Monday Monday....

Even after a wonderful, relaxing day off yesterday, I have to say, I am glad that it's Monday.

Instead of my usual routine of a morning workout on the treadmill and a page or two of writing, I spent yesterday reading and finishing a book I was enjoying immensely.. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill...It was beautifully descriptive and scary and a great pleasure to read. 

But what reading something like that does to me, other than giving me inspiration and filling my very soul, it makes me want to write and write well.

I feel guilty when I take a day off from running and writing, although I know that it is quite a necessary thing to do. The itch to write that lies just beneath my skin all day is maddening. I pick up my iPad, thinking just a thought or two..just a few minutes...

I love running and I love telling stories..and I wish nothing more than to be the best I can be at both..

WeWriWa 2/23/14

Take a look at all the terrific writers at Weekend Writing Warriors!!

A snippet from my current WIP...The residents of the enchanted town of Jordan Village have something to hide it seems...

...But the safety and serenity of small town life is like a house of glass, an illusion that with one wrong misstep can come crashing down and shatter into pieces at your feet. The fortunate ones understand this early on in life, learning the hard way is the only way I am afraid. The rest, the unfortunate ones, who either through ignorance or naivety remain in the dark, are simply washed out to sea when the storm hits.

There is something old and ancient that lives in our little area of the world. It is different here, the uneasy  ghosts of the past forever scar the ground in New England. If you were to care to, you could perhaps ask the folks from Sleepy Hollow, New York or Salem, Massachusetts about the veil that obscures the many secrets of their residents. It’s alive and fed by the people who live there, a living, surreptitious entity. As Stephen King once wrote of small town folks, “…we can keep a secret when we have to”…… “And the people who live there keep them still.”

Friday Snippet!!!

A tiny Friday snippet of the first of the Jordan Village stories...

In the small town known as Jordan Village we keep our secrets as well as anyone and hide our ghosts within the shadows of our memories. We only speak of them in hushed whispers when a nor’easter comes calling on Winter’s Night and the doors are locked solidly against what remains outside.

This evening my room is warmed solely by a blazing fire and lit only by candlelight, the electricity long gone out. The wind is howling like the banshee outside my window and the snow is piling up in great blowing drifts upon the front the door as a storm buries the small town I have returned to.

Winter’s Night has come early to Jordan Village and I have a tale to tell. 

                                                                          

Work...Work...and More Work...

It's Monday and time to start work again after what seemed to be a very short weekend..

I have finished the first story in the Jordan Village series and am working on editing that.. Editing is never as fun as writing but sometimes I get great ideas that I add in on the second or third go round. 

The second Alex Steele story is still coming along, I am having trouble with the end however...as if that is a surprise, but I can't seem to wrap it up and tie it all with a neat little bow.

So, when do you stop and throw in the towel and say, okay...I've done my best and now here it is! It's difficult for a writer to let go and let the readers take over.

And a little scary...

Happy Valentine's Day Snippet!!!

For all you sexy lovebirds out there...here is a snippet of "Should Have Known"..a little tidbit of Valentine's Day erotic romance..

He grinned and pulled me into his arms. I suddenly realized how much taller he was than me, barefoot, I barely came up to his chest and I stood on tip toes to kiss him. This kiss was different than the others, sweet and gentle as if the urgency had been replaced with something else, something deeper, and something I hadn’t expected.

This gentle giant of a man made me feel like a young girl again.

Hormones? At my age, I know all about them and mine were completely out of control. My knees were wobbly and weak, my heart was pounding like there was a marching band inside my chest and I had trouble remembering who I was.

His kisses were tender, teasing me it seemed, slowly urging me to ask for more. I kissed him back, softly at first but when the heat seared through me like a forest fire, I crushed my mouth onto his, opening my lips slightly so that my tongue could graze his.


The story "Should Have Known" by Emily Keane is available on Amazon...Just in time for Valentine's Day...Enjoy!!

Are We There Yet???

Okay, so I admit it...I've done my share of bad writing in my life time...some on purpose, some not, but it was always with an intention to write something worth while.

I've written two full length novels in the last five years, one novella, and more short stories than I can count. I've written a couple of poems while I was at it but I am no poet as I am the first to admit.

I can't avoid bad writing as much as I would like to. It's like trying to lose weight without exercising and eating less, or crossing the country with your eyes closed,  you simply can't get there from here.

I want to be there...I want to be at that place where I have found my voice and the good writing comes easier and more frequent than the bad...

I want to find my way home...

Begin at the Beginning...

As Glinda advised Dorothy at the start of her journey to Oz, it is always best to begin at the beginning...

The first words and paragraph of your story set the tone of how you believe your story will go...we have our characters firmly formed in our minds, their likes and dislikes, their background...their history...It's all there just waiting for the writer to put it to paper and tell their story..and then something happens.

The character takes on a life of their own.

No matter how well I plot or plan, my characters never behave in the way I have formed them in my mind. As humans or some form thereof, they evolve and change and even within a shorter story, something happens to veer them from my chosen path…

I  would like to say it is simply my imagination that kicks in once I start writing but I am not altogether sure that is truth of it…I can no more corral my characters in than you can mold an independent child into the adult you wish them to be. As a parent of three grown children, I can state with obvious authority, that this is not how it works. We can give them the tools and our love and guidance but ultimately, they will become their own person. And no matter what you do, you cannot change that.

Writing is an extraordinary journey and I find it’s best to just start at the beginning with your characters firmly in hand and once they have found their footing, turn them loose and let them run…