To All New Things! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

This post is a little different because it's not about New Year's resolutions...it's about experiencing life.

We all get frustrated when the goals we’ve set aren’t reached, but sometimes we just have to realize it’s out of our hands, especially when health issues need to be addressed, computer problems arise, a day job gets in the way, volunteer work takes up much of your free time, or you just need a break or you’ll snap. It happens to everyone.

So, instead of focusing on what I didn’t accomplish in 2007, I like to focus on the NEW things I did over the past year, personally and writing related (although most of these can be referenced for research later).

For me, life is about learning and trying new things. So, here is my list of few Brand Spankin' NEW things that I experienced in 2007:

Jan. 1st: On the first day of the New Year, we always do something we’ve never done before. This year we toured the house that The Travel Channel's “America's Most Haunted” calls the number one most haunted house in the United States: The Whaley House in San Diego, CA. It was a great way to kick off 2007! (Didn’t experience anything unusual, though…darnit.)

April 5th-14th: This California girl experienced a New England winter during the spring and survived! LOL. Easter in Maine was colder than their Christmas, as winter got a late start. But fortunately, we packed appropriately. Whew. And we made it out of Boston hours before the Nor'Easter hit, so we were fortunate all around.

My paranormal trilogy is set in Maine, so it was the perfect chance to do a little research and gain some first-hand experience. And oh my gosh, it was gorgeous with the snow blanketing the ground of the colonial village of York (1652), which was where we'd stayed.


Ate Boston Baked Beans at Durgin Park Restaurant (1827)…Delicious, especially when you’re cold!




Ate Boston Cream Pie at the Omni Parker House (1855) where the delectable dessert was first created…it just happens to be my favorite desert. Coincidence? I think not. We also stayed at the hotel so we wouldn’t miss any B.C.P. ordering opportunities. I know, it just gets sad…


June 21st-25th: Visited the absolutely stunning state of Wisconsin for the first time. It’s amazing what rain and snow will do for a place! How wonderful to be surrounded by such greenery all summer long, rather than sticks that resemble trees and dried brush, all various shades of brown, as well as a high chance of fire—much like here.

We also visited the Swiss town of New Glarus and the Norwegian town of Mount Horeb (aka The Troll Capital of the World).






Oh, and Mount Horeb boasts the Mustard Museum—as seen on Mark DeCarlo’s “Taste of America” (The Travel Channel)—where I bought my Poupon U shirt. You know why, right? Because the museum is the campus for America’s College of Mustard, don’tcha know. Hey, we just happened upon it..it’s not like we planned a trip there! LOL


Okay, so this is only a partial list…don’t want to bore you.

What about you guys? What new things did you do or did you learn this past year? I want to hear all about it! Tell me, tell me! :-)

Here’s to an exciting, healthy, and successful 2008 for all of us!

Michele

Looking For a Gift? Try an Author Signed Quilt

Still need to find a holiday gift for that someone special? I thought I'd bring this auction to your attention, especially since there are still a few days left!

Check out the authors who have signed the quilt/wall hanging...Pretty darn cool. They're all listed below. :-)

Happy Holidays!!

Michele

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NEW AUCTION ON eBAY!

Quilt / Wall hanging

Autographed by 100 authors

CLICK HERE: Romance Quilt with Authors' Autographs (clicking will take you to eBay)

The Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America® is offering this quilt/wallhanging with autographs of 100 authors: NYT Bestselling Authors in Romance Suzanne Brockman, Kathleen Eagle, Kristen Hannah, Kathleen Korbel, Jayne Anne Krentz, Jill Marie Landis, Stephanie Laurens, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Teresa Medeiros, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Nora Roberts and Crime Novelists Stephen J. Cannell & Robert Crais

