Vacation Time

Not everyone gets one, I realize, so I feel grateful for getting one. Especially in my job, when I take time off I don't get paid, so there will be no money coming in for these two weeks I'm off. And this is a stay-at-home vacation. Vacation is vacation, no matter if you go anywhere or not.

I'm taking time off to regroup, relax, and get a few things done I might otherwise never get to. The things I plan on doing may not get done, but I have a mental list, and some of it involves a real mop and soap *wink*. Since my flowers are all in, I only need to keep them watered in this terrible drought we are having. Weeds seem to take off in this sort of weather, too, so there will be some kneeling on the ground to pull the pesky things out of my flowerbeds. I can't wait to see the flowers flourish and fill in. I use Miracle Grow on anything I plant. It really helps make them grow better.

But my husband needs time off too, and he's going to take some days off--he is able to be paid, up to the hours he's earned. There will be shopping on some of those days we're together--for clothes, and I need new glasses. We need to hit a few antique shops in the area, too. Oh, and some places for lunch that we have not tried. We want to go shopping in a nearby town (Sycamore), and want to pop in and see what's new. There's a new wine shop that opened up, and an antiques shop, as well. I don't know about you, but I love to look at old stuff and old photographs.

I've been working on short stories lately, and since one was not picked up, I'm going to self publish it (which makes me happier than you can imagine!) It will be my very first attempt at this, and I'll certainly post about that when the story is up. More on that in another blog post.

My current WIP: Well, it was number 4 book, but lately number 5 book wants to come out of me. I've got scenes in my head. I see this one individual who gets on my bus everyday, and thought he would make an interesting character, and I had to write a scene, and figure out how adding him would be beneficial to the story. I don't like to write too much on something that I'm not sure about. And then, this guy wrote himself in. He's American/Japanese, and his name is Cho. To quote another new character, "He's lethal". And I'm working on how Sabrina sees something from the guy's past where he has killed an opponent during a Martial Arts tournament--by accident, of course--at age 15. Well, naturally, I need him for the book! Sabrina could use a human to protect her during the day, when the vampires are away.

A lot of holes to fill in it, and so I'm writing scene descriptions on note cards and pondering where they will be placed. That's the only "outlining" I will do. It's actually called "story board", and it works for me. I've got the plot-planner taped on my wall. Looks like an odd M, with an extension going up in front of the M. If anyone needs this, send me an e-mail (loreleibell4[at]gmail[dot]com). I'll gladly send it to you. It's really good for plotting a novel. I've drawn mine large so that I can tape it on my wall, and tape my post-it notes, or note cards to it, so that I can see how I want things to progress. It's the handiest thing I've ever found for plotting.

So, for my very first day of my vacation, although I have been busy, I'm enjoying the thought of not getting up early--unless I have a scene slam into my head and I have to get it down. Happy Dance!

Happy 1st Day of Winter!

Well, you wouldn't know it to look outside my window right now that it is the first day of winter... there should be SNOW down. There isn't. You see green grass as far as the eye can see.

Well, I'd have to say that it's good in ways and bad. I don't mind having a mild winter for a change. Even a snowless one. I recall we had a very mild one back in 1999 (the year my father died), and we sat outside on New Years in lawn chairs in shorts. It was in the 70's--and no. We were not in Arizona at the time. We were right outside in our own back yard.

We don't have to drive in snow. That's one good point.

But on the other hand, having lived in the midwest all my life you sort of have the mind set that there should be snow on the ground by now and you should be freezing your assets off!

A bit of news:

Yesterday I got confirmation that the 7 books I ordered from my publisher for promotions (one is mine to keep), was sent on Monday. I got up and told my husband this bit of news--because he wants to read this next book badly and had hoped that he would be able to while we're off these next two weeks.

It wasn't five minutes later when he came to my office door asking me "When did you say the books were shipped?"

"Monday."

He moved into the door way further and held a large box in his hands. "Well, they're here!"

Weird, huh?

Because of the Christmas crush I'll wait until next week to send any books out. A couple of people won them and I need to send them out so that they can enjoy. I will announce winners then.

