Places to Visit: Nervous Nellie's

As mentioned last week, yesterday was National Camera Day, so I'm sharing some photos this morning. However, much more important that some amateur photography done by yours truly, I'm sharing a truly awesome place that you should check out if ever you have the chance.

It's called Nervous Nellie's Jams & Jellies.

Recently, I had the chance to visit Deer Isle, Maine, located just off the Blue Hill Peninsula in Penobscot Bay. The weather was absolutely beautiful, making every view look like a postcard. But I'm pretty sure that even in a total downpour it would have been gorgeous.

I was lucky enough to stop by during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the bridge that connects the island to the mainland. Walking across the bridge was a lot of fun, not to mention getting to dress up like a lobsterman.

But the real awesome began afterward, when my truly spectacular hosts took me away from the bustling crowds for some scones and jam. Really delicious scones and jam (my favorite was the cherry peach). Honestly, if that was all Nervous Nellie's had to offer, the stop still would have been an epic win, but thanks to the artwork of Peter Beerits, this place is definitely being added to my top ten list of favorite travel discoveries.

Beerits has created a sculpture village, Nellieville, through which I found it impossible to walk without being inspired to create stories for the all the different "people" I saw.

Was tempted to ask if they'd deal me in a hand. 

Despite that rather unsavory fellow in the bottom right corner.

Inspired by the Delta and really made me want to dance.

Not only do I think this establishment would always carry the necessities,

I feel confident that it should be the first stop of anyone looking

to get the latest gossip in Nellieville.

Found witches in the neighboring forest 

(not to mention a full medieval court).

The above confirmation that this town accepts the practice

of magic had me asking this lovely couple if I could move in.

Sadly for me, there appears to be quite a waiting list.

So, if you find yourself meandering up and down Maine's coast, make your way here and enjoy the feeling of inspiration. And don't forget to eat some jam. I won't got so far as to try to sway you on which jams. I trust you to make your own jam-based decisions.

But cherry peach was the best.

Creativity Booster: National Camera Day & Festive Frames

This Sunday is National Camera Day. I'm a big fan of photos. Even more than that, I love crafts that can be done with photos. Which is why I still print off hard copy photos and will most likely be found one day living in a house made solely of pictures. It's a lot like a house of cards, only with a larger percentage of my family's smiling faces.

Also, taking craft breaks is fantastic while I'm writing. Let's me stay in a creative mind space when I hit a point in the story that needs a little extra thought. In case you find yourself both in need of a creative boost and wanting to celebrate Camera Day, here's a photo guide to a craft I've been working on:

STEP 1: Get wooden boards/frames/decorations.

 I'm fairly sure I alone could keep craft stores in business. 

STEP 2: Paint base coat. 

 For paints, I like to pick two colors - in this case, teal and orange - 

and use them, plus whatever color they make when mixed. 

Sometimes I throw in a little white paint to create a variety of shades.

STEP 3: Ritz it up.

For the top left, I used a sponge.

Bottom right, 1" painters tape is very helpful. 

STEP 4: Add photos and/or scrapbook paper.

 It's helpful to put a book on top of these as the glue dries. 

It keeps the pictures/paper from getting bubbles. Once it's dry, add a gloss varnish. 

This prevents the photos from being easily scratched or covered in finger smudges. 

I like the gloss aspect as it adds texture and shine to the project.

STEP 5: Glue frames on base boards.

 Again, I'd recommend leaving heavy books on top of these until they're dry. 

STEP 6: Paint decorations.

STEP 7: Glue decorations to frames. Step back. Enjoy.

Once the glue dries, take the books off, kick up your heels 

and read those lovely tomes. Just don't forget to glance over every 

once in awhile and enjoy your festive creations!

BONUS TIP: If you choose to drink a beverage whilst crafting, pay attention when you grab for it. This is especially important if you're daring enough to leave libation next to your paintbrush water.

Pictured: Not delicious

Monday will be a continued celebration of this fun photo day. I'll be back with a showcase of my favorite pictures from this month and I'd love to see yours. Let me know if you're posting any on Twitter!

Beneficial Distractions

There are some writing days that are all about complete, focused concentration. Internet bans, snack moratoriums, noise cancelling headphones, padded walls....the whole shebang. Gotta give all the characters their best chance at being heard over the usual noise.

Other days, some distractions are helpful. I'm not talking about the "Oh, look there are two new tweets in my news feed. And now another three. Wow, people are really tweeting right now. I should read them. LOOK AT ALL THE TWEETS," kind of distraction. I've never found that to be a big booster of my writing productivity. Music, on the other, is very helpful.

