tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22606408967967597962024-03-07T21:36:34.337-06:00Sugar and SpiceThis blog is an attempt to capture an author's point of view on writing as a way of life and as a career. I'll post lessons I've learned, things I'm interested in, and whatever insights I've gained.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-25083746495379419472014-11-21T11:35:00.000-06:002014-11-21T11:35:34.182-06:00Where Do You Get Your Ideas<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm often asked,
"Where do you get your ideas?" To be honest, some pop into my
head, full-blown, much like Athena from Zeus' head, while others are
sparks by a news program, or something I hear on a radio program. There have
been times that old family stories jog the creative process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The same thing happens
when I run across a recipe but I can never leave things alone. I mess with it,
change things around, totally change out ingredients until it's a new recipe.
Other times I get a notion of what I want and begin throwing things together.
Sooner or later, it works<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tilly mentions her
Caramel Pecan Macchiato Trifle recipe in the book. I’m a retired chef and I was
curious about how her fictional recipe would translate into the real world. The
Women’s Ministry at church had a ladies meet and greet, so I whipped something
up and used them as guinea pigs. The results? My large trifle bowl was empty
when it was time to go home, leaving my poor husband to scrape the sides for a
small taste. Success, rave reviews, and happy faces told me it was a hit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">First let me tell you, I
usually do everything from scratch, but this is one of those recipes that
really works with off-the-self mixes. Consider it a time saver. We can all use
a few extra minutes for a cup of coffee while we sit down with a good book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tilly’s Caramel Pecan
Macchiato Trifle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This will fill a large
Trifle bowl. You can halve this for a smaller recipe. Use three cups of
whipping cream instead of a quart. Two cups for the Bavarian Cream and one cup
whipped for the top of the trifle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">2 large boxes of instant
pudding mix<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 quart of heavy
whipping cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">16oz carton of whipped
topping (Extra Creamy works best, but the regular will do.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 ½ cups of milk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chocolate Syrup (ice
cream topping)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Caramel Syrup (ice cream
topping)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">2 cups chopped pecans<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Powdered espresso mixed
with water to taste (some people like a stronger coffee flavor)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">½ cup powdered sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 tsp of vanilla<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 angel food cake cut
into small cubes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bavarian Cream:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Empty the two boxes of
instant pudding mix into a large bowl. Add the milk and stir until the pudding
is very thick, but not lumpy. If it appears lumpy, add more milk until it is
smooth and thick. Add water to powdered espresso until it reaches the strength
you prefer and mix into the pudding mixture. Add the whipped topping to the
pudding and stir until incorporated. Whip 2 cups of whipping cream until very
stiff. Fold in the whipped cream and gently stir until everything is smooth and
creamy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Whip the remaining of
cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Assembling the Trifle:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">1: Place some of the
angel food cubes into the bottom of the bowl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">2: Put 1/2 of the
espresso flavored Bavarian Cream on top of the angel food cake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">3: Add a layer of
whipped cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">4: Sprinkle with pecans<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">5: Drizzle both
chocolate and caramel syrups over the top<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">6: Repeat the steps
until all the Bavarian Cream is gone. Top with whipped cream, pecans, and
drizzle syrups on top to finish the Trifle. Refrigerate for at least an hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">7: Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-80162669827486674372014-11-10T15:13:00.000-06:002014-11-10T15:13:18.156-06:00Scoops of Love<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Great
things are happening in the next few days. All very hush-hush and delicious. Keep watch, but in the meantime, I
wanted to share one of my favorite things. Recipes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
my past life, and no, I don’t mean anything dealing with reincarnation, I was a
personal chef. I loved to cook for people and enjoyed the way they told me how
much they loved what I had prepared. To be honest, I still get a kick out of
watching someone’s eyes go wide with pleasure when they bite into one of my
gluten free cream puffs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Writing is much the same. There’s nothing more
that I like than entertaining someone for a few hours. Every comment on my work
is taken into account. It’s wonderful when the reader loves the book, but some
of my most interesting and entertaining comments makes me search myself as a
writer. What can I do to make this a better story? How did it fail? So, the
point is this—there are never any bad reviews. Please note—this doesn’t count
for those people who troll the internet to spout hateful comments merely for
the sake of hurting the author. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So,
having said that, let’s get back to the recipe I wanted to share today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Many
people think they can’t make decent ice cream. It can be time consuming, but
not in an onerous way. There are a few steps with time in-between. Like
writing, I’ve developed this recipe over time, taking the basics of the
original old fashioned recipe and adjusting it for my own. It gets my
granddaughter’s seal of approval and believe me, she a vanilla ice creamanista.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Vanilla
Ice Cream ala Andromeda<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For
two quarts:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
day before, or early the day of making the ice cream. You will need the
following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">4
cups half/half<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">2
cups heavy cream<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">1
½ cup sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">4
egg yolks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pinch
of salt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">One
vanilla bean (split with the seeds scraped out)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">1
teaspoon real vanilla extract (1 ½ teaspoon if you can’t find a vanilla bean)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">2
tablespoons of corn starch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">¼
cup water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Table
salt, sea salt, or rock salt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Add
the half and half, one cup of heavy cream, sugar, and salt into a saucepan.
