There’s a bit of a bird theme in UNITY, the second book of the Dark Light Dance Trilogy. This is probably because I love birds and often watch them outside my window while I’m writing. One thing I’ve noticed is that birds eat in groups. One chickadee lands on the feeder. Within seconds, there’s another. Then a cardinal. Then a titmouse, a sparrow, a wren, a finch... Before long they’re swooping and diving, taking turns at one feeder or another, or having a sip of water at the bird bath. How like birds we are at times—we wait for someone else to try something first. When it looks like it’s safe, we venture out. There’s safety in numbers. Yet, writing is a solitary quest. Sometimes, we can hash out ideas along the way if we have someone patient enough to put up with our mental meanderings. Most of the time, though, we go to the feeder alone. We carry off a seed of an idea, crack it open, munch on it awhile and digest it. Sated, back in our nest, we sink into the refuge of creativity, feathering our nest with made up characters that seem just as real to us as our family and friends. Then when those family or friends interrupt us, it’s a bit of a shock reentering the real world. Ah, that literary refuge of writing or reading books! I love analogies. What is yours about the writing refuge?

Endings and Beginnings

Line Upon Line, the book store where I worked for fifteen years, is closing its doors forever in February. I worked at this store from its very early beginnings when it was located in the attic of a garage contractor, then moved with it to an actual store that was so tiny you could see all the stock from the phone. If someone called to see if you had something, you didn't have to leave the desk! Then we moved to an old house. We thought it was absolutely charming with its fireplace and warped old floors--and so did the mice and other varmints. Since the owner couldn't bear to hurt the little darlings and they wouldn't leave, eventually we moved out instead. We had more space and a great new location-we had arrived! Independent religious bookstores have never made their owners a lot of money, but LUL had owners (several of them) willing to sacrifice profits for the chance to serve their loyal customers. Until, they couldn't do it anymore... Alas, these days, small independent brick and mortar bookstores are closing their doors left and right. It's sad in a way--I love meandering through off-the-beaten-path bookstores and finding the perfect book, like a shiny treasure. However, the old adage, whenever God closes a door, he opens a window, is true in this case too. LUL filled a special place in the market and now those products are available online for those who want to let their fingers do the wandering. Still, nothing will quite replace the feeling of enlightenment that browsing in Line Upon Line Bookstore offered, with its wide selection of religious books, clean fiction, art, and accessories--not to mention the chance to meet and greet old and new friends. Some of the best people in the world worked and shopped at LUL. I will miss them as well. It's a mixed blessing that I quit a year ago to pursue my goal of writing books, rather than selling them. Without LUL, I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to chase that dream. It's there that I found the perfect publisher for the kind of general market young adult fiction that I write. LUL stayed open long enough to launch my career with a lovely signing party when REFUGE came out, something for which I'll be forever grateful! Part of me is a little sad though, that I missed the day-to-day journey of their last year of operation. All the owners from the beginning until now, and all my favorite fellow employees and customers--you know who you are--thanks for the memories! They are sweet. And who knows, maybe there will be a book about it someday!

Finding Refuge

In the first book of the Dark Light Dance Trilogy, REFUGE, the main characters meet and fall in love at a wildlife Refuge. Hence the name of the book has a double meaning—the place they meet, and the feeling of security they have when they're together. But the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is also a place each of them goes to retreat from the world. Laney has just lost her parents and little brother. She goes out to the Refuge to walk. It is a private place, away from kind but curious eyes, where she can commune with nature, enjoy the wildlife, and come to terms with her loss. In its quiet beauty, she hopes to find courage to begin again. Gabe goes to the Refuge to paint. He finds pleasure in capturing the images of wild creatures he sees in his sketchbook, later to turn them into beautiful art. This process of creating helps him forget the tragedies in his young life and the uncertain future he faces. Just like Gabe and Laney, we all need to find places of refuge in our life. No matter how good our life is—how full and busy—sometimes we may need to retreat from even our blessings, especially if they’re small people! Our refuge can be as simple as sitting in a porch swing with the scriptures or a good book (my favorite!) Or sometimes we need to get clean away and visit a new place (or a beloved familiar one), in order to restore our equilibrium. Many of my friends take refuge in running or walking. That devoted time fuels their creativity while it tones their bodies. Your refuge can be a place, an activity, or both. This year, if you don’t have one, find your refuge. Let it fuel your creativity, give you peace, and restore your soul.

Thanks Jenny Holt (a.k.a. Leigh Statham) for inviting me to be part of the The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Thanks also for being patient while I met deadlines and celebrated the holidays :) Yes, I would LOVE to discuss my work-in-progress! Here are the answers to the tantalizing questions you sent me... Q1: What is the working title? The title is UNITY. It is the second installment in the Dark Light Dance trilogy. Just like the first book, REFUGE, the title has a double meaning. (Chords of anticipatory music here...) Q2: Where did the idea for the book come from? Since it's the continuation of the series, I'll tell you where the idea for REFUGE came from. I heard about the movement to save the practically extinct red wolf here in North Carolina. My husband and I went to see what it was all about, visiting the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. Although we didn't see the wolves that day--we did hear them howl--the atmosphere was rich with story material. A girl loves wolves, wants to save them, meets a boy with a mysterious secret...VOILA, the book is born! Q3: What genre is your book? It is young adult fantasy/romance. Q4:Which actors would play your character in the movie rendition? Sighs...wouldn't that be lovely? I think Liam Hemsworth (Gale/Hunger Games) would be awesome for Gabe, and Anne Sophia Robb (Soul Surfer/Bridge to Terabithia) for Laney. I am not technically adept enough to figure out to wrestle the pics from IMDB and paste them here : ) Q5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Tricky, since it's a number 2...Hmmm. Okay: Finally reunited after Gabe is cleared of murder, Laney looks forward to a peaceful, happy senior year, but Gabe's secret comes back to haunt them, and this time it is Laney's life that is in danger. Q6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? It will be published by Cedar Fort/ Sweetwater Books imprint. Q7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Off and on, about a year. I worked on other projects between drafts. Q8: What other books would you compare this story to, within your genre? I don't think there's anything quite like it out there :) Q9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? Without giving too much away, there was a certain subplot in Harry Potter that inspired this story. I took that, gave it a contemporary southern twist, and there you have it... Q10: What else about your book might pique the readers’ interest? If you like sweet romances with a paranormal twist, you will like the Dark Light Dance Trilogy. Thanks so much Jenny/Leigh for inviting me. I am officially tagging Heather Macbeth. http://benheatherandlily.blogspot.com/