I frequently think about what my MC is listening to at this point in her life. Why does it mean something to her? How was she introduced to it? This rarely makes it in to the story, but it does inform the tone of my writing. I've always found music to be very influential on my mood. On the days when my brain is feeling a touch sluggish, nothing gets me into my MC's headspace faster than listening to a couple of the songs that I've dubbed "hers."

And on days when I just need to exercise the old mind pan, I take a scene that's been proving stubborn and I set iTunes to shuffle. I rewrite the scene a few times, shifting the tone of it to match each new song, only stopping to skip if a Christmas one pops up (unless it's between Thanksgiving and New Years Day - there are rules, people). After fifteen minutes, I hit pause and check out what I've got. Nine times out of ten, there's something that clicks enough to get me back on track.

So, that's one of my creativity boosters? I'd love to hear some of yours.

While, you're thinking about that, I'm going to leave you with a song that embodies the general mood of a character I'm working on right now:

Rectifying Ignorance, One Argopelter at a Time

Benjamin Franklin said, “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”

Which, I hope is true, considering I recently realized that there are literally dozens of creatures in American folklore of which I knew nothing until last week. A little embarrassing, really, when I consider that I am both a student of American history and a chronic consumer of folklore.

But I’m definitely willing to learn, so I’m calling it water under the bridge. More than that, it’s water filled with haietlik under the bridge.

The important thing is that thanks to the beauty of WIP research, I now have some new favorite creatures. On the off chance that any of you have the same sad gap in your knowledge that I did, it seems only right to share my findings.

So, let me explain. *pauses* No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Or, at least, just stick to the first five creatures of awesome.

Argopelter

Starting off strong, because this guy may just be my favorite. Part of lumberjack lore, the argopelter is a lightning quick tree dweller with an ape face and super long arms that can snap trees branches right off. Once he does that, though, watch out – because if you’ve annoyed him, he can hurl those branches at you with the force of a bullet leaving a gun. Death by splinters makes an interesting epitaph.

Bakwas

A ghostly sort of fellow who seems to be looking for friends among the Kwakwaka’wakw people of coastal British Columbia. If you’re even stranded in the woods up there, think twice before taking him up on his offer of ghost food. Definitely be ready to be a forever friend, because sharing a snack is going to turn you into a bakwas as well. Here’s hoping he has an extra room in his invisible house.

Cactus Cat

Hailing from the American Southwest, this thorn covered bobcat has a armored tail and spikes coming out of its legs. Which is great, because feral cats weren’t dangerous enough already. Plus side, this cat’s a sloppy drunk – known to drink fermented juice until its all liquored up and then spend the night shrieking. Not the best of neighbors.

Dwayyo

Okay, I went to school in Washington, DC. How did I not know about cryptid feud in the Blue Ridge Mountains? On one side, the dwayyo, humanoid wolfmen. On the other, their mortal enemies, the Snallygasters – flying, blood-sucking dragons. Why? I have to assume for reasons of awesomeness.

Emogoalekc

Once a human, the gentleman fell into the sea after he accepted that due to his status as a slave he would never marry the chief’s daughter. Instead of being the end of his story, it’s instead a very strange beginning. Upon hitting the cold Pacific waters, he turned into a sea creature. Following this, the only people who saw him were those who would one day be chief.

I’ll stop there for today, but definitely expect some more creature convos as I get further into this draft. And if you have a favorite creature of American folklore, let me know! 

Character Closets

Well, I am officially knee deep in the drafting process. This means I’ve finally gotten to the point where it’s not pulling teeth to fill up those ominous blank pages. 

*turns cartwheels…remembers I can’t turn cartwheels…falls down…sticks to writing*

Now, I always try to go into writing with as much research done as possible, but I’ve found that there’s really no way to avoid a certain amount of mid-chapter inquiries. The fantasy creatures are the easiest part – mostly because they’re the most interesting. Who doesn’t want to look into the argopelters and their penchant for throwing splinters? Or how about cactus cat’s drunken shrieking? That’s fun for the whole family. And the medicinal purposes of jackalope milk? Life changing.

It’s the non-fantasy aspects that I find myself needing to delve into as I write. Necessary steps for obtaining a food vendor license in Manhattan. State regulations regarding homeschooling. The meaning behind various Hopi names. These are the bits of information that I don’t necessarily realize I’m going to need until I’m in the thick of it.

What I do know that I’m going to need is for all my characters to be wearing clothes. You know, at least until I start writing my series on the haunted nudist colony.

The drum alerts everyone to the sale.
Photo by Pere López (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

But somehow, I have recently found my characters are suddenly all showing up in extremely similar outfits. Sure, a little crossover is fine – after all, I borrow (read: steal) from my friends closets – but I’m talking a Smurf level of similarity. Apparently there was a sale at the white pants and hat store, and all my characters went on a shopping spree.