Enjoy your favorite authors! Discover new authors! The entire list (alphabetical order): Cherry Adair/ Rebecca Anderson / Jennifer Apodaca / Amanda Ashley / Madeline Baker / Jo Beverley / Elizabeth Bevarly / Pauline Bitten / Allison Brennan / Suzanne Brockman / Stephen J. Cannell / Kate Carlisle / Mary Castillo / Maureen Child / Kresley Cole / Robert Crais / Geralyn Dawson / Janelle Dennison / Thea Devine / Jacqueline Diamond / Christina Dodd / Gillian Doyle / Eileen Dreyer / Judy Duarte / Kathleen Eagle / Suzanne Enoch / Suzanne Forster / Rebecca Forster / Patricia Gaffney / Tina Gayle / Cindy Gerard / Rachel Gibson / Barbara Goodwin / Jennifer Greene / Lori Handeland / Kristen Hannah / Kim Harris / Lorraine Heath / Candice Hern / Lori Herter / Kristen Higgins / Sandra Hill / Madeline Hunter / Lisa Jackson / Tara Jansen / Linda O. Johnston / Sandra Kay / H.R. Knight / Kathleen Korbel / Jayne Anne Krentz / Jill Marie Landis / Stephanie Laurens / Julia London / Charlotte Maclay / Debbie Macomber / Susan Mallery / Lorelle Marinello / Dinah Macall / Barbara McCauley / Sarah McKerrigan / Linda McLaughlin / Teresa Medeiros / Pamela Morsi / Mindy Neff / Dee Ann Palmer / Janelle Pat / Sandra Paul / Diane Pershing / Carly Phillips / Susan Elizabeth Phillips / Patricia Potter / Frances Ray / Shirley Raye / Christine Rimmer / Nora Roberts / Karen Rose / Lauren Royal / Charlene Sands / Meryl Sawyer / Jill Shalvis / Teresa Southwick / Susan Squires / Patricia Thayer / Vicki Lewis Thompson / Carolyn Valdez / Sherri Whitefeather / Caitlyn Willows / Maralys Wills / Taylor Wilshire / These autographs were obtained from speakers at our chapter meetings as well as at the 2007 National RWA Conference in Dallas. OCC/RWA is a not-for-profit corporation serving fiction writers, published and unpublished.

To view more close-up photos, click here

Thank you to award-winning quilter Sandy Fields for piecing this quilt and Sandy Brown (Sandra Kay) for all of her help with this project!

Checking In...

Hi all,

This is a quick post, as I'm in the middle of a deadline (my last Orange Blossom!), but I wanted to point out a fun blog posted by Bobbie Cimo on A Slice of Orange called "Eye on Hollywood: Our Holiday Turkey, Perry."

Bobbie has countless Hollywood stories and has started to blog about them once a month over on A Slice of Orange (starting next month, she'll be posting on the 13th). This one is about how Perry Como was a huge part of their holiday tradition...And how once she started working at CBS, she had the opportunity to meet him. It's GREAT story!! If you get a chance, I think you'll enjoy reading it.

I'm a sucker for all those Hollywood stories...Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Doris Day, Bing Crosby.

What about you guys? Do you ever get nostalgic for the older Hollywood specials?

Oh, and starting January 12th, I'll be joining A Slice of Orange with a monthly column titled "A Writer's Pursuit" where I'll be discussing the pursuit of reaching goals, learning craft, and doing research. I'll keep you posted. :-)

Hope you're doing well!

Michele

Speechless

United Hollywood: Fighting for the Future has been posting these short videos on Youtube--acted out by celebrities--in order to demonstrate what happens to the movie/television industry without writers. To view all the videos and to learn more about the strike points, click http://speechlesswithoutwriters.com/.


Michele

A Little Holiday Cheer

So we finally put up our Christmas lights last weekend. What do you think? Not enough?

And the one below it is our neighbor's house. I think they toned it down from last year.


Okay, you caught me. That's Disneyland's Cinderella's Castle and the It's A Small World attraction. It just wouldn't feel like the holidays if we didn't stroll through the park a couple of times during November and December and take in the carolers on Main Street, the lights and decorations all over the park, the "snow" falling along town square, the cold nights when we can finally wear mittens and heavy coats, and the special holiday baked goods and drinks that are sold on every corner. It's a tradition my family and I have had for at least 20 years, if not more.

I also break out the holiday movies: Meet Me in St. Louis, White Christmas, On Moonlight Bay, Love Actually, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and While You Were Sleeping.

I generally watch holiday movies over reading holiday fiction; however, this year, I'm making an exception for the writing goddess Maureen Child's (with Caridad Pineiro) latest Silhouette Nocturne: Holiday With A Vampire. Maureen's story is "Christmas Cravings," and combines two of my favorite things: the holidays and paranormal romance! Yay! Can't wait to read it. :-)

What about you? Do you prefer movies or books to help you get in the spirit? Or neither one--maybe music? Do you have any traditions, like returning to a certain place year after year?

Hope you're all doing well!

Michele

Dusting Off the Ole Diploma

Yeah, Baby! I knew getting a B.A. in 3 and a 1/2 years would come in handy.

Okay, so I don't really have a huge amount of faith in this particular Blog Readability Test because as my friend, J.K Mahal, pointed out in her blog, One Page at a Time, the results are given without any kind of criteria or reasoning.

So, I clicked on the other link she'd posted: Juicy Studio's Readability Test.

This one gave my blog a readability of High School level, which definitely sounds more my speed.

I'm just not buying the College Level (PostGrad) rating. I like the short words...And the shorter sentences. ;-)

By the way, if you have an Elementary School rating, then you're in excellent company because a lot of bestselling authors have this rating as well!

