Free Book This Weekend

Denise Jaden’s  book Writing With A Heavy Heart: Using Grief and Loss to Stretch Your Fiction is free on Amazon Kindle on Feb. 9-10, 2013.

Here’s the link:
http://www.amazon. com/Writing- With-Heavy- Heart-ebook/ dp/B009DRLA32

Reaching for Goals

Looking over my goals from last year  made me wonder why so many stay the same. Do I really want to achieve those goals? Deep down where it counts? Or are they things I think I should do? Or do I feel guilty spending time and effort on them?

I once read that you should get rid of everything in your closets or drawers that you haven’t worn in the past year. You know the stuff–the too-small sizes you hope to get back into someday, the too-big clothes you keep just in case, that favorite pair of pants with the broken zipper that you plan to fix someday. I’m wondering if it isn’t the same thing with goals. Maybe I’ve outgrown some of them. Or maybe they just don’t fit right now. So when I clean out my closet, I’ll also make a clean sweep of the Yearly To-Do Lists at the same time.

If I haven’t done it this year, will I really do it next year? Seriously? Most likely not. So why have it hanging around, making me feel guilty and inadequate? Why not give myself permission to jettison it?

This year I’ll try paring down my expectations and give myself a break. I did make some pretty huge goals this year, so I’ll look back on those and forgive myself for the others that I skipped or didn’t find time for. This year, though, they won’t go on my list again. It’s obvious I’m not motivated to do them, so I won’t waste energy telling myself I should get them done.

I’m also going to go easier on myself when I make goals. I’ve already done that with my yearly list, but I’m going to do it with my daily to-do lists too.

One of my goals for last year was to have 8 books published. Not sure why that number came to me at the beginning of 2012, but that’s what I wrote. I suppose if I count all 5 vols. of the Native American Encyclopedia, the story in A Community of Writers, and my art/bio in Students Making Sense of the World, I almost made my goal. And actually, a book packager bought my YA historical, so that does make 8 books. I also wanted to have more than 2000 articles in print. I made that goal by writing 180 articles this year for an educational publisher. And I wanted to increase my picture book illustration skills, which I did with post-grad work this summer. And I’ve been setting aside time each day to practice my art.

But for 2013 I want to have more relaxing goals. Topping the list is a trip to Antarctica. I almost made it this year, but I had to cancel because of some family obligations.  I’m already picturing myself sailing past icebergs next January. I think I’ll limit myself to 3 goals instead of the usual 1-2 page list this year. If I finish those, I can always set more. And maybe without all that guilt to hold me back, I’ll accomplish more than ever.

Inspiration for Art, Writing, and Life

Hanging onto Your Dreams

What have you always dreamed of doing that you’ve set aside? That dream was planted in your heart for a reason. And you’re the only one who can make it come true. Don’t let anything sidetrack you from reaching it. Honor that dream.

I just finished an assignment: writing 60 articles about children’s authors. Reading their stories reminds me that following your heart isn’t always easy, but it’s always worthwhile. To inspire you to overcome obstacles, I thought I’d share the story of Wilson Rawls. Many of you have probably read (and cried over) his novel, Where the Red Fern Grows.

Like the hero of his story, Rawls grew up dirt poor in the Ozark Mountains. With no schools nearby, Rawls learned to read and write from his mother reading books aloud. When he heard Jack London’s Call of the Wild, Rawls decided he wanted to be a writer.

His family could not afford pencils or paper. Later when a school opened, he and his sisters attended for two or three months in the summer. For a short while after his family moved to another town, Rawls attended school, but never even graduated from eighth grade.

As a teenager, he went to work as a carpenter or laborer. To get work, he traveled the rails and lived as a hobo. But along the way, he wrote stories on whatever scraps of paper he could get. No publishers wanted manuscripts with such poor spelling and grammar. So Rawls hid them in a chest at his parents’ house.

Embarrassed by his failures, Rawls burned his all work, including five novels before he married his wife, Sophie. Later, after he confessed to her about his desire to be an author, Sophie encouraged him to rewrite one of his books. He rewrote Where the Red Fern Grows because it included many boyhood memories. Sophie helped him fix the grammar and punctuation. And the rest is history…

Well, not exactly. Yes, the story was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post and later picked up by Doubleday. But Doubleday marketed it as an adult book, so sales were poor. If it weren’t for some teachers and students who read it and raved about it, the novel might have fallen into obscurity.

Rawls finished only one more novel in his lifetime, Summer of the Monkeys. Who knows what treasures from that old chest went up in smoke. It’s sad to think about what was lost.

So what treasures have you hidden? What talents have you left unpolished? What have you produced that you’re ashamed to show the world? The world may be poorer without your special contributions.
And what excuses are you hiding behind? Do you want to write, but can’t afford pencils and paper? Hmm…thought not. Do you have to travel the country hunting for any job you can find to make ends meet? Perhaps so, in this economy. But Rawls still found a way to write. And so can you.

Even if your dream isn’t writing, ask yourself what roadblocks stand in your way. Not everyone can take a giant leap, but anyone can take a tiny step in the direction of those dreams.

And never burn those manuscript pages. You never know what gems might be hiding there.

Learning from the Classic Authors

Learning from the Classic Authors

Even the greatest authors have faced rejection and bad reviews. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the things I’ve been learning while I’ve immersed myself in the world of classic and famous authors the past two months.

Book Launch at Camp Hill, PA, Library

Come and meet the authors tonight, May 22, 2012, at 7 PM.