So, in an effort to keep my world from looking like a larger scale version of Doug Funnie’s closet, I’m making sure that each of the characters has a fully stocked wardrobe of their very own.

And, now, if you have any interest in rifling through the drawers of the characters in my current WIP, you can! Just check out my new Pinterest page and let me know your thoughts!

National Take a Memo Day

In case this post title wasn't self-explanatory enough, today is National Take a Memo day! 

I don't know about you, but this is a holiday I believe in celebrating every day. Kind of have to, as long as my joker of a brain insists on being inspired at inopportune moments. Dozing off. Dodging water balloon onslaughts. Driving. Balancing on the counter as I wage spring cleaning war against the evil horde of fan-top dust bunnies. 

Pretty much any time except that which I have specifically set aside for drafting. To ensure that I have something to fill those dreaded blank pages with I have embraced the beauty of memos whole-heartedly. Sure, there are some that are a little hard to decipher later on, but they at least give me a jumping off point when writing time rolls around. Here are a few of my most recent memos to myself:

> Tupilak - souls of the dead

> TSA regulations for centaurs - any travel possible? Boats??

> Kaigani Harbor - attack site. Alaska: cruise or road trip? Haida

> Control vs. privacy. Secrets ={

> Berserker/Ursa Major, Minor/Bear Mother === Which direction?

> shenanigans

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what that last one applies to. Or, more accurately, what it doesn't apply to. Nor can I remember why it was so important that I stop whatever activity I was doing so I could write that one word down sans any context. Still, five out of six making sense is a better success rate than I generally have. 

So, huzzah! The power of the memo - perhaps my greatest tool when it comes to writing. If you're not already memo-ing, get on it, clown. If nothing else, it's always an interesting look into the old brain pan. 

Oh, one last thing, take a memo: Today is also National Strawberries and Cream Day. So, pretty much the greatest day ever. 

That is all. 

Time to Start Moving Again

If you're anything like me, you're using the recent influx of nicer days to thaw out the sweet dance moves that have been hibernating the last few months. Also, if you're anything like me, you feel a little bit like the Tin Man after a storm.

But under-used joints shall not stand in our way! It's time to start moving again. How else will we be in prime condition for all those summer water balloon battles? We really need to be able to bob and weave.

These tunes should put you on the right track.


"Hey, Hey, Hey" (Delta Rae)

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (Whitney Houston)

"Higher and Higher" (Jackie Wilson)

"The World Is New" (Save Ferris)

"Hang Loose" (Alabama Shakes)

So, do you have any suggestions for me? Tomorrow's dance card still has room on it.

Characters of Spring

Spring's here! Spring's here! (As in the nice weather, rather than when the season starts on the calendar. Silly Winter and its refusal to adhere to our calendars.)

Perhaps more importantly than anything else, this means that in the middle of the afternoon I can now sit outside for a half hour with a book. OUTDOOR READING. Life really doesn't get much better than that. Seriously, it starts getting sunny and warm and I want to run around presenting the people in my life with colorful bouquets of books.

In honor of my weather related literary mania, I present to you some of the characters that bring Spring to my mind:


Vladimir and Estragon (WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett)

I don't know about you, but every year I spend more than a couple days waiting on Spring to show up. My conversational skills generally devolve into seemingly inane comments that only make sense in the recesses of my own mind as I watch yet another snowflake hit the ground. But whenever I think, "Let's go. Yes. Let's go," and start to pack my bags to go south, I don't move. Because what if Spring really is coming tomorrow?

Goldilocks ("The Story of the Three Bears" by Robert Southy)

We're all searching for that perfect day, not too cold, not too warm - just right. Every day we take that testing step out our doors to see what we're jumping into. Are we still going to need seventeen layers? Ugh, is today going to be one of those days where we're sweating even when we're sitting completely still? Or is it going to be that Wee-Bear's-bed of a day, where maybe all we need is a light jacket?

We can never be sure exactly what we're going to get, but we do know that we're willing to go outside every day trying to find the perfect one. You know, one that's sunny and preferably without bears.

Emma (EMMA by Jane Austen)

With all the warm, beautiful days and new life popping up left and right, how could Spring not be a little cocky? And can it really be blamed if it plays matchmaker as it thaws us out after the long (seriously, so very long), cold winter? Forcing us out of our hibernation to interact with each other under blue skies and balmy breezes. Sure, it's not always as powerful as it thinks and sometimes Winter does pop back up to smack Spring down for a few days. But Spring always rallies and ultimately grows into a warmer version of itself.

