I made very little progress on the writing challenge this weekend as things like doing taxes and laundry and housework were deemed more important than writing and editing.

Birthdays: Louis Dudek (1918), Carl N. Degler (1921), Keith Waterhouse (1929), Tom Brokaw (1940), Daniel Yergin (1947), Michael Pollan (1955), Kevin Trudeau (1963), Kathryn Stockett (1969),

Carl Degler won the 1972 Pulitzer for History for “Neither Black nor White”

Daniel Yergin won the 1992 Pulitzer for Nonfiction for “The Prize”

Quote: “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” ― Tom Brokaw

“I sit in my little office and I feel like I’ve got all my readers staring at me.” – Kathryn Stockett

Tip: Get your mind off your WIP (work in progress) and read something totally different. Don’t analyze, don’t critique, don’t make notes. Just relax and read.

Jumpstart: You have to evacuate your home quickly due to a natural disaster (or some other emergency). What do you take? What do you leave behind?

Like most writers–and actually, anyone doing any job (and yes, writing is a job!), I have off days. Days where the words just won’t come. Yesterday was one of those days. I didn’t even come close to my goal. It happens. The trick is to keep going in the days following. So hopefully today will be better.

Birthdays: Herman Charles Bosman (1905), William S. Burroughs (1914), Margaret Millar (1915), Andrew Greeley (1928), Stephen J. Cannell (1941), Bill Strauss (1947), Terence Blacker (1948), David Wiesner (1956), Tom Eaton (1977)

David Wiesner Won the 1992 Caldecott Medal for “Tuesday”, 2001 for “The Three Pigs” and 2006 for “Flotsam”.

Quote: “For it is not the story that counts. What matters is the way you tell it.” – Herman Charles Bosman

Tip: Go for a walk or do other exercise for at least ten minutes—more is better. Do this especially if you’re stuck on something. Fresh air and movement gets the blood flowing – and wakes up the brain.

Jumpstart: Your house is haunted. Who is haunting you and why? Are they friendly? Or evil?

Some fun books this time around!

Under Mysteries:

5 Sparklers for “Murder With Earl Grey Tea” by Karen Rose Smith – but be forewarned, you really should read the first eight in this series in order to fully understand what’s going on. But you won’t be sorry!

Under Fantasy:

5 Sparklers for “Pillar of Heaven” by Kitty Shields. Great characters, especially Kate, the main character. But… watch out for quite a few typos. Still, the story is worth the read.

Under Romance:

3 Sparklers for “Georgie All Along” by Kate Clayborn. A little slow, but a satisfying ending.

The Lumberjills

by M W Arnold

Category: Romance / Historical / 20th C

Series: The Lumberjills

Berry Chambers and her co-workers have joined the Women’s Timber Corps—known as the Lumberjills—to do their bit for Britain. On their first day felling trees, they rescue an RAF pilot and become entangled in the loveless marriage of her new landlords. Danger is never far away, be it an ill-timed axe swing or the occasional activity of the Luftwaffe overhead. Add a psychotic farm cat, a couple of young runaway evacuees, a spate of malicious packages, and the jealousy of the Land Girls next door, and life for Berry and her friends is never boring. Can the girls find the balance between their vital war work and the natural pull of love?

The Wylder Cat and The Pinkerton Agent

by April Hollingworth

Category: Romance / Paranormal

Series: Wylder West

Pinkerton Agent George McIntyre has come to Wylder to track down a thief known only as The Cat.Allie Murphy, a jaguar shifter is the cat in question and will do anything to avoid being caught. She is not an ordinary thief and has her reasons for stealing from Walter Freeman, the man who hired George. The problem is no matter where she goes he seems to be one step ahead of her.George finds Allie fascinating and is determined to get closer to her. Just as he realizes that this assignment is more complex than he imagined, danger rides into town and Allie and George will have to trust each other if they’re going to have a chance of surviving.

Available through these fine retailers…

Amazon

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Google Books

ITunes

Walmart

Target

BooksAMillion

Indie Bound

And for those interested in my writing challenge progress: 2588 yesterday for a total of 4157. 25843 to go to 30,000.

I’m  part of the New Jersey Romance Writers Association (no, you don’t *have* to live in NJ to be a member of this wonderful group!). In February we have a challenge to write 30,000 words. Feel like joining in the challenge? Be my guest. Just keep track of what you write this month and if you want to post here in the comments, be my guest. So here we go!

Yesterday’s progress: 1569 new words written in current WIP (Book 4 in Galaxy series).

35 pages edited in upcoming urban fantasy.

A good writing day!

m part of the New Jersey Romance Writers Association (no, you don’t *have* to live in NJ to be a member of this wonderful group!). In February we have a challenge to write 30,000 words. Feel like joining in the challenge? Be my guest. Just keep track of what you write this month and if you want to post here in the comments, be my guest. So here we go!

These can be found at The Wild Rose Press as well as your favorite book outlets.

