What Scares You?

My novel, Don't Play With Fire, has a cast of unique characters. One of my favorites is Anna.(Don't tell the others. I don't want anyone getting jealous.) Anna immigrated to New Jersey in 1840 and she has a problem. She needs to steal seven human souls in order to open the gates of hell and she doesn't have enough. To get the ones she does have she placed a curse on the portraits she painted.

Curses are malevolent spells purposely done to inflict harm on another. Pretty scary stuff, right?
Who knows, maybe right now one of you is thinking about someone you'd like to place a curse on. Stop that! That's not nice.

I started thinking: what kind of stuff scares you? Here's a list of things that make my blood turn to ice water:

• Curses
• The dark. Anyone or anything can lurk in the dark shadows. Isn't that where serial killers hide? The boogeyman? Your crazy boss?
• Getting lost in the dark. You could've stumbled onto the killers turf by accident!
• Getting lost, alone, in the dark. This one should be at the top of the list.
• Linda Blair in the Exorcist
• Hannibal Lector
• Unexplained happenings in your home. Think lights going on and off. Footsteps.
• Unexplained voices in your home. Think "Get out," said in a low, hissing whisper and there is no one in the house except you!
• The movie The Ring. "Seven days."
• Most Stephen King books which I say with complete love and affection because he is the master story teller and I love the way he can make me scream at the character on the pages, "Don't do it!!!!!"

So, tell us. What scares you? Talk to you later...

The Road to Publication

It's been awhile since I've posted and I apologize for that. I've had my head buried in my manuscript and I haven't devoted the time to much else. Now I'm back! Glad to have you with me. I hope you stick around and ask a few friends to join us.

The road to publication is filled with pot holes, obstructions, and detour signs. I love writing, but sometimes I wonder why I'm even on the path at all. It's not easy to get someone in the field to believe in your work. Every well known published author has a story about how many rejections they received before they got the big "yes!" It looks like my story won't be any different.

I had queried an agent back in July after attending Thrillerfest, but I never heard back and that means a "no." I was fine with that. The truth was the manuscript needed serious help and I began rewriting it. This past December one of those agents emailed me and asked to see 75 pages. That's a big request and I was thrilled. Maybe me time had come.

She requested I not send my material until after January 20th. Not sure why, but okay I'll play along. I waited and on January 23rd I hit the send button. About two weeks later I get her response. REJECTED!

Do you know what she said? Of course you don't. I'll tell you. My voice wasn't distinct enough or strong enough to impress an editor. OUCH! Clocked right between the eyes. I actually saw stars.

Why do agents who expect professionalism from authors but don't show the same respect in return? Is it necessary to be so mean? Even if I do suck, which I don't, you don't have to tell me quite like that. This isn't American Idol. Nobody's watching!

My favorite part? Where she says: "Sorry not to be so keen. Another agent may well disagree, do keep trying." You know what I can't wait for? The day I'm on a best sellers list, standing before a group of aspiring writers and I tell them the story of the hurtful rejection and how I made it anyway!

I also can't wait to be on that best sellers list and bump into agent "meany." I'll plaster a big smile on my face, introduce myself, (she'll never remember that rejection letter) and walk away knowing she wishes I was her client.

The real test? Believing in yourself! Talk to you later...

Who Will You Be in 2011?

The curtain is about to close on 2010 and everyone is talking about resolutions, goals, plans for the new year. I'd like to kick up a discussion on that topic too, if you'll help me out.

If you were guaranteed to achieve your wildest, deepest dream what would it be? Pretend this blog can grant you that one special wish. How do you invision yourself at the end of 2011? Right now there are no obstacles. How do you feel in this new place? How do you look? What words come to mind to describe yourself? What are others saying about you? Go ahead, take a deep breath, and imagine. Now write it down.

I hope all your dreams come true.

10 Favorite Things This Time of Year

My top ten favorite things about this time of year:

Giving - I love that joyous and wondrous look on some one's face when they've unwrapped a gift.

Christmas songs - "Winter Wonderland" sung by Johnny Mathis. No Christmas is complete without it.

Going Christmas caroling - which I've only done while riding in a trolley, but fun none the less.

Christmas lights - The more lights you have on your house the more religious you are. (Just kidding!!!!!) But they are festive.