Stir and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla bean seeds and pod
to the mixture and let stand until lukewarm. (twenty to twenty-five minutes)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Next
separate the yolks of four eggs. (I freeze the whites to use later on for angel
food or chiffon cakes.) Beat the yolks into a froth and slowly add some of the
warm milk mixture into the eggs to temper them. Add the eggs to the milk
mixture, along with the cornstarch which has been dissolved in water, and the
vanilla extract. (Yes, the vanilla bean pod is still in here.) Cook this until
it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add more half and half if the
mixture is too thick. It needs to be the consistency of a thin pudding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Put
one cup of cream in a large bowl. Place a fine mesh sieve (I’ve even used clean
spatter screens) over the top of the bowl and strain the custard mixture into
the bowl. You will be surprised how many lumps this catches. Mix well. Take out
the vanilla bean pod at this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now
comes the fast cool down. Put ice in a bowl that’s larger than the bowl
containing the mixture. Sprinkle salt on the ice and set the bowl with the
mixture into the ice bath. Stir the custard until it can be put into the
refrigerator overnight, or until cool. Note: I have sped up the process by
replacing the ice in the ice bath, over and over, until the base mix is cooled
somewhat. It takes a bit longer to freeze in the canister. It can sit on a
counter until it’s cooled down, but I prefer the ice bath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
use an electric counter top ice cream maker. They come with a canister that can
be keep in the freezer until it’s ready for use. A regular ice cream maker is
fine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Fill
the container according to the directions of your ice cream maker, turn it on,
and forget about it for a half hour. Now you will have lovely soft serve. It’s
always better to put the soft ice cream in a container and into the freezer to
‘ripen’ for several hours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Scoops
away!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Until
next time. Nom the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-37443306154621839692014-01-15T11:50:00.000-06:002014-01-15T11:50:14.805-06:00Taking Baby Steps--Learning New Technology and Eating Habits<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've sold another book and plan on self-publishing two, possibly three by the end of the year. Yay me! Until I realize that now come the hard part--marketing. Bookmarks are no longer enough. I have to dig into the nitty-gritty of trends, algorithms, keeping track of sales, and the sheer amount of number crunching that goes along with the new publishing paradigm.</span> It's a do-it-yourself world.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I feel overwhelmed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm an old dog--I admit it. My husband takes me into an electronic or computer store and I immediately break out into a rash. It's taken me years, do you hear me, years to learn to cut and paste, copy and save a file,</span> not to mention set up a page. My writer friends gush about new numbers on their dashboards and techniques to keep sales numbers up. I panic.<br />
<br />
<br />
There is one thing I've realized. I'm on unfamiliar ground with technology. My husband is IT, born and bred. Computers listen when he speaks. They fear him, because he will dig in their guts to find whatever problem plagues their user. He is GOD-guru on duty. He understands all those above mentioned writerly things which scare the bejesus out of me.<br />
<br />
So, what does that have to do with new eating habits. Yes, I have you scratching your head.<br />
<br />
Let me tell you.<br />
<br />
I've decided on going gluten free for health reasons. My joints hurt, and I was told this was a way to alleviate some of the inflammation. This isn't easy. Yes, there are a lot of GF foods on the market, but I can never find what I like. This is a challenge. But I love a good food fight. I'm a retired chef an I love delving into recipes, or even making up my own. Most people are scared and put off by the idea of baking their own bread, cookies, and other pastries. Not me, I love cooking. I'm in my milieu. It's comfortable. Words like braise, meuniere, and sautee have people's eyes glazing over when I talk food. It's second nature to me. <br />
<br />
It's then I realized that if I were to ask my husband to cook something with just the recipe, he might not get it right. A lot of cooking and baking comes from years of trying and failing, until you know what the dough is supposed to look like, feel like. It's something that you can't explain. Just as I struggle to understand technology and how it can enhance my writing career.<br />
<br />
So, long story short, my first instinct is to pretend I don't have to learn about sales trends, marketing techniques, street teams, and the list goes on. No can do. This is vital marketing
information that I can no longer turn away from, just as I can't ignore my aching joints. That means going gluten free. The only way to survive this brave, new world is to gird my loins, take up my mouse, and learn to deal in this
new reality. <br />
<br />