 

BOOK LAUNCH FOR SHORT STORY COLLECTION WRITTEN BY

FREDRICKSEN LIBRARY WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

 

CAMP HILL, PA  — A book launch party for an anthology of short stories, entitled “A Community of Writers,” will be held at the Cleve J. Fredricksen Library, 100 N. 19^th Street, Camp Hill on Tuesday, May 22, from 7 – 8:30 p.m.  Authors will be on hand to sign the books, which can be purchased at the event, with all profits donated to the library.

            The short story collection features twenty-five stories penned by participants in the library’s Natalie D. Craumer Writer’s Workshop, named for the workshop beneficiary’s late wife.  The workshop has been a popular staple of the library’s events for the past decade.  It is facilitated by Ann Elia Stewart, a local author, teacher and award-winning writer.

            “Each story is unique,” Stewart said.  “The anthology encompasses literary and genre pieces, including science fiction, fantasy, romance, satire and thriller. It represents the best short stories to come out of the writing workshop throughout the past ten years.

            “All the stories were generated from workshop lessons and exercises,” Stewart continued.  “The collection is a readable treat to curl up with and enter the imaginations of very talented area writers.”

            Published by Sunbury Press of Camp Hill, the book can be ordered as an e-book for both Nook and Kindle as well as in print.  For ordering information, visit www.SunburyPress.com.

If Only…

Do you have a lot of regrets or find yourself saying, “If only…” fairly often? I did two recent blog posts on the topic of turning those If only‘s around. Check them out at Christina Fonesca’s blog and Downtown YA. Make your regrets work for you instead of against you.

Angel in the Mist is out

All royalties go to support the Fredricksen Library.

Just got a notice that the book featuring my story, “Angel in the Mist,” is up for presale.

My story, a light paranormal, is an unusual twist on a love story. It begins in Ireland during the potato famine and crosses the ocean twice. If you love historicals, romance, or ghost stories, you might want to give it a try.

Best of all, all proceeds benefit a library. Combine your reading with your giving or vice versa and allow others to do the same.

Here’s a list of the other authors who are included:

• Hunting Season – Rayne Ayers Debski
• Take Care – Margaret DeAngelis
• Angel in the Mist – Laurie J. Edwards
• Survivor Barbie – C.A.Masterson
• A Soldier’s Gift – Don Helin
• Operation Pumpkin Patch – Gina Napoli
• A Cautious Life – Larry C. Kerr
• The Green Eyed Monster – Catherine Jordan
• Smoke – Lori M. Myers
• Number 11 – Maria McKee
• The Things She Chose to Keep – Susan Pigott
• The Surprise Party – Carol A. Lauver
• an excerpt from “Oops,” Said God – Duffy Batzer
• Swan Song – Ann Elia Stewart
• Dragon Riders – D.A.Morrow
• Free as a Bluejay – Madelyn Killion
• 4:30 – Bob Walton
• Fade to Black – Kathryn Grace
• The Nature of Sin – Maria McKee
• Dead Letters – Susan Girolami Kramer
• Dissipation – C.A.Masterson
• The Mirror – Susan E. Bangs
• Betsy’s Delight – Marlene Ross
• Moving Targets – Debra A. Varsanyi
• Creature of Habit – Don Helin

I’m also thrilled that 3 of my CPs also have work in the anthology. Nothing like having group booksignings.

Better than Candy…

So it’s Valentine’s Day again. Did your sweetheart give you candy? Why not ask for something non-fattening whose sweetness is sure to last longer: a book.

To me, YA is the sweetest genre ever, so I couldn’t resist a quick post on two YA books coming out from first-time authors in the Class of 2k12 on Valentine’s Day. These lucky authors get to celebrate their love of writing by holding their first books in their hands.

Lethally Blonde by Patrice Lyle

ISBN 13 978-1-61603-013-1
Leap Books
Morgan Skully is the world’s only blonde demon girl, and she’s got a brand new, very unusual afterschool job. Spying for the Devil. She’d much rather use her cloak-and-dagger skills to spy on hottie-licious Derek with her friends, but the Devil won’t take no for an answer. Luckily for Morgan, her new boss is kinda hot. Her assignment is simple: find out who at Pitchfork Prep is funneling secrets to the Siberian Werewolf Council. If she succeeds, pedicures and platinum highlights are just the beginning.

But if she fails…there’s more on the line than killer shoes.

SCARLET by AC Gaughen

Walker Books for Young Readers, a division of Bloomsbury USA
SCARLET is a retelling of the Robin Hood legend. Most of Nottinghamshire knows Will Scarlet: a quick and clever thief that sticks to the shadows and protects the band without question, but even those that know Scarlet’s really a girl don’t know the secrets of her past, like how she got the scar on her cheek. Guy of Gisbourne may be the one person who does: and he was just hired to bring Robin Hood and his gang to the gallows.

So, aren’t those covers great? Makes you want to curl up with the books, right? Oh, and for a cute post on Valentine’s Day, check out Patrice Lyle’s post, 

THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE….

on the Leap Books blog.

Talk about sweet…

I Did It!!

Whew! I made my goal of 50,000 words. The word count in Word showed exactly 50,000 words, but when I put it in the validator, it showed less than that, so I had to type in another paragraph. It should feel terrific to reach this goal, but secretly I’d been hoping to complete an 80,000-word novel, so I ended up feeling disappointed. I do wonder if setting such high standards is good or if it only makes it tough on yourself.

I think we need to spend more time on congratulating ourselves for what we’ve accomplished–and that goes for all you NaNo participants who didn’t reach your goals. Think of how much more you have written than you would have without the NaNo push and rejoice. You deserve to pat yourself on the back too!! Congratulations to all.