So, I’ve been walking into town…it takes about an hour and a half to get to my favorite shrimp taco shack…and along the way, I’ve been seeing some great things I HAVE to write about someday. First of all, let’s talk about the Mexican manger scenes. OMG. I’ve never laughed so hard as when I stumbled upon a blow up manger scene. You know the kind. They’re normally huge Santas or snowmen, only giant blown up camels, wisemen, and crew. It was tacky at its finest. Then there was the flip side, which is down on the Malecon. There’s a sand sculpture team working down there, and they did the most incredible sculpture of the manger scene. I mean, it was brilliant. So, I have taken photos of all the weird scenes for a scrapbook layout of them. Someday, I am going to have to use them all in a scene for one of my books. Too funny.
I think that’s one of the best side effects of travelling; you see so many things outside your normal range of sights. So far, I’ve seen three legless people, a one-armed woman, and a pair of midget twins. I know, I know, they like to be called little people. I prefer dwarf. I’ve always liked the word and I’m not much into political correctness in any form. What’s wrong with that word? The genetic issue isn’t called little people-ism. It’s dwarfism, right? I’m not making that up. I can understand not wanting to be called midget but dwarf? It’s a fairly nice word. But I digress. I’ve also seen a ton of transvestites. (They are still called that, right? Or are they cross-dressers now? Sheesh. Who can keep up?). There’s a huge gay male population down here, and you can hear their little gay voices everywhere. Oh come on! Don’t pretend like you haven’t noticed that voice. It’s ubiquitous wherever you find a pod of them. (Okay, so maybe gay guys don’t travel in pods, but I think I’ll try to start a trend with that word. Hell, some moron started that idiot word ginormous, which made it into Webster’s last year. Boy do I digress. J
So, what about writing? I am preparing for the virtual book tour (you’re all invited) and I’ve been filling out these interviews for blogs. They have some interesting questions on them. One of which asks about the advice I would give other writers. Stay tuned for that advice tomorrow. Right now, there’s a pod of transvestite dwarves enacting a manger scene and I need to get a photo!

While life in Mexico is grand, and I am getting a lot done, there are things that need to happen in order to get ready for the book launch.

Book launch? You ask.

Yes, Book launch. It is an event. It is no longer a publishing party, but an event. I used to have book signing parties, and those were outrageously fun! Having everyone who loves you at one gathering is truly magnificent.

But times have changed, and so has the terminology.

It's a book launch.

We want to make it into something that EVERYONE wishes they were invited to! To that end, we will have to kick it off shortly after the book is published, but I do not have a definite due date yet. That's the tricky part about publishing...setbacks happen all the time, and nothing ever happens when it is supposed to, so you just have to roll with the punches. Right now, I am rolling with the waves on the beach. When I mentioned recharging, I should have been clearer. Recharging is about giving your spirit both what it needs as well as what it doesn't need, but wants. Mine wants sun, quiet walks down a cobblestone street, and a marguerita at lunch with one dollar shrimp tacos from a stand on the beach.

Mine wants night time thunderstorms that I watch from our balcony overlooking the ocean. It wants to sit and watch shows every night, dance until dawn, and whisper to the muses as I make my way back home.

Remember when I said (more than once) that it's all about choices? It is.

So...what do YOU do to replenish and recharge? Do you CHOOSE the things that make your heart sing and your muse dance or do you wait around hoping it dances on her own?

Hmmmm....

So I went to a faculty Christmas party. This one was better than most...perhaps it was because my people were there. It is always good to be surrounded by one's peeps...

Anyway, as I was answering "What are you doing for the holidays?" with my enviable answer of "Going to Mexico to write," I was naturally inundated with the same question...

"How do you find the time to write?"

Ah.

I see the problem.


The problem lies in the verb...find.


When you find ten dollars in a jacket pocket, it's a fluke thing. It's lucky. There is no intention, no goal, no thought. Find is a weak word that means you stumbled upon a thing.


I find that amusing.


Do you want to stumble through life hoping you find the time to write or do you create the life you want?





You see, I don't find the time, I create it. Creating is a willful act; one that has an intention and a goal. It is a better verb than even make because to create something is akin to magic. and writing is, indeed, magical. Finding something has no magic, but creating something...ah...there's the zest in life. There's the beauty and joy. There, my friends, is true magic.


So, you have to ask yourself this:


Are you a finder


Or a creator?


And which one do you think has the better chance of getting his/her work published?





Life is all about perspectives and about what you put into the universe.





Lesson #4 If you want to write badly enough, you will create not only the time to do so, but the space as well.


It's all about choices.

So you saw my library. Nice, huh?

So, what do I do in there?