<br />Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-44842924034899851322013-02-19T11:32:00.002-06:002013-02-19T11:32:55.452-06:00Stretch it to the Limit<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's been a while since my last post. There's a good reason--I've been exercising. No, unfortunately not my body, but my brain. I think it hurt just as much to stretch the old noggin as it did when I was in physical therapy for back pain. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Last year my agent asked me to write a cozy, a murder mystery that has a lot of sweetness, and very little sex. First, I don't like sweet stories. I don't mind writing happy endings, playfulness, but I don't do sweet. ICK. For starters, I had no idea what a cozy actually was when she mentioned it. A trip to my computer and a Google search told me that there was no way. Nope, couldn't be done. Not by this girl. Give me a lot of hot sex, an action packed story line, and I'm good to go, but this? All I could envision were tea cakes and knitting needles--Miss Marple and Downton Abbey in one monstrous smash-up. I was told not to worry, there wasn't a hurry. So, instead of working on the book, I put it off. That way I didn't have to figure out how to do this thing that I wasn't even sure I could pull off. Then a call came right before I left for Africa that I should have it done ASAP. Yikes. </span>An editor wanted to look at it. I hadn't written a word. Still, I put it off until the trip was over, a tangle with an African spider taken care of, and the resumption of family life back in the USA. See, a lot of good reasons to keep putting off writing the book. I drug my feet as long as I could, dreading the day I opened the computer to a blank page. I didn't even have a title. I thought and thought, until the perfect image for the murder jumped into my mind. Now I could begin.<br />
<br />
Figuring out a murder is harder than it looks on Murder She Wrote. Jessica Fletcher's keen eye doesn't miss a thing. I can't see an elephant in the room. My husband suggested that I mind map the project using a mind mapping program. I looked over a couple and found one that I could use with some ease, X Mind. It was strange to work the story from the inside out. First I had to establish a victim, possible suspects, the killer, motives, and no, it wasn't Colonel Mustard in the dining room with a candlestick. I went through several scenarios until I found one that I liked. This became the foundation that I built the story on. Then I added the 'detectives' and how they fit in and related to the story.<br />
<br />
There were a couple of times I had to go back and redo things. It reminded me of my community theater days when I was directing Agatha Christie's <i>Ten Little Indians</i>. You have no idea how proud I was to have my blocking diagrams done, all the actors lined up and ready to go. The cold reading went great, I was on a roll. Until we actually got on stage. It was then that I discovered, to my horror, that the killer was never anywhere near a victim. You can't inject a hypodermic syringe into someone from ten feet away. A needle that long would be a dead giveaway. So, it was back to the drawing board. The next day, the actors and I got everything hammered out, but it left me with a lesson learned. That's why, every so often, I'd go back and read from the beginning of the book, checking for any missteps along the way. I found one or two, but caught them early enough that hurt the storyline.<br />
<br />
I found, to my surprise, that I could write a book with less sex, a touch of sweet, a lot of humor, and a killer plot. So this is the point where I have to thank my agent for making me put on the mental workout gear. Here's hoping the book sells. If not, it turned out to be worth the effort.<br />
<br />Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-60998771268040426202012-09-02T00:50:00.003-05:002012-09-02T21:51:48.722-05:00Excuses, Excuses, Excuses<span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">One thing you have to understand about me is this--I hate not turning in papers on time, not getting work done when I'm supposed to, and most of all, breaking my promises.</span>My self-imposed deadline for my new book came and went. I set a new date. That one flew by me at light speed. The third one loomed closer and I knew it was a no go.<br /><br />My agent, Jewelann Cone of Cascade Literary Agency has been patient with me. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Now I'm sure Ms. Cone has heard every excuse in the book, but I've given her some doozys.</span> God bless the woman.<br /><br />I'm currently writing a Cozy, or at least it started out as a Cozy. Who knows what genre it will be by the time I'm finished. I can tell you it won't be Inspirational or Paranormal, although I've been both inspired by some great ideas that came out of nowhere, and weirded out by my dark side. <span style="font-family:times new roman;">I write in many genres, but a Cozy isn't one of them. Ms. Cone and I discussed the possibility selling one. I said okay, then I'd dinked around with it in December, and put it on the back burner because it wasn't a priority at the time.</span></span> She phones me at the end of April with good news. She has someone who would like to look at it after it's finished. This is right before I go to Africa. Okay, I'll do it after the trip. I figure I can whip this bad boy hammered out in eight weeks--no problem. Things never go as planned.<br /><br />Excuse No. 1: It's the little things that <i>trip</i> me up.