A New You

Today’s Dreamer Monday post is simple.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

~Elizabeth

News!

 This just in…

(Sorry, but I’ve always, always, always wanted to say that)  

As an update to Wednesday’s post, my eldest daughter not only made it into school that day but she also auditioned and got a part in her high school musical, Beauty and the Beast!!!

She’s Beast’s butler.

It’s a happy day! And I’m a very proud mom.

Fill in the Blank

I remember going through a stage where I though Ad Libs (the little books where you filled in the blanks with nouns, verbs, adjectives) were the coolest thing. They kept me busy for hours, sending me in pursuit of semi-willing participants who didn’t mind tossing a few good words in my direction.

Fortunately for all of you, I’ve moved on. Sort of.

These days I’m not as into silly little words as I am into hearing stories and getting to know people better. Sooooo, I’m going to borrow the fill-in-the-blank idea from Ad Libs and give it a little twist.

Ready?

Here goes…

1) When I was a little girl/boy, my favorite thing to do after school was _____________.

2) The Brady Bunch episode I liked best was _____________.

3)  The one thing I vowed I’d never tolerate from the opposite gender was/is ______________.

4)  My favorite teacher ever was _______________.

5) My favorite must-have ice cream topping is ____________.

6) The one thing that makes my blood pressure boil is __________________.

7) My favorite place to people watch is ___________________.

The name of my very first pet was _______________ and he/she _______________.

9) The first pair of shoes I *remember* from my childhood were _____________.

10) If I could compete in one olympic area it would be _______________.

Now humor me and fill in the blanks, okay?

~Elizabeth

P.S. The computer thought my # 8 question was a smiley face symbol. And since everyone can use a little smiley face in their day, I left it!

Hazel or Blue?

I love getting letters from my readers. Love, love, love it.  I love the kind that simply say, “loved Sew Deadly” or “can’t wait for the next book!” And I love the ones that tell me which characters they liked most and which plot point kept them up all night. Seriously, what’s not to like about mail like that?

But I also like the letters that ask questions. Like this one from Jayne…

How do you keep track of all those characters?

I love this question because it’s exactly the kind of thing I’ve found myself wondering many times while losing myself in the pages of a favorite series. But now that I’m a writer, too, I can actually answer that question.

If you’ve read Sew Deadly–the first in my Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series–you know I have an assortment of characters. Which means I have a lot of people to keep track of from book to book. 

The further I get into the series (I’ve already turned in book # 3 even though book # 2 isn’t even out yet) the more familiar I get with my characters–the quirks and habits that make each and every person unique. But it’s the physical stuff that can be tough to remember (especially when you’re writing romance novels between mystery installments). Is Milo’s eyes green or brown? Does Rose live in a ranch or a two-story? Does Nina drop her “g’s” or is that more Margaret Louise’s thing?

If you’re a series writer, you need to know these answers. Because your readers do. And there’s nothing more frustrating for a reader than a writer who keeps changing things mid-stream.  Which is where my character box comes in.

Like you see in the picture to the left, I’ve commandeered an index card box (mine is green) and filled it with an assortment of character cards. Each character has his or her own card filled with descriptive facts that keep me on track. They contain eye color, hair color, any facial scars or characteristics I’ve given them, etc. And it’s my go-to box once I start back on another Sewing Circle Mystery.

Did I solve that mystery?

So how about the rest of you? Any questions you’d like to see me address on future “Writing Thursdays?” Fire away!

~Elizabeth

The Facts of Life

My eldest daughter wants to be an actress.              

I’ve been told I should discourage her from this pursuit because so few truly make it. But having been a kid with a dream myself, I’d feel like a hypocrite if I did. 

So I don’t. Rather, I encourage her to reach for whatever it is she wants to do.

Will she make it? I hope so. But if she doesn’t, at least she’ll know she tried.

Which is why it’s hard right now to see her sleeping through yet another day of school–run down from some sort of winter bug that seems particularly relentless where she is concerned. You see, this week is try-outs for the school musical. Try-outs she’s been preparing for for two weeks–first, selecting her song, and then practicing it again and again and again.

If she misses the try-outs, she’s done for this semester’s show and the sadness in her eyes is heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking. And there’s  nothing I can do. Absolutely, positively nothing.

When she was little and fell down, I could kiss away the tears and cover her boo-boo with a Barney band-aid. If the tears continued to fall, a long cuddle on the couch did the trick. But now I feel helpless. Utterly helpless.

Because I get how hard it is when a hurdle you didn’t see coming is suddenly thrown up in your path. Is it life? Sure. And I know it’s something she has to learn. But I’m a mom and moms want to make things better. It’s what we do.

Cross your fingers she feels better soon and that her drama teacher allows her to audition when she’s well, okay?

In the meantime, if you’re a parent–have you ever had to watch from the sidelines as your child learns a lesson you wish they didn’t have to learn? And if you’re not a parent–do you remember a tough lesson you learned as a kid?

~Elizabeth

Labor Day

Attending a writer’s/reader’s conference is always a good time. You learn things, you meet people, you network, etc. But beyond all of that, you also get books.

Lots and lots of books. 

At the Romance Writer’s of America conference in Washington D.C. this past summer, Labor Day by Joyce Maynard was in my registration bag. And while it took me a while to get to it (six months…but who’s counting), it was definitely worth the wait.  

The book makes you think. About a lot of things. But, most importantly, it opens your eyes to the power another person can have in your life (which is the part I want to talk about today).