Wes Janson (Star Wars EU)

What does it matter if we're stuck in the middle of ice and fire? There's always time for some fun. Just survived the attacks of Winter and can already see Summer's heat bearing down on us? Doesn't mean we can't smile. Maybe even kick up a little mischief. What else would all this nice weather be for?

Ali Winters (IT HAD TO BE YOU by Jill Shalvis)

Spring is a time for some serious glass-half-full thinking. We survived the winter! Sure, sometimes it seemed like maybe the world really was out to bury us forever under the weight of a million snows. But did we let it? No! And now it's sunny and beautiful. Oh, it's raining? Well, that's just another kind of good weather!


So, there are some of mine. What characters do you think embody this very lovely season?

The End of Spring's Winter Impersonation!

Hello all!

Sorry for the radio silence lately. Lot of moving and shaking going on.

I am, of course, still reeling from last month's auction and the generosity shown by all of you. Followed that up with some public speaking at a luncheon being held in honor of Sexual Abuse Awareness Month. *cut to me gripping a podium that thankfully hides the fact that my legs are about to just shake right off.* Thankfully, minoring in theater left me with the tools to smile when what I really want to do is hurl all my cookies. And not vomiting is the scale upon which I base all public speaking success. So, win!

Of course, it helped that the people there showed themselves to be as wonderful as all of you, further reaffirming the whole "world contains a lot of goodness" mindset. And if that weren't enough, it's finally not freezing anymore!

I don't know about where you all are, but the weather has been pretty damn nice around here for the last week or so. Even today's rain was nice, because it finally has that spring rain smell that I love so much. Everything's starting to look all green and beautiful, which should be good for everyone's writerly pursuits as looking at green may make you more creative. And means I finally have an explanation for the inspiration I feel whenever confronted with a picture of a Ninja Turtle.

I mean, sure, spring decided to pretend it was still winter for the first month and a half, but who among us can say that we haven't enjoyed a little play acting from time to time. How can we begrudge spring its fun? Even if it did mean that I started having reoccurring nightmares that this was the harbinger of sentient snowmen rising up from our icy backyards to rule the newly frozen world with us as their frostbitten minions.

Not to be dramatic, or anything.

Anyway, we still have a little over a month of spring to enjoy (provided, of course, the little comedian doesn't decide it wants to do its admittedly impressive summer impersonation). To that end, I'll be doing some spring related posts. Going to kick it off on Monday with the characters that most remind me of this brief, but awesome season.

Until then, have a great weekend!

Auction Winners!

It is now my complete honor to announce all the Writers For Hope Auction winners!

I can't tell you how crazy it was during the last five minutes of the auction. Floodgates came down, bids were pouring in and I was just yelling incoherent burst of excitement in the general direction of the computer.

In the frenzy, there were a few bids that came in after the 11:59 cut off and were, unfortunately, disqualified. Thankfully, this was a very rare occurrence. To anyone that it did happen to, I'm very sorry and thank you so extremely much for participating in the auction!

Here are the winner's and the times of their final bids:

• ITEM #1: THE TWIN'S DAUGHTER
• Donor: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
• WINNER: Katharine Rossiello (12:42pm)

• ITEM #2: CASSIDY LANE
• Donor: Maria Murnane
• WINNER: MES (10:16am)

• ITEM #3: RECKLESS: A MEMOIR
• Donor: Rebecca Allard
• WINNER: Katharine Rossiello (12:41pm)

• ITEM #4: STORYBOUND and STORY'S END 
• Donor: Marissa Burt
• WINNER: Tony Gerone (10:59am)

• ITEM #5: Query Critique
• Donor: Emmie Mears
• WINNER: Kirsten (11:55pm)

• ITEM #6: Query Critique
• Donor: Jodi Meadows
• WINNER: Susan Jett (8:23am)

• ITEM #7: Query Critique
• Donor: Dahlia Adler
• WINNER: Linh Nguyen-Ng (11:58pm)

• ITEM #8: Query Critique
• Donor: Lauren Spieller
• WINNER: C.C. Ford (12:32pm)

• ITEM #9: Query Critique
• Donor: Brenda Drake
• WINNER: M Hebert (11:58pm)

• ITEM #10: Query Critique
• Donor: Jami Nord
• WINNER: Derek (1:19pm)

• ITEM #11: Query Critique
• Donor: Jami Nord
• WINNER: mk (2:07pm)

• ITEM #12: Query Critique
• Donor: Jessica Sinsheimer
• WINNER: Scarlett Cole (11:59pm)