<br />I spent two weeks in Liberia, Africa at the end of April. My previous blog explains the reason for my trip. The people were terrific, the food wonderful, but the insects not so much. Actually, a spider isn't technically an insect, however, they are my sworn enemies. I have an aversion to the darn things. So, I began my voyage home at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, going through the torture of the security check, and endless waiting. While I sat in the boarding area, I felt a prick on my backside. I thought it might be some dry grass that had worked its way through the fabric of my khakis. 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I thought it had to be from sitting so long. I finally arrived home to the loving arms of my husband only to find that a welt had appeared. The pain got worse. I couldn't sit for long periods of time, so writing was out. What to do? I asked my sister the R.N. for an act of love that went above and beyond. I said "Can you take a look at my ass?" I lowered trow and the first words out of her mouth were, "Go to the doctor--now!"<br />A visit to the doctor was humorous and humiliating at the same time. I won't go into the gory details, suffice it to say, many medical personal pondered my posterior. Their diagnosis--a spider bite of unknown origin. An antibiotic was prescribed, as well as an teeny tube of ointment that had to be paid for with gold bullion. All was well in Spiderbiteville until--<br /><br />Excuse No. Two: Alls not well that doesn't <i>end </i>well.<br />I had a reaction to the medication. My throat became sore, I couldn't speak without sounding like I spent most of my time in a smoky dive, and I felt like warmed over doggie-do. My tongue looked like it was wearing a fur coat. Another doctor inspected the location of the bite. It looks good, except the antibiotic gave me a bad case of Thrush. Another round of medication only complicated things. Needless to say, they are still working on getting rid of the side effects that keep cropping up. The doctor decided it's time to do a DNA sequence to figure out what little bug the antibiotic let run amok in my system. During the examination, I had visions of CSI doing a sweep over my body with a Maglight. It's hard to think by this time. Writing was the last thing on my mind.<br /><br />Excuse No. Three: Life <i>imitates</i> art.<br />Time's a wastin'. I've missed two deadlines. This isn't me. I'm stressed out. My voice isn't coming through my writing like I want. A myriad of things seem to bog down my book. I finally get my act together, and whamo. Life <i>does </i>imitate art.<br />My story revolves around two chefs who are polar opposites when it comes to cuisine and life Sparks fly. There's a grisly murder, missing body parts, and chefs dropping like flies. Our heroine has a whole butchered pig delivered to her. She proceeds to stab Porky with various knives to determine the murder weapon. In the process, she slices open her hand and the hero rushes her to emergency room.<br />The scene is set for my next misadventure. Action!<br />Every Thursday my critique group meets for a good three to four hours. I'm a retired chef, I love to cook, so I usually make a luncheon. I decide on a fruited chicken salad. The chicken's done to perfection, the spring greens are readied, the strawberries, blueberries, fresh pineapple, and melon are cut just right. My kiwi is a bit soft, but still good. After I peel the darn thing, it was being particularly uncooperative. I began to slice it into small pieces with my santoku knife. This thing is razor sharp and it wasn't until I noticed the blood that I realized I'd sliced the top of my finger. It hung by a thin thread. It's one of those times where you notice things around you, but you're not really there.<br />The blood came out in little spurts to match my heartbeat. The whole time I'm watching it, thinking, "How can I incorporate this into a book?" Oh wait, it's already in there in chapter eight.<br />One of my critique partners shows up at the door to find me holding a paper towel and bleeding all over the place. She says, "I'm a teacher." That's shorthand for "I've seen and done it all." We wait, wondering if I've finished playing Sweeny Todd, or is it time for a trip to the ER. A half an hour later, it slows down to a slow drip. Goldie bandages me up. Great job by the way.<br />A couple of days later and the darn thing refuses to heal. My husband suggested super glue. I think he's nuts, but by now, I'll try anything. I douse it with antiseptic and get out my nail glue. Much to my surprise, it worked. Now a week later I'm on the mend and back to writing.<br /><br />No more excuses. I should be working on my book instead of posting a blog. Now the trick is to see if I can catch up on my writing between this thing I call a life.<br /><br />Remember, keep your knives sharp. Every chef knows a dull knife does a more damage. Hmmm, I smell another chapter with that line.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-44792647707607658932012-06-13T17:58:00.000-05:002012-06-13T17:58:54.987-05:00<i><b> Out of Africa or What I Did On My Summer Vacation</b></i><br />
First let me say, it wasn't a vacation, it was a mission trip to Liberia. If you want to know more about the group I went with, go to the following website: dignityliberia.com.<br />
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Have you ever heard of fistula? I'll give everyone the short version. A young woman of eleven or twelve might be 'sold' off by her family to a farmer or a man of the village. Imagine getting pregnant at such a young age, having a difficult delivery of several days with only the village midwives in attendance. They sit on the mother's chest trying to push the baby out. When that doesn't work they take to beating her with sticks, and other assorted ways are used to encourage her to have her baby. If the mother isn't taken to the hospital in time, the constant pressure of the baby's head will rub an opening between the uterus, bladder, and/or the bladder. The child is usually stillborn. The mother is left excreting bodily waste from her vagina. Her husband and family are likely to throw her out of their homes and the village will turn their backs on them.<br />
