Potter time!

Hello,
Yes, I know it's been far too long since my last blog, but I have been busy. Last evening I had some friends over for dinner and one of them shared this Horoscope website. If you click on the link it will take you to mine, gemini. There on that page is a picture of a modern tarot/oracle card with the title "Monkey Mind." That card, the title, and the picture are a small glimpse of the inside of my brain. Spectacular, isn't it? It's a wonder I'm not on medication.
My writing has been all over the place. So many stories keep sprouting out of nowhere and demanding to be forged in ink or become a word document. However through the madness I have been able to keep plugging away at my vampire novel. Been kind of in a writing creative bubble, which has been keeping me in hermit status as of late. But I had to drop everything this evening to go see the seventh installment of Harry Potter. Excellent film. Bawled my eyes out at the end. And am extremely upset about the fact I have to wait eight bloody more months for Part Two. Thank goodness for good books that provide a pleasant distraction from the pain of waiting. Never mind the fact I have a book to finish. Scratch that two books. More details on that to come.
Lovely weekend to you all,
Mel

Learning as I go.

I haven't written much since last Sunday. But I've been learning loads. First of all I follow one of my favorite author's blog everyday and this week she had lots of great writing advice that really helped me push my story today. Following an author's blog is something I learned from my last WW meeting. As an aspiring writer I need all the advice I can get, if that advice comes from someone that I enjoy reading their books, then all the better.

Now that the normal NW fall weather is in full swing, I foresee serious days of writing ahead. Something about rain really get my creative juices flowing.

Slow Progress

Hello World,
It is almost 5 am on a Sunday morning. My brain is going in a million directions. I know that I should write something, but so much is coming through my fingers can't keep up and most of it is a confusing cluster of nonsense. This my friends is what happens when you open the creative channels. Sometimes great stuff comes through, other times it's all jumbled up making no sense at all.
So I'm going to start typing and hope that something sensible will come out so I can finish chapter 17. I'm at a point in the story where not much is happening to move the story. My main character is in a hospital bed recovering from acute blood loss anemia and several mysterious injuries. I know what happens next, but I'm really struggling on how to word this next phase of my character's life without boring the reader. It is during this time that everything changes in her life so it's important. With that being said, I will say good-bye for now so I can make sense of the madness that demands to be written. Cheers!

Something new

Happy Friday,
Normally when I am writing I sit on the couch or in bed with pillows propping me up. I also write on the MAX on the way to work. Tonight I am trying something new. I'm going to write at my kitchen table next to my newly canned jars of salsa. Why the change? No real reason, just want to do something different. We shall see if it works. So far my cat Earl is scratching on the balcony door to go outside and my cat Mitzu is on my lap wanting my undivided attention. I open the door to let them outside only to hear the next door neighbors kid outside throwing the mother of all tantrums. *sigh* Time to bring out the old headphones and turn on Pandora. Ah, much better.
Must finish Chapter 15. However I'm having the most difficult time, because all I want to do is go to Six Roses, my first novel, and make all these new modifications to the story that have been bouncing off the walls of my brain. They say you should stick with the story you are working on and finish it. Well, I'm going to compromise. For each chapter that I finish for The Vampire Novelist, I will allow myself to go and make one change to Six Roses. This way I'm not breaking the rules; not really.
After a long Friday afternoon nap, I'm revving that ol' creative motor up. It's going to be a long night. :)

Book Fun!!

I'm completely pumped!!! I just came from my first Willamette Writer's Monthly Meeting and this evening our guest speaker is Karen Azinger the author of The Steel Queen, a fantasy novel coming out next year. She was amazing and many of her suggestions regarding the writing process and getting published really resonated with me. She was so inspiring that I have a fresh ideas for my second version of my first vampire novel, a book I thought I would never go back to, but only reference from for my current project.
Unfortunately it's 10pm and I'm completely pooped. Sleep and work get in the way of my creative process, but both are necessary.... Till next time...

