Up, Up in the Air

I’m on my way to Bowling Green, Kentucky this morning to participate in the annual Southern Kentucky Book Fest.  I’m excited for this event for several reasons…

1) I love book festivals. Period. Seeing so many people come out for an event simply because they love books and authors excites me. Always has. Always will.

2) I’m done with nail-biter deadlines for a few months so I get to do nothing but relax before and after festival hours. And I have plans…

3) Visiting a new city means drop-in signings to just about any and all bookstores I can find on the way back to the airport. I love these!

So…if you’re within an easy drive of Bowling Green, Kentucky this weekend, stop by and say hi!  I’m on a panel at noon on Saturday and will be signing all day!

And for those booklovers out there, what’s your favorite book event of the year? 

~Elizabeth

Voices

I see dead people…all the time.
                                                  ~The Sixth Sense 1999

Haley Joel Osment sees dead people.

I hear voices.

The biggest difference is you paid $8 to hear him say it ($10 for those of you in California), and I’d tell you the same basic thing for free if I could actually get a word in edgewise.

Come to think of it, I can’t think of a time when there aren’t voices all around me, whispering in my ear.

No, I’m not still hanging on to  my imaginary friend from childhood (he moved out of my closet about thirty years ago–last I heard he’s got a wife and three kids now).

And, no, I’m not a schizophrenic.

What I am is a writer.

At least that’s why my mom tells everyone.

It’s probably a good thing I hear voices. It helps me get in touch with my characters. And, in theory, if I see them as real people (worthy of a conversation or a slaying if necessary–I do, after all, write mysteries), then hopefully my readers will, too.

Sounds good, huh?

It is. Most of the time.

Like when I’m sitting in my office working on my latest project and no one else is home. Or when I’m in the shower and my, ahem, conversations aren’t audible over the sound of running water.

Unfortunately, I don’t always have control over the voices. Which, translated, means they rear their pretty little heads in the mall, at the coffee shop, at parties, in the car with my  kids and, occasionally, in church (insert sound of my late grandmother rolling in her grave).

My  kids…they don’t ask anymore. They just seem to take my odditites in stride. But give ‘em time, they’re still young. I’m sure, by the time my oldest is a teenager, things will be quite different. I will bring embarrassment-by-parents to a whole new level.

My  mom, she doesn’t mention the voices to any of her friends. It’s one of those dirty little family secrets that is best left under the carpet. I guess I can’t blame her. News of a crazy daughter would run through the blue hair crowd in no time flat. Besides, “author” has a much better ring than “nutcase” when comparing offspring stories.

Which brings me to my non-writer friends. I haven’t had breast implants (though, I probably should), or a nose job, or a pit stop through rehab. But I’m fairly certain I’m discussed out of earshot anyway. Think about it…a thirty-something who routinely mutters “shut up” under her breath is simply too good to pass up when leaning over the backyard fence swapping the latest tidbits (but that’s okay, it helps my victim list grow).

I like my voices. They keep me company. They make me laugh. They make me cry. They make me bang my head against the wall (sometimes, quite literally). But there’s something oddly comforting in knowing they’re always there.

Because as long as they keep talking, I’ll keep telling their stories.

I can’t imagine my life without stories. My computer, my imagination, and yeah, my voices, are what keep me sane. They give me a place to work through the tough patches in life–sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously.

It’s when the voices disappear that I’ll worry.

***I first wrote this about four years ago (which explains the “thirty-something” part that is, sadly, no longer correct). It was published in Crime Spree Magazine in May 2006 under my name, Laura Bradford, and later shared on the now defunct Good Girls Kill For Money Blog.

~Elizabeth  

**Side note (a.k.a. funny story): I read this at a talk a few years ago. And, unbeknownst to me, there was a psychologist in the audience. He thought I was serious…and handed me a card. LOL!

Babysteppin’ Toward a Dream

I’ve known what I wanted to be since I was in fourth grade. And never, in all that time since, have I even considered changing my mind…   

Here is a look at the start of my dream.  It was born on a rainy day while playing at a friend’s house. She brought white paper to the kitchen table and said, “let’s make books.” I was hooked. (If you click on the picture, you can see it a little better)

Then, in eighth grade, my teacher asked us to draw a picture of ourself doing whatever it is we wanted to do for a living. Other than the fact I’m doing it longhand, I’m betting I’m one of the only ones actually doing it…   

Which brings me to this past week–a week I have to liken to being a whole lot like Christmas for a little girl with a dream…        

First, there was a sneak look at the third installment in the Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series (set to debut in October). I absolutely ADORE this cover…

Second, came a sneak look at my second-ever romance novel (click on the cover for a better look)…

The photographer couldn’t have done a better job with this cover! It’s exactly how I pictured the main characters. This book, A Mom For Callie, will go on sale July 12th! 

And last, but certainly not least, came the Fed Ex man with two hot-off-the-press copies of my latest (# 2) Southern Sewing Circle Mystery, DEATH THREADS (which will hit bookstores nationwide on May 4th)!!!!

I am SO excited for this book to come out! It’s fun, fun, fun!

The morale of the story? If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen!

~Elizabeth

A Library of Memories

In honor of National Library Week, I’d like to do something a little bit different with today’s “Reading Tuesday.” It requires everyone to play along…  Consider it our collective way of saying “thank you” to librarians everywhere!

Okay, here goes. What is one of your most special library memories from when you were a child (the more detailed, the better)?

Mine? It would be the Northvale Public Library in Northvale, New Jersey. It was an old house-like building that I remember being my favorite place to go. I remember the smell, the rule about being quiet (I was little), and the nice ladies who read stories to me. I remember taking one of my all-time favorite storybooks off the shelf for the first time in that library. And, to this day, THE GIVING TREE has a very special place in my heart.

