details on CATCH THAT SANTA!

CATCH THAT SANTA
Book Blurb

When widow, Sara Marks, hears her Grams has gone on the lam from Happy Acres Residence on Christmas Eve – on Santa’s arm, no less — she teams up with sexy stranger, Francisco de la Vega, to chase the couple down with one thing in mind.  Keep her Grams from becoming Mrs. Claus. Of course, Francisco’s grandfather is not really Santa Claus, but Grams did run off to Vegas to marry him and she’s obviously not in her right mind.

Sara leaves her seven-month-old baby, Lanie, with a friend and she and Cisco head west in the worst snowstorm in decades, chasing his grandfather’s ’57 Ford Fairlane over the river and through the woods.

Will they catch Santa and his crazy Mrs. Claus before it’s too late? Or will love stop them in their tracks?

CATCH THAT SANTA
Excerpt

“What do you mean, Grams ran off with Santa Claus?” Sara Marks stared at the first floor orderly, Buddy Cantor, who’d met her outside her grandmother’s room at Happy Acres Residence.  She could barely catch her breath after dashing through the facility carrying her sleeping seven-month-old.  It had taken her a full thirty minutes to drive from the church near her apartment across Denver’s snow packed streets in her crotchety, old Ford, when it should have taken ten.  Twenty minutes too long if her grandmother was truly missing.

She should never have gone to the Christmas Eve service.  She’d suspected Grams was up to something when she called and told her to come later so she could take a nap before their usual dinner together.  There was something in her voice, but Sara hadn’t paid enough attention with little Lanie fussing in her ear.  “Next thing you’ll tell me is Santa took her to the North Pole in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.”

“No.  A gold ’57 Ford Fairlane convertible.” The man shuffled uneasily in the doorway.  “And they’re headed to Vegas.  We think.”

“Vegas.” Movement in her arms made her aware Lanie was fully awake and ready to play.  She grinned up at Sara with two shiny new bottom teeth, like she’d woken up just to laugh at her great-grandma’s latest flight of fancy.

Oh, Grams, what have you done?

Sara frowned at the orderly.  “This is insane,” she said.  “She has to be here. You searched the building? She loves the arboretum.”

Buddy nodded.  “We’ve canvassed the entire building, mast to deck. Stem to stern.” The orderly fancied himself a sailor, although Sara couldn’t see how buying a bass boat gave him the chops to litter sailing terms through every conversation she’d ever had with the man.

“Could she be hiding for some reason?” There was never an inkling Grams was unhappy at Happy Acres.  Or that her faculties were failing.  The woman might be pushing eighty but she was still sharp as a tack.  It was her mobility that forced Sara to accept her grandmother’s insistence she move to this facility.

Happy Acres was a large complex with suites on the west side for more independent residents, while those who needed assistance lived in the east wing.  Grams had moved herself into the east wing after her fall four months ago, claiming it was time she move out of Sara’s tiny apartment anyway and make room for her first great-granddaughter. Sara argued until she was blue in the face but her independent Grams had already signed the papers and paid the upfront, non-refundable fees. It was a done deal by the time Grams asked Sara to help her pack.

A knot of apprehension grew in her chest, right above where little Lanie was elbowing her sternum.  Sara smothered her growing panic and laid the baby on the bed to remove her new hat and coat.  “Okay, so Grams isn’t here.”  She picked up Lanie and refocused her attention on the orderly.  “When did she leave with this Santa Claus? Did she know him?

“Of course, she had to know him, or she wouldn’t have left with him!”  She frowned.  “Why do you think they’re heading for Vegas?”

He reached into his pocket and handed her a folded piece of paper.  “Your grandmother left this note on her bed.”

Sara unfolded the paper.  Sara, baby, don’t fret. Santa’s finally come, as I told you he would. Getting married in Vegas. Your Christmas present is under the bed. Don’t wait till tomorrow to open it. You’ll need it.  Love, Grams.

There was a postscript. P.S. Didn’t have time to water my begonias. Please take care of that for me before you come? Can’t wait to see you!

Grams’ hold on reality was becoming dicey in Sara’s mind. “I don’t understand.”  She glanced around the small room at the begonias Grams babied like children – fifteen begonias to be exact, scattered on bookshelves, an antique dresser and armoire, on the floor near the sliding glass doors that led to her private patio – as if the hand-painted pots also held the answer that would end her confusion.  “How long has she been gone?” she asked.

