Writers Beach Survival Tote Bag

It’s that time of the year again. Summer is officially here and no one wants to sit in the house behind the computer writing. You know just as well as me that we will find one excuse after the other not to sit down and write…especially do revisions.

Keeping this in mind, I came up with a writer’s summer survival tote. Pack your tote and keep it besides your pocketbook. Your tote should consist of the following:

Notebook
2 Pens (This way there is no excuse that the pen ran out of ink.)
A box of ideas
Post it Notes
2 water bottles – frozen
Chip bags
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Beach Umbrella
beach chair and blanket

I have left out the radio and ipod. Those are two things that are total distractions from the writing. I decided to check this out and see if it worked before I shared this with you. As I sit here, I can attest that the only sound I hear is the echo of the waves breaking at the ocean’s edge and the occasional helicopter going over head.

Now I would be lying if I didn’t tell you about the sexy guy who put his beach blanket down about twenty feet from me and undressed down to his bathing trunks. And yes, I watched the whole time. Just couldn’t resist.

Seriously, I was able to do revisions on four chapters of Mystical Wonders, about 100 pages without the phone ringing, the kids yelling Ma. (Of course when I writing, they both forget how to cut Italian Bread and make a sandwich.)

I had a wonderful day at the beach…alone. (My first time ever to sit on the beach at the South Beach Boardwalk.) Now when I’m ready to pack up my gear, I can only say that I am thrilled to say I got everything on my agenda done.

In conclusion, I can say that it is possible to get work done during the hot summer months. All you need is a plan, your imagination and your Writer’s Survival Beach Tote Bag.

My Love

This weather is driving everybody crazy. One day it's hot, the next cold. But the warmth within my heart is certain in my poem written for "My Stallion"

My Love

My love for you has no boundaries.
It has no middle or end
just beginnings
for my feelings for you
grow stronger and stronger every day.
Despite when we are apart
there is a connection between us
that is unmistaken.
I’m on fire
by the sound of your voice.
I ignite from your gentle touch.
Just when the yearning
and anticipation of being with you
is too hard to bear
you’re here
olive eyes half closed and starry.
Your unique scent sets my heart on fire.
And when you fingers glide down my cheeks
I feel a warmness run through my body
that words can’t construe.
It’s a desire that I’ve come to believe
s to be shared just between us two.
The passion that flows between us
is rare and one that will never die.
The day I found you
I realized that dreams did come true.
I thank the Lord everyday
that I have you.

Now that you have sent your query, synopsis and first chapters to an agent or editor, what do you do next?

The beginning of February, after carefully following individual submission guidelines, I sent out my packages via the internet. I closed the top of my laptop and went about my business doing my chores. An hour or two later I came home, checked my emails and there sat two emails. Both responses were thank you, but no thanks. Okay….that was a blow. A discouraging blow. Now the challenge. Do I drown in my rejections? Do I throw in the towel? These are two of many questions that I’m sure we have all asked ourselves at one time or the other.
I’ll share with you my own remedy of getting over the feel sorry for me, pity bath.

Take a walk. I find that the best way to go for myself is to take a walk. By now everyone must be tired of me talking about doing these long walks. I know it sounds crazy, but that walk, no matter if it’s short or long, is all I need to rejuvenate. So picture me tying my Timberland boots and strolling through the mounds of snow, opening up my mind along with numbing my fingers and toes. But it works. Believe me, it works. After that walk I was not only cold, but recharged ready to continue working on my next project while I wait.

Get dressed. Are you sitting in sweat pants and tee shirt with slippers on? It’s no wonder you can’t get anything down on paper. Fluff your hair, get dressed as if you’re going out. That’s right! Add the accessories, the belt, earrings and necklaces. Take a glance in the mirror, then sit behind your computer and start writing. You’ll be surprised how playing dress up can inspire your muse.

Keep a journal. I bought myself a monthly planner and journal. Every night I write what I did during the day. How many words I wrote or how many pages I revised. And if I did nothing, I write the word nothing in the planner. Then the last thing I do is write a short journal entry. It can be two lines or two pages about nothing or a plot idea. Whatever it is, sometimes it is the only time I write in a day.

Keep Writing. Did you ever fantasize what it would be like to be someone else or wish your life was different? Be that fantasy. Sit behind your computer, do your research and write that story. The best writing exercise is to write.

Following my own advice, I continue to follow my dreams while I do revisions on Mystical Wonders as I await responses on Roses. ♥

A Poem: My Journey...with My Stallion

Love is so precious. I am lucky to have found that love. I never knew what love was until I met my Stallion. We share a love so intense, so real that it can never be broken.