• ITEM #13: First Five Pages Critique
• Donor: Lauren Spieller
• WINNER: C.C. Ford (11:52pm)

• ITEM #14: First Ten Pages Critique
• Donor: Gail Nall
• WINNER: billypayne (8:40pm)

• ITEM #15: First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Allison Pang
• WINNER: Shelley Morrison (11:58pm)

• ITEM #16: First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Jodi Meadows
• WINNER: Cheyenne Campbell (8:21pm)

• ITEM #17: First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Molly Lee
• WINNER: Laurie (11:05pm)

• ITEM #18: First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Catherine McCall
• WINNER: Beverley Baird (10:46pm)

• ITEM #19: Thirty Page Critique
• Donor: Emanuelle Morgen
• WINNER: MMHoff (11:56pm)

• ITEM #20: Query OR First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Skylar Dorset
• WINNER: Beverley Baird (11:56pm)

• ITEM #21: Query/First Chapter Critique OR Query/Full Picture Book Critique
• Donor: Veronica Bartles
• WINNER: Beverley Baird (11:58pm)

• ITEM #22: Query AND First Five Pages Critique
• Donor: Caitlin Sinead
• WINNER: Faydra (11:59pm)

• ITEM #23: Query AND First Five Pages Critique
• Donor: Ava Jae
• WINNER: Jim Dean (1:56pm)

• ITEM #24: Query AND First Five Pages Critique
• Donor: Stephanie Sauvinet
• WINNER: Anna Bragg (11:39pm)

• ITEM #25: Query AND First Five Pages Critique
• Donor: N.K. Traver
• WINNER: Kirsten (11:57pm)

• ITEM #26: Query AND First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Marie Meyer
• WINNER: Katharine (11:59pm)

• ITEM #27: Query AND First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Karen Dionne
• WINNER: Beverley Baird (8:24pm)

• ITEM #28: Query AND First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Juliana Brandt
• WINNER: M Hebert (11:57pm)

• ITEM #29: Query AND First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Rebecca Yarros
• WINNER: Ashley Hearn (11:35pm)

• ITEM #30: Query AND First Chapter Critique
• Donor: Brooks Benjamin
• WINNER: M Hebert (11:59pm)

• ITEM #31: Query AND First Three Chapters Critique
• Donor: Marieke Nijkamp
• WINNER: Lauren Grimley (7:51pm)

• ITEM #32: Query AND First Chapter Critique AND Signed ARC of MORE THAN MUSIC
• Donor: Elizabeth Briggs
• WINNER: kimcjohnson (11:46pm)

• ITEM #33: Partial Manuscript Critique AND Permission to email and discuss comments
• Donor: Stephanie Sauvinet
• WINNER: Anonymous (11:59pm)

• ITEM #34: Full Manuscript Critique
• Donor: Fiona McLaren
• WINNER: davidoarr.com (11:39pm)

• ITEM #35: Full Manuscript Critique
• Donor: Tamara Mataya
• WINNER: davidoarr.com (11:54pm)

• ITEM #36: Full Manuscript Critique
• Donor: Joy McCullough-Carranza
• WINNER: Linh Nguyen-Ng (11:58pm)

• ITEM #37: Full Manuscript Critique
• Donor: Christina Henry de Tessan
• WINNER: Meredith Tate (11:58pm)

• ITEM #38: Thirty Minute Phone Conversation Regarding Publishing
• Donor: Maria Murnane
• WINNER: Katharine Manning (10:00am) 

• ITEM #39: 90 Minute Social Media and Marketing Session
• Donor: Andrea Dunlop
• WINNER: Mary J (8:48pm)

Congratulations to everyone!!

Here's what you need to do to claim your awesome prizes:

1. Go to my RAINNmaker page and donate your bid amount by WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30. Highest bid amount for those who chose to outbid themselves. =) 
2. There is a "Message to RAINN" section in the donation form. In it please include either the name you won the prize under or the Item # of the prize you've won. 
3. Once your donation has shown up on the page, please email me at countlesslives@gmail.com, with the Item # in the subject line and I'll give you the information you need to get in touch with your donor. If you won a book, please include the address where you would like the book sent in your email. 
4. Read, write and be merry.

Finally, I have tallied the highest bids on each auction item and can tell you that once all donations have been made to the RAINNmaker page, we will have raised $1937!! Once I add in the donations made by those who did not take part in the auction, we are at $2012!!

You are all helping me raise over $2000 for RAINN. To say the very least, you have completely blown my goal of $400 the hell out of the water. 

This money will help over 200 survivors get the support they need. It's completely amazing.

To all the donors, bidders and folks who spread the word about this auction, THANK YOU, from the very bottom of my heart.