The End is in Sight

The ms isn't quite in the box, but today I wrote the last chapter of the book that's been giving fits. Best of all, I know it's good. You know that feeling when you've worked extra hard for something and it happens? That's how this ending feels. It was a big "At last!" moment. The ending is so obvious I can't believe I didn't see it sooner.

Another week or so for a final edit and proofreading, and I'll be able to take a break and do some reading. I can't wait! I've got about 20 books that all look delicious : )

Progress Report

The end's in sight . . . again. In the past week I've done a major rewrite. I'm where I thought I was when the book tanked. The last chapter is underway. This time when I asked my husband what he thought of the ending, he liked it.

Whew! I'm going to make that June 15th deadline. Then I'll get to read!

Uh oh!

I've been cruising along on the new ms for about three months. I thought it was going well. I expected to be done today, Memorial Day, and to be mailing it tomorrow. Major goof on my part!

A week ago I was polishing the last chapter. I was stuck so I decided to chat with my husband who's good with gunfights, etc.. I told him the scenario and my plan for a big bang ending. He said, "I don't get it. Why are the bad guys doing that?"

I told him.

"Honey," he said. "That just doesn't make sense. They wouldn't do that."

Gulp. Panic. Oops. Gut churning doubt. Total Fear. But-but-but I have a June 15th deadline! It has to work.

Well, it didn't. I've gone into hibernation mode and am rewriting the ms big time. The romance here is rock solid, some of my favorite stuff. The plot, it seems, was the worst thing I've ever concocted. After much moaning and brainstorming, I can see the problem and am fixing it now.
Last Monday I started at Page One and am drastically rewriting everything to do with the bad guys.

So what happened? Where did I go wrong. Three words: Goal. Motivation. Conflict. I gave the bad guys a reasonable goal, but I missed the boat on their motivation. They had no good reason to do what I wanted them to do. That meant going back and upping the ante throughout the entire ms. It meant giving them a violent backstory and putting more bad deeds on the page. It meant writing about 1/3 of the book.

That in turn led to big changes for the hero. Oh. My. I expect to make that June 15th deadline, but it's gonna be a squeeze.

Never again will I write a book without writing down the GMC for every single character!

Living with Guys

I'm in the living room right now, trying to sort out the end of the current ms while my husband is watching "Outbreak." It's the movie about an Ebola-like virus with Dustin Hoffman and Renee Russo. My husband likes the action parts. I like the romance.

A few minutes ago, my youngest son called. He had drill with the National Guard and drove a Humvee, or maybe a tank. All I know is that something had wheels and something else had "tracks." They're talking a mile a minute in a language that's almost completely foreign to me, and it's running the gamut from tanks to jets. I know what an F-16 is, but I've never heard of a J-1. I know the difference between a 747 and a 777, but what's a Super Hornet? The thing with tracks is an APC, and the whole talk ended with much excitement over a KZ 750.

And guys think women are hard to understand!

American Idol

Do you know what I love about American Idol? It's an oasis. It's the one time during the week when I don't have to work at anything. I can be mad at the judges and I don't have to be diplomatic. I get to love one song and dislike another. I can root for the contestant of my choice just because I want to. It's like going to a baseball game. Complete meaningless fun.

This week I loved Kris's second song and Danny's second song. I'm not fond of Adam but recognize his talent. I was disappointed Danny didn't make the finals, but I'm happy for Kris. For some reason, his version of "She Works Hard for Her Money" sticks in my head more than any other song this season. Must be psychological!

I'm definitely working hard on the book. One chapter to polish up, then I'll proof read and send it in. The end has been a struggle. I'm out of word count and editing myself as I go. That spells trouble. It's much wiser for me to tell the whole story and then pare it down.

Happy News!

I'm now an official member of Petticoats & Pistols! For those of you who haven't already discovered P&P, it's a group blog with many of my favorite western authors. My first blog is Thursday, May 14th and I'm giving away books. Anyone who comes by and comments will be eligible for the drawing.

Also, in honor of the four new "Fillies," Petticoats & Pistols is running a contest with a cool prize. If you'd like to win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon, visit the site and hit the "Contest" button on the left.

Hope to see you there!

Love Inspired Authors

Today I'm blogging at Love Inspired Authors. After checking out the blog (it's about my first-ever speaking engagement), you might want to enter the quarterly contest for a basket full of LIs and other fun things. The website also has links to about 40 Love Inspired authors. Come and look around : )

News On The Maverick Preacher

I saw on Amazon today that The Maverick Preacher has been picked up by Thorndike Press. I'm thrilled! Thorndike publishes large print editions in hardcover, which they sell mostly to libraries. I'm happy to know this book will be on shelves for many years go come. It's being released in August 2009.

It will also have a different cover. I'm hoping for a picture of a Denver mansion, maybe with a stained glass window of a swan. No matter what, adding a hardcover to my row of books will be a nice moment.

A Typical Evening

A friend and I sometimes joke about the romantic life of a writer. Tonight that "romance" included paying bills, emptying the dishwasher and doing a load of laundry. It wasn't the least bit romantic, but I have to say I felt very "writerly," my personal euphemism for "distracted."

The bills had to get done tonight, because I've been putting them off. The story's been going well. Who can think about paying bills when your characters are whispering, "Let's play!"

I ran the dishwasher two days ago. I completely forgot about it until I went to load the dinner dishes and realized I hadn't put the clean stuff away. With just my husband and me, we don't run it more than 2 or 3 times a week. It's easy to grab a clean glass out of the top shelf and think, "I'll put the stuff away later." And then I forget : (

Laundry is the worst by the far. The washer and dryer are in the bottom level of our three-story townhouse. I write in an extra bedroom on the third level. I can't hear the dryer stop. I've tried setting a timer by the computer, but it's hopeless. The thing always goes off right in the middle of a paragraph. I inevitably turn it off and think, "I'll get up in five minutes." An hour later, I remember the laundry that now been sitting in the dryer in a wad.

So that's my evening . . . not too romantic but definitely the life of a writer.

American Idol!

I'm so hooked it's embarrassing. I may be in the minority, but I liked the duet with Danny and Kris. The harmonies were amazing. Adam rocked the Led Zepplin song, but to borrow a term from the judges, I thought it was "karaoke." Alison seems like a sweet kid with a great voice, but I wouldn't buy her CD or download her music.

I'd pay for music by Danny. Kris, too. Can't wait for the results!

And, I'm pleased to say, I made excellent progress on Pearl's story. I've got 10,000 words to edit, then I'll do a final read and send it off.

Guest Blog Update

I just heard from Emma about the historical blog. Looks like there are some technical challenges. The blog isn't up today. I'll post later with an update.

I'm Guest Blogging

My goal from Day One of my writing career has been to write romance for women who'd never set foot in a Christian bookstore. There are pros and cons to that, but I'm committed to reaching out to readers of all persuasions. That's why I'm blogging at Emma Petersen's 30 Days of Historical Authors. I'm one of the few inspirational writers making an appearance among authors from all across the spectrum.

My blog is in the form of an interview. It talks about historical research, Abbie's Outlaw, the consequences of today's standards and why I write what I write. Please say a prayer that God would use this opportunity to spread a message of hope, love, mercy and grace.