Life and Beta Reads and Edits, Oh My! #TuesdayswithTaryn #writerly #life #dreams

So, edits and beta reads are coming along, even with Life's little obstacles just littering the pathway. Between several automotive issues and a bunch of personal life problems, I'm run half ragged and zapped- mentally, emotionally and physically.

Just as with novels, life is one big work-in-progress and I constantly find myself working and reworking my thoughts, my routine, my goals.

I'm also quick to remind myself that I'm glad I'm at "this place" with my writing- I actually feel older and wiser and I'm making progress, slow but sure progress, that will help me win the race. I'm glad I'm not still that stubborn 20 something who couldn't take constructive criticism or see the good in creative suggestions.

From the editor I'm working with to the beta readers and fellow authors who've taken a gander at LOVE BY DESIGN, I'm finding so much VALUE in the grammar and typo catches, the clarity in character and plot points that need adjustment. Tighten a bolt here, loosen a screw there, it will be well oiled and as good as we can get it before I put it out there for your reading pleasure...Much as I'm eager to "deliver the goods"- I want to make sure I give you MY best- and Jasmine and Derrek's best, too.

And Jasmine- much as I love her- has some character flaws that are starting to stick out like nasty little brambles, catching on my clothing and I know I need to weed them out- snip out the ugly and replace it with something that doesn't leave the reader wanting to grab her and shake the snot out of her. I'm thankful for all the help I'm receiving- the kindness of strangers, indeed! And I'm hoping that I'm building relationships with people who will become my pre-readers, my cheering section and my friends.

Even with everything else going on in my life, I am thankful for these new acquaintances as well as my wonderful writers' group- the Kentucky Independent Writers are a grounding force, yet also inspire me to lift myself up and reach higher, farther and even jump just a little, to grasp at those dreams I have, to pluck them down and make them REAL.

Taryn's Writerly Ramblings- #revisions & #rewrites & #edits, Oh My!

Things around here have been uber busy as of late. I've been deep in revisions and rewrites on LOVE BY DESIGN since earlier this month. Between revisions and rewrites I was working on, I was also doing edits based on the suggestions and feedback of a fellow KY author who was beta/editing for me.

I finished up this past Monday, just after my weekend away for my Kentucky Independent Writers meeting on the 22nd. I came back refueled and focused and whipped the last three chapters' rewrite out in no time. Tuesday I sent out to the one author who betaread the entire manuscript pre-rewrite, but who I'd shared my rewrite notes with. While she read, she kept that in mind.

Then it was off to 3 betas and an editor I had lined up. Last night I mailed it off to 2 more betas, so it's out to 5 betas + the editor.

My fellow author, sent back the 3 rewritten chapters with only minor "pickies" as she called them, a few things of which were just flubs on my part, where I pounded the story out so fast that I missed a typo or two here and there, or a added/missing word and a few other suggestions. She said that the added conflict upped the expectation at the end of the story, so I'm pleased with that feedback, for sure.

This has me thinking too about how soon I'll have a RELEASE DATE to share, and that's just making me crazy excited! I'm hoping it will be sooner rather than later. We're getting so close, I can taste it. Yippee! And that means that soon, I'll be putting out a call to bloggers who might like to interview me or have me guest on their blogs, so keep an eye peeled for a blog about that or if you sign up for my NEWSLETTER (link listed below), you can find out about it that way as well.

All while doing this, I've also been having car troubles again. Last month after I went to my first writers meeting, my check engine light came on. A diagnostic check said the thermostat was going out, but after mechanic and husband checked and didn't seem to find a problem, we basically just "reset" it and it went off without any more trouble.

This time my brakes have been squeaking and I thought maybe it was just cold weather, but then it pulled a "squealing" on me- Sounded like a big fat pig crawled up under my hood. And it wasn't the squeaking brakes, but a sound it emitted while I was accelerating, when my foot was no where near the brake pedal. It only happened on Sunday while I was in my hometown before I headed back and only for a short time. Called my husband to ask him what he thought it might be but considering he was here and I was there and he couldn't look at it or listen to it, he didn't know. Said it could be the rotors, or maybe the fan belt. When I took it over to my parents to have my dad ride with me to see if he could figure out what it was doing, it quit and has behaved ever since. Not really sure what the deal is....

