February 2008

NEWS FLASH: The King’s Map has placed third in the 2008 RWA

Coeur De Louisiane Romancing the Tome Contest!

This news has made my Valentine Day Perfect!

When I was in grade school blustery, snowy, wind whipped, February was my favorite month of the year. All of this was directly connected to Valentine’s Day which meant the teacher let us go all out with the art supplies. And oh, how I loved the colors of red and pink contrasting against crisp white paper doilies! No holding back, no admonitions to be neat and tidy, no scrimping on glue, glitter, colored paper, or over the top color combinations. Not to mention poetry! Words flowed from my child’s brain in patterns of rhyme which sounded like notes in perfect harmony, or words which rhymed in silliness and laughter.

February continues to be a favorite. It is a month to allow the mind to create, to feel excited about the mapped out possibilities which are just around the corner when the earth turns on its axis towards the sun. There are three new bare-root, plum trees planted in my garden. They will bloom with white and pink delicate flowers this spring. They will add to the adventure of the garden.

In my writing journey February is proving to be filled with excitement because my queries are finally getting really, really close. The detailed feedback has been helpful and inspiring. Thank you. Thank you!

Not to leave February undone, I confess to stocking up on, and hoarding, boxes of chocolates under my desk. Come on, admit it. This is the only month serious; quality chocolate, makes its appearance on the shelves!!

January 2008

January is the month of change. The days are getting longer, sunlight is on the return, and those of us who live in the rainy Pacific Northwest have expectations of warmth, gardens reawakening, and a welcome invasion of birds of all species.

This is the time I make a pest of myself at my favorite garden store. January is the month of bare root plants and trees. I am on the hunt for semi-dwarf plum trees. Green Gage and Satsuma varieties, to be specific. Yea, they are due in the middle of the month and I already have spots ready for them.

This is also the month to get out and prune the fruit trees already in the garden. This is the first time for doing this as the trees are only a few years old and it will be a new experience. I have books galore on the different techniques and my garden gurus have been generous in their advice and suggestions.

January also finds me pruning and editing my writing and gathering together resources for a new manuscript. A time for change and getting everything in order to move forward.

I salute the New Year with a plate of biscotti and glass of chilled Prosecco . . . well, more than one glass!

November 2007

Recently I attended the Surrey International Writer’s Convention in BC. I have to confess a friend had to needle me to go, as I had never heard of it. I was always focused on writer’s venues in the USA.

Boy was I missing out. They had a great program, award winning authors, and four star agents in attendance. Not to mention it was laid back and offered numerous opportunities for aspiring writers (like myself) to interact with published authors and agents.

Here are a few of my favorite programs. The SiWC Idol Panel. Sort of like the old “Gong” show on TV. You get to anonymously submit 2-3 pages of your work. A presenter reads the submissions one at a time, and the panel of agents can raise their hands at any moment to stop the reading. Then the panel comment on why they rejected the piece. Most entries never got past the first few sentences. When a piece did work, the panel explained why it grabbed their attention. This exercise is brutally honest because it demonstrates in real time, that a writer has to make the opening pitch of their story count. A few entries made it all the way through. The writer, to loud applause, had to stand up, identify themselves, and they were assured an instant appointment with the agents who were interested in their work. On more than one occasion there was good natured haggling between agents as to which one of them got the writer first!

I also loved the Blue Pencil Appointments. You could bring 2-3 pages of your work and sit down with a published author and have them read, make suggestions or edits directly on your paper, or just answer any question you might have. I was lucky to have Joan Johnston . She was wonderfully gracious and gave me useful help.

Another conference highlight was the Genre Lunch. Tables had printed signs designating which genre could sit there. So if you were writing Young Adult or say Murder Mystery, you chose a seat and waited with baited breath to see which author and agent were going to join your table. During lunch you had the opportunity to chat and ask any burning questions you were sitting on. This was a great way to interact with professionals in the industry.

Since this was an International Conference of Writers I was delighted to meet and listen to writers from different countries and cultures. I encourage any aspiring writer to attend this conference.

PS The hotel was reasonably priced and the food was excellent. The dessert bar was yummy . . . needless to say I had seconds.

PSS Did I mention I met with several agents who asked for samples of my work, and have my fingers and toes crossed xixixixixixix

Front- left to right: Jennifer, Janet, Sherry, with Heidi standing in back.

Plus: Sante and Cello the spoiled Papillions




October 2007


Welcome to my website. I’m so excited to begin this blog. If you have questions or suggestions for topics, please let me know.


Recently I hosted an informal summer-garden, writer’s critique group at my home. My guests were all wonderful authors and we had a great time hanging out, sitting in the garden, working on manuscripts, eating and critiquing. I plan on making this an annual event and will definitely host another gathering next summer!


I hope to make an entry on my blog at least once a month. I will be introducing a contest in the near future so check back for this.


And, on October 19, I will journey to the Surrey International Writer’s Conference in British Columbia. Maybe, just maybe, I will peak the interest of an agent . . . and wouldn’t that be lovely!


Thanks for visiting and going on this adventure with me.