Light Bulb Moments and Other Amazing Things

This morning I was exercising when the power went out. I put away my exercising stuff, took my grand-daughter to preschool, (she'd missed almost an entire week because her mother thought she was on Spring Break) returned home, showered, dressed, took my vitamins and began to think about breakfast.

I couldn't use the stove for oatmeal and so was limited to cold cereal. As the day wore on, I realized I couldn't use the computer, so I decided to read. My arms got cold, so I put on a jacket, followed by my feet with socks.

I was glad it wasn't snowing but would have preferred a nice spring day instead of the aftereffects of the few days previous.

But perhaps I should backtrack a bit.

The night before my daughter dropped a knife into the top of her right foot. I cancelled today's morning appointment and took her to the ER at 11 p.m. We were there an hour, amazingly. Only two stitches, a minor cut. Amazingly, the doctor was funny, sort of a doctor/slash comedian. He made the visit more than bearable.

I decided to work on the curling rugs in my living room this morning. You know how they curl after folks have walked across them for a bit...I was putting the sticky tape on the backs so that the rugs would lie flat when my cat leaped across the front of the couch, claws out. Yes, it's a new couch. Does anyone know how to fix holes in leather?

Needless to say, I've decided to ban Sweety Pie (imagine that) from the living room.

Right before it was time to pick up the preschooler, I was feeling pretty sick and tired of the cold house. My toes were even cold underneath my socks. I walked into the kitchen and said, "Boy it's cold," when suddenly the lights clicked on.



All I could do was stand there, amazed.

I returned home from picking up the preschooler and it was time for lunch. I no longer wanted something warm, the home was heating up nicely, but it was time for some R and R. I turned on the television and sat down with my lunch.

No sound!

Amazing. And no, I have no idea how to get the sound to work so I'll have to wait until my guru of an electronic husband returns home from work.

So what am I doing now? Sitting here, trying to make sense of the last few hours. After that?

I think I'll take a nap.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Sarah Wagstaff

    What is Sarah's favorite way to edit? Why does she hand edit in favor of simply editing from the computer screen?

    Learn this and more in today's author interview!

         

    Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

When I was a little girl, my dad would make up bedtime stories with whatever we wanted in them. I’d pick a submarine, my sister would pick purple unicorns and he’d make up a story that included both. I've been making up stories ever since.

     

     How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?

     I write on my desktop computer. I’m a musician and I have problems with my wrists so I have to be careful when I’m typing for long periods of time. I have a nice comfy ergonomic keyboard. I have typed on a tablet while traveling. I like to write at night when I can get totally lost in my story without interruptions. During the day my three daughters keep me busy.

     What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

     

      My favorite part about writing is getting totally involved in a scene, when I glance at the clock I’m startled to see that hours have gone by and I've written several thousand words. My least favorite part is editing. Editing requires a very different mindset than writing. My favorite way to edit is to read my book out loud to one of my daughters. Hearing them gasp at an exciting place or groan when it’s time to stop for the night is my payback.

     How do you come up with your characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?

      My characters I take from a facet of my own personality or from people that I know or have known. I've lived in several states and remember people from school classes that I haven’t seen for years. I remember the way they made me feel, how they acted and how they talked. I use those memories when writing.

     What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

I have a website, facebook page, Goodreads author page, and an Amazon book page. I also have a poster and bookmarks that I use when I visit local schools for literacy nights and to talk to classes.

     How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

I get engrossed in a book and get it written in a couple of months then I won’t write for months. I write in the evenings and when my children are at school. After I finish a book I’ll go through a couple of rough drafts and then start emailing copies to my proofreaders. I’ll also print a copy and hand edit. I can see a lot more flaws when it’s on paper.

    What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

     I’m currently working on the second book in my elements series. The first book, Ocean Lost, was published as an eBook on Amazon November 2013. 

I’m working on the sequel, Caverns Found. Ocean Lost is about a merman hiding as a human in Utah. Caverns Found is about four teenagers in Northern California who develop the ability to transform into dragons. I've also started the third book about two teenagers living in Quincy, Illinois.

     Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I have an epic fantasy series about a young girl who develops fire magic. She faces  down an evil king and then will save the galaxy by the end of the series. I have two of  these books written and am working on the third, when she’s a young adult and the  world wars begin. I’m having trouble because the first books feel like fantasy, but then  I don’t want it to be a big shock when the alien invaders arrive…

     What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

How much do you want it? Are you willing to write and rewrite a million words? There’s a certain level of writing skill to getting published, but after that, it’s extremely subjective. If you love writing, you’ll keep doing it until you get published. I learned a lot from writing critique classes and letting others read my books. Their comments have helped me become a stronger writer. What I see in my head isn't always what I've written and fresh eyes help me find the spots where I wasn't clear enough. I love the quote by Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite writers, I carry it in my day planner. It says “I write for the same reason I breathe- because if I didn't, I would die.” I want to write, the stories keep coming to my mind and want to be told.

Another quote that I love is by Marianne Williamson -“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” I write because I love creating. I love the feeling of taking an idea, a character, an emotion from my mind and sharing those elusive thoughts by crystallizing them into words that flow into sentences and then collect into the ocean of language that makes up a single book.

***

Thank you, Sarah!

To learn more about Sarah:

My webpage/blog is:

sarahwagstaff.com (it doesn't have the html://www. at the front)

My Book's URL is:

http://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Lost-Sarah-Wagstaff-ebook/dp/B00GHWPEM4

My book's facebook page is:

https://www.facebook.com/OceanLost

I have author pages on Amazon and on Goodreads.

An Interview with Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

See the questions and answers below? Today it's my turn to do a little bit of an interview courtesy of Marie Lavender

who has previously hosted me in a review I did for Carol Round and her book, Journaling For Jesus, and an article I wrote for her blog on Writing Without Worry.

I've also interviewed Marie on my blog here.

 My two sisters Tricia and Jenn. I'm in the middle.

What am I working on?

I am working on two books, the first is Sunny Side-Up, the second book in the Susan Cramer Mystery series. It's being read, edited and critiqued by some trusted readers. The second book I'm writing is The Gift: A Parable of the Ring, due out Christmas 2015. This book is the last one in the parable series.

How does my work differ from others of the same genre?

I'd like to think that my Christian fiction books are different because they combine fiction and inspiration in one tidy package. On the one hand you get an inspiring story, on the other, you get ideas to improve your own life. Books are written in parable style, meaning symbolism is a constant visitor to my books.  

Why do I write what I do?

I write to inspire mostly, but I also write to entertain and to inform. That's why Scrambled was created (a cozy mystery) and why I also wrote Conquering Your Goliaths: Guidebook (it's written to assist the reader in improving his/her life) and Marketing Your Book on a Budget (written to assist the new or established author with low or no cost marketing).

How does your writing process work?

I get up in the morning, write on my blog, respond to emails, and then the writing or editing begins. Because I also have a writing business, Idea Creations Press, I am always mentoring, editing, or ghostwriting for others as well. I use my computer, though I sometimes write free-hand and transfer my thoughts to my computer later. It doesn't have to be quiet for me, (I've learned through the years to work through noise) but I prefer silence or a carefully chosen CD. 

I can finish a book in a year, but, after that, I spend at least another six months perfecting it. That means lots of readers, editors and honest people tell me what works, and what, quite frankly, doesn't. 

That doesn't mean my writing is 'perfect' even then, but hopefully that I've weeded out most of the undesirable sentences, questionable dialogue, or outright 'what does this mean?' stuff.

See where this blog tour began here.