Joy to the World

Anne Frank said, “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” Such wisdom indeed for a fourteen-year old girl, and how she captured the essence of writing. This is food for thought. Stop reading now if you’re put off by Christian beliefs :). If you keep a journal, part of the joy is looking back and seeing how much growth you’ve achieved as you recorded your sorrows and found your courage. Writing fiction isn’t that different. I look back at my earliest efforts to tell a story and think, “Wow.” Of course, I also think “Thank goodness no one published that!” It gives me hope because if I have grown a bit, I know I will grow some more and I look forward to it. It will be painful and I’ll groan and moan and love every minute of it. I find that writing is very cathartic. You put people in trouble—characters you grow to love—all the while knowing you can get them out again. You know just what is going to happen, what lessons they need to learn, and what growth they’re going to experience and then voila! Happy Ending. Okay, I'm writing a trilogy, so the reader might have to wait a while for the happy ending, but still…there will come a time when I will write, “And they lived happily ever after.” Whether it’s writing in my journal, or writing a novel, the process reminds me that there is One who is doing the same for us. He knows we’re going to get in trouble down here and He lets us. He knows we’re going to suffer sorrows and disappointment as we learn by our own experience. He knows how much we can take, what lessons we need to learn, and then exactly how to get us out of trouble--because He loves us. He especially knows all about the Happy Ending, because He made sure we would have one by suffering and dying for it. At this time of year, we celebrate the beginning; the little Savior born in a humble stable. We know it sets in motion the greatest story ever told. We know, thanks to those who lived and loved Him and told the story, of all He went through, not for His growth and learning, but so that we might have our Happy Ending. Joy to the World! Let’s remember, we can shake off all the sorrows, let our courage be reborn, as we contemplate the miracle of Christmas.

Just Five More Minutes...

When we were traveling with our small children—this was long before auto DVD players—and we’d played every car game known to humankind, we would hear endless questions about “how much longer ‘til we get there?” It did no good to say, “Just enjoy the journey. Sit back and relax.” Not to the restless, active kids WE had. So, our reply would be, “Just five more minutes.” Of course, eventually the kids figured out that we were just telling them that to hush them up, but it bought us about twenty more minutes of peace and quiet as they anticipated our arrival and before we got called out. “Hey, it’s been more than five minutes!” A little dishonest? Sure. Necessary for our sanity? Oh definitely. I think sometimes this is how the writing life is. Like restless small children we want to know, how much longer until we arrive? Telling someone who is pouring their heart and soul into their work to “Just sit back and relax and enjoy the journey,” doesn’t really help—not right then anyway. It didn’t for me, but I can, gratefully, say that I have enjoyed every part of this writing journey. I loved finding an idea. I loved interviewing the people who could give me the details that would make my fictional story seem authentic. I loved immersing myself in another world, very different from my own real one. I loved getting to know the people who became my main characters. Once I did, I knew what they would say and do and how the story would go which was fascinating. I enjoyed sending off my manuscript with high hopes. Screech to a stop…I did NOT enjoy the rejections! However, the criticism that went along with them was useful and eventually led to acceptance, so I could compare it to a blown head gasket. (Why yes, I am married to a mechanical man!) It took some time to absorb and move on, but I was on the road again eventually. So is being published arrival? Maybe. A lot of people think so. For me, it’s been wonderful, exciting, nerve-wracking—a huge learning experience. BUT, I know I have so much more to learn. I hope I have a better book in me to write. I know I will keep trying until my dying breath. For me, arrival will be when I know deep down in my heart that I have truly written something that will change someone’s life for the better—not just entertained them for a few hours. So, five more minutes—at a time-I'm on the road for the whole trip.

Taking It Up a Notch

I think it was a good thing I'd posted my "positive thinking" blog right before I went to the writer's conference and had a critique on my work-in-progress. The agent said some really good things about style and voice and characterization--right before she told me (in no uncertain terms) my plot basically wouldn't work! At first I was a bit put out but then I took my own advice and let it kick my b--- into high gear. Can I just say I LOVE what's happening in my story now? This is what an editor or agent does best. She gets a writer to take his/her writing to the next level. The agent, Jennifer Rofe from Andrea Brown Literary Agency, didn't give me any specific advice. It was more the authority and expertise she brought to the conference that let me know that if she said it wouldn't work, it really wouldn't work. Back to the drawing board! My friend with the crazy creative brain and I bounced ideas back and forth that night until we were both really excited about the whole new direction the plot would take. I spent the week after conference hashing out the details, at least up to a point. I really like to leave some open ends and see what the characters want to happen. As long as they know where they need to end up, I let them have some leeway: ) This might be a job at times--and it definitely is--but it sure is a job I love!