Moira Keith

This is one of the first songs which inspired my current work in progress. I hope you all enjoy.

Thanks Molly for making this song stick in my head. So now I will share with the world!

Chris Isaak – Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing

The man did have some good songs. All I’m sayin’. May the video inspire all you romance writers to go forth and write and the rest of you to do bad bad things

Ok, yes I am hopping on the hot men bandwagon. I tried to resist… but the pull was too great. (Blame it on Sophia Parkwood and her Monday Motivation posts) So… to kick off my renewed interest in being a frequent blogger, I figured Wednesdays needed another reason to be loved.

We will go with my love all things (nearly all) Scottish and celebrate Humpday Hottie kickoff with none other than the scrumptious Gerard Butler. Drool if you must ladies, but remember that computers are delicate things and licking the screen is only a momentary reprieve from reality.

The gauntlet was thrown. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was. You all know I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for my fellow author Teresa D’Amario. HUGE. Well I had mentioned that I needed to find my motivation. Being the wonderful person she is, she found it for me. She challenged me to a duel. A fight to the death. The woman with the most words wins (and not this blog post does not count). She threw off the gloves and let me tell you, it was not a pretty battle. There was hair pulling, bitch slapping….

This was me about two hours in—–>

Okay so it wasn’t all THAT, but it was fairly intense. The challenge she gave me was that we would both write. Whoever had the most words written at the end of the night prevails. Becomes Queen of all that is Writing (sparkling crown not included) and will rule for all of five minutes. Well actually, the winner would get fifty pages of their work critiqued by the other. Pretty sweet deal right? Inspiring and motivational? Most definitely.

How did I make out? I have to start by telling you it was a nail biting experience. I had lots of distractions. My loverly sister was visiting and staying the night, there were midnight margaritas, Practical Magic, and did I happen to mention a video of a grown man replicating the baby dancing to Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies (which had me in tears)?

Who won, right? That’s all you want to really know, isn’t it? Don’t know yet. My word count started at 62,096 and it finished at…. well I will update you on that later. I am an author still hard at work, just taking a mental pause and writing this. Check back and update the number before I turn in for the night.

Update – Ending word count for the night 64,101. Not too shabby.

As we all know, I can be easily distracted. Daydreaming is perpetually something I do and is who I am. Head in the clouds…

Have no fear though, because I now have a plan of attack! Who would have guessed it? Actually, the  plan was contrived only moments ago and in an attempt to make myself accountable, I am laying it out here. Oh don’t you worry your pretty little heads, I have several slave drivers.. ahem, I mean cheerleaders… who will also hold me accountable. Sometimes it helps. Especially when you come from a traditional work background. I can hear you saying, “So lay it on me already. What is the freaking plan?!”

Here it is:

1. I hereby forbid myself to work on any other story (outside of plotting) other than my paranormal WIP ~ Chosen.

2. All current 117 pages of said story have been printed out. I realize this is working ass backwards, but I will use that to help fill in my plot structure and story arc. While doing so, I will not open up the original document and all notations will be made in either a notebook or in the side margins of the printed version.

3. The nights when the kids are with their dad…. I will limit my online time (i.e. the devil Facebook) outside of a brief check in or status update. The kid-free time will be utilized for writing and research.

4. I will gag my internal editor as much as possible during this process so that I may actually have a finished draft before all is said and done.

5. Once a week, I will blog about my progress.

Timeline for this from start to finish, completed first draft and all (including a possible crit and beta read), is Christmas. Seriously wishful thinking there, but wishes and dreams is how I got a story pubbed in the first place. My focus train has been de-railed for some time now and I am desperately struggling to get back on track. Splitting my attention between multiple stories, the lack of plotting, working a full time job, focusing on my children (which is not negotiable nor should it be) and other little blips that come along in life, have all contributed to this state of affairs. Good news is, that there is no such thing as too late to change. Check back with me and see how I do. Everyone could use a few extra cheerleaders in their section and I am no exception to the rule.

My mother sent me an email today with the following story attached. I found it so poignant, that I thought I would share for those of you who may not have seen or heard the story. The link to the original story reported in The Washington Post follows.

~*~*~

..something to think about…

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was
repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common
place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. what else are we missing?

~*~*~

If you would like to see the story please visit The Washington Post. Whatever else you may take away from this story, please take at least this… live in the moment, do not rush through it.

This was a question that I thought I would throw out there after deriving some inspiration for a story I have in the back of my mind. Often times, as a writer, I find myself trying to work my way through the mind field of story ideas, pick the elements that will make a story unique and once in a while, I actually manage to share something with my best friend that makes her really excited. Why is this important? Because her excitement is what inspires me. It drives me forward when I feel like I am in a rut, helps me examine other possibilities when an idea may seem far too similar or overdone. 

We all derive inspiration from different areas of our lives. Whether we are talking music, art, movies, stories, friends, family, or just life in general…the important thing is to seize that inspiration and run with it. Who knows where it will lead. 

Where do you garner your inspiration? Great books can also inspire regardless of their genre, so if you are a reader, what is it about your favorite author that inspires you?

After many long and tedious hours, I have wrestled my book trailer into submission. Now the only question is… did I nail it? Well, I find fault in everything and will likely do so here as well, but for now, I am going to revel in the fact that I actually completed the task I set before myself for this weekend. Success! It is a wonderful feeling.

Update: There is a new and hopefully improved version of my trailer under the link for Trailers on the side menu. 

Funny how story ideas will strike you at moments when you are immersed in fun activities such as people watching at a cafe prior to a show, or playing tourist in your own home town. I had an idea, not quite sure how to pull it off or where to work it in since I’ve rarely participated in the rich nightlife Las Vegas is known for. As y’all know if you read last Friday, I took my best friend to see Phantom Las Vegas. It was a total blast which lasted well past showtime and into the wee hours of Saturday morning where we finished off our evening here - 

Club Rain was a blast! God I hadn’t been dancing in ages and this venue definitely provided me with some ideas to pull off some ideas I had for my latest manuscript. Granted I am putting my own spin on it, but all it ever takes is that tiny seed to be planted and the right amount of water to make it grow. Well Row, thanks for taking me to the club and filling my head with great ideas for my dear Cheyenne, she is much obliged.  

Have you ever had ideas come while out on the town, doing something fun, no cares in the world other than living in the moment?  Do tell, I am always fascinated by where people find their inspiration.

Sonnt 2 ~ William Shakespeare

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field,
Thy youth’s proud livery so gazed on now,
Will be a totter’d weed of small worth held:
Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days;
To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserv’d thy beauty’s use,
If thou couldst answer ‘This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,’
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel’st it cold.

I don’t post these often enough, but I do find Shakespeare inspiring. There is just something about his lyrical prose that speaks to me. Hope you enjoy.