“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

May your new writing year meet with much success!

Christmas Week

I don't think I'll be getting much writing done this week, though I'll try to sneak a few minutes in here and there. I did manage to get in about 30 minutes worth late last night. Of course, when I only have a few moments, I tend to rewrite something that's already there. I really need to stop doing that! I can go back and edit later. Bad habit, so I guess I'll have to work on it.

Have a great week!

Well, I managed to send out one of my submissions today. A completed Christian romance that I am doing a little polishing on while I wait to hear back.

I have another query letter ready to go concerning a novel I wrote two years ago. I've only submitted it to one publisher~and it was rejected. I put it on the back burner for a while, trying to figure out exactly where this novel 'fits' in the Christian writing world.

Is it a cozy or a romantic suspense? That has been the question. I wrote it intending it to be a cozy, but, as many of you know, a novel has a way of taking on a life of it's own, and sometimes the writer is just along for the ride. All I know to do is to put it out there and see what happens.

I love writing these books and stories, but submitting them is always a challenge for me. I tend to write, rewrite, and the write again!

What about all of you? Do have projects out there being considered? How long, once you are completed with a project, does it take to really be 'ready' to send off to a publisher?

The Christmas Season

This is probably my favorite time of the year. My house is colorful and pretty, there are a lot of phone calls between relatives, we get little bits of snow spitting from the sky on windy days, and best of all, we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If things weren't so busy, I could probably be more productive in my writing at this time of year. As it is, I've been fairly lax since Thanksgiving, but I do find that this season provides me with a lot of inspiration for my novels.

I am happy to say that I have two submissions going out on Monday! One has been rejected by another publisher, and the other is on its 'maiden voyage'. Whatever the outcome, I am happy to have them on their way.

Seeds of Inspiration

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. ~Voltaire

Do you ever get your writing inspiration from food? I've been thinking about apples a lot lately, as well as cooking with them, and they are playing a part in a new book I am developing. I find cooking to be a relaxing therapy when I'm 'stuck' in a particular part of a project I'm working on. Somehow, the act of measuring, mixing, etc., seems to act as a 'therapy', if you will, and I can continue with my work in progress.

Goodbye

Tony Hillerman, author of the Leaphorn and Chee mysteries, born May 27, 1925, in Sacred Heart, Okla., population 50, passed away yesterday in Arizona. He had been in declining health for several years, but still loved to write.

I've always enjoyed seeing interviews of Mr. Hillerman. He was a very down-to-earth type man and very modest about his success, always giving any ideas for inspiration to those he felt it was due.

More than just a mystery novelist, he was a decorated combat veteran of WWII, a journalist, and devoted husband and father.

Goodbye, Mr. Hillerman. Thank you for you contribution to the mystery world. You will never be forgotten by your fans!

New To Me

The concept of 'republishing' a book from the POV of a certain character in the story is totally new to me. I read this article yesterday on romancing the blog . It was recently submitted by Brenda Coulter, romance author.

As a writer, I have to admit that it is an interesting concept, but as a reader~I'm not sure I'd be interested in seeing the story 're-hashed'.

Have you ever read one of these novels? Did you enjoy it? As a writer what do you think about the concept of doing this to your own novels?