Sometime after 3pm

Excerpt from my journal from 9-30-10
I'm sitting basking in the sunlight with my feet in the cool water of Teacher's Fountain in Director's Park near the Library MAX stop. I missed my train, so I figured I could take advantage of this extra time by dipping my feet in this delightful water. Today the temperature climbed slightly into the 80's. These are the perfect last days of summer.
This moment right now is the most perfect moment of the day. I'm off work. My mother made it to Israel safely. The sun is out. The children are playing in the fountain having a grand old time. The adults are smiling in their offspring's delight. There is a gentle warm breeze with a hit of fall coolness. Life is certainly good and the world around me seems to reflect that sentiment. Ahh...Breathe... and take in all in... Cherish this moment...


I love moments like these. I tuck them away to be used on a day when life seems far from perfect. From those 15 minutes at the fountain, a well-spring of inspiration came forth and I was able to write a whole chapter thereafter.

VA fun!

Good Morning!

It’s about 6am on this fine rainy Saturday morning. Why up so early? Because I couldn’t sleep. I know, it’s a boring answer. In fact I’ve been up since 3am, which is going to make for a long day considering I’m attending a high school reunion this afternoon. There may be a slight chance I may squeeze in a nap before then- at least I can hope.  Enough about my unusual sleeping patterns.

It’s been exactly three weeks since I started this blog and I have a total of five followers, which I’m stoked about. In the last three weeks much has happened. First, I took my RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician) exam and passed. This was for my work at the hospital and the last thing I needed to do after I completed my AS in Health Information Management.  I can’t tell you how good it feels to have this behind me. Now I can fully focus on my finishing my novel and sending it to a literary agent that expressed interest in my work. But before I could do that, I had to enjoy a little R & R which leads me to my second major event in the last three weeks.

During the week of Labor Day I went on vacation to Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky. Why would I leave the beautiful NW for the Midwest? Visiting my friends and visiting historical sites in VA. My dear friend, M,  is a major Civil War buff and makes the perfect traveling companion through VA, not to mention what a delightful woman she is to be around. So here are a few pictures from our trip.

Martha Washington Inn in Abdington, VA. We stayed in this lovely hotel that was used as a hospital during the Civil War. The third floor is supposedly haunted. That’s where we slept, but we didn’t hear or see anything. 

Yours truly with a view from the BlueRidge Parkway.

Virginia Military Institute with the statue of Stonewall Jackson.

Close up.

Staying at The Homestead, built in the 1700’s. This place was unbelievable and by far the finest most luxurious place I’ve ever slept in. I mean presidents come here to vacation or to make major political announcements.

M and I at the Jefferson Pools near the Homestead. These hot spring pools are the reason the Homestead was built. Many notable historical people have come and taken in these waters seeking relief from ailments. It was amazing to float about the pool and thinking about those individuals that had come here hundreds of years ago.

Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Fascinating individual reflected in his home.

Inn at Meander Plantation. A bed and breakfast we stayed in. Built in the 1700’s. Jefferson and General Lafayette stayed here.

Montpelier, James and Dolly Madison’s home. This was the highlight of my trip. The energy that I felt as I walked through that house and the grounds will stay with me forever. It is here that I fell in love again with Dolly Madison. I remembered reading about her back in high school history class, but to actually be in her house and hear about her now, it was enough for me to go buy a thick book on this brilliant woman. That’s right I bought a book that had nothing about vampires! I also bought a book about the “Little Great Madison” because I’m absolutely fascinated by this incredible small man that became our fourth president and was one of the masterminds behind the Constitution.

A few other highlights on my trip was seeing my college roommates and caves. My trip became a caving adventure. 

Natural Bridge Caverns in  Natural Bridge, VA

Luray Caverns in Luray, VA

Mammoth Caves National Park, Kentucky

Great Onyx Cave at Mammoth Cave National Park. (Not connected to the Mammoth Cave System)

It was wonderful seeing my friends, caving, visiting historical sites, and staying in fantastic places, but man was it nice coming home. I sure missed my boys, all three of them. My cats haven't left my side since I've arrived.

This last week was spent catching up on household things and now it’s time to buckle down and write! This trip has been a huge source of inspiration, something I didn’t expect. So with that I sign off so I may get some writing in before my reunion.

Stay tuned, more to come on the novel. Maybe some snippets????

Cheers,