Our Journey

Our twelve year relationship has spanned
through the turn of the century.
It started late in the twentieth century
and had its ups and downs
due to forces beyond our control.
By the start of the twenty-first century
our relationship took a spiral turn
and it continues to grow
stronger with each passing day.

It’s a relationship that has intensified with age.
Always leaving us yearning for more.
That one last hug
and endless kisses
before we part.
We don’t ever say good-bye.
because I love you
sweet dreams has taken its place.

I’ve often wonderedif I’ve been living a dream
As a love as pure as ours
Is rare and not many people
Have ever experienced that kind of love.
For most it is non-existent
But for us it was fate
A fairy tale love
Right out of a romance novel.

It’s a six sense
Knowing when you are lonely
Not feeling well and sad
Or just knowing
you need a simple phone call
to say I am sitting here
wishing you were here
to keep me safe and warm.

I always fear
I’m going to wake up
and you’re going to be
taken away from me.
There is no one that could ever
take the place of you.
You are a part of my whole being
leaving me fulfilled
and satisfied with my life.


This past year
I have written the music
to which we both sing to
in a harmony that is like no other.
I can’t express enough
how much your love mean to me
and how when we are apart
we are still together.

I’ve often wondered
what has kept us together
and how we have preserved
our love
never letting it die.
The conclusion I’ve come to
is that despite all the demons
which have crossed her paths,
it was our love and trust for one another
that has kept us together
through the best and worst of time.

If I had the chance to do it all over again
I would still put my heart
out there on the line
and would give you my unconditional love.

In the Spirit of Valentine's Day

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I am going to share my poems with you. These poems were written for someone very special in my life.

The Fool

Whenever I’m with you
the unexpected happens.
I become spontaneous
showing up in your doorway
dressed to kill in a short dress
accompanied by stilettos
with a smile in my eyes
bringing you to your knees.
I am now fearless
not afraid to be something that I’m not
just wanting to fulfill your fantasy
leaving you wanting and yearning for more.

Yes I am “The Fool.”
I am dramatic and unselfish
giving you my all
wishing and wanting more
holding back my insecurities
thankful when you reinsure me
every time you tell me that you love me.

There are unlimited possibilities
whenever we begin a new adventure
of love and passion.
There has never been a time
when either one of us hasn’t fulfilled the other
or has left the other yearning for more.
Our life is just beginning…
Yes we are “The Fool.”

In Celebration of Valentine's Day

Instead of writing your typical blog, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share with you my second passion….writing poetry. I found that there is no better way to express yourself but through words.

Valentine’s Day isn’t about giving and receiving. It is about sharing the passion that two people have for each other. Chocolates, flowers and jewelry are wonderful ways to show your affection, but a gift from the heart is priceless.

A few years ago, I wrote a collection of poems, published them and gave them to my boyfriend. These were the poems that I had written and posted on AuthorsDen.com
.
I’d like to share one of my poems as part of the Valentine’s Day celebration. My relationship with him is Magical, which is the reason why my muse of always flowing.

The Magician

With you the window of opportunity is endless.
There is always magic in the air
from the moment you stepped into my life.
I try to be original every time we are together
keeping the magic between us alive.
We share a certain confidence
never afraid to explore
or express our physical and emotional needs.

Hours after we part
I still possess the initiative to create
opening my mind and soul
sending my pen flowing with the muse.

Being with you means that I can succeed
in any endeavor I take on.
You build my self-confidence
encouraging me to keep on writing
always complimenting me on my muse
knowing the words I have written
come from the magic we share as one.

We are The Magician’s
here to take you on a magic carpet ride
full of love, laughter and harmony.

Strawberry Fields

Today is the 29th anniversary of John Lennon's Death. I went to Strawberry Fields in Central Park with friends and spend the afternoon with hundred of people singing along to John Lennon and Beatle songs.

It was an afternoon full of memories and ones to come. One of the crowd favorites was Give Peace a Chance, Imagine and A Day in a Life. The crowd consisted of old and young and it became an afternoon where everyone lived in a world of peace. And just for one day, no one was afraid. Instead we all lived in harmony.

Kick Off of Nano

Today is day 1 of Nano. I am 100% ready. I have my long winded outline all written out in my purple notebook sitting next to me on my desk. Now that picture above is of my cat Olli. As soon as I sat down to start writing, there he was sitting on the keyboard. I managed to write around 500 words with him resting his head on my wrist.

I am so excited! I'm hoping this is going to be a great year. My RWA chapter is all excited and we have a lot of members joining in. We have our own Nano Yahoo Loop where we can all cheer each other on.