Buddy shrugged.  “We’re not sure.  Last time anyone saw her was at the Christmas party before dinner.  Santa was here handing out presents to all of the residents.”  He reddened.  “She sat on his lap and whispered something into his ear, they disappeared soon after that.  No one knows when they left the building.  We weren’t even sure she’d gone off with him until we found the note a few minutes ago.”

“Did you check under the bed yet?  The note says there’s a package.  There has to be more, some reason, something to tell us what she’s doing.  Maybe it’s in there.”  Not daring to leave Lanie on the bed unattended she handed her to her favorite raspberry-blowing buddy, put a hand on the edge of the bed, and began to drop to her knees on the floor.

“Oh, no,” the orderly said, trying to hand Lanie back. “Let me do that!  You’re going to get your pretty Christmas outfit dirty.”

“I’m already down here,” she said, pushing his legs out the way so there was room for her to stick her head under the bed’s dust ruffle.

There! Just out of reach toward the wall at the top of the queen-sized bed. A large, rectangular box wrapped up in colorful images of Santa Claus and Ho-ho-ho greetings.  A muffled chortle from behind her told her Lanie was occupied by Buddy for the moment, so she tried to snag a piece of wrapping paper to pull the box toward her.

“Umph.”  She shuffled a few inches on her knees, her fanny sticking up in the air.  Undignified, but she’d worn her wool pants and heavy silk sweater to church and there was no one to see besides Buddy.

She could almost…reach…it.

Publication Details:
Make:  Amazon Kindle (Exclusive)
Model:  Novelette
Mileage: Approximately 17,000 words/50 pages

Special Features:
 1 widowed mother (comes with gurgling 7-month-old)
1 yummy architect (comes without a clue)
1  ’57 Ford Fairlane
750 mile trip to Las Vegas
1 Christmas snowstorm
Holiday travel Supplies
Santa hats
24-hour romance detailing

Test drive your own copy this holiday season!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

~~~~

Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 11/15/12 ~ and…

Never say never!

You would think a woman my age – no, wait, make that a woman with my vast experience (never mind, forget my age 🙂 )– would know this by now.  Occasionally, though, I find myself recanting a vow I mistakenly uttered at one time or another that included the word never in it.

Case in point?  I remember once saying that I would never write a short story or a novella or anything under 50,000 words. Why? It wasn’t that I had any weird notions that smaller stories were beneath me or anything.  I could simply never – hmmm, there’s that word again – envision having the ability to write anything with a lesser wordcount.

After all, I’m a looooooooooong writer. It’s nothing for me to write 20 page chapters I then have to cut down to size or, more likely, separate into two chapters.  I think in terms of single title word counts above 85,000, at least with my romantic suspense.  I can’t even keep these diary entries down to a reasonable size, despite my best intentions.

Which brings us back to never say never.  I recently got a wild hair to try a Christmas story.

Yeah, I know I haven’t finished KILLING SECRETS but I felt a need for a pause to write something cute. Maybe it was because I’m not comfortable with what my villain is doing right now.  It’s tough to get into the holiday spirit when you’ve got a serial killer running through your head. Nothing like Santa Claus and a romantic comedy to slow a killer down!

It doesn’t help knowing I’m going to be really pushing to finish KILLING SECRETS by the end of the year. Remember that single title word count?  Throw a whole lot of medical things (more about that in a minute) on top and, well, something had to give.

I don’t regret my decision to write the story that popped into my head, made me smile. Giving myself a break this past week, starting CATCH THAT SANTA! was a marvelous idea.  I’m feeling mentally refreshed and creative, and it’s a heartwarming Christmas story I think you, my readers, will enjoy this holiday season.

I still have some work to do over the next few days, but CATCH THAT SANTA! will debut exclusively on Kindle on Thanksgiving Day.  That’s just one week from today.  Yippee!

Next Tuesday on my Novel Gems blog, I’ll share a teaser from this fun novelette, as well as the fabulous cover created by the same talented friend who created my new SATIN PLEASURES cover.  On Thursday’s Karen’s Diary Drop-In, I’m having a launch party. Stop by and find out how you can get your FREE copy of CATCH THAT SANTA! for your stocking.

Once I finish the novelette this weekend, I’ll return to KILLING…oh, that sounds wicked, doesn’t it?

I’m still going to do my best to release this book by the end of the year.  I will admit to some concern though about whether that’s realistic. As some of you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you already know I’ve been hit with an unexpected twist in my knee replacement saga. Went to see an orthopedic surgeon last week and he’s scheduled me for my first surgery on December 5^th, to be followed within six weeks (thereabouts) for the second knee.

I didn’t figure this distraction into my deadline. Nor did I expect several other procedures to crop up, and I don’t know how my recuperation will impact my day-to-day writing life once the surgery is done. Needless to say, I’m distracted and unfocused and out of the office a lot.  Still, I’m determined to keep plugging and do my very best to write every day. With luck, and a productive muse, I might still make it.

Cross your fingers.  If anyone wants to give me something for Christmas, make it a few extra hours in each day. You don’t even have to wrap them!

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

