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Zoo Frolic and Detour

November 6, 2010 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , ,

I visited the Los Angeles Zoo yesterday. Why write about it here? Because I enjoyed it! And because I liked the break I took, short though it was, from my writing.

I met a deadline earlier this week, on November 1, for the manuscript for my third Alpha Force novel for Harlequin Nocturne, a miniseries about undercover shapeshifters in the military. I have another deadline on December 1 for a proposal, and I’ve started working on it. But some good friends just recently moved to Los Angeles, and they bought a membership to the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

My husband and I have been members of GLAZA since our kids were young. I used to go there walking a couple of times a week for exercise. I’ve taken a class on observing animals and participated in a couple of studies.

But that was a while ago. I hadn’t been to the zoo for a few years, even while maintaining my membership. I’ve missed it! I therefore jumped at the opportunity.

Things are different there now. The entrance and parking lot have changed. There are more places to buy food. A lot of new exhibits are in the works, including the new elephant habitat. But I could still pretty much find my way around. One of the animals that had been my friend years ago seemed to recognize me–although that could just have been wishful thinking. I saw some animal species that hadn’t been there before. Some of my favorite exhibits were closed due to some of the reconstruction going on. Even so, I had a great time, especially because I went with family and friends.

And then, when I got home, I sat back at my computer and jumped right into my writing, inspired by having allowed myself a frolic and detour before digging back in.

Anyone who knows me or reads my stories knows I love animals, so this was a natural course of action for me to take to get away. How about you–where do you go, or what do you do, when you have time for a break from your everyday life?

http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/

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November Events – Allison Brennan and Laura Wright

November 4, 2010 by in category Archives

OCC’s next monthly meeting will be Saturday, November 13th, at the Brea Community Center. Please join us for informative, inspirational presentations from two authors at the top of the game.

In the morning session, OCC member Laura Wright presents “Writing the Emotional Character: Don’t Run From Your Scene. Stop, Deal, and Discover.”

Laura has spent most of her life immersed in the worlds of singing, acting and competitive ballroom dancing. But when she started writing, she knew she’d found her true calling. Although she was born and raised in Minnesota, Laura now lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, two children and three dogs.

In the afternoon, bestselling author Allison Brennan presents “You’re Not Normal.”
As Allison says, “Let’s face it, writers are not typical human beings. We keep odd hours treat our characters as real people, and view the world as story-fodder. We talk to ourselves, have over-active imaginations and eavesdrop on conversations. (Or is that just me?)

Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of fourteen romantic thrillers and several short stories. For fun, she enjoys wine tasting, swimming, school sports, playing video games, and-of course–reading. Her upcoming release, LOVE ME TO DEATH, the first book in the Lucy Kincaid series, will be available on 12.28.10, followed by KISS ME, KILL ME on 2.22.11. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and the Horror Writers Association. She lives near Sacramento, California with her husband and five children and is currently working on the third Lucy Kincaid novel.

Doors open at 9:30 AM for Ask-an-Author with Glynnis Campbell, w/a Sarah McKerrigan and Kira Morgan.

Over the lunch break, presenters will sign copies of their latest books.

*****SPECIAL NOTICE*****
The 2011 BBB (Book Buyer’s Best) Contest opens on November 1, 2010. General Information, Rules and Entry Form are available on the OCC website (www.occrwa.org) follow the links from the Home Page. Deadline for entries is January 8, 2011.

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Incubating and the Writer’s Cave

October 28, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as ,

I tend to be reluctant to sit down in front of the keyboard to write until the deadline is breathing down my neck. I always thought this was procrastination, but I read an article a little while ago that makes me realize that I’m not a procrastinator. I’m an incubator.

What’s an incubator? Someone who thinks about the story for a long time—incubating it—until it’s ready to come out in one huge burst. My subconscious works on the story as I go about my ordinary life, as if I’ve put a stew on the back burner to simmer and am adding ingredients to it all day long. Then suddenly the stew is done and the story needs to get on the page. That’s when I crawl into my writer’s cave, sit down and start writing. Am compelled to write, just like contractions compel a mother to push during childbirth.