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There was no hope for them until Liberia came up with the Liberia Fistula Project. Dignity Liberia partners with them to bring in doctors, nurses, teachers, and people like me who just want to help.<br />
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Okay, so that wasn't short, but you can see why I felt it was imperative to make this trip. Actually, I didn't want to go at first. I'd hoarded my money for a trip to Italy, Venice in particular. I'm an avid video game player. What has that got to do with any of this? One of my favorite games is Assassin's Creed II. It's set in Italy and much of the game play is in Venice. It whetted my appetite to go to The Floating City. The graphics are spectacular. I can almost smell the water of the canals, see the paint fading from the buildings. I wanted to go to Venice, no two ways about it. However, I'm sitting in church one Sunday and I hear this quiet voice say 'You're going to Africa'. I had a conversation with the <i>voice</i> over the next several months, but I wasn't going to win this argument. So, several thousand dollars, a yellow fever inoculation, and a bunch of assorted shots later, I was on a jet to Liberia.<br />
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There are two things that hit me when I stepped off the plane. It's freaking hot and the humidity is like being slapped in the face with a wet towel. My group of thirteen piled into an old van that luckily had air-conditioning. It's when we got out into traffic that I notice the entire country has a problem with trash lying everywhere. Piles of it, some of it knee-deep. Still, it's a beautiful country that's been raped by two civil wars, and it shows. The people are trying to rebuild from the ground up. The electricity is iffy, there's no running water, except from gravity feed from storage tanks on roofs of buildings, no flush toilets. Even the hospitals are without running water. Those people who can afford regular houses stay within walled compounds with laced with concertina wire. The rest of the population live in whatever type of housing they can find. Businesses are often nothing more than shipping containers with names like God's Faith Business Center. Jesus Loves Business Center might be right next to it. Choices, choices.<br />
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Speaking of the traffic, sweet Lord. It was <i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i> crazy. Two way traffic for cars, if they decided to go the correct two ways, no stoplights to speak of, except in downtown Monrovia. Motorcycles and yellow taxis vied for the same place, whizzing in and out of traffic in maniacal abandon. It wasn't unusual to see up to four people on one motorcycle and usually a woman sat behind the group with a baby strapped on her back. The women have the best posture in the world, they balance washtubs of clothes or produce on their heads as easily as Queen Elizabeth wears a hat.<br />
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I'll tell you more about Africa in later posts. I wanted to say that the longer I'm away from Liberia, it makes me homesick for this poor, ravaged country. There are a hundred stories to be told of people who survived the civil wars, the horrors and heroism they've seen. Maybe one day I'll be able to write a book that touches on just a small part of their lives.<br />
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There's new team of volunteers in Liberia as I write this. I envy them the new experiences they'll have, the exotic foods, and learning to love each and one of them. <br />
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<br />Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-35216940338847767722011-05-06T09:21:00.003-05:002011-05-06T09:43:44.166-05:00Waiting, Waiting, WaitingI've done my part. The book is written, revised, sent off to my agent, and now begins the hard part --waiting for and editor to nibble.<br /><br />This is worse than the times my father and mother used to take the family fishing at a friend's pond. My Dad would help us bait the hook, and throw the line and bobber out into the water. Then I had to sit on the bank, with bugs flying in the air and buzzing around my head. Mom gave me <span style="font-style: italic;">the look </span>every time I wriggled around on the bank, or slap at the darn bugs. No talking allowed. I waited for the excitement of the first tug on my line, or the way the concentric waves around the bobber said there was a fish on the end of the line.<br /><br />That's where I'm at for the time being. Patience is not my forte. I like things to happen <span style="font-style: italic;">now</span>, to be in control of everything. This is one time where I have to put my faith in my agent and my work. Questions always come to me each time I hear of a rejection. Maybe my stories are lacking, is my voice strong enough, or do I have the right bait on my hook? Those late at night doubts make me want to jerk the controls away, but I can't. Not this time. Patience and faith are my watch words.