#Writerly Wednesday- I'm in Good Company @KYIndieWriters #Kentucky #Indie #Authors

I was thinking about my journey toward self-publication and those I have surrounding me, who encourage me that it CAN be done and it's worth it and I feel a surge of appreciation for the outstanding company I keep. We're an eclectic group of authors, who've all chosen differing paths for our writing career.


Some have gone through publishers, big and small and others have struck out onto the Indie path full speed ahead. It's amazing to hear what's going on, and sometimes overwhelming, too, to hear about the numbers, the rankings, Amazon's bizarre algorithms, and the tremendous hard work that goes into taking on being the writer and publisher of your own work.


I find it refreshing and inspiring to feel I'm part of a new generation of revolutionaries in the publishing field. We're all heading toward the same goals~ To reach readers and touch hearts, to bring laughter and joy and even yes, sometimes sorrow, but happy endings and satisfying conclusions.



We have far too many stories jam-packed inside us...like that little cartoon where the guy's at the doctor's office and the doctor is showing him an x-ray of his body, wherein lies a book. "See, you have a book inside you, just waiting to get out."


Well, I'm sure for most of us, it's more like a bookshelf. I know mine is. I've written 11 manuscripts already, but I know I'm far from done. I have more to tell, but if I'm going to take this journey into self-publication, some of those stories will have to wait until I can get a few of the finished ones polished and out there in the world, in the hands of people who love books as much as I do.


Our stories span all kinds of genres and themes from edgy inspirational to historical, to contemporary romance and young adult, to erotica and women's fiction, military, suspense, horror.


They cover themes such as dystopian futures, time-travel and reincarnation...from reuniting with their soulmate from the very distant past, to finding love the second time around. I think books are food for the soul. Without the great and wonderful stories of authors the world over, I can only imagine what a dull and dreary life we would lead.



All stories spilled forth from the wellspring of authors who enjoy writing as much as reading, who sometimes have no choice but to write because they know if they didn't, something would be missing, that without writing they are incomplete.



These authors with whom I share email conversations, the joys and pains of writing, the highs and lows of self-publishing and the pleasure of their online company are dedicated and full of determination. Their persistence encourages me, driving me forward toward my own goals. They are writerly inspiration and amazingly talented!



They are not only my friends, but my people, for no one quite understands a writer's mind or a writer's journey in life like another writer can.

This is not all of them for we are a growing bunch, but these are the ones who've been most influential for me as a writer and I'm proud to say I'm a part of this extraordinary group of authors.

777 Challenge~ I've Been Tagged! #writing #excerpt #WIP

 (my interpretation of Ben and Sunni)

Just discovered that I was tagged by Devon Matthews for a 777 Challenge. The challenge is to go to page 7 of your current work in progress and post at least 7 lines from the page, then tag 7 other authors and challenge them to do the same on their blogs. So, here we go.

My work-in-progress (WIP) is still a contemporary romance set in California. Ben runs "Ben There, Ate That" a bar and grill- one he's trying to "go green" with by hiring Sunni, who lives at the "Ripple on the Pond Commune" where they grow everything organic, to help him design and set up a rooftop garden for the restaurant. My 777 comes from the moment at the commune after Ben and Sunni first meet. Wolf, a fellow commune member who's close to her age and has a thing for her,weighs in on his instant dislike of Ben. This scene is only a few pages after the Six Sentence Sunday I shared today.


From Perfect Recipe for Love, Page 7

Wolf was three years her senior, the same age as her sister Autumn, but for some reason he had attached himself to Sunni from childhood. Now their parents’ teasing had grown to be the bane of her existence. If she wanted to do work outside the commune, it was easy to see why.

Wolf wouldn’t give her a moment’s peace.

If Autumn hadn’t already attached herself to another young man from a different family within the commune, this wouldn’t have been a problem. Her parents would have tried to pair Autumn with Wolf instead.

Sunni wasn’t sure it would have mattered. She was like a magnet for him and always had been. The idea of him touching her in any way that implied intimacy set the gag reflex into motion. He was like an older brother, dorky and not too bright.

“I don’t want to leave you alone. You are my Sunflower.” The words made her cringe.

Why had her parents insisted on naming her Sunflower with a last name like Fields?

“I am not your sunflower, thank you very much.” She dumped the manure into the compost heap.

“Oh, come on… you know I pick you…” The sticky sweetness of his words implied so much, but the warmth of his firm fingers grasping her hips and pulling her backside against him was where she drew the line.

Flailing, she ripped his hands off her hips. Sunni turned and pounded her fists into his chest.

“Would you take a fricking hint, Wolf? I want you to leave me alone.”

Holding up his hands as a sign of defeat, he backed away.

“Geez. Touchy much?”

He marched away, disappearing into the barn and apparently out to the fields to see what the other folks were doing.

Sunni fumed as she shook the wheelbarrow out and then stomped off toward the creek.

Wolf had destroyed her perfectly good morning with his appearance. Not to mention he ruined the little sexual fantasy she had been building up in her mind about Ben Pryce.

The idea of belonging to any man sounded like a nightmare. Wolf didn’t get that she wasn’t his possession to play with. Communal living had many benefits, but becoming Wolf’s wife was one thing she didn’t see as a benefit at all.

“I’d rather be left for the coyotes…” She grumbled, squatting down to unlace her filthy boots.

Stripping all her clothing off, she left it lying at the creek’s edge. A dip in the cool water was just the thing she needed to release the tension and give her a quiet moment or two to fantasize what it would be like to let Ben have his way with her, arrogant attitude and all.
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 Here's my list of authors I tag to do the 777 Challenge:


J.M. Madden
Cherie Marks
Donna McDonald
Katherine Lowry Logan
Krista Ames
Madison J. Edwards
Ruth J Hartman


Hoping they'll participate in the challenge and give us a really great 777 scene to whet our appetites. :D