Ink in the Book

Hello beautiful guys and dolls! This post could get a little sloppy as I bare my soul and tell my heart. But I've needed to this for a long, LONG time. So, here goes... Like all new writers, I started my journey with high hopes and big dreams. I wrote my first book, started a new blog, got a facebook, and eventually hopped on Twitter. I wrote helpful blog posts and shared amazing links, asked agents to join and help, hosted pitch parties, and even wrote my own workshops (times 2 or 3) I visited blog after blog after blog and joined blog hop after blog hop. I admit, I was addicted to blog hops there for a LONG time. I wanted to make as many writing friends as I could because I needed advice and craved their knowledge. I commented and encouraged and praised and hugged and sent virtual hugs and chocolate to as many blog/twitter friends as I possibly could. I knew I would probably need the favor returned when times got hard for me. If you're all honest, you'd probably adm...

Yes! I have a new, beautiful and perfect grandson. Wait. I can't believe I'm saying that!. No, I'm not old!! He was  born yesterday weighing in at 6lbs and 9ozs and 20 inches long. They named him Theo. Theo's my first grandson and my 2nd grandbaby. My 3rd grandbaby, a girl (!!) is due in March! Yes, I know. I'm blessed!! PS. I have the workshop scheduled, but it looks like I will need to put it off until after the new year. This gives me plenty of time to schedule some guest posts and hope to have a pitch party following the workshop. In the mean time, I'll be posting how I progressed through my latest plot development using Dannie Morin's Plan4Wrimo workshop. (Thanks, Dannie!)

Yikes! It's already time again?? Wowzers time sure flies fast. Not just fast. SUPER fast! So it's not going down like usual. I've decided to put together a writer's workshop. It may be more for me to get back on my feet and defeat the disappointments and struggles I've encountered as a writer. But that's okay. I need the boost. I need encouragement. There's a verse in the Bible that says something along the lines, "David encouraged himself in the Lord..." so I've adopted this plan. I'm going to encourage myself!! I'm putting the workshop details together and will post them soon.

I'm thinking about running another workshop here on the blog. Does anyone have suggestions as to what might be helpful to you, as a writer? Character Workshop? Setting Workshop? Scenes? Dialogue? Plot?

I love historical fiction, so I've got a treat for you today. Here's a brand new book for you. It's book two in a series, but you should have no problem reading this one first. Sorry, I couldn't save or uplaod the image file onto the blog:( Reliance (Hollow Hearts Book 2) Two strangers. One clandestine wedding. Many hidden stories. Discouraged by his limited prospects and tired of trying to find a bride in a traditional manner, Elias Wheeler places an advertisement requesting a mail-order bride and mother for his young daughter. Rebecca Malone, eager to escape an abusive past, travels to Montana to become Elias’s wife despite only exchanging a few letters. Learning to care for one another proves easy; learning to trust proves much more difficult. Elias and Rebecca must navigate the waters of blending families while learning to depend on one another with confidence, loving support, and faith. Together they must learn to rely on each other and w...

Do you make lemonade? Summer is over and it's time to bring out hot chocolate and light up the bon fires! Why, then, am I talking about lemonade??? Change is all around me. Not just changing of the seasons, which, by the way, I love. But change on every side. Sometimes change can cause disappointment or discouragement, and that's okay, as long as you grab yourself by the boot straps and get back in the race. I had to take a break from my writing. Rejection is hard to deal with, and although it's [art of every writer's life, it can be discouraging. The best way for me to deal with that was simply taking a break. I had to, no needed to, get away from everything. I was at the point I didn't want to write, didn't want to blog, didn't want to visit my friend's blogs, didn't want to deal with anything associated with writing. I even ran and hid from my Twitter feed. I tried to give up on my dream of becoming a published author. No more rejectio...

Hello Beautiful Guys and Dolls! I'm still here, and I'll be back soon. We've been moving and hopefully will have Internet again soon. I can't wait to show you pictures of my beautiful new house! Hope to visit very soon:) The blog, that is!

Synopsis: Sometimes reality really bites. Alzheimer’s has wrapped Mom’s brain into knots, vascular dementia has attacked Dad, and, instead of carefree retirees, we have become caregivers. Regardless, dreams die hard, and we somehow stumbled into the purchase of a forty-foot motor home. That’s when all four of us set out on this seven-week trek across sixteen U.S. states. Now, Dad stopped-up the toilet again, Mom wet her last pair of clean jeans, and David just announced that he was hungry. My head is beginning to pound, and I know this isn’t going to be the easygoing retirement we’d imagined for ourselves. Linda Brendle takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotional and spiritual challenges that many families are facing right now. Co-dependency, mental breakdowns, and finding love after divorce are just a few of the issues weaved into this journey of caregiving. Whether you’re looking for an inspirational story to help teach you how to...