Sometimes the only way to stop the world from going to Hell is by working with Demons. Hyacinth Finch has one goal: Save her nephew Geordi from the Hell Demon who kidnapped him. But to succeed, she’ll have to work with his demon Mafia relatives, which she swore she’d never do. Worse, she’ll have to make another deal with the High Demons who murdered her. But Geordi’s life is worth it, even if she loses her own humanity in the process. Meanwhile, Hyacinth’s ghost boyfriend Eric is wasting away, after being ejected from his “borrowed” body. While digging in his past for something to make him fight for survival, she uncovers secrets that could destroy their relationship. Moreover, her feelings for Geordi’s demon cousin Jason are stronger than ever, though every morally impossible choice she makes drives him farther away. Can she save Eric and Geordi, without losing herself—and Jason—forever?

Hunted by the Black Widow Queen, Issylte–a healer with the verdant magic of the forest–must flee Avalon with the two finest knights in the Celtic realm, both wrongly accused of treason. The trio travels to Bretagne, where Issylte heals a critically injured wolf and obtains fiercely loyal, shapeshifting allies. In mystical Brocéliande, Issylte becomes a warrior priestess of the Tribe of Dana and otherworldly mate of the Blue Knight of Cornwall, discovering with Tristan a passion that transcends all bounds. When she becomes the Lady of the Mirrored Lake, sworn to defend the sacred waters of the Goddess, Issylte must undertake a perilous quest to discover what priceless object lies hidden in its murky depths. As a nascent evil emerges in a fetid cave, Issylte and Tristan must face a diabolical trio that threatens their lives, their love, and their kingdoms. Enchanted. Enflamed. Entwined. Can their passion and power prevail?

I apologize for missing a few days – have been a bit under the weather. New reviews and spotlights will be coming soon. Here are the tips, tricks, and thoughts for today:

Birthdays: Walter Landor (1775), Gelett Burgess (1866), Saul Alinsky (1909), Barbara Tuchman (1912), Lloyd Alexander (1924), Shirley Hazzard (1931), Allan W. Eckert (1931), Richard Brautigan (1935), Gregory Benford (1941), Michael Dorris (1945), John Dufresne (1948), Judith Tarr (1955), Polly Horvath (1957)

Lloyd Alexander won the 1969 Newbery Medal for “The High King”

Allan W. Eckert won the 1972 Newbery Honor for “Incident at Hawk’s Hill”

Shirley Hazard is an Australian author and winner of the Booker Prize and American National Book Award for Fiction

Polly Horvath won 2003 National Book Award for Young People’s Fiction and Newbery Honor

Barbara Tuchman won the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for “The Guns of August”

Quote: “I want the reader to turn the page and keep on turning until the end. This is accomplished only when the narrative moves steadily ahead, not when it comes to a weary standstill, overloaded with every item uncovered in the research.” – Barbara Tuchman

Tip: Let the reader know what your characters are feeling, but not by telling us. Show us their anger, angst, love, hatred, etc. This can be best done through actions. Agitation is shown by tapping of the foot, drumming of the fingers, pacing. Use facial expressions, body movements, and even the way they talk.

Jumpstart: I saw that face across the room and I…

Birthdays: Lewis Carroll (1832), Mordecai Richler (1931), D.M. Thomas (1935), Julius Lester (1939), Clarissa Pinkola Estes (1945), Ethan Mordden (1949), Alexander Stuart (1955), James Grippando (1958)

Lewis Carroll is best known for his stories “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

Quote: “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” – Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll is most famous for his book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

Tip: What do you do to relax and recharge? What gives you the push to keep on going when you don’t want to? Make a list and once a week, pick something from it to do. Keeping yourself fresh keeps your writing fresh.

Jumpstart: Write a scene with the following: The fog crept in, covering the woods…

Birthdays: Birthdays: Mary Dodge (1831), Philip Jose Farmer (1918), Jules Feiffer (1929), Susan Griffin (1943), Angela Davis (1944), Christopher Hampton (1946), Jonathan Carroll (1949), Laurence Shames (1951), Nick Flynn (1960), Shannon Hale (1974)

Philip Jose Farmer was a prolific writer best known for his Riverworld science fiction novels.

Shannon Hale writes YA fantasy. Her novel “Princess Academy” won the Newbery Honor.

Susan Griffin’s book “A Chorus of Stones” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

Jules Feiffer, an American cartoonist, won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize.

Thought for the day: “There’s almost always a point in a book where something happens that triggers the rest of the plot.” “Just write about what bites you and damn the rest.” – Jonathan Carroll

Tip: Learn the difference between “bring” and “take”. Bring is used to come from there to here (She will bring the candles with her.). Take goes from here to there (Take the book to the library.). Bring me a drink. Take this to the kitchen.

Jumpstart: What tattoo does your character hide from the world? Why? When and why did s/he get it? Does s/he regret the impulse? Why or why not?