~~~~

Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 10/25/12 ~ and…

Due to circumstances beyong my control, there will be no Diary Drop-In this week.  🙂  Will catch everyone up next week!

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

~~~~

Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 10/25/12 ~ and…

I’ve dumped a Trick or Treat bag full of goodies I want to share all over my dining room table.

“Wait,” you say.  “We’re too old for this nonsense.”

I say, “Who made it a rule only kidlets got to go trick or treating last night?” 🙂

So, before you put away your favorite scary costumes and wash off  your glittery, fairy princess makeup, let’s see what’s in the neighborhood for readers and writers. Warning: Be sure to hold onto your flashlights in case the lights go out, and please don’t get grabbie. Manners, please!  There are enough treats here for everybody.

Fill your bag with treats, but watch out for the tricksters!

~~~~

TRICK  OR TREAT FOR WRITERS

  Muse dances your story down the wrong path into a dark, scary forest you can’t escape.

  Hero finally realizes it’s not indigestion burning in his chest, but love for his heroine.

  Heroine hides in the pumpkin patch and refuses to come out and play.

  The Cover Goddess of the Meadow blesses your new release.

  Wicked critique partners slash and burn through your weekly page offering.

  Chapter is finished in record time and pronounced “perfect” by the villagers.

  The editorial wizard who understands you and your writing has the gall to go on maternity leave in a distant castle far, far away.

  You type “The End” on page 425 of your tome and the angels weep for its beauty.

  Your computer crashes, taking three months of unsaved work to the fire pits of Hell.

  Your tome tops the N.Y. Times Best-Sellers List proving magic does drip from your fingertips.

TRICK  OR TREAT  FOR READERS

  The next tome in the series you’re waiting for is lost in a scheduling shipwreck on the high seas.

  The villain in the scary story you’re reading is so real, he slinks out of the shadows behind the fainting couch and grabs you by the throat.

  You get to the end of the tome only to discover the story sailed off without you and you have no choice but to buy a berth on the next ship to finish your journey.

  The local tomestore has a 50% off sale on all of the tomes you want to buy.

  Editorial Gremlins drive you crazy littering the tome you’re reading with typos and grammatical mistakes designed to drag you down into a viscous bog.

  You not only meet the model who posed for that sizzling tome cover you love so much but you get your own clinch picture taken with him, sans shirt.

  The heroine in the tome you’re reading is TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) and should be eaten by the nearest fire-breathing dragon…with catsup.

  Each of the tomes on your cobwebby Keeper Shelf is autographed, capturing the author’s soul in ink forever.

  A favorite author travels to a new genreland filled with trolls you can’t abide and you’re unable to follow her.

  The N.Y. Times best-selling tome-writer you love talks to you regularly from the ether cloud and invites you to sit beside her in the inner castle.

 HAPPY *AFTER* HALLOWEEN FROM KAREN’S TRICK OR TREAT BAG!

 

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

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Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 10/25/12 ~ and…

I’m continuing where I left off last week when I mentioned how much I love social networks and the friendships I’ve made across the country.  I spent two glorious days last week visiting with friends I made online.  I thought you might like a peek at what we did.

I spent the night in Colorado Springs with Linnea Hall(http://www.amazon.com/Linnea-Hall/e/B004LL0OFA). We met when I went to Tennessee to speak at her chapter couple of years, but we’ve chatted ever since. When I heard she was coming to Colorado for several days, I just had to find a way to go play. And did we play!  We didn’t have much time around her conference, but was able to dash out before it got dark to explore the Garden of the Gods. It was doubly fun for me because, long as I’ve lived in Colorado, I’ve only driven through the area once.