But, poor Jasper is in the shop now and won't get him back till Tuesday or Wednesday right now. He's had a time of it since I got my license...maybe I'm running too hard? Or maybe it's just the wear and tear of having almost 100k miles under his belt. I know he'll need an oil change before I travel very far again, but for right now, the mechanic is going to change the fan belt, the spark plugs and lines, and some other things they seemed knowledgeable about that I don't.

I'm also re-immersing myself in Triberr (and hopefully going to find time to start posting blogs myself more consistently), joining groups on FB like Kentuckiana Authors and Kentucky Romance Writers (not the RWA Chapter I once belonged to, as it disbanded a while back.) Been doing the "social media" thing, bouncing around here and there, trying to cover some bases and make connections.

I got a new cell phone and have been having a time with the learning curve of going from my dinosaur Motorola Cadbury that I could only call and text on, to an Android phone and though I like it, I'm still a bit perturbed and displeased with some of the specs of the one I got. Why? Because the internal memory is not large enough to handle the workload of the calling plan it goes with. That just doesn't make sense to me. Don't offer a phone with a tiny internal storage if it's meant to handle a LOT of data, like the Google Play store and all the apps that are out there, especially if none of the ones pre-built in can be saved to the SD card and any tiny update to anything causes "Low Storage Space" notifications CONSTANTLY! And it tries to update all those apps as soon as I turn on my data. That's just stupid (or a genius marketing ploy to screw over the customer.)

The phone and plan should complement each other and be compatible...this DOES NOT. I can't update apps and I have a lot of "low storage space" issues to contend with if I try to, which sucks big toes, but it was the "only" phone they sell with the specific "unlimited talk, text & data" plan I went with. It'll do for now though, I suppose, as long as I don't hassle with it too much or slam it against the wall... (Yes, I was tempted within the first DAY of having it...but I'm restraining myself... Lord am I restraining myself!!!!)

I did sign up for Instagram though and found I can use it without it causing a lot of headache- it saved to my SD card! Whoo Hoo! So, you are more than welcome to come follow me there, where I'll just post random pictures of whatever suits my fancy or tickles my funny bone. Or inspires me, etc. I kinda like it.

Also been updating my website, and my FB Page - I have a few new tabs on my page. Besides Photos and Likes, I have my Twitter, Goodreads, and my Newsletter Sign-Up tied to it (If you haven't signed up I urge you to so you can stay in the know- I haven't sent out my first yet, but will soon!), and I JUST added a "My Books" Tab and the "Authorgraph" Tab and a "Pinterest" Tab, so you can easily access those things through there. I was going to do the Instagram one but it just doesn't work for some reason and I found a FAQ on their site that said it couldn't be connected to a FB Page currently through an Android, so that may be why.

I'm looking into added a Tab linked to my Website or maybe a few other of my Social Media connections, but that requires doing a FB Developers thing- I'm not sure or confident enough yet to try that, being I'm no computer whiz or graphic/web designer who's knowledgeable about HTML codes and things of that nature. I see that it implies it's simple to do, but still makes my stomach churn with anxiety that I might screw up my entire FB Page if I attempt it, so for now I'm leaving well enough alone.

It leaves me wondering, what other things readers like to find on Authors' FB Pages, so I'll leave you with a few questions today- feel free to leave me some ideas that might make my FB Page more interesting, that might draw attention and help my page gain more "Likes" and more visibility.

Do you keep up with what's going on via "Pages" you like? Are there Tabs or links or widgets that readers find helpful or that make them follow an author more closely? What are things that make you deeply invested in an author's Page enough to visit it regularly?

It's crossed my mind to look into finding a way to "Tab" link my blog there as well. Or Google+.

Let me know what you think. Would love the input!

#Writerly Wednesday~ A Royal Birth: Where This Writer's #Dreams Began #inspiration #writing #Life

It started a long time ago...I know I say I was probably 10 or 11 when I knew I wanted to be a writer, but it might have begun a bit earlier than that...Playing in our basement as a kid during summer vacation, chicken-pecking on this old Royal Typewriter, pretending I worked for a newspaper, writing late-breaking news from the neighborhood.