The writer’s cave is more mental than physical, though it does help to have a physical space where you can retreat to get the work done. This might be an office or corner in your home or maybe somewhere like Starbucks or the bookstore or wherever works for you. It helps if the cave is the same physical space every time, signaling your brain that when you go there, it’s time to write. I also end up clearing my calendar of all optional social engagements so I can just crawl into the cave without fear of interruption and give birth to my story.

I would love to be one of those people who plot out a book and then sit down every day and write X number of pages or such-and-such a scene, but that isn’t how I work. I need all those weeks to let the story form in my mind so it comes out organically in one long burst. Once I reach that point, I am able to accomplish a substantial amount of pages per day. Since the story is fully formed, I also tend to do very little rewriting before I send in the book. This is what works for me. It’s my process. What’s yours?

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A Fantasy Life by Janet Quinn Cornelow

October 28, 2010 by in category A Fantasy Life by Janet Cornelow tagged as ,

I would like to say that I have been writing and working on my new fantasy romance. That would be stretching things. I had planned on writing last Saturday because I had cleared everything that needed to be done. Then my youngest and his wife showed up. That ruined the rest of my plans. I ended up fixing the dinner and settling some other problems. Needless to say I got no writing done.

Life has been a bit upside down, so I don’t know how much writing I will be getting done. My day job that I have had for 12 years has gone bankrupt and we will be closing December 18 unless someone buys my boss out. That probably isn’t going to happen. It is really sad. I really like my job and will miss my babies (my students).

I have been teaching on line for the last three years and have found a second place to teach. Of course that means training for four weeks. It starts November 1 and goes into December because we get Thanksgiving week off. That will take the up any extra time I have because I still have to show up at work and teach my other classes. I figure the training won’t be that bad since it is basically the same thing I do now. The polices are a bit different, but the actual teaching is the same.

The good news is that Michael, my middle son, and his wife are having a baby, so I will finally be a grandmother in May. The baby is due around Mother’s Day so I figure I won’t be seeing them this year, but that is okay. I’m excited about being a grandma. Of course, I won’t be taking the baby around since I don’t carry too well, but I figure by the time the baby’s walking, I can get seatbelts installed on the walker so he or she doesn’t fall off.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving since this is my last blog until then.

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OCCRWA November 2011 Online Class — “The Tiny Art of Elevator Pitches: Making Every Word Count!” with Carrie Lofty

October 26, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as

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Hi everyone! Check out the exciting online classes offered by the Orange County Chapter of RWA!

“The Tiny Art of Elevator Pitches: Making Every Word Count!” with Carrie Lofty
November 15 – December 11, 2010

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassNov10.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com

ABOUT THE CLASS:

You have 30 seconds to make an impression. But how do you reduce tens of thousands of words down to 30 or less? What to leave in? What to ignore? How to give those 30 words punch and drama?

An “elevator pitch” can be defined as a bare-bones summary of your novel – but it is really something much more. This succinct distillation can help not only in query letters and networking, but in finding your hook and focusing your writing before you even start!

Author Carrie Lofty will share the elevator pitches that got her in the door, along with her techniques for making them concise and effective. She will look at the four plot arcs of any romance novel—hero, heroine, external, and romantic—and teach you how to weave all four into the most powerful elevator pitch possible.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:


Since completing her master’s degree in history, Carrie Lofty has been devoted to raising two precocious daughters and writing full time. Her historical romances have all received four stars from RT Book Reviews, which declared: “Lofty writes adventure romance like a born bard of old.”

In addition to two new historical romances coming out in 2011, her “Dark Age Dawning” trilogy of hot-n-dirty apocalyptic romances, co-written with Ann Aguirre under the name Ellen Connor, will kick off with Nightfall from Berkley Sensation in June.

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassNov10.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members

Coming in January 2011–
“Going the Distance: Goal Setting and Time Management for Writers”
with Kitty Bucholtz
January 10 – February 5, 2011
Every New Year’s Eve, as the fireworks explode, we try to figure out how to make our goals into our reality. But what will work for you? In this class, you will be presented with a variety of ways to look at goal setting and time management specifically designed for the writer. Whether you are a plotter or a pantster, this interactive course will help you design a personalized game plan.

COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members

Check out our full list of workshops at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html
Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html or send a blank email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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