<br />One of these days I'll get the call from my agent with good news that we caught a big one. That's the day I break out the champagne and do a happy dance. I think I'll go to my local pole dance studio and buy a pair of five inch heels just for the occasion. First, I'll have to learn to walk in them, but it'll give me something to do while I waitDyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-37722043956252823412011-02-07T12:36:00.004-06:002011-02-07T20:09:37.962-06:00Getting The CallThe moment I've waited for my entire writing career finally arrived.<br /><br />I'd always envisioned getting the call from an agent who gushed over my book, while I, cool as a cucumber said, "Why thank you, I'm so pleased you enjoyed it." Somehow a purple plumed pen was worked in the scenario, I don't know where or when, but believe me, it was there. I would waft across the house to find my husband doing manly things of some sort. He'd glance at me with one of 'those' looks. "Not now, my dear, I got the call. I have an agent." Oh yes, this is where the purple plumed pen comes into play.<br /><br />Life is nothing like my fantasy world.<br /><br />I was sitting in a crowded shuttle bus full of Polar Bear Plungers when my new IPhone rang. The number of Jewelann Cone,the agent that I'd submitted my big opus to, showed up on caller I.D. I frantically tried to answer the call. Nothing happened. I think my phone smirked. What did I do wrong? The whole time I'm juggling my phone, I'm being bumped by clowns who are buried up to their ears in parkas and giant Smurfs. I'm nose to crotch with a guy whose duffle bag comes close to clobbering me upside the head with every bump of the shuttle bus. Fairy princess wings flutter around me until I wanted to swat them away like gnats.<br /><br />I looked to the back of the bus for my husband. Maybe he could help. He works in It and is my techie guru--without him, my ability to write would be nil. I'm one of these people who walks into a computer store with a glazed look on my face while he's like a kid in a candy store. He once tried to explain the binary system to me. It stripped the insulation on my brain.<br /><br />Back to the 'Big Moment'.<br /><br />My husband, he's the crazy one who planned to plunge into the icy waters of Longview Lake, chatted away to his sister, who is equally nuts. No amount of arm waving got his attention. It's time to go for broke. Surely I can be smarter than a phone. Don't make any bets. Anyway, I pulled off my gloves to get a better grip on the slippery sucker and low and behold, the darn thing likes 'skin to skin'. Who knew?<br /><br />A bit of pained, logical thinking and I was able to call Jewelann back. Then she said the magical words I'd longed for, "I'd like to represent you."<br /><br />I screamed back over the noise of the crowd. "What?"<br /><br />"I'd like to represent you."<br /><br />A couple of minutes of trying to talk and I gave up. I told her I'd call her back when I got settled. The noise grew worse. There were over 1100 crazy people who decided to take the plunge for Special Olympics. It's a great cause but I'm a big believer in pancake breakfasts as a fundraiser.<br /><br />I finally found a quiet spot, if you can call trying to compete with the Allman Brothers Band's 'Ramblin' Man' quiet. My husband is running around in a diaper and top hat as the New Year's Baby. I'm talking to Jewelann when I hear the announcer for the Polar Bear Plunge say the Plunge is now complete because she saw a dude in a diaper. The 'Dude' won first place in the costume contest.<br /><br />Okay, so the Big Moment didn't go like I'd always thought it would, but nothing can take away the thrill I felt when I got the call. Thank you, Jewelann, for being the one part of my fantasy that was true.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-22070188459458759052010-12-06T08:44:00.002-06:002010-12-06T09:06:11.949-06:00The Scary StuffI thought writing the book was the scary part. Then it was the submission process. Even though I'm published, I'm still beating the bushes for an agent. The last three books I've submitted have netted about 150 rejections so far. Does that make me want to stop, give up, and curl myself into a fetal position under my desk? Hell, no! My agent is out there, waiting, but she or he doesn't know it yet.<br />That's only the beginning of the scary stuff.<br />The next item on my list is marketing. No one really explained the whole concept of getting your name out there. Every time I see a blogger begging to interview a new author, I jump on it. I can't really say I'm struggling alone in this. There are several gracious women I can go to for help if I get to the point of tearing my hair out. Shannon K. Butcher, my former critique partner, is always there to answer my questions, as is Claire Ashgrove, Alicia Dean, and a other published authors in my local RWA chapter. Word to the newbies out there--bookmarks are a great tool to have. Keep them in your purse to pass out. You never know when you might hit the reader jackpot.<br />Now on to the next scary thing. Reviews. The Wild Rose Press does a great job of sending books out to different reviewers. I can't believe how afraid I was of reading that first review. Four out of five stars excited me so much that I had tears in my eyes. The next review didn't get any easier to read, a 4.5 out of five. My last review had my hands shaking as I opened the site--a five out of five. Granted, this was only three reviewers but they've been consistent in their praise, and I'm over the moon. The next reviewer might say it sucks. You can't please everyone. I can live with that.<br />Yesterday a friend gave me two books to autograph. Now that's a thrill I never thought would happen. That made everything tangible and over the top real.