A while back I wrote a blog about this very typewriter, having asked my mom about it and her telling me she thought it had been tossed out during clean-up week, but when I was up this past month to visit, we were getting ready for the yard sale and lo and behold, there it was, on my dad's side of the basement.

It's absolutely filthy and the keys jam and there's no ribbon, just lots of cobwebs, caked on dust and grim of the last couple decades of being buried in my parents' basement, but it is the most beautiful thing I've seen in a long time! Well, as far as my writing life is concerned. My mom said my dad was just going to part it out and sell the keys on Ebay because that's about all he could make off it these days cause people make jewelry out of the keys now. Bah, Humbug I say!

I know my eyes had to have lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning when I saw it, cause my mom took one glance at me and knew I wanted it, so she said she'd talk to my dad. She understands the significance of it to me. This old heavy, filthy grey dinosaur is where I "cut my writing teeth" so to speak. I didn't write much of anything on it really, but there was something joyous about the click-clackety sound of those keys and the way the letters struck the page. It left an impression on me, to say the least and revved my imagination and my desire to become a writer.

I have no intentions of using it to write with, but for me it's more the sentimental value of having it in my possession, something I can someday have a "spotlight" on when I have my own "office" space for writing. It will be the centerpiece of my writerly showcase~ And it's my great hope that it will also be a wonderful writing totem for me to act as inanimate inspiration... a new muse from which to draw my writing strength and drive from. It will be even better when I get the old gal cleaned up and looking pretty.

Happy Hump Day Sweets!

Tuesdays with Taryn #writerly #doldrums #Life #NudgeMe #InspireMe

My brain keeps nudging me back toward my novels, though I'm just not "there" yet. Mercury in Retrograde makes me leery of starting anything at this point or adding anything "new"- It goes direct on the 20th, but I've just been in this hollow place about my writing for so long that I'm not even taking a chance on Mercury screwing me up more.

I don't want to sit here and whine and complain about the self-doubt and worries I have about my writing, but I do want to get back to where I should be...where my writing makes me happy and inspired and as of late, I'm just not feeling it. Perhaps I need a gentle nudge...or a good swift kick in the ass...

Though published, I feel I'm floundering, sort of somewhere out there drifting alone in this huge sea of other writers, who are also treading these waters, hoping for success or fame...I tend to lean toward the end of the spectrum that I'd be happy to make a decent living at my writing, even if I never achieve much more than a small portion of notoriety for my work. As long as readers are enjoying what I have to offer, that would make me one happy gal.

Of course, that being said, I again have to reiterate that I need a good swift kick in the tush and a reminder that my books will never get polished and finished and out there if I don't do something about them. I need to remember that the course of my writing journey is on my shoulders and at my finger tips- it is up to me the distance I travel and how far I will go.

New mantra-

Writerly Wednesday~ Not in the Market for an Ulcer... #homesick

You know that scene in Something's Gotta Give when Erica is BAWLING while writing her screenplay, because Harry broke her heart— I wasn't technically "writing" the past few days, but while doing the read through edits for LOVE BY DESIGN, I have been overwrought with emotions.

I don't think my book is something to cry about, but I have been overly emotional since I've been back from visiting my family in my hometown. I catch myself sobbing at the drop of a hat, for no good reason. I don't know why, but this last trip in has been a kick in my heart and I can't seem to stop with the waterworks. It's horrible and I should be terribly ashamed of myself.

I guess the reason I'm not ashamed (too much) is because I haven't had a honest to goodness cleansing cry in, well, I can't remember. These tears just seem to pour forth, pausing occasionally, but in some ways it makes me feel like I'm having a panic attack or suffocating, and that's not a good thing. You would think as much as I've cried in the past two days, I'd be dried out, but it just keeps coming. Maybe something does have to give. Maybe I just need the release of pent up emotions. Severe homesickness after almost 12 years of living away from my hometown and family and my roots can still cut me to the core just as deeply as the first time I went up to stay for a few days after I moved away.

My husband scoffed when we were heading up because one of my best friends posted a comment on Facebook about the fact that I was "almost home" and I saw it on a text on my phone. I had to remind him that there's my "home" and then there's my "HOME" as in hometown where my roots run deep. Everything I am is built upon the 26 years of my life I lived there before I came here. I haven't been here but 12 and he can't expect me to now claim this place as my "hometown"---I might not EVER be able to say it and mean it because I love where I'm from. I asked him, if he would feel the same if we lived in my hometown but only visited here and he said that his "home" would be wherever I was...

