Location Photos for Host Writer Book II

Below are a couple photos of a location I use in Host Writer Book II. The location was discovered during last month's research trip to Britain.

In the dark of night, my husband and I arrived by ferry to the Orkney Islands. We traveled by car to Mainland, Orkney and discovered the town of Evie. Surprised by the name of the town, which is also the name of one of our daughters, we came across a magical bed-and-breakfast called Woodwick House situated in some woodlands.

Upon arriving so late and with no reservation we surprised the hostess. She told us she couldn't believe we had found Woodwick with no knowledge of how to get there. She loved our adventurous spirit and was gracious and kind. She put us up in the former Laird's room. So cool!

We awoke to a sunrise that revealed views of flowering gardens, scampering bunnies, the lush woodlands and a burn that cascaded to the nearby bay. One look around and I knew I'd use this location in my book.

My Official Author Trip to Britain

I've returned from a trip to Britain and I feel so lucky as not every author is able to go on location and research the setting and local history for their book.

Some years ago my husband had lived in England and was able to help me gather the research needed for the setting of the first book of Host Writer Book I: The Archivist. In order for me to get first hand knowledge for the second book of Host Writer we took a trip to England and Scotland together.

So exciting! And with my love of history, touring around the far reaches of the Lake district in England, the lochs in Scotland and the Orkney Islands all covered with ancient historical sites will certainly satisfy me for a time. And oh the possibilities that became clear in my mind for Book II in Host Writer and also for a screenplay I'm working on whose main characters come from Manchester, England. I can hardly wait! Let the writing process continue...

This photo is in Dingwall, Scotland and is the real historical marker of the Dingwall Althing site. A location I used fictitiously in Host Writer Book I: The Archivist.

The Ring of Brodgar on Mainland, Orkney. Standing stones are everywhere!

I'm Published!!!

Yeah! It's done! Host Writer Book 1 is published! The book takes place in Britain. It's about a band of rogue agents that discover a covert society of Archivists who have the power to speak to the dead. Follow this link to find out more about Zoe Edevane and her newfound life: Host Writer Book 1: The Archivist  

Research and Re-Search

A writer must love to research, but also have a passionate desire to write or one can get wrapped up in re-search.

Oh the joys of Wikipedia's knowledge and Google Search with links and images--love it! Researching for me is similar to being sidetracked by bright and shiny objects where I'm constantly yelling "Squirrel!" I must rein myself in, kick myself or just plain turn off the internet so that I can write and get my story done.

Links are called links for a reason. Last week I researched submarines for one of my novels. I needed basic knowledge such as whether or not a sub has stairs or ladders, how the bunks or berths were situated and I wanted to find types of subs and specifications. I needed knowledge about the life of living in a submarine that could be drawn into my writing so my reader would feel the tight confines and realities of the quiet spaces or the fear of the dark. Two days of research later I woke myself up from yet another link--did you know that drug cartels use Narco-submarines to stash their substances in a clandestine effort to bring them around the world? Yeah, fascinating stuff! But I found myself chained to my chair by these unending-push-a-button-links.

I had written almost a paragraph--ok only a sentence--in two days--maybe three.

Unless you have an uncanny and amazing ability to stay on task and you also have an innate mind, capable of ALL knowledge and understanding of absolutely EVERYTHING, you have experienced the above--at least once.

We need to know when to say stop! And write! Whether you set a timer for your duration of research time, or write a certain number of pages daily before researching the details and then insert them later, we must write or our books do not come to fruition.

Another basic thing to keep in mind if you spend days on research is what type of items you've spent days researching. After I explained my new knowledge of submarines and warfare to my husband and told him how fun it was to research, his one comment to me?

"You've just been flagged by the NSA."

I hadn't thought of that. But if so, I may be on to something real for my book, descriptions that would resonate with my readers and bring them in and hold them spellbound, and that is what I truly desire.

Now to put pen to paper or NTPPTP!

This Year I Turn 50!

This is the year I turn 50!

I'm coming to grips with this "advancement" slowly. For example, this past month I realized that when I comment to strangers, randomly, while in line at the grocery store when I forgot something vital on my list and mention it must be due to my up and coming age of 50, they no longer say, "Really? Fifty? I never would have guessed."

Instead they're nodding--in pity.

There must be a reason for these pitiful nods. This past week I decided that my 16x magnification Makeup mirror with its bright light may magnify my wrinkles to such proportion it renders them out of existence to my eyes. So I put on my new reading spectacles and glanced into a "normal" mirror. It was a good thing my voice box was hoarse from my two-week flu virus or my scream might have scared the neighbors. But the macrocosm of hoarseness that sounded like a semi-truck reducing its gears did scare Cuteness, my Yorkie. I haven't seen him for days.

With that said, and after deciding the cold medicine I took to dry out my flu symptoms had not created the cracked desert look appearing under my eyes, I'd stop competing with time and use my time more w-i-s-e-l-y.