It truly is beautiful, one of the reasons why I love my Colorado Rockies!  See for yourself….

Love the red color of these rocks!

Looking west where the sun has gone down but the sky is still light enough to take pictures.

Love all the different strata colors.

Fascinating erosion variations.

 

Balancing Rock!

It’s all fun and games until some silly tourist knocks the rock off balance…Linnea! 🙂

 

My friend, Linnea.  Last stop, Balancing Rock, before too dark to explore.

We drove out of the Garden of the Gods park into Manitou Springs where I knew the BEST restaurant for the hungry and adventurous.  Stagecoach Inn has been around forever (some say it was the original stage stop 100 years ago) and has a few specialties I wanted to introduce to Linnea. Specialties she can’t get back in Tennessee anyway…like Rocky Mountain Oysters (yummm, a fav of mine). Yes, we’re talking Bull Bullocks, “balls” for the less squeamish. Done right, they can be great eating, and Stagecoach does it right! We also tried their smoked pheasant soup. We rounded our meal off with buffalo pot roast and homemade berry cobbler.  We were stuffed when we were finished, even had leftovers to take back to the hotel, but it was well worth it!  It gave us the energy we needed to sit up into the wee hours of the night in our pajamas talking.

The next morning, Linnea went back to her conference schedule and I dashed off to a friend’ s house fifteen minutes away in the foothills.  Lori Kander is a friend I met on a MySpace readers’ group, if you can believe it!  We were online friends for years before she moved to Colorado and we finally met. I got to see her lovely new home (well, it DID take me a while to get down to her!) and we spent several hours visiting and brainstorming her new book.  (I wonder how many of us who read prodigiously end up picking up a pen to put to paper.  I’m sure there are lots!)  Sadly, I left my camera in the truck when I arrived and we got sidetracked by what is turning into a great book, so I have no pictures of Lori or the foothills around her to share. I’ll be sure to share her photo when she publishes her book — she will — and I highlight her on one of my Book Bench blogs.

Around the fun stuff, I had a tough decision to make. I had already scheduled to conduct my 4-week online workshop, The “W” Plot…Or The Other White Meat for Plotters, several times through the next year.  But I have some surgeries coming up that forced me to cancel all of them except for January’s date with STAR (Southern Tier Authors of Romance).  My online workshop career will have to go on hiatus for a while. I’ll miss the fun of exploring student plots but I just can’t take a chance I can’t give everyone 100%.  When I take the schedule back up, I’ll be sure to make an announcement.  Thankfully, I have made my workshop available on my website at www.karendocter.com for those who still want the full class lectures, so I’m not completely deserting my fellow writers!

Interestingly enough, directly on the heels of sending out my cancellation emails, I received an invitation to go back to Phoenix to do my full day, “W” workshop for the good folks at Saguaro Romance Writers. I did the workshop for them several years ago and had a great time, so I’m looking forward to doing it again.  I decided I could do the physical workshop for them since it’s only one day and it’s not scheduled until October.  Still, going to keep the rest of the year open so I can work on getting back on my feet and running…literally.  Hmmm, maybe not. But walking would be nice!

I’m sure I have lots of other things I could share today, but I’ll refrain.  I really need to get this posted since it’s running about fourteen hours behind schedule. 🙂  Wishing you all a wonderful week!

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

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Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 10/18/12 ~ and…

Have I mentioned how much I love social networks — okay, today I love them 🙂 — and the friendships I’ve made across the country, hmmm, the world?  With a click-clack of my keyboard, I can keep in touch with new and old friends I would probably never have met any other way.  I’ve been riding Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads for a long time. Before that, I had a huge bunch of friends on MySpace.  This blog has been a staple of my day for several years now.

I’ve made thousands of friends.  Yes, they are friends. I talk to everyone daily.  I share jokes, writing triumphs, boohoos, wonders and “huh?”s.  I commisserate, encourage, and celebrate with my friends. And sometimes, when I’m really lucky, I get a chance to meet one or two in person.

And, you know what?  It’s not like I’m meeting strangers.