Aww...sweet sentiment, but that's easy to say when you don't have to miss where you're from or not get to see your family & friends very often. My visits never last long enough and even when I stay for a couple weeks, it hurts to walk away. I guess it's because I get so little time with my parents, who are getting older, my sister and my friends, who I miss dreadfully. I never seem to be able to fit it all in and that just leaves me sad and melancholy when I return here- knowing I wasn't able to fit everyone in.

I've always been an emotional person though, so this should come as no surprise to me that I have a meltdown after being with family and friends for a week. Was watching an old episode of King of the Hill last night when Buckley broke up with Luanne and Uncle Hank's advice went a little something like this---

HANK: Luanne, sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Now there's two ways you can deal with it. You can cry -- and that's the path you've chosen -- or you can not cry.
LUANNE: How do you not cry?
HANK: Well, instead of letting it out, try holding it in. Every time you have a feeling, just stick it into a little pit inside your stomach and never let it out.
LUANNE (trying it): Are you supposed to have a pain under your rib?
HANK: Yes. That's natural. The body doesn't want to swallow its emotions. But now you go ahead and put that pain inside your stomach too.
LUANNE: I think it's workin', Uncle Hank. I feel sick, but not sad. 

Yep, that hit home with me and gave me a good chuckle. Don't think I'd hold in all these tears or emotions though if I could- I'm not in the market for an ulcer.

[Cover Reveal] Am I "The Next Big Thing?" #bloghop #workinprogress #authors

There are the books everyone has heard about: Twilight, Hunger Games, Fifty Shades of Gray. But what about all those books written by people you’ve never heard of? Some of them are treasures, just waiting to be found, and that’s what this blog hop is all about: the books you might not have heard about, but that you might end up loving.

This blog hop is like a game of tag. One author posts and tags five other authors who link back to their website the next week and tag five new authors. If you follow the blog hop long enough, you’re bound to find some books you’ll love! Maybe you’ll even discover a book that ends up being the next big thing.

I was tagged by Jennifer Madden. You can learn more about her book Embattled Love on her website.

This blog hop includes ten questions to help you learn more about an author’s current work in progress, so here’s a little info about my current project and

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

I'm also revealing the cover!
(Cover by Tracy Stewart of All About the Cover)

1: What is the working title of your book? Love By Design, Book one in the Love By Series

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Love By Design originally started as a single stand alone book idea in 2006 or 20007 when I was brainstorming ideas. I'm not sure where I got the idea, other than knowing that it felt like a rom-com type story with a clumsy interior designer fighting her attraction to a playboy actor who hires her to decorate his fixer-upper.

3: What genre does your book fall under? Contemporary romance with a touch of humor, 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.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? When I was writing LBD I envisioned Matthew McConaughey as Derrek Martin and Sandra Bullock as Jasmine Galloway.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Jasmine Galloway's had it up to here with wannabe actors, so when Hollywood's current blockbuster playboy seeks out her business to decorate his new home, he manages to gets under her skin and put his own designs on her heart.

6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I plan to self-publish the Love By series in the next few months and follow it with the 2nd series, Pryce of Love, which centers around four of five brothers (the 5th brother is the hero in the 4th book in the Love By series)

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Approximately a month or so of self-imposed "NaNo-like" determination and reckless abandon. I didn't write this one for NaNoWriMo, but I did set myself to the standard 50K/30 days. I still have more editing to do though before I put it out there. (plot holes, grammar, etc)

8: What other books would you compare this story to within 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. As I said before, it does, for me have a very rom-com movie feel to it though.

9: Who or What inspired you to write this book? The characters themselves. As the ideas for the story (as well as the other sisters) started to take shape, Jasmine and Derrek began to really come to life for me and I just had to get their story written. Sometimes they would interrupt my sleep, or my attempts at sleep, trying to tell me about what was going to happen next. (not as bad as Jasmine's sister Juniper, who insisted her story be the 2nd one, though I'd originally planned to write Blossom's 2nd. Juni would NOT shut up.)

