Even though there was frost on the ground, and it was 30 degrees when I woke up, it’s sunny and there is joy in my heart. It’s the most important day to a Christian–even more important than Christmas, when this plan was set in motion. It’s the day our Savior rose again after redeeming all of us through his sacrificial death on Good Friday. All I can do is echo Paul when he wrote: “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.” (II Corinthians 9:15)

Blessings on Easter and always, Laurie Kingery

Today I went to our Ohio Chapter meeting of the American Christian Fiction Writers. It’s only our second meeting, and the first one I’ve been able to attend. And it was only fifteen minutes from my house, a real plus! Wow, what a nice, warm group of ladies and one gentleman. It was a pleasure to meet all of them and find out where they lived and what they were writing. And the speaker, Tiffany Colter, who spoke on “Executing Your Dream” was very impressive. Already an accomplished article-writer and dynamic writing coach and speaker, she’s working hard to get published in fiction too. I have the feeling once she gets that first sale, look out! Our best sellers in the Christian fiction field had better look to their laurels then.

Lisa Richardson, the food was delicious. Thanks so much for having us! I look forward to getting together with my chaptermates (wanted to use a gender-neutral word <g>) again soon.

Blessings, Laurie

3/21/08–It’s really 3/22, but I worked so long at my copyedits yesterday that blogging time was gone. You never know when they’re coming, and then they want them back like, yesterday. Good thing I wasn’t planning a big family Easter dinner! I’m just relieved that they didn’t come while I was in Florida.

Whining aside, I’m always amazed at how many typos–and left-out or repeated words the editor catches–and I’m thankful, believe me! No matter how carefully one proofreads, and uses Spellcheck, goofs still sneak through. Also leaps of logic and contradiction, as when I had my villain having weathered hands in one chapter and overly smooth ones in another. Thanks, my wonderful editor Melissa!

Now to write the discussion questions for the end of the book–never had to do that! And the reader letter. And the “front matter”–the dedication, the bio, the Bible verse. There’s so much “business” at this end of the book publication process. When these come due, I’m always deep in another book. It’s a wrench to yank oneself out of one story and back into another that has already faded in the author’s memory. But it’s a good thing too. By the time I’m going over the book with a fine-tooth comb, it’s almost new to me, and I’m sometimes pleasantly surprised by how good it was!

Blessings, Laurie

Thanks, Becky and Marcia for visiting! I hope you’ll be back often!

Blessings, Laurie Kingery

I’m really enjoying writing right now. The first chapter is almost always enjoyable–I’m making it all up as I go along, hemmed in by no details from prior chapters or a synopsis, no deadline as yet. It’s the closest I come to the joy of writing that first book so long ago (in 1983 or so, long before the advent of computers) when I didn’t know about any of the rules.  My fingers really speed along at this stage and I look forward to sitting down to write.  The story seems  to offer endless possibilities. It’ll be my best book ever, and garner me Ritas and other writerly awards…

I’ll feel like that for at least the first three chapters, maybe longer. It’s not until the middle of the book that writing becomes a matter of discipline for me. Certain plots threads have been strung on the loom, and it’s up to me to  weave them together in a pleasing, logical, satisfying pattern. Before I can send in the proposal to my editor, I have to write a synopsis figuring out the middle and the end. The middle can become muddled, or sag, despite the best synopsis in the world.  But for now I’ll enjoy the honeymoon!

I’m back! Vacation was wonderful, but it’s always good to get home to the familiar–the dogs, the routine, etc. I haven’t had to go back to work, but alas, that changes tonight as I return to my ER. :/

I finally did start my new book today! Working title so far is MARRYING MILLY. I got a whole 2 pages done in the 90 minutes I had to do it–I know that doesn’t sound like much, but that first blank screen can be soooo intimidating.  But now there are words on the pages, and the process begins. I can’t get started until my hero and heroine have first names, at least, and I have at least a working title for the book, a name for the town, etc.  A lot can change between now and submission to an editor. I don’t start out with writing a synopsis. The characters have to tell me their stories, instead of me directing them, at least for the first three chapters which is what is sent to the editor along with the synopsis. The finished manuscript can also vary widely from the synopsis. I’m a “pantser”–a shortened version of a “seat-of-the-pants writer,” who often does not know more than the beginning and vague idea of the story when she begins. We’re very opposite creatures from plotters, who write long, detailed synopses and know just what will happen before they ever start Chapter One. Some of us pantsers wish we could be them–it seems much easier–but it seems we are destined to be pretty much one or the other and can’t change our methods.

Now if I can only keep the heroine’s sister from stealing the story…

Blessings, Laurei

It’s been several days since my last post, and for good reason. The two days of the storm, I was much too consumed with trying to shovel out of my driveway while the snow fell just as fast as I was shovelling. And I was using a deep, widebladed shovel, not a regular snow shovel, ‘cos SOMEBODY saw fit to leave the snow shovel in a locked-up shed 100 yds. behind the house…It’s in there with the snowblower. Not saying who, but there’s only 2 people that live in that house.

My flight on Sat. May 8 got cancelled, even as I was trying to change my flight, because I couldn’t get out of the driveway, and neither could my dogsitter get out of hers. I spent 3 hours–NO EXAGGERATION–on the phone with Delta and Expedia trying to change my flight. I realize flights all across a huge swath of the country were being cancelled, but they left me on hold for half-hours at a time, while “Pachelbel’s Canon” played maniacally in my ear. When they’d come back on, they’d be trying to route me to O’Hare, which was never part of my itinerary! Finally, while on one of these interminable holds, I got online and found another flight with another airline, and finally got out of Dodge…uh, Columbus, Ohio.

It was wonderful to get to Florida and feel the sun on my face and go around without a jacket. St. Augustine is lovely, if you don’t mind searching forever for a parking space! We’ve had some lovely meals, done a lot of shopping and walking. I can’t say enough about the nice man at the Holiday Inn St. Augustine beach who showed me how to use their free internet. Thanks, Carlos~bless you!

Mary, thanks for visiting my blog! I knew I could could on y’all!

I’m supposed to fly out on Saturday at 5 to join my husband in Orlando, Fla. The plan is to go on from there to St. Augustine for the next 4 days.  He’s been down there since 2/29 fishing, but I think he’s more than ready to kick back and relax with me and do nothing more strenuous than eat, sleep, walk and shop. The only potential fly in the ointment to this lovely plan is that they’re calling for anywhere from 6 to 8″ or more of snow starting tomorrow, Friday, and continue on through Saturday. They’ve been overpredicting all winter, so I just hope they’re overpredicting this time too. I just hope I can fly out–safely! I guess this will be a test of my faith…You better believe I’m praying meanwhile! Anyone who reads this, please pray for safe travel for me please!

This blog isn’t going to be much about music, but I just have to say something about the PBS program last night featuring the Irish male group, the High Kings. Reminiscent of the Clancy Brothers and other favorites I grew up on, these guys are WONDERFUL. There’s something about good Irish singing with lots of harmony that sends chills up my spine. Maybe it’s a cultural memory–I do have Scots-Irish blood mixed in with the German, Huguenot and Cherokee. I’m going to be looking for a High Kings CD. There’s another group on tonight, Celtic Thunder, that I’m planning to give a listen to.

I wish PBS would lose the cheesy 10-minute fundraising ads, or at least shorten them. But I have a mute button. <beg> It’s actually easier to mute something for that long than to have to mute the ever-more-frequent, oft-repeated political ads. ENOUGH, ALREADY. After the Ohio and Texas primaries tomorrow, Ohio will go back to being a flyover state that no national politician really cares about.

JMHO.   Laurie Kingery