Nothin' but Love

I have received the dubious honor of posting on Valentine's Day. I say dubious because, well, I'm not really a fan. To be honest, I think the idea of a day to celebrate love feels artificial and contrived. And I write romance! (for shame)

This Thursday, I celebrate 15 years of marriage to a most wonderful man. Every year he laments the lack of funds that prevent him from lavishing me with expensive flowers and gifts every Mother's Day, anniversary, Valentine's, birthday and Christmas. And every year, I remind him that I have little interest in material things. And, in all fact, were he to surprise me with a gift like a car or a house I would not like it. I do not believe large purchases like that should be made without agreement from both parties.

I'm so ungrateful.

The bitter dissolution of his first marriage taught him many things that he, thankfully, was willing to learn. One is that he will never let an opportunity pass to let someone he loves know how he feels. It has taken a lot of getting used to on my part. "I love you" was not a common phrase in my youth. In fact, I credit the love and attention he lavishes on my children with sparing them the neglect they feel when I have a writing deadline. And, our marriage has taught me a great many things. Most of which I apply in my novels.

People have read The Peasant Queen and some--not all, but some--have really appreciated Prince Jareth. I want to state, publicly, that the deep, abiding, patient kind of love he feels for Krystal is something I know first hand. As readers will learn in The Tyrant King, this love does not prevent them from having faults, but rather gives them a bridge to reconstruct after mistakes.

Bryan has been a marvelous treasure in my life, though he would be the first to deny it. He constantly teases me that he caught me in a moment of weakness and got me to marry him. For all our exterior struggles, we are a solid unit. Our kids can count on it, and I firmly believe they do. And, not for one single day in 15 years have I looked back. I still can't believe it's been 15 years. I remember when I thought that was a long time. It seems but a moment has passed, except for our 5 kids...:)

This is my tribute to love, if not a dedication to a specific day. Enjoy it, though, however you choose to celebrate!

Sidetracked

I'm embarrassingly late getting this posted today. It'd be great if I could tell you all that, somehow, my automatic post just didn't work right or that I'd been on vacation in some south pacific island and had no internet.

But, really, I've been sidetracked.

Sidetracked is not the same as being derailed, though it can feel similar sometimes. For me, being derailed means everything you had prioritized and orderly in your life falls apart. That happened a few months ago, actually. Fortunately, this time I was just sidetracked.

I have this stupid sinus thing going on. It's been driving me crazy for over a week now. And, this morning, I decided to go to the doctor rather than tend to my Monday blog posts. I was going to type up all my blog posts for the week yesterday, but, again, I felt too miserable to sit at the computer.

Pity party over. I hate dwelling on how miserable I feel, the pain I'm in, the symptoms--and all that. So, we're done. Tomorrow I will be feeling much better.

I've also been working really hard on edits for The Tyrant King. In fact, I almost have a full manuscript ready for beta readers. Granted, my work has slacked off considerably in the last few days, but I'm not stopping. No way.

Saturday, I woke up with a fantastic idea for solving a particular plot problem. I'd dreamed the scene the night before. But my kids decided to be incredibly needy Saturday, so I didn't get the writing done I'd planned. Such is life.

I imagine the things that sidetrack me are the things that get each of us in turn. Life happens, so the saying goes. But I'm not going to let that stop me. I'm stubborn that way. :)

Making Headway

It feels good to be making progress again, as a writer. With the craziness of the book launch, signings, and then the holidays, I really fell behind on my editing. But, last week, I edited the first six chapters of The Tyrant King. Yay!

Chapter seven is where it starts getting really hairy. I mean, so far we've had two characters die, but now the attacks start hitting home. My main characters are going to face some direct peril, which is always good in a story, but I'm terribly curious to see how my beta readers react.

I'm doing something a little different this time. I have three beta readers who get the story chapter by chapter and give me feedback. I'd planned to stop at chapter three, but the process has been working for me--and providing accountability if I fall behind--so I'm going to stick with it. I love that my beta readers are patient with me. And it really helps that they are loving the story.

One reader, in particular, is troubled by how many small details I had to leave out of The Peasant Queen. What is the main character wearing? What are the details of the room? I'm better at putting those things in now without slowing the pace of the story. I don't have to stop the action to explain how the room looks now, or what the character is wearing--though I don't always have the descriptions right at the front of a scene.

But, this process is all about getting better, right? This is what we do. And some of it we simply have to learn through trial and error.

On to chapter seven!