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I took a "virtual plane ride" because I spent a LOT of time studying airplane flights, time zone changes and what certain bookings would be like and actually "plotted" out what a trip from LAX to Indianapolis would be, including layovers, and driving distance for Derrek and Jasmine's trip to Derrek's childhood home in Smalltown, Indiana to pick up his sister and pack furniture to move to California in a U-haul while writing this. I've never actually been on a plane. Not sure I ever will, but it was fun to pretend! :)

Here is a list of authors who will be joining the hop for week 27 on December 24th. I hope you’ll visit their blogs next week and learn more about their books. Maybe one of them will become your new favorite author!
(I don't have anyone yet, but if you want to be listed, you don't have to do it during the holidays- you can pick up Week 27 afterward, if it would be more convenient! Just email or leave a comment and let me know!) 

1 Teresa Reasor is also participating in The Next Big Thing over on her blog, where she's talking about her current work-in-progress, Breaking Away, the 3rd book in her Seal Team Heartbreakers Series. Go check out her answers about what she's working on!

2

3

4

5

12/12/12- Once In a Lifetime #Writerly Wednesday

Today is a once in a lifetime event- 12-12-12. We won't see one again for 100 years, which means, that most of  us won't ever see this again. Perhaps children born in the last few years will, if they live to 100, but the rest of us? Most likely not.

This really makes me stop and wonder how my grandchildren and their kids will live. Will they know who we were? Will they know that grandpa loved video games and movies? That (great, great, etc) Grandma Taryn was a published author? Will anything we know now even still exist or will it all be as retro as vinyl records, 8 Tracks, reel-to-reel movies, Atari and Colecovision are to us?

And what about books? Will print be antiquated- or worse- unheard of? Will Kindles and Nooks and other ereaders still be around or might they be replaced by some other format? Will people still read books or will they get everything from an ear piece or have it transmitted into their thoughts onto their brainwaves?

There's so much more technology nowadays than there was when I was a kid growing up, so who's to say how much change will occur over the next 100 years.

I have a feeling that, so long as there are stories to be told, there will be people to tell them, and people to read them and share them. The ways to read them though might change and who's knows whether our future societies will still read old-fashioned traditional paper books, modern eReaders, or perhaps it will be something so unconventional and unheard of that I can't wrap my mind around it yet.

I'd like to believe that my stories will still be out there and that someone will read them, and enjoy them, even then. Wouldn't that be something?

That also makes me wonder if this blog will still be around. If what "they" say is true-

Fame is fleeting, but the internet is forever..." Phineas and Ferb

Then it would amazing to think someone might stumble across this blog post on December 12, 2112. (Wow- look at how that would look in digits only 12-12-2112.) Why, Hello there!

Hope you have a wonderful Once in a Lifetime today and enjoy it to the fullest!

#Writerly Wednesday- I'm Gone A-Visiting @MKEthridge on her Blog!

Come visit me at Margaret Ethridge's blog today!

I'm sharing today how I feel when someone says

"You Write WHAT?"

I'll be giving away 2 FREE ebook copies of CASTAWAY HEARTS! Margaret will let it run through Sunday and then she will pick two winners, plus she is giving away a $5 Reader Appreciation Gift Card, too!

#Writerly Wednesday~ The LOOK #Writing Challenge

Last week I was challenged to participate in the "LOOK Challenge" by my good friend and fellow author, Teresa Reasor, but I was out of town visiting my folks and having a yard sale with my mom and sister. I was tickled Teresa included me in her author-buddies to tag, so I'm going to rise up to the challenge and share my own and challenge a few to participate as well!

Here's how it works:
Find the LOOKs in your current work-in-progress.
Choose your favorite 3 and post the paragraphs that contain them.
Pick some of your favorite author-buddies to "tag" and invite them to participate, too!


Since I'm not currently working on a WIP, I'll choose from my current manuscript that I'm prepping for my 1st self-pubbed novel, the first book in my Love By Series- Love by Design.