There really is nothing like seeing your own book in physical form. Holding it in my hands--oh, and by the way the cover is more awesome in person than in a picture. Believe me!---I read the back cover to my husband and couldn't quite finish I was just overwhelmed. A 30+ year old dream has come true. I've now got two books--a series--out there and people are buying it and enjoying it! I plan on getting the third book out next year and I'll have the fourth one ready at some point there after. I'm already getting ideas for the fifth book. It just never stops when I have developed characters and their world to such an extent that they seem real to me.

I have other things I'd like to work on as well. Eventually I'll reveal them, but they are in planning stages, or barely a few chapters written that I can't really talk about them.

Ah... 17 days off, I will have my writing cap on and I'll be deep into the mode. Of course we'll take a few days off to enjoy together as always.

One more day to get it done with, and I'll be FREE!

Summer is Half Over!

Jeeze! Where is it going? And now it's gotten hot--most of you already know this!

I've had one week off, but I'm taking another two off beginning of August. My husband and I are not taking a huge trip. But we'll get away somewhere. Do something before we go back to driving these buses around. We are not putting in the hours we have in the past--since, as my husband put it, the government is RAPING our checks. So, why even bother? May as well make less and do with less.

I know that I've told you all that my second novel is with the publisher. And that I've finished a solid first draft of #3.

Well, guess what? I just finished two 1st chapters on #4. And have some more notes that I'm toying with on what's going to happen. I've put together a notebook with new Plotting/character pages that I, myself, made up and put together and then printed. I had some from a site, but I couldn't use them to the fullest, since I didn't understand what some of it was for. So, I just made up my own sheets and they work--and look--great.

Something about these characters, they simply live in my head. Actually, it's as if they do exist. I'm sure all of you have had this happen with your characters. You see them, hear them, know how they'd react to certain situations.

With fantasy--as I'm a fantasy writer, and this series is what I call urban fantasy--the parade of new characters seems endless, and the problems that arise, just continue to pop up.

On Friday, My husband and I are taking the day off. We're going to go to an early showing of HP#7, having lunch beforehand. I can't wait!

I have not had the opportunity to buy many books this summer. I bought one, but it's not that thrilling.

However, I'm about to receive one from an author friend. When I get it, I'll tell you all about it. I can't wait to read it. I owe him one, too, but he's willing to wait for me to buy a couple of copies of my book in August.

21 Days of Writing

Three Mondays, Three Fridays, and all the days in between, I have off. No going into work—except in my office!

Yes. It's that time of year when NIU is shut down. All the students are gone—most of them, anyway. And there will be no bus service until January 10th. It's not kind on the checkbook, but hey I'm going in to apply for unemployment.

These past weeks inspiration has been nipping at my heals. So many mornings I've woke up with ideas to fill the third book, as well as the re-writes of this next one of the Sabrina Strong series. I write when I get home, I write when I wake, and while I'm frigging driving the bus—the words are there in my head. I can't wait to get home, get notes down and waiting for these days off has been excruciating.

Any of you who work outside of your home to make money while you write must understand this plight. We all want to just stay home and write. I remember being at a writing workshop and someone asking me what I do for a living. I said it wasn't important what I do to make money. What I am is a writer. You gotta walk the walk and talk the talk, baby.

So, when freed from the job that requires, by the way, my husband and I to get up at 4 a.m. to get ready to drive a transit bus for a college, for 7 hours a day (break service was 6 hrs.). Getting Home today knowing I don't have to get up in the morning at FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE FRIGGING MORNING—I was elated to say the least.

Of course, if I want to get up to write at four a.m., that's totally a different thing all together. Doing what you enjoy, what you love, you would probably work an 18 hour day. Take cat naps, and get up when something wonderful hits you. That's the life of a writer—and most of us can only dream of having that situation for all ways.

And, these 21 days will not all consist of writing every waking moment, of course. There will be down times when I need to do other things, have distractions, like go to the bookstore. Plus the book signing, and I'll arrange an interview with a local paper in between all this, and I now have time to take care of such things.

21 days. It has begun.