<br />So I guess what I'm trying to say in my ramblings is to keep trying for your dreams. Not everyone will agree with you, you may hit a few stumbling blocks, but don't let them slow you down.<br />The scary stuff helps you grow as an author and than you find out it's not so scary after-all.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-42135414415708784802010-11-15T22:07:00.004-06:002010-11-15T22:32:05.596-06:00It's Here! It's Here!No, I'm not announcing the birth of a grand-baby, although that would be wonderful. My book, A Perfect Bride for Christmas, was released November 12th. It might as well have been a birth because I was in labor for a long time, but the finished product was worth every little bit of effort.<br /><br />The best thing I've discovered is that my work has merit . I've received two wonderful reviews so far. The Romance Reviews gave it a four out of five stars and the Long and Short of It Reviews gave it five out of five. Not too bad for my first step into the world of being a published author.<br />The business end of writing is a revelation as well. Promotion, working on different marketing strategies, not to mention, I'm writing a paranormal, and getting it ready for submissions. Now I know how a juggler <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>feels.<br /><br />This blog is a lot shorter than usual, but I'm up to my eyeballs in interviews and doing NaNoWriMo. I'm so behind my all NaNo writing buddies. Don't worry, I'll keep plugging away until the end of the month. No excuses allowed. Here's a question. Why can't the organizers of NaNoWriMo do it in January when nothing happens? Okay, New Year's Day, but it's only one day out of the entire month.<br />The rant is over and now, it's off to work.<br />I hope everyone takes the time to go to my website and check out A Perfect Bride for Christmas. It's available at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon.com, and my husband informs me he saw it on Barnes & Noble's website. I loved writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-61406439095783867082010-10-07T12:35:00.002-05:002010-10-07T12:45:50.026-05:00<span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"></span>Look at Me!</span><br />I'm blogging on Dreamweavers! This blog was created by my critique partners and myself to give the reader a look inside world ofwriting. Romance, paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, mainstream-- we do it all. Drop by and check us out. Learn about the writing process from those who are published, working to become published. Our contributors are e-published, those with agents and the rest of us on the hunt for the elusive creatures. Agents, we know you're out there. Dreamweavers is on the move and searching for you.<br />Learn as we learn the wild, rocky and yet surprising road to fulfilling our dreams-- one story at a time.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-64306596651868777162010-10-06T08:18:00.002-05:002010-10-06T09:05:13.096-05:00I bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth. No, it's been an incredibly busy few months. My first book is coming out November 12th and it's still hard to believe. Check out the Wild Rose Press.com or Amazon.com for A Perfect Bride for Christmas.<br />The experience of writing this book was exciting and scary at the same time. Two other authors approached me with an idea for a Christmas series. We decided on three brothers, the Kings, who really aren't wise in the ways of love. It was up to us to teach them a bit of wisdom.<br />My book deals with what is on the outside isn't always an indication of what's on the inside. Real love comes from within.<br />Zoe Hillman hates herself for making the same mistake as the heroines in the romance novels she devours. She's overweight, plain, and has the fashion sense of a slug. Why would Alex King,her boss and best friend, ever see her as the woman who loves him with all her heart.<br />The perfect wife will launch Alex King to junior partner in his law firm. He thinks he's found her until he's jilted at the alter. A drunken bet with his best man lands him in hot water when he wakes up the next morning married to Zoe. So begins the shortest marriage in Vegas.<br />Five years later, Alex decides to take the plunge again. This time he's sure he's chosen the perfect bride-- until Zoe reenters the picture with a new look and a set of triplets in tow.<br />Claire Ashgrove and Alicia Dean were jewels to work with on this project. It was amazing to watch the three books, each as different as could be, come together. The internet is a wonderful tool that we used to the max.<br />Please check out A Christmas to believe in by Claire Ashgrove and A Knight Before Christmas by Alicia Dean.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-51461667476555519112009-09-22T10:25:00.002-05:002009-09-22T10:57:09.218-05:00And The Beat Goes On.Two books and eighty-four rejections later, I'm still without an agent. Now I'm getting ready to shop around A TASTE OF LOVE. Am I reluctant to put myself through all the waiting and nail biting? You betcha. But it's the only way to sell my work. Will I feel like slashing my wrists if no one picks up the phone or emails me with the news that I'm the next Lori Foster or Sherrilyn Kenyon? Nope.<br /><br />The process of querying a book is a bit strange. I've received a rejection less than two minutes after I've sent it out via email. Did they take time to read it? It's a mystery. Some have been curt and to the point. "Sorry, not for me." Others have been encouraging even though they are form letters.