1. This woman captivated him. With every icy blue glare she shot in his direction, he felt certain she despised him. She looked as though the very idea of having to tread the same ground he walked upon might make her ill, but it was the warmth that drew him in. The shimmering warmth of those golden flecks in her icy gaze left him wanting. Fire and flame flickered beneath her cold icy surface.
2. The sudden intensity in Derrek’s eyes startled her. Pinpricks of awareness danced across her skin and the aching desire she had fought over the past couple of days gave way to a heart-thumping response to his tender embrace. She swallowed hard and tilted her head back to look him in the eye, the fight gone right out of her.
3. She wanted his flesh against hers, yet she felt like a shy innocent girl as she stood before him. His hips pressed against her. Her backside collided with the kitchen cabinet. His eyes locked with hers. She couldn’t look away, but she felt his hand go lower to inch up under her shirt. It came to rest again over her breast as his thumb taunted the hardened nipple beneath the lace.
   
   
   I'm picking Amy Durham, Hallee Bridgeman and C.C. Marks to participate!
   
   
   Have a fantastic Wednesday!
   I can see the weekend from here!

Taryn Raye Nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award. #Writerly Wednesday

Maggie Mitchell nominated me for the Versatile Blogger award. Thanks so much, Maggie!

This came just in time to give me a little something to post for Writerly Wednesday!

To accept, I state seven random facts about myself and tag fifteen other bloggers. A great way to get to know more about me and for you to meet other bloggers I’m a big fan of.

1. Autumn is one of my favorite times of year because it ushers in Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas- I get to have a little fun, enjoy good food and be with family more than I do other times of the year.
2.  I LOVE pepperonicinis with my pizza and in salad.
3.  I have fairly small feet. I can fit in my 9 y/o daughter's Girls size 5 tennis shoes, which aren't far from my Women's 7 1/2s.
4. My favorite HOMEMADE ice cream flavor is Banana.
5. Raye is my real middle name. My mom gave me the name "Raye" after a character in the movie Back Street starring Susan Hayward and John Gavin. My mom had the spelling wrong as the character's name was "Rae" but she remembered loving the spelling in lowercase cursive "rae" on the front of the character's fashion salon- I'm glad she misspelled it. I like it the way it is.
6. I use a manual treadmill (because it was cheap and compact)--but that means that 30 minutes on there is a sweatfest because I don't have a computer or batteries or electricity controlling my "stroll"- It's all on me to walk the dogs and put in the effort.
7. I was a member of the "Just for Girls" book club as a kid and I still have several of the books I hope my daughter will be interested in reading- one of my favorites- Karen Kepplewhite is the World's Best Kisser by Eve Bunting. I think she'd get a kick out of that one!

And the fifteen bloggers I'm nominating:

1.  Ginger Simpson
2.  Jordanna East
3.  Hallee Bridgeman
4.  Dale Herring
5.  Alan Chin
6.  Cherie Marks
7.  Missy Frye
8.  Joselyn Vaughn
9.  RK Smith
10.  Kenra Daniels
11.  Marilyn Baron
12.  Elena Dillon
13.  Angeline M Bishop
14.  Melinda McGuire
15.  Misty Dietz

So what 7 things don't we know about you? Don't forget to check out everyone else's blogs!

#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.

#Writerly Wednesday- Shattered #poetry #writing

This morning's Writerly Wednesday will be just free flowing thought/poetry because I need an outlet for some built up emotion.

Peering through the darkness
My mind stumbles over
A sliver of yellow light

Dust motes swirling, teasing
So distant, yet so tangible
That I reach out, grasping at a shadow

A shadow of what once was
That slips through my fingertips
I follow it down a long gray hall

The golden fragment
Twists and spirals
Beckoning me with a seductive ripple

Taunting me to remember
That time, that life so long ago
That love that once was mine
 
I come upon a pane of glass
Transparent yet tarnished
A window on my past

Wipe away the dust and time
I see his face, his smile, his eyes

 I catch my breath
I taste the salt
A heart arrested in my chest
Unbidden tears demand to fall
 
Fingers skim the icy surface
A pop, a crackle, then
Shattered!

A desperate cry escapes my throat
Air forced from lungs
I breath again
 
The heartache just too raw
The fractured images splinter out
Left with only reflections
Staring back

Shards of memories
Frozen
In moments trapped forever
In my heart

(copyright Taryn Raye August 2012)



Have a great Hump Day!
I can see the weekend from here!