So, what about you guys? Has anyone else tried this?

Hope your weekend is going well!

Michele

Almost There

A few more key scenes and I will be finished with a solid draft of my single title, dark paranormal romance, THE PRENTICE LEGACY. Yay! I'm aiming to complete this by the end of next week...And then the layering and polishing will begin. :-)

With a lot of luck and determination, this novel will be ready to go at the beginning of 2008, and then it will be time to polish the proposals for Book Two and Book Three in the trilogy.

I'm thrilled at the way all my characters--but especially my hero and heroine, Cooper Landry and Elisabeth Prentice--took charge of the story and traveled to those dark places, really upping the stakes. Even when I wasn't sure whether I wanted "to go there"... they were right. LOL! I love them.

Do your characters ever tell you they want to do something other than what you had planned for them? Do you let them? And do you find maybe they were right?

Do I sound insane? ;-)

Hope your writing is going well!

Michele

Okay, this cracked me up...

I always thought Amy had it coming to her. And clearly, so does Meg Cabot.

Have you guys seen her retelling of this American Literary Classic...The way she thinks it should have been written? (Frankly, I agree.) In fact, anyone who has written a novel, or is in the process of writing one, might think the same.

Michele

Meeting Robert Crais

I’ve had this blog entry written for oh…well…over a month now, but I’m just getting around to posting it. Sheesh.

That’s because I’m focused on finishing my dark paranormal before the end of the year. Yay! (I’m sooo in love with these characters and this story.) But I do tend to tune everything else out when I get rolling on a story--except family and friends...and deadlines (those have come up, too).

However, even though I don’t post regularly when I’m in story writing mode, I do read your blogs every single day, as they jumpstart my morning. So, thank you!

Anyway, back to this post.

That’s Robert Crais in the picture…(Oh, and I’m standing next to him, but who cares, right? LOL) ;-)

I had the opportunity to hear him speak at OCC’s October 13th meeting, and he was absolutely charming. He certainly went out of his way to make others around him comfortable. And the cool thing was how he began his speech with how he’d struggled with numerous rejections for his first Elvis Cole novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, but he didn’t allow himself to give up. Very inspirational.

He also spoke about how his family refused to support his choice to become a writer, at least not until he became a successful one (after he sold his first teleplay). And he offered up point-by-point how he worked damn hard to become the name he is today. Yeah, gotta say this endeared him to pretty much everyone in the room.

He’d written teleplays for “Hill Street Blues,” “Cagney and Lacey,” and “Miami Vice” as well. (And he mentioned the first show he’d worked on, but now I can’t remember the name…I want to say “Baretta,” but someone please correct me if I’m wrong.)

Anyway, I was first introduced to the name Robert Crais when his novel L.A. Requiem was required reading in a novel writing course in college, and that, of course, also became my introduction to the Private Investigator character, Elvis Cole. The setting, the suspense, the well-developed characters, the mystery, the voice…his books have it all. There’s a good reason Crais has jumped from struggling fiction writer to New York Times bestseller.

I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to meet him, and it’s always a pleasure to put a warm and friendly personality with well-known name.

Have any of you read his books? Or have you had the opportunity to meet Crais?


Take Care,

Michele

Online Class with Judy Duarte: Matchmaking 101

Hey, I thought some of you might be interested in this online class called MATCHMAKING 101: A Yenta's Guide to Creating, Sustaining, and Overcoming Conflict.

The information on the class and the award-winning author, Judy Duarte, is below.

Happy Writing,

Michele

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OCC/RWA November Online Class

MATCHMAKING 101:
A Yenta's Guide to Creating, Sustaining, and Overcoming Conflict

November 12 to December 9
(4 weeks)

Instructor
JUDY DUARTE

Class info:
Judy Duarte, award winning author of 25 books, will share her method
of creating a compelling hero and heroine who must overcome all odds
to earn the right to fall in love and live happily ever after.

Learn how to handpick the perfect couple and develop backstories that
will provide a strong, believable conflict. By the end of the class,
you can expect to have the beginning of a solid synopsis that will
jumpstart your plot.

About the Instructor:
Judy's first book was released by Silhouette Special Edition in 2002.
Since then, her stories have touched the hearts of readers around the
world, winning her a National Reader's Choice Award in 2005.
Mulberry Park, Judy's first women's fiction novel and the book of her
heart, will be released in trade size by Kensington in April of 2008.

Enrollment Information:
Cost: OCC members $20 and Nonmembers $30
Enrollment deadline: November 10, 2007

For more infromation, see the website
http://www.occrwa.com/classes_november.htm
or e-mail online class moderator Lori Pyne at luv2write@gmail.com

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