Right now (this posts tomorrow), I’m sitting in a hotel room almost 100 miles from home waiting for one of those friends to get out of her class. She’s flown to Colorado from Memphis to take these classes, and the first thing we did when we knew she was coming was start making plans to get together while she was here.  Oh, we have met once before…when I went to Memphis to conduct a workshop for her chapter.  But, that was almost two years ago and we talk daily on Facebook. Thanks to Facebook, we’ve become more than teacher/student in a one-time meet. We’ve become friends.  When she gets here, I will have this blog ready to post, we’ll grab some dinner and sit and chat…just like we are old friends who haven’t seen one another in a while.

And this morning (still writing this for tomorrow 🙂 ) after my Memphis friend runs off to her class, I’ll pack up my things and drive a few miles to the home of another really good friend I met online…on MySpace.  Hey! Told you I’d been on the social scene a while! She and I met on a reader’s group that focused on one of our favorite genres, paranormals, etc.  We talked there daily for several years before she mentioned she was moving to Colorado, less than 100 miles from my house in Denver.  The first time we met when she came to my house, it was like we’d been friends forever too. No awkwardness. Just plain fun.  I’ve been remiss in getting to her house for a return visit so we’ll grab some lunch and talk books and writing. She’s picking up her keyboard to pen a novel! How cool is that?

These are two very dear friends I wouldn’t have gotten to know if it hadn’t been for social media like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, even this blog  I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity for the world!

Whenever I find myself railing at the way a network is behaving or the amount of time it sometimes takes to wend my way through the timelines so I can find what I want, I remind myself of the reason I go to each digital playground.  Several times daily. These are my friends and the networks are the only way I’ll ever meet most of them.  And, if I’m really lucky, there comes a day when I can hug one of these friends up close and chat like we do each and every day.

Toddling off to play now. Have a wonderful day, my friends. Would love to meet you all someday!

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

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Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 10/11/12 ~ and…

I’m musing today.  I can’t speak for other authors but I have to admit to a bit of confusion (dare I say frustration?) about the apparent disconnect in the book publishing industry between what we’ve all been trained to expect from our books in the past, both as writers and readers, and the market of today. Things are changing so fast that it’s almost impossible to keep up or make conscious decisions before something new happens to change the tide in another direction.

Case in point.  Something happened this week that reminded me that I’m still lagging, both as a reader and a writer, in a publishing mindset that’s been around, well, forever. I won’t get into the specific event because it’s not the event that’s important to the discussion, but the subsequent musings it prompted.

I can remember the first time I picked up my new Kindle. (Only last year!) I’d put off adding any more electronic “stuff” to my beleaguered life as long as I could.  When I started considering the possibility of publishing my own book through the wondrous “new” technology of digital publishing — yeah, I was one of the last bastions of a land line phone only two months ago, too — I decided I needed to get a Kindle of my own.

Hmmm, where was I? Oh, yeah….lagging mindsets.  I swear it’s senility but my kids do occasionally tell me I’m not that old.  Or maybe I’m imagining that, too. 🙂

Let’s talk about my reader mindset.  Although I loved so many things about my new Kindle, like the ability to make the font bigger so I could actually read the book — okay, no more snarky remarks about old ladies and dinosaurs, please — there were certain things I didn’t like about reading on a machine.  Of course, all comments aside about type size (print book fonts are getting smaller to help publishers save printing costs, that’s good economics), I like holding a book in my hand. I like knowing where I stop reading when I toddle off to make dinner for my family.  I love the smell and feel of a print book. I love sifting through my 24-foot long, 8-foot high wall of paperback novels.

I miss these things when I read on my Kindle.  I no longer know how many books I have waiting for me to open their pages. They’re tidily tucked into my Kindle bookshelves but they’re no longer lined up side-by-side for easy skimming. I read across the genres and sometimes I feel like reading a historical. Sometimes I like reading suspense. And sometimes, I just want to pick up a cute little contemporary or a paranormal or a…well, you get the picture.

With a leather cover wrapped around my Kindle, one that opens up like a book, I can recapture the feel of a print book…sort of.  But I love throwing my leather book thong between the pages of my print book when I stop on page 85. I love knowing I’m on page 85. I love knowing that, by eyeball estimation, I still have approximately two-thirds of the book to wallow in before I finish. Yes, I have a love affair with my books but that’s a whole ‘nother topic!

It bothers me I don’t know these things when I read the same book on my Kindle.  Why?  Because I don’t feel the same sense of completion when I read that invisible “The End” that tells me the book is finished. I’m still used to closing the binding on that physical book and I don’t know how to get that same closure when I finish an eBook. I know I’m 25%, 60%, 85% through the story on my Kindle. But I want page numbers. I want to know that I got my money’s worth.