We've all heard people say that 50 is the new 40. I'm actually hoping for the new 30, because I have lots of "stuff" to do with this wiser use of my allotted time and would enjoy the youthful feeling of having an extra 20 years. Stuff such as complete the last few classes for my college degree, find an agent, an editor and a publisher for my books, keep up in my blogging and writing, find the names of my husband's great-great-grandpa's parents, exercise, and become more competent in French. Whew! I guess it's a good thing that the man of my dreams, who I married over half-my-life-ago, and I will be empty-nesters in a few months.

This year of turning 50, I challenge myself to banter with more fun and enjoyment, to blog several times a week as an outlet away from the strict confines I usually put on myself and write with no worries. My time commitments are limited for my posts, but extensive for my manuscripts and submissions. This is a wise juggle of my time because I can have both the kudos of writing more posts and the accomplishment of getting another novel completed. Of course it would also be nice to find one of my manuscripts published before the big B-day!

Using time wisely is a give and take. To take time from things most important and highly valued like family gives me regret. To take time from less important things, for me this could be searching the internet or watching television, gives me the time to accomplish the worthy goals that I choose of spending time with family and on those goals listed above.

This is a great time of year to write out goals, and with the big 5-0 on my horizon I feel even more committed and driven to focus and accomplish them. Time will tell.

Happy New Year to you and may you receive much enjoyment from writing and accomplishing your 2014 goals. Oh…and feel free to comment on how extremely vibrant and young I look!

Focusing Problem, Anyone?

During the past year or two I have started several blogs, but only wrote a couple posts in each; wrote a book, but only sent it to three editors; started four more books, drafted one screenplay and started two other screenplays. And, all of these span different genres.

My mind is a creative nightmare, or rather a CREATING nightmare!

Of course my kids are encouraging this ruckus with one daughter married last July and the next one tying the knot in 5 weeks.

AND, get this: last September my husband and I decided to downsize our home. We talked about this to some friends and neighbors. Without even listing our home with a Realtor we had a family come look. Maybe they liked the tree views from the sunroom, or floor to ceiling bookshelves in the library, or maybe they liked the theater room and second kitchen. OR maybe, they were the FOCUSING kind of people who could make a quick decision, because they bought and we were moved out and living in my sister's basement within 3 weeks! In THIS market too! WHEW.

We're now looking forward to building a smaller, Craftsman style home. Personally, I'm hoping the whole process will help me to focus better and make decisions faster. It better, or we'll be living in my sister's basement a long time.

Now. . . where was I going with this?

On Weddings and Writings

As I try to find time to both plan a wedding and continue my normal writing schedule, I find something has to give. So far it's been sleep. I also find that as I try to write my mind is focused on everything but writing. I'm sure all writers have days, or weeks of scanty focus.

Yesterday, in the middle of a day of mind wandering, I received another rejection from an agent. Ouch! Nothing like a rejection to make ones mind do a 360. So I decided to pull weeds. Weed pulling after a rejection? Priceless!

I walked outside among the trays of orange, yellow and red blossoms I had planted for the backyard reception and discovered at least a third of my blossoms had been replaced with scanty stems. WHAT? Among the barren stems were slender trails of what appeared to be snot. My flower beds had been the host of a massive snail party. I pictured them texting all their buddies and their buddies texting all their buddies to slither on over to a freshly planted smorgasboard.

THIS WAS WAR! And, I wasn't about to kill my dogs with snail bait so...

I got my Mac gun and loaded my Google ammo and discovered snails like beer. Hmmm. I decided to give them a party they would never forget.

Now let me first inform you that I'm not a drinker. Nor have I ever bought beer. I picked up my son from his Driver's Ed class and we marched over to a gas station where I didn't think I would see anyone I knew.

We walked in to get my beer and I saw my neighbor, who is one of the only people I know who had 3 of their children at one time serving a Mormon Mission. She was filling her car with gas and I hope she didn't see me ducking and hiding and carrying the largest can of beer I could find with my 15 year old son in tow. The can was the size of a small trash can. But this was war and people do things they can't be held accountable for, right? After all, it's not like I was going to drink it.

I decided I needed to inform people of the fact that I was in fact not going to drink this gynormous can of beer. I waltzed up to the counter, set the small trash can down, and said, "This is my first time buying beer." What? Why did I say that? I sounded like an idiot. The two ladies at the counter looked at me with both their heads cocked sideways.

I had to follow with, "Snails like beer and I plan on getting them all drunk and drowning them in it." I gazed around to see if my neighbor had walked in to hear my announcement. She wasn't there, but plenty of other people were and they were all staring at me. I don't think I care to know what they were thinking. Obviously the two ladies behind the counter were well versed in selling liquor and had this look that said, "yeah whatever woman."

I paid and my son grabbed the bag and we left. I realized of course what that looked like.

After we set up our half-buried plastic cups and went to bed I couldn't wait to see what we would discover in the morning.

Call me heartless, but oh the satisfaction! Sure enough a couple of the cups had snails that got so drunk they drowned. About a foot away from the cup was a pile of snails that looked like they had had a great party and had a hangover. Of course, I've had to keep my dogs away from lapping up the concoction, but better a drunk dog than a dead one!

I hope my flowers can come back in time for my daughter's wedding reception!