Taryn Raye's Writerly Wednesday~ Surfing & NaNo

Yesterday I avoided the computer altogether while I tackled Mt. Dirty Laundry, hemmed a raveled seam on one of my daughter's shirts by hand and read a couple of books about surfing on my my Kindle. Honestly, I think I need the time away from the computer every once in a while to clear my head and find inner balance.

 (image from morguefile.com)

In regard to my research, I know reading about surfing is far from having experience with it, but as a writer who lives no where near the coast, I'm making do with the sources I have and honestly think I've gathered several great ideas for scenes for Mark and Alexa in my upcoming WIP that I'll be writing next month.

As of today, we're a mere week and a day away from NaNoWriMo. Am I excited? HECK YEAH! The closer we get and the more I read, the more exhilarated I feel.

Of course, that means, I'm stepping back from prepping Love by Design for publication, so I can concentrate on writing Heart of the Surf and putting a finish on this 2nd book series. I have plot lines and tweaking for LBD, that I'll work on after I come through NaNo on the other side.

Reading the books on surfing is really fueling my excitement for NaNo to begin for sure, though now that I'm researching and learning more about it, I'm also seeing more on television, especially the sad news of the surfer who was killed by a shark off the coast of California. That caught my attention last night on the news because my story is set on the California coastline and that could be a real issue, but I don't think I'm going to be writing a shark into the story.

Normally surfing is not my normal fare of interest, but I'm eager to see the new Chasing Mavericks movie, starring Gerard Butler. Of course, Mr. Butler is a mighty fine reason to watch ANY movie, but I'm finding myself interested in learning more about surfing, too, though I might never step a foot in the ocean.

Mind you, I love Gidget, but this has gotten me to thinking about other movies that might help give me a clearer, more modern idea visually— Point Break & Soul Surfer are a couple I need to get so I can watch them. Even Surf's Up is recommended viewing by one of the authors of one of the books I read about surfing.

Over the next few weeks I'm also intent on checking out the vast amount of surfing videos on Youtube, such as this one-

I find it's often easy for me to plunk myself down in another world and experience other things vicariously through words and visuals. Such is the blessings of being a writer and an avid reader.

Hope you have a great and wonderful Hump Day!

I can see the weekend from here!

Tag! You're it! on #ThursdayswithTaryn @JudyAlter

My dear fellow TMP author and friend, Judy Alter, recently tagged my WIP. As I don't have one at the moment, but will be working on the 4th and final novel in the Pryce of Love Series for NaNoWriMo next month, so I thought I would take this opportunity to get my thoughts flowing about it before I begin writing it.

Judy discussed her current WIP, the next installment of her Kelly O'Connell series, on her Tag! You're it! blog post.

Here goes my 10 questions:

1. What is the title of your book? Heart of the Surf
2. Where did the idea for the book come from? It sprang from Noah Pryce, the hero in the 4th book of my Love By Series. As his family situation grew and I realized he was just one of five boys, raised by their single mother, I knew the other four brothers would have to have their own stories. Mark, who's the baby, and a surfer, is the last of my boys, so it's time to tell his story.
3. What genre does your book fall under? contemporary romance, but I like to believe that all my stories aren't just romance novels, but Life stories with heart. Their pasts aren't always spotless and sometimes it comes back to haunt them. Sometimes it's just a matter of the hardships they face that get them to their Happily-Ever-Afters. (I have high aspirations of transcending genre boundaries, can you tell? LOL)
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Oh, already I envision Mark Pryce played by Supernatural's Jared Padalecki, with soft tumbling sun-bleached wavy hair, a tan and that ultra cute dimpled smile. Alexa Stevens- his love interest, and his surfing competition, would be played by Kaley Cuoco, who plays Penny on The Big Bang Theory- a blonde, young and hip SoCal chick. She could give him a run for his money in the dimples department and together I think they'd make one really cute couple.
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of the book? For Mark Pryce and Alexa Stevens, the stakes are high during an invite-only surfing competition, but the title isn't the only thing at stake—they could both lose their hearts, to each other.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agent? I'm hoping to self-pub both the Love By Series and the Pryce of Love Series, in consecutive order, though I have no scheduled release dates at the moment.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? I haven't started this one yet, but it will be my current WIP as of November 1st when I start writing it for NaNoWriMo 2012. I'm hoping to have 50,000 written by the end of November, and finish it before the year is over.
8. What other books would you compare this to in your genre? I'm honestly not sure. There are so many wonderful contemporary authors out there but I'm not sure who I could compare my own stories to.
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book? Mark and Alexa. They've slowly been feeding me info about themselves and I know they're story needs to be told just as much as Mark's brothers, just as much as my Galloway sisters from the Love By Series and any other characters who've egged me on to put down their story to paper or screen.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? The heroine was a teenage mother, so there will be tension. Mark's a good guy, but Alex's young daughter might not necessarily see him as a good guy, but rather the intruder who's trying to come between her and other mother.

I'm tagging 5 other authors and I will let you know when they post to their blogs. I'm hoping all 5 will participate! Would love to hear how things are going on their WIPs!
 Okay- I'm going to start adding links below-

1. Teresa Reasor
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3.  
4.  
5.  

#Writerly Wednesday- My next #WIP & Merc in Retro-Perils of the Universe #writing

I'm eager to start on my next novel, Heart of the Surf, the 4th and final book in my Pryce of Love series. Centered around the youngest of the Pryce brothers, and also the last to find love, the story will be a journey for Mark and Alexa Stevens, both of whom have their eyes on the prize of the elite and exclusive surfing competition. Little could they know that their love of sand and surf would also throw them together in another way. Already, I'm gleaning background information about my main characters at odd times, like while I'm showering. I learned a little something about Alexa's grandmother yesterday, so I can feel life being breathed into the story and the characters already.

But....

Mind you, I've never been surfing, never even been to a coastal beach, so this book will be a challenge and there will be research to do, so what better timing for research than just as Mercury is about to go Retrograde.

You see, silly or as superstitious as it might seem in me- I don't start new projects when good ol' Merc's in Retro because I have no desire to "redo" anything later. Not in a big way. There will be enough to be done with edits and polishing once I finish writing the story. Not to mention that I need time to research anyway before I start rattling on about things I know nothing about, but I'm intrigued by the idea of the life of a surfer, so the desire to learn is there.

Of course, writing will be easier still if I wait until after Mercury goes direct again anyway shortly after August begins and my children are back in school. The quiet writing time will help tremendously. It's honestly hard to work and concentrate on writing, to fall deep into my storytelling, when I have someone constantly asking me "Mommy, what's for lunch?" "Can we have a snack?" "Again, why can't we go outside in this triple digit heat?"

(Sandwiches, string cheese or yogurt, I don't want you to resemble the scorched grass in our yard that looks more like bits of hay than living green foliage)

Add to that, I'm also still researching self-publishing, so I have that on my plate, as well. Oh, and the weird dreams- so many of them lately, but I won't bore you with the bizarre and wacky details. I think it's a side effect of the planetary changes. I can feel in my bones. It always opens locked doors to the odd and unusual within me.

And so, I'm also settling back into our routine normalcy around the house after being gone to visit my family and friends in my hometown for 3 weeks. I'm still feeling sluggish today though my mind is racing that I have things to do, people to contact, etc...I can hope to find the balance, but not sure I ever will.

Hope you're having a great Wednesday! I can see the weekend

(and a lucky Friday the 13th) from here!