Well, after I finish the rough draft by hand (which I usually start at some exotic location like...well let's see...I wrote Tory's Tuesday in 2 week on the beautiful Greel island of San Torrini. I wrote the first Across Time in Puerto Vallarta. I wrote one the paranormal novels in Thailand, and the last two Storm novels in the rainforest of Costa Rica), then it's library time. On my desk sits two laptops...a regular 15.4 inch that is connected to my Jumbotron 24 inch monitor. Since I do so much online teaching and writing, I decided to be good to my eyes and get a monitor that spoke to me. I'm pretty sure it lights up the entire neighborhood. Maybe that's why all those giant moths have crashed and burned into my window.



Ya think?



Along with that, I have my mini...a cute little 3 pound 12 inch monitor that I recently purchased so I can travel and not lose functionality. If you're looking for a handy little no name brand that packs a punch, try Everex. It even comes with an extra battery all for about 500.00.



Anyway, with multiple screens open, I am usually writing, grading papers, or, like now, watching one of my many Netflix movies (This one is a horror flick called Captivity).


So, my rewrite process begins when I transcribe the first draft onto the computer. After that, I let it sit for a week or two before going back in for further revising. (boy, this movie is REALLY scary!)


I write every day...in one way or another. And by writing, I mean, sometimes that's reading, sometimes it's research, and sometimes, it's the actual writing. It depends on how you define writing, I guess.


Any writers out there want to share your own definitions of writing?

Happy Birthday, Chloe :)

So, the last time I was in Mexico, I got the chance to hold this jaguar cub. I have a bizarro list of all the animals I have had the privilege of petting or interacting with in some way.

Elephant (I rode one)

Giraffe (I fed it)

Sloth (I held it)

Cheetah (I pet it)

Macaw (owned)

Python (wore)

White face monkey (played with)

Spider money (played with)

Alligator (fed...oh...and ate)

Iguana (fed and ate)

Crocdile (caught)

Emu/ostrich (ate)

Giraffe (fed)

and there are a few more, but I won't bore you with the details. Why am I sharing this? Because again, these are things I WANTED to do, and somehow, managed to make happen. The things make my heart sing. A writer needs to feed her spirit. If that's knitting, go for it. If that's eating at a fancy restaurant, do it. For me, it's petting animals...exotic, rare, wonderful animals. There's something about nature that renews my soul's energy...makes me feel alive.

I spent a night in the jungles of Costa Rica once. When the day animals settled down and went to sleep, the night ones came to life...and the symphony they played for me was unlike anything I have ever experienced ANYWHERE. It was one of those incredible moments when you know you are in the presence of something greater than yourself.

As a writer...we all need those moments. We should be in hot pursuit of them. We cannot be complacent. If your jungle is the subway, a bus, a mountain top, the beach, then make the time to go there. I say MAKE the time because finding something means we stumbled upon it. Don't stumble through your life....MAKE it happen!

Lesson #3 is to feed your soul....your writer soul. Feed it well....feed it often...make your heart sing!

It will change your life.

Dec. 3rd, 2007

So, what's this page about? Adventure. The

photo below was taken in Honduras as

we cruised around in a mini speedboat.

Big fun!

The photo to the right was taken in

Thailand. That snake was really heavy!

Okay...lesson #1 was what? You gotta believe!

Is that trite? Is that sentimental? Is that too "The Secret" for you? Well, take a close look at this photo. I'm cruising around in a mini speedboat on one of my vacations. I am not a rich woman. I am not even wealthy. I am a teacher. I make very little money...but I know what is valuable and important to any writer and that is to LIVE WELL. To go out and experience life gives our writing layers and textures we can only dream about. To actually live those adventures brings a verisimilitude you don't find from people who don't actually LIVE!

Life is to be tasted, explored, touched, and caressed. It is filled with so many paths to so many wonderful adventures. Those adventures are at your fingertips if you want them badly enough.

This Christmas, I'll be in Mexico for a month. How much is it costing me? 1,300 for airfare and my hotel. And no, that is not a typo. I am a teacher. I make no money...but I DO find great deals. That was an Orbitz deal for 1300 air and hotel...four star, bay-bee! And why do I do this (other than to get out of the cold, grayness of Oregon?)

Because I am a writer...and that means I need to write. Not want to...NEED to. And to that end, I work to enable me to have the TIME to do it. What better way to get that done than to have nothing BUT time? In Mexico, I will have a clipboard by the pool, my fountain pen, and a book. I'll write for about 6 hours, taking breaks to eat, swim, and drink a marguerita. At night, I'll have dinner on the beach, I'll watch a show, go upstairs and write some more. I'll finish the evening by reading one of the many books I have set aside for this vacation. Then it's off to slumber land with a smile on my face.

So, if Lesson #1 was You have to believe...

Lesson #2 is Choose adventure. Choose to LIVE an enviable life. The more you experience, the richer your writing will become. There are choices and sacrifices I make in order to have these trips and this life. What are you willing to do to make it happen?

What are you waiting for?

Podcast of Across Time

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