The Irreverent Reverend

Last night, hubby and I went to hear Michael Riley, the Irreverent Reverend, speak at the Middletown Township Public Library. The title of his talk was Scars, Tattoos, and the Funny Bone. It was sponsored by the Widows Helping Widows Group.  There were four other men in the audience besides hubby. He counted them.

Both hubby and I have read Michael Riley's column in The Asbury Park Press. Much of what he said, I had already read in his column and that's okay. After all, I will read a book for the second--or third time. It was quite interesting to hear him, because he sounds exactly like the column he writes. But this was better because instead of reading his column and chuckling to myself, I got to listen to a room full of people join in and laugh with me. 

He spoke of his heart attack, growing up in a trailer park, being raised by his grandmother, and losing the man he considered his father at the age of eighteen. Those were all difficult issues, but he made it funny--and that was the point of his talk. You've got to laugh. It helps--and it heals. 

Yes, usually when bad things happen I don't laugh during the incident, but later on something about it will tickle my funny bone. A positive attitude helps in the worst of times. 

Michael Riley has written a book, Only Human,  a collection of his columns. Those of you who don't read the Asbury Park Press should go right out and buy book. :-) 

Get a FREE Book During Read an Ebook Week

If you haven't tried an ebook until now, here's your big chance to get many of them for FREE or at very reduced prices! I read both paper books and ebooks. I like them both, but an ebook does have many advantages. If you want a list of the advantages, I found a good one. Read Ten Advantages of E-book Readers.

I have owned many ebook readers, right now I own a Nook with the Glow Light. (It's small and light--big advantage right there.) However, I also download ebooks into my phone and my iPad. I have a Kindle app for my phone and my iPad. I have iBooks on the iPad as well. I actually read a lot of ebooks on my phone. Right now I'm reading Gulliver's Travels on my phone. (Very trippy book.)

At Smashwords,for this week only, you can download for FREE PRINCE OF THE MIST, my wonderful fantasy story about Wildon Forest, one of the Sidhe, who lives in the Catskills. He's a handsome fellow.

So follow this link PRINCE OF THE MIST. Grab the coupon code on the right side of the book page at the Smashword's site. and get a FREE book. FREE is fantastic. :-)

Blueberry Torte

Yesterday, I wrote 3,225 words and got to the end of my story. In the month of February, I wrote 33,863 words, which is a record for me. There will be a lot of editing on the manuscript. It is a rough draft and will require hours and hours of concentration to get it right.

While I was writing this past month, I ignored the dust bunnies in the house and several other chores. My family got used to leftovers--and nothing gourmet appeared on the table, though I love to try new recipes all the time. However, I had saved one, a cranberry torte. The problem with the recipe was finding fresh or frozen cranberries. I looked in several stores. So I decided to try blueberries.

This morning I wanted to celebrate my incredible word count by making a blueberry torte--instead of writing.

Here's the recipe. It makes one nine-inch cake.

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and then the almond extract. Add the flour and baking powder. Beat until combined. Spread the batter in the pan.

Arrange the blueberries on top on the batter in a single layer. Then sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake the cake for 55 minutes. (Your oven may take less time.) The top should be golden brown and if you put a toothpick in the center it should come out clean.

Let the pan cool. Use a knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan before unbuckling and removing the ring.

This is delicious. Try it and enjoy. :-)

With a Little Help From JeRoWriMo

I finished the JeRoWriMo Challenge last night, typing across the finish line with 30,000 words.

The book is not complete. I have another major, climatic scene to write. However, the progress I made this month was considerable and I know it wouldn't have happened without a little help from my friends at the New Jersey Romance Writers, and especially from Nancy Herkness who hosted the event. Whether an author wrote 160 words or 3,000 words in one day, she cheered them on and offered encouragement. Nancy was also writing her own book at the time, so my kudos go to her for all her efforts.