#Writerly Wednesday- Are You "Listening" @bentaylorHQ New #Album #music #writing

Listening

(image used with permission)

My introduction to Ben Taylor's music was a smooth little melody called "Island" from his 2002 album, Famous Among the Barns. Based on that singular song, I invested in the entire album and found new hidden gems that rippled through my soul and spoke to me.

Second to writing, music is one of my other loves. I can't sing any better than the alley cat on the fence post under the full moon, howling and mewling for attention, but the poetry of song lyrics is what gets me.

The Poetry. The Words. The Emotion. (Doesn't take much for me, does it?)

When combined with melody- it can tell a story or evoke emotions that go unexpressed any other time. It can remind you of youth, wrap you in the warmth of remembrance of loved ones long ago, of the truths in life, the joys and agonies we all feel and experience- all expressed in song. Some songs just do it better than others and some songwriters hit the nail on the head with a purity and honesty that you know has to come from the heart, from the soul. It's genuine. When I find music that touches me that deeply, I know I've found a kindred spirit in this world.

When I took my writing back up in 2006 after years of stagnation, I found that when I wrote, I needed music and there are a few singers, songwriters, and groups whose music has become a mainstay in my "writing playlists" because the music moves me deeply, speaks to my heart and helps me put my words to the page (or screen as the case may be.)

Ben Taylor's music, not just from Famous Among the Barns, but also songs from Another Run Around the Sun and The Legend of Kung Folk, Pt. 1 have made their way into every playlist for every book I've written to date. (11) The songs are an eclectic mix and on any day, under any circumstance, I can usually find songs that fits my mood or the scene I'm writing.

There are a couple of select songs I've yet to get, but intend to- "Dear Boy" & "Boyfriend," but I've been eagerly anticipating the release of his newest album Listening for months. It released yesterday, and I'm beyond ecstatic because I'm sure you know what I've been listening to since then and I'm certain that it will become part of my writing roster.

Check out the video below of the title song, Listening and check out the album. I love how the birds in the background are even enjoying the sweetness of the music and joining in.

Follow Ben on Twitter

Website

Get Listening on

Amazon

iTunes

(image used with permission)

#Writerly Wednesday Beauty When It Blooms #writing

Beauty, when it blooms, takes my breath away. It doesn't "burst" but unfolds with a simple kind of grace that not all things have. In a way, that's how my writing process often is. It doesn't burst onto the scene always, but infiltrates my mind slowly, sometimes slower than molasses on a cold winter morning, but, things begin to take shape and sometimes it's the most beautiful awe-inspiring thing to me when bits and pieces of a character start to come to life.

A little while back, I posted about my eagerness to start the next story, except for the research I need to do and that I'm getting bits and pieces of background info, like things about the heroine's grandmother. The other night, after working to clean the bathroom, kitchen and living room and wearing myself out so severely that I woke up every hour in bodily pain, I started "brainstorming" in my sleep.

Yes, I guess brainstorming it is, as I wasn't technically dreaming anything, but for several hours before I awoke, my brain worked out a BUNCH of background info on my heroine, who was otherwise a stranger to me. I mean, I know more about the hero. He is the baby brother of the other Pryce brothers, so he's made his appearances, albeit, most the time brief, but he's there and I know his family. The heroine was a complete stranger to me, until more recently and as her background and past begin to bloom for me, even in the deepest and darkest of the night, I feel exhilarated that "she" is showing me who she is, where she's from, the life she had before the story begins.

And from the looks of it, her past is haunting her with significant losses and rebellion in her youth. Her past is not going to be spotless. Not that all my characters pasts are, but this one seems exceptionally dark considering she's a surfer, but then, I'm starting to understand that surfing isn't just something she loves doing- its also her escape and her sanctuary. It's a dangerous sport, but one that brings her momentary peace from her demons, and its the thing she has just for her that saved her life after all the tragedy in her youth. No one else in her life, up until now, understands it, but Mark will and it's just making me SO SUPER excited to start writing their story!!!

(Laugh if you want, but the swell of excitement about starting a new story has brought me to tears this afternoon. It feels so good to be this excited about writing again!)

And thank heavens Mercury is back direct! I feel the shift, the movement of forward motion again in my life, and writing...and it's about time.

Hope you're having a wonderful Hump Day!

~I can see the weekend from here~