My muse has finally come all back. Oh yes. It couldn't have come at a better time. Good luck to all of you who are participating in Nano.

New Jersey Conference

Tanya Goodwin and me taking a swim after a hectic day of workshops and pitching our books!

This past weekend, I attended the “New Jersey Put Your Heart in a Book”. A new conference in a different state...perfect! There were, however, a few obstacles to get over before the conference officially began.

Tanya picked me up on Thursday morning. After a quick lunch at my house, we were off. We quickly settled into our rooms. Next it was time to meet Tanya for dinner. We planned on looking through the workshop schedule, but it didn’t turn out that way.

Now you know the weekend was not going to go by without a couple of incidents. Like…a brief plumbing problem. Now you must be saying it is impossible, especially after our Washington story, but it’s true. After finding out that Tanya had the only toilet in the hotel that had a tank in a tank element, which of course kept getting clogged with just a fragment of a toilet tissue, she was moved to another room. Our journey began.

Next came a simple request. A small table. Well, after dinner, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the table was delivered to Tanya’s room. A banquet table. So our journey continued. We both brought the table down the hall, onto the elevator, with Tanya hanging over it to push the elevator button. Oh yes, another wonderful scene. You just can’t make this stuff up. And let’s not forget another false fire alarm. What’s going on? Two conferences, and two false fire alarms causing chaos. I just rolled over and said who cares.

Wow. Once we got over those obstacles, we were in the home stretch.
We breezed through registration and met up with Carolyn Gibbs, Lis Eng and Cathy Greenfeder for lunch. Everything was going well until I wound up with a sore throat and fever. But that didn’t stop me. I was off to the workshops. First up was “How to Cook up a Suspense Novel” with the husband and wife team of Jim & Nikoo McGoldrick writing as Jan Coffey. From there I strolled to Kathy Kulig’s “Screenwriting Tips for Building a Novel”. Oh yes, dialog is the most important ingredient.

The Golden Leaf Book Award Ceremony was awesome. Our very own Anna DePalo won for her short contemporary novels “The Billionaire in Penthouse B”.

The rest of the conference was filled with parties (the blender) and socializing with friends, new and old. Former member Irene Weissman rocked the house, telling us countless stories of inspiration.

We rocked the house at the after party singing Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York. We had a great time. I was proud to be there representing our New York Chapter. I left with renewed hope, dreams and inspiration.

Walk It Out

Back to School! Hmm…not a bad idea for all of us. Come on lets face it, all summer long, the moment we saw the combination of sun and hot weather, we were no where near our computers. Now, it’s time to get into some sort of schedule, along with the kids. The key is structure and a schedule. You would think that with me being home all day that I would be pumping out thousands of words. Absolutely not. I am guilty of dilling and dalling all day long doing…nothing. But I did add some structure in my life during the past few weeks, and plan to expand that into the fall months.

Now you ask, how do you find time to write, let alone think? I have the perfect solution which I’ll walk you through. It will not only open up your mind to endless possibilities, but will keep you trim and fit.

Walking. I find walking is the best way to relax, and get my muse flowing. I walk no matter the weather. I’ve been known to walk during a snow storm. Even if it’s around the block, or walking during your lunch break, use the time to clear your mind and let your characters take over. I always carry colorful index cards with me and a pen, usually sticking out of my ponytail. Believe it or not, this is how I write my outlines. I walk it through one scene at a time. I stop, write my thoughts and continue on my journey.

I’ve used walking to get through some of the toughest scenes that I couldn’t find a resolution to. I have to admit that walking is my salvation. It works wonders for every aspect in my life.

Now, I am going to offer you a challenge. With NaNoWriMo only three weeks away, I challenge you to spend the week putting together a character sketch of both your hero and heroine, include physical and emotional traits. Give your characters a background, a career. Pick your genre and setting. Write a one sentence hook that would describe your book. Believe me, you will be thankful that you created that one liner before you begin your project. I suggest you grab a pair of sneakers, lace them up and get your imagination walking. A simple walk around the block will clear your mind, waking it up to endless creative possibilities.

50 and Loving it!

I'm officially 50 and loving every minute of it. When they say it's only a number, they are absolutely right. Who says that romance ends when you become an adult. I feel that I'm not only writing from experience, but I'm writing from a different perspective. There is a fine line between romance and lust. Sure we all turn our heads when we see a gorgeous man, however, as you get older you seem to look beyond the looks and find that romance can be so much more.

Writing romances at 50 is a challenge because most of the novels out there are targeted towards women in their twenties. My writing techniques have changed as I've grown and I will continue to write Women's Fiction with New Age, Suspense and Romantic Elements for women of all ages.