If you want to read a great book, one that is heart felt, sincere, bittersweet, and yet inspiring and uplifting, A Long and Winding Road is the perfect choice. The author is such a sweet lady, you can't help but fall in love with her and her story. You'll be crying as she cries, laughing at loud while you know she must have felt as she wrote. Not to mention, you'll feel her pain as she discovers a whole new life and way of living. I give it 4 of 5 stars!! In a couple of weeks, I'll be hosting an interview and a "get to know you better, Linda" blog post! Look for it on July 14th. You can enter a giveaway here if you'd like a chance to read the book, http://www.rafflecopter.com/ra fl/display/d3e9352/ or purchase it sooner, if you can't wait! B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-long-and-winding-road-linda-brendle/1119618774?ean=2940045967358 Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/-Long-Winding-Road-Caregive...

I am punching this blog post out on my phone, so please excuse any typos. ( Who am I kidding. I'm the typo queen and I don't need my phone to make them!) Also, please forgive me for the lack of links and graphics, as my phone makes this much to difficult. I signed up for camp nano and yesterday was the first day. How many words did I write? 0. Today was epic fail in he writing world. I had two unexpected appointments and was gone all day. By the time I dragged my weary bones home at 10 tonight, I was so tired, my mind couldn't concentrate on writing. I hope to make it up tomorrow. I hope. After 20 years of hone schooling, I made the very difficult decision to send my children that are still school age, to a private school. We are trying to find a house so we can get out of the camper and settled down before school starts. These are the two biggest things that will nake my writing  insecure this month. How about you?

With the release date of CREED rapidly approaching, Lindsay and I have been fielding questions about what our co-authored voice sounds like,   how psychologically twisted our collective mind is, and do I need to read all of your co-authored pieces with the lights on? Rather than simply answer those questions, we thought we’d take it one step further and actually show you! We toyed with writing a prequel-type novella to set the stage for CREED, but you know us…why write a novella to CREED when you can give them   entirely different book to enjoy! After much discussion with our agents and an enthusiastic ‘go for it’ from our publisher, we have decided to utilize Wattpad to give the world a sneak peek at what they can expect from our co-authored voice. So here it is, a new, psychologically twisted, co-authored YA Thriller. “The darkness would’ve scared me years ago, but not anymore—if you couldn’t see it, then you didn’t know it was there to be afrai...

Yes! So happy it's Friday, and so happy to celebrate! In a world where it can be so dark and depressing, we all need little things that keep us a float and puts a smile on our face. Today, I celebrate: 1.  Air conditioning when it's hot. 2. Swimming pools in the summer. 3. A washing machine that works:) 4. Family night. and... 5. YOU! If it wasn't for your faithful visits to my blog, I would have given up so long ago. I can count of certain ones who I know, without a doubt, will stop by my blog, offer a hug and smile, along with words of encouragement. And really, I don't even know you, never met you. But I do appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness and I want to say... Thank you.  

I don't remember how long it's been since I've been a part of this group. I guess I could go back through my archives and look up the first month I posted. But, it may be depressing to see how long I've been putting on a brave smile and pretending I've got my feelings in subjection. Let's face it. It's super hard, month after month, to post on IWSG, talking about how I know "one day soon" will come. I've watched countless friends post their book deals and agent news. Some I met AFTER I started my publishing journey. And here I am. Still behind the starting line, wishing and hoping my dream will come day "one day soon." I'll admit. I'm not sure sure how long I can keep holding on to one day soon. It's getting embarrassing. I'm losing my grip. I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. Please visit a few of the others in our group. I'm sure they can all use some smiles and hugs.

Interview with author of Just Sing  René Gilley 1 .      Tell me about your writing process.  Just Sing was my first book and I did a rough outline and then starting writing. About a third of the way through I realized I needed some structure. Around that same time, I went to the San Diego State Writer’s Conference and in the workshops there, I got a few good plot tools. After I finished my first draft, I took an intense editing course and that’s when I discovered the wonderment of a beat sheet. A beat sheet and a pre-writing checklist are now my go to items for writing. It can be a bit of work up front, but it’s worth it since it’s like a road map for my books. With that said, I do have some punster tendencies when I write so I give myself the artistic license to go back and revise my beat sheet as things come to me while I’m writing. 2.      How do you get involved or immersed in your story world? This may make me s...