As a reader, it frustrates me that I’m unsure whether I’ve just read a full length novel of 50,000 to 100,000 words, or a novella.  When I hold a skinny book or a fat book in my hand, I know exactly what I paid for.

Which brings me to the other side of my musings.

As a writer, it frustrates me that my readers don’t really know if they get what they paid for either.  I know I write full length novels as traditional publishing standards fly.  My contemporary romantic comedies are the same size as the Harlequin Temptations (Satin Pleasures anyway, that may be changing with my next book 🙂 ) because the story was aimed at that publisher.  My romantic suspense is longer but that’s to be expected because it’s single title…again as the traditional publisher flies.  But on the digital devices, you really can’t tell.  It’s all too easy to feel cheated without a physical book weighing in on your senses and my suspense might feel as “light” as my contemporaries to some readers.  I hope not!

I’m a realist and I know there’s not much I can do to  influence reader perceptions especially when the traditional publishing benchmarks are masked or no longer apply. The story is finished when it’s finished. The last thing I want to do is add “fluff” to a story to make it appear bigger. If the story is told in novella length, that’s how I’ll sell it.

I like to believe I’m moving around this digital world fairly well. But questions pop up and knock me sideways once in a while, reminding me that I’m still a baby in Indie publishing, as most of us are since the digital world is still evolving.  How many of the traditional publishing expectations should writers carry over into our digital publishing?  How much do I, as a reader, have a right to expect of the authors I’m buying? I think we’re still all kind of wandering in the dark on both sides of the question. There doesn’t seem to be any easy answers.

Maybe tomorrow, there will be.  🙂

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….

 

[[Welcome to my weekly writer’s diary where I’ll share my “Woot Woot!” moments and the not so “woot woot” moments of my writing world. And, yes, I might even share the occasional musing or two about reading and writing, two of my favorite things!]]

~~~~

Dear Diary,

            It’s Thursday ~ 10/04/12 ~ and…

I’m going in a slightly different “muse-y” direction this week with my diary entry. It’s been a great week, got a lot of things done, but looking down at my desktop I’m almost overwhelmed by the number of different lists staring back yelling, “Me, next! Me, next!”

I’m a list-maker. With the number of pies my fingers are dipping into every day, if I didn’t have lists to check my lists I’d be running nekkid in the street and babbling nonsense. Well, maybe not nonsense. It’s more likely I’ll be making lists of the characters my killer is knocking off. Whatever is being muttered, you can guarantee the men in pristine white coats will be hauling me off to the room with squishy walls and then what would happen to my lists?  I do have a sense of responsibility…not to mention a rather persistent Type-A psyche.

Anyway, when I turned my attention to what I’d share this week, it just made sense to make yet another list.  Think David Letterman and his Ten Top Things…only a lot more fun(ny?)  Okay, maybe it’s just me that thinks I can make a fun(nier) list.

Top Ten Things This Writer Needs to Make the NY Times Bestselling List

In no particular order.
Except #1 tops the list.
And I can’t write without a laptop, and…
Hmmm, never mind.  No particular order!

 1.   Gallons of Exotic-Flavored Coffee, preferably delivered at the top of the hour by a barrista with six-pack abs & a sexy smile.

 2.   Laptop with 42-hour battery so I’m not tethered to the office wall and can write poolside. Oh! I need a pool, too!!

 3.   Hours of romantic and inspirational writing music to get me in the mood.

 4.   Story ideas, people who continue to the do the things they do to provide my murderous and romantic inspiration.

 5.   Empty email Inboxes, magically addressed by email elves.

 6.   Private chef to make meals to help me lose weight while giving me strength to create and gentler curves to fit into my slinky, NY Times Bestselling author celebration clothes.

 7.   Press Secretary to handle all of my promotion so I can write the Bestseller.

 8.   Housekeeper to control the dust bunny ranch and put Peppermint Patties (little mints just won’t do!) on my pillow when she turns down my covers.

 9.   36 hours in a day, not necessary as long as the email elves, secretaries, and housekeeper do their jobs.

10.  And, last but not least, readers who think everything I write is “golden”!

I said it’s what this writer needs.  Needless to say, I’m still working on my list.  🙂

See you next Thursday for another rousing entry in Karen’s Diary Drop-In….