In fact, it was this memory that made the notion of a librarian as a lead character in my series so attractive, and why I had such a good time helping Tori create a very special children’s room in the Sweet Briar Public Library.

Your turn.

~Elizabeth

Land, Sea, or Air? What Would You Choose?

I posed this question to the family recently and got some really cool answers (they’re my guinea pigs for Dreamer Monday blogs).

If you could be an animal, what would you choose and why?

Me? I have two. And, interestingly enough, they’re both water animals (perhaps that’s why I love the beach/ocean so  much).

First, a sea lion. Though my sea lion would be at the zoo…with a really cool trainer. It would be fun to make all those kids happy though, I’m not so sure I’d be crazy about eating fish…

Second, a dolphin. They look like such fun, happy animals. I’d love swimming in the wake of a power boat and having that kind of freedom. I think my preferred habitat would be in an inlet where I don’t have to worry too much about sharks and I can just chase boats all day. 

Your turn.

~Elizabeth

A Q & A of the Past

In keeping with the theme of my Wednesday post on memories, I figured we’d have a little fun with today’s Bits & Pieces Questions.  

Ready?

1) What was your favorite fashion/style from the decade of your youth? 

2) What was the very first album (or, for you young-uns, a CD) you ever bought with your own money?

3) What was your favorite lunch box when you were a little kid (assuming you had one with a character/show/picture)?

4) What do you miss most about “your” decade?  Miss least?

Have fun!  I’ll post my answers soon!

~Elizabeth

Stubborn as a Muse

No, that’s not a typo in the title. Not for today’s post anyway. You see, rather than hit the mailbag for this week’s writing post, I figured I’d share a writing-related secret with you…

A writer’s muse can be stubborn. And by stubborn, I mean S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N.  In fact, it can be so stubborn at times, it more than makes up for the fact that neither of my kids did the “terrible-two’s”  thing.

Sheesh.

Yet, the further I get into my writing career the more I’ve come to respect whatever it is it’s trying to say.  Sometimes it’s a matter of a character showing up during the writing process and not leaving my thoughts until I put him/her in the story (happened while writing Forecast of Evil a few years ago).

Sometimes it’s a matter of getting out of the shower before my hair is completely rinsed because I put the dead body in the wrong place (happened while writing the proposal for SEW DEADLY).

Sometimes it’s a matter of a particular character demanding more page-time that I intended…like some sort of diva who stamps their foot to get a bigger role (happened while writing Death Threads).

Sometimes it’s a matter of a book refusing to be written one way (mystery) and taunting you until you write it a different way (happened when I wrote Kayla’s Daddy–my first ever romance)

And then there’s that part when you sit down to write a particular scene…because you, as the writer, thinks that’s what you need to write and you get NOTHING. Yup, that happened this week (while working on Deadly Notions).

You see, I’d started a particular chapter in one place. It made sense to me. And it worked.

Only my muse disagreed. Big time.

How do I know? Well, the first sentence was torture to write. I wrote and deleted and wrote and deleted…and stared…and played with the clicker and looked around at all the shinier objects in the room. And you know what? By the end of 90 minutes (no exaggeration) I had two sentences.  Two sentences! That’s it. I simply could not move this scene. Finally, I gave up and set the scene somewhere else, going about the same basic story in a different way. The second I did that, the words started flowing and after 90 minutes I had five pages.

It’s frustrating when that happens, particularly when I look back on that 90 minutes and cringe at the lost time. But the muse knew. It always does. And with each passing day I come to respect its stubborn streak more and more.

Thoughts? Comments? New Questions?

~Elizabeth

P.S. I got the cover for Pinned For Murder (# 3 in the Sewing Circle series) this week and it’s fabulous!  Will share as soon as I can!

Strolling Down Memory Lane

I came face-to-face with my high school yearbooks the other day and all I can say is…um…wow?!?

I remember certain parts about high school (favorite teachers, nice people, silly times), but, overall, I don’t remember much. And, looking back at the way I looked, I can see why I’ve opted to block it out.

Seriously.

I’d share some pictures, only I don’t have a scanner (lucky you). And I’d probably be mortified to share them, anyway.

What was fun, though, was seeing the cars…and the clothes…and the hairstyles that were big back then and comparing them to the way things are now. What struck me as funny throughout my little trip down memory lane was realizing how important things were then…that just don’t matter now.  For instance, the people that used to make you feel small or less important just don’t matter anymore. And the people who were true then are, for the most part, the ones who still are…

Almost makes me wish that the wisdom and confidence that comes with age could come sooner. But I guess if it did, we’d miss out on some important life lessons.

So tell me some stuff… Where did you go to high school? When did you graduate? What do you remember fondly/not fondly. And…would you go back if you could?

~Elizabeth

THE One

If you could recommend just one book to someone, what would it be? And why?

Give me an all-timer…and then, after that, one you’ve read just this past year.

~Elizabeth

Daydream Believer…

I’ll admit, I’ve been daydreaming a lot lately. Mostly because an end is finally in sight as far as deadlines are concerned (Sewing Circle # 4 officially went off to my editor today–woohoo!…which means romance # 3 revisions are all that’s left over  the next two weeks).

Today’s dream? To get some sleep.

Tomorrow’s dream? Go for a looooonnnggg walk and finally get to enjoy this weather that’s been mocking me while I typed…and edited…and typed some more.

After-my-revisions-are-turned-in dream? A trip to Tennessee/Kentucky for the Southern Kentucky Book Festival. In my suitcases? A book…that’s been written by someone else. That I’ll actually  have time to read. Ahhhh…

So how about you? What have you  been daydreaming about lately?

~Elizabeth