I could not have taken on this writing challenge without help from my family. They understood the importance of it. So I thank my nearest and dearest for cutting me a bit of slack this month.  The gourmet meals will soon be returning to our table. :-)

For those who haven't tried a writing challenge, I recommend it. I have never tried the NaNoWriMo challenge and I probably never will. To finish in that one, a writer must log in 50,000 words in the month of November--a month which includes Thanksgiving and holiday preparation for Christmas. I knew that would be impossible for me, but 30,000 words in the month of February is more realistic.

Now I must get back to the manuscript and write that final scene. Then I will have to go all the way back to the beginning and start the editing process. Watch for Patriot's Pride to be released in a year or so. :-)

Meanwhile, read Patriot's Heart, which is available now. Patriot's Pride will be the sequel to that story.

Precious Family Portrait

I love this one. It's such a precious moment in time. It must have been taken in Belford where my father's family had a summer bungalow. You can see the marsh in the background. On the left is my father's brother (he died in World War II), next to him is my grandfather, wearing suspenders as he always did. My father is on the right holding his baby brother. My grandmother must have snapped the photo.

The older boys are no longer wearing knickers as they did in photos when they were younger.

Do you have old family photos? Which are your favorites?

It Takes Courage

Writing takes courage. Writing a book takes a lot of courage--along with commitment. In the beginning, it is doubtful whether any writer will actually sell books. The process of getting to the end is long. Once the end is reached, it is necessary to go back to the beginning to revise and edit.

I write romantic fiction. I make it up but it still has to approximate reality. It must make sense and that's not easy.

This month, I joined the New Jersey Romance Writers' writing challenge, JeRoWriMo. I am attempting to add 30,000 words to a novel in which I had already had 20,000 words. I did the same thing last year and finished Patriot's Heart. I received a contract from Prism Book Group for that book and it is now available everywhere (with a gorgeous cover). :-)

A blank page is a scary thing. To compose the book, it helps to turn off the internal editor that questions every word, every comma, and every plot twist. A writer has to just let it go and write. The book can be fixed later--but there has to be something to fix.

Being a member of this challenge pushes me to throw the words down without quibbling over which word is exactly the right one. In the end, I will have a rough draft and it will need fixing. I'll turn my internal editor back on for that.

I've more than doubled what I started with on this project. The plot took a few unexpected turns, but that's fine. A few surprises can be fun.

My house is dusty and meals are usually leftover leftovers, but with one week to go, I am on target to reach 30,000 words. Wish me luck. :-)

Don't Be Shy!

If you're going to sell books, you have to let everyone know you have books to sell. You cannot be shy about it. You don't have to put on a grass skirt and dance, but you can hand out postcards or brochures to those you meet.

I feel comfortable on the internet. I send out tweets and status messages. I post to this blog on a regular basis. Connecting with people online is often easier for those of us who are bookish.

But yesterday, I was reminded how important it can be to connect in person. I took my father for his regular checkup at the podiatrist's office. We were there for a longer time than usual. The doctor asked how things were as she worked on my father's toes. I couldn't think of much new other than the amount of snow we've gotten and my writing. I bolstered my courage with a deep breath and quietly mentioned the fact that I have a new book out with a great cover. Unfortunately, I didn't have a postcard of the new book with me, but I did have a photo of it on my cellphone. I showed it to her. She glanced at it, then she went back to my father's toes.

"Nice," she said. "How many books have you written?"

"Thirteen," I answered.

That got her attention. So I told her what kinds of books I wrote. The odds of her buying one of my books are practically nil, but there was an assistant in the room as well. In fact, there are quite a few people who work in that office. I've been taking my father to the office for a long time. Why didn't I let them all know I was a writer with books they could read? Maybe because it seems a lot like boasting. Maybe because it seems inappropriate in the setting.

Maybe because it's easier to talk about all the snow than to announce you're a bit crazier than you look. :-)

Writing is fun. Promotion is a tough job, but all writers have to work at it.

The next time I go to that office, I'm bringing brochures with me.