But before we get to our chat, here’s a portion of the book jacket copy to bring you up to speed…

With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henry–lonely, friendless, not too good at sports–spends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adele–a one-time dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly’s with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his “Husband for a Day”‘ coupon, he still can’t make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.

But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding  man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life’s most valuable lessons; how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting others–especially those we love–above ourselves…

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve read this book or not (though, you should). The theme that screams out from this story is simple and begs the question, who has changed your life?

Before you ponder your answer, let’s remove your significant other from the mix. Instead, consider others who have entered your life whether they’re still in it or not. Is there someone who truly made you who you are…or shaped the person you became…or changed the course of your life (good, or bad)?

Who? How? And, if a particular memory sticks out to illustrate the how…we’d love to hear it.

~Elizabeth

It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want To

As of yesterday, I’m officially a year older. And while that was an exciting fact to boast during childhood, it’s not always one you care to tout when you hit my age.

But maybe…if we celebrated our own birthdays in the way we did as kids…maybe, just maybe the big day wouldn’t be so bad.

So let’s pretend, for just a moment, you could plan your own birthday. You can do what you want, go where you want, eat what you want, spend it with whomever you want…

What would you do?

~Elizabeth

Did You Know…

Did you know my favorite TV show as a little girl was Little House on the Prairie?

Did you know I used to dislike candy so much that when I went trick or treating I’d simply say “no thank you” and move onto the next house?     

Did you know I got to speak to my favorite author–Mary Higgins Clark–on the telephone one day?

Did you know that I love the smell of lilacs?

Did you know I was part of a study in 1979 to see if appendicitis could be contagious (this after eight kids linked to the same classroom fell prey to this within two weeks)?

Did you know that I’d be perfectly content eating nothing but meat, potatoes, and chocolate for the rest of my life?

Did you know that I write romances, too (my first one, Kayla’s Daddy, debuts this month under the name Laura Bradford)?

Did you know I love the smell of a just-used eraser?

Did you know the faint scar above my right eye is the result of a run-in with a door knob when I was five?

Did you know yellow is my favorite color?

Now it’s your turn. Tell us some neat-to-know things about you…

~Elizabeth

Establishing A Routine

I’m a deadline-oriented writer which means as long as I have a deadline, I’m good. In fact, the closer the deadline, the better.

Although this way of operating has/does work for me, I’m smart enough to know it’s not the best way to do things. After all, slow and steady wins the race, right?

That’s why, at the suggestion of a dear friend, I’m trying very hard to change my writing method. To embrace the “slow and steady” over the thrill of a tight noose. Unfortunately, change isn’t always easy. And it’s certainly not something that happens overnight. It takes effort and discipline and determination. Especially when the act of writing is only one aspect of being published.

I know what needs to be done.  And, I must confess, I know what it’s going to take in order to get it done. Which means I need to establish a daily routine.

Knowing what needs to be done is half the battle. Slotting the time and then seeing it through is the rest. So here goes…

Exercise: 8-8:30 a.m.
Shower: 8:30-9:30 (old habits, what can I say?)
Writing: 9:45 a.m. – Noon
Lunch: @ 45 minutes
Marketing (setting up signings/talks/writing blogs/returning book related email): 1-2:30 p.m.

Even I can see that doing this daily makes so much more sense than a string of exhausting 14-hour write-a-thons at Panera for two weeks because I’m flirting much too closely with a deadline.

So that’s where the determination comes in. To make things easier.

How about you? Any routines in life that work for you? Any you’d like to establish? And if you’re a writer…what routine do you follow?

~Elizabeth

Lifelong Friends

We were thick as thieves when we were kids, classmates year after year in a small parochial school in Brookfield, Connecticut. Julie and I linked up in fourth grade as two of the newbies in a class that had been together since first grade. Theresa and I made a slightly slower connection, one that built up speed through high school (she was a much needed spice in my life). Diane came in 7th grade and, well, she and I bonded over General Hospital of all things.

We had the kind of friendship that simply was, is, and will always be.

Unfortunately, over the years, life (countless moves, new relationships, etc) decreased our contact to things like Christmas cards and the occasional email. But travel brought Julie and I back in contact…and then Theresa…and then, thanks to facebook, Diane as well. And now that I’m living in the New York area once again, we met up over the Thanksgiving holiday for the first time (as a full group) in twenty-five years.

We started the night at a local Panera, simply catching up on the highlights in each other’s lives. Then, we moved on…staying out until way after midnight, simply enjoying one another’s company and not wanting the evening to end. 

When we finally called it a night, I think I smiled all the way home. During the drive, I found myself thinking about the quote I’d selected to run alongside my senior year picture in our high school yearbook:  To make a friend takes a minute. To be a friend takes a lifetime.

These ladies have been part of my life since I was a little girl. They were there when the writing bug took hold, cheering me on from the sidelines whether I could hear them or not (and dubbing me “the driven one”).   

We’ve gone on to experience a multitude of life’s changes including marriage, children, divorce, sickness, etc. And while we may not have been together physically for all of it, our bonds are tight enough that we can talk about it in hindsight while still looking forward.

Three of the four of us (Diane couldn’t make it) got together just this past week. Julie bought her husband (great guy), I hosted (along with my special guy), and Theresa sprinkled that magical spice over the room that I treasure more and more with each passing day. We talked. We laughed. We pulled out Guesstures and rocked the room. And we laughed some more.

And throughout the night I was reminded again and again of how special childhood friends are. They know your core in a way very few do.  There is no pretense. No worry that you’re being studied or analyzed. No pressure to change a hair on your head. Because they embrace you for who you are…

How about you? Any childhood friends still in your life today? What makes them special?

~Elizabeth