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, I wonder about each rejection. What was it that made them say no. A bad query letter? Was the writing weak or my voice not strong or unique enough for their particular line? All these factor in and you never know when you get a form letter without any clue to their reason for the rejection. So you keep on going.<br /><br />There are moments of giddiness when an agent asks to read more of your work. Some will give you a bit of insight if they reject you, again, others just say it wasn't for them. It does'nt matter. You keep sending out your work.<br /><br />Each rejection is a stepping stone to the future and I have to look at it that way. One of these days I'll have the right book at the right time and then the business of writing will take a different road. I'm looking forward to traveling along that particular path.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2260640896796759796.post-55357408821771715102009-05-06T20:52:00.000-05:002009-05-06T21:00:37.935-05:00And so it begins...And so it begins.<br /><br />For years I've dabbled in writing, not taking it seriously, just enough that I could tell my friends that I write romance novels. It had a nice cache. However, there comes a time where you have to pony up and submit your work. That's when you truly become a writer.<br /><br />So let's back up and start from the beginning. Like I said, I dabbled and that's all it could really be called, until I joined a chapter of Romance Writers of America. Actually, I was one of the first members of Heartland Romance Authors, aka HeRA, and helped found the charter of the chapter. But that didn't really make me a writer. I served as the first Vice President and held several board positions, including President. I still wasn't a writer.<br /><br />I toiled over a book for several years, yes, I said years. Nope, I hadn't earned my bona fides yet.<br /><br />No matter how much I wrote, I didn't have the discipline or the craft to do justice to my stories. If you write, you know those annoying, yet exciting flashes that whiz around in your brain, the ones that refuse to quiet until they are down in black and white. They deserve the best opportunity to live and breathe in a book. However, it's important to do it right.<br /><br />The first thing you have to do is to make a commitment to write. Sit down in front of the computer each day, for as long as it takes, and work. Learn how to construct a good sentence, grammar, and most of all, how to plot. Find a good critique group to help keep you accountable, one that will tell you if your story stinks, lacks a plot point, or is amazing. Learn the craft of writing - I can't tell you how important this is. Read, read, read.<br /><br />The next step in my journey was to enter a contest. I submitted WAGES OF CYN, under protest, to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest for 2009. My friend and critique partner Julie, who entered in Young Adults, threatened to park her six kids on my doorstep if I didn't. It worked. Still, I waited until the last minute of the last day to hit the send button.<br /><br />Then I forgot about it. I mean, a one in ten thousand chance of winning? Not likely. Then, several weeks later, I was at another critique partner's house and in the middle of a cream puff orgy, Shannon says, "How does it feel to be in the top five hundred?" I looked at her like a dog who doesn't understand English, cocked my head to the side while I licked the Bavarian goodness off my fingers and said, "Huh?" "The quarter finals of the ABNA." It took a few seconds to register what she'd said. I managed to place in the contest. I couldn't believe it. I'd like to say I went on to make the next cut; I didn't, but what it did give me was a kick in the butt. I got totally serious.<br /><br />I sat down each day and wrote, kept a log of my word count, set aside time for research, and did critiques. In other words, this was my job and I had to treat it as such. And that leads to queries. The first one was the hardest. My heart froze when it came time to email my newest novel, SHADOWMAN. The next was easier. Then came the rejections, one after another, and I felt like my world was over. But you know, after a while you realize it's all a part of the business. Nothing personal, just business. Julie told me it was like ice cream. You're selling chocolate and they want strawberry. Go on to the next book.<br /><br />I sent out queries for WAGES OF CYN with much the same results. Except the day I got an email from an agent asking for a partial. That's when I felt giddy and unable to think for a few minutes. My legs were too wobbly for a victory dance. Then another asked for a full and then several other agents asked to see more of my work. At that point, it becomes business again. You still get a thrill when you're asked for your work but you send it out knowing that the process is far from over. You may get more rejections, asked to change things and so on.<br /><br />You have to work at writing. An agent isn't going to miraculously send you an email or call saying you're the next best thing since peanut butter and jelly sandwiches unless you query. Send out your work and maybe you might be the next best thing.<br /><br />So far, I'm still without an agent but that won't stop me. I'll keep writing and sending out those queries. I might look at e-publishing as an alternative. This time I can really say I am a writer, my stories are solid and worthy of a chance to share with others.Dyann Love Barrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891900989047496518noreply@blogger.com1