My Christmas tree - Yes, it's mine. I don't share it. The kids have their own.

Baking cookies - First of all, who doesn't love cookies? Second, it's a great bonding moment with loved ones.

Getting together with friends - Which I really don't have time for because I'm busy baking the cookies, decorating the tree, and buying the gifts! Kidding again!

Sharing traditions - Do you have any?

Did I mention cookies?

Oh, how could I almost forget - getting something in the mail worth seeing! The happy faces of friends of family - Holiday Cards!

What's your favorite thing about this time of year?

What Do You Want for Christmas?

It's that time of year again. You've probably got family members and friends asking you what you want for Christmas (or Hanukkah or whatever gift giving holiday you celebrate this time of year.)

You know what I want? Kindness. That's it. Simple, right?

I am blessed with all the material items I could need, but what I don't seem to have enough of is kindness from others. Random acts of kindness from strangers. Most of my aquiantances share kind moments. I say most because not everyone I know is always kind. Sorry. That's the truth and maybe this holiday season they'll get a visit from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.

What kind of acts of kindness do you befall on your fellow man? Do you let someone get in front of you in the check out line? Do you hold the door for the person behind you? Do you say "thank you" to the person holding the door for you? How many times a day do you smile at a stranger? Did you ever think that your smile, simple and free, could change the life of the person you've given it to? Think about it the next time you're in a rush and your head is filled with your "to do" list. Think about the kindness you could offer this time of year when others are alone, cold, hungry, or afraid.

I leave you with the kind words of Tiny Tim, "God Bless Us. Everyone!"

Outraged

Click on "Outraged" title of this blog to be linked to an article by Jeffrey Goldberg.

I'm outraged and you should be too. Did you click on the link and watch that disgusting video? Go do it now. I'll wait.

Here's what I have to say about this new searching procedure in place at the airports:

This is America! The home of the Free! Over my dead body will I ever let a TSA agent take off my child's shirt and frisk him! What is going on here, people?? Because we've swung so far to the left we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by "profiling" we'll allow a grown man to put his latex gloved hands on our children? Are you outraged yet?

Do you know what we're doing by allowing a child to be stripped and fondled? We are sending the pedophiles into a brand new employment. Isn't it enough that they've become priests?

I like profiling or behavioral analysis. I don't care what you call it, but I like it. The FBI knows, thanks to behavioral analysis, that serial killers are educated, white males in their thirties. I like knowing who the serial killers are. Now I know who to stay away from in dark parking lots. I also like knowing who the most likely group is to try and blow up an airplane. And guess what, my children aren't in either of those groups so keep your hands off!

The terrorists are winning people. They don't want us to live in a free land. They want us to be scared and I'm sad to say it's working. Stand up and shout. Don't stand for this. Take your country back. Get outraged!

Another Memoir?

Memoirs are all the rage. Have you noticed? Everywhere you look whether it's television or book store or you hear it on the radio someone is writing their story. What's that all about?

I'm not much of a memoir reader, unfortunately. This is going to sound mean, but frankly, I don't care. Reading used to be about escaping from the realities of life, but maybe now it's about "look at that guy. His life is way worse than mine. Phew!" (Wiping of brow.)

Don't get me wrong, some memoirs are beautifully written. Angela's Ashes is one of them. Frank McCourt is a master at prose, but many times I thought, all right already, I get it. Your childhood sucked. What I really wanted to know was how he got out of the situation. What's the solution? I didn't need four hundred pages of repetition. Maybe I need the Cliff Note version of memoirs? Does Cliff still exist?

And let me ask you this: How do these authors of their memories remember in such vivid detail what happened at the age of four? I don't have memories like that, but of course I wasn't trying to boil hot dogs at the stove because no one would feed me and hence catching my tu-tu on fire. I might have remembered that one.

Why are we reading memoirs? Mainly because they sell. Who doesn't want to walk into the book store and be met by the faces of their favorite celebrities screaming, "pick me, pick me?" Except me.

Or are memoirs being read because the people just want to know? They want a glimpse into the lives of others or maybe to know there is someone just like them going through what they did. Are memoirs becoming some version of the modern day support group?

Memoirs are here to stay. Like it or not. And as long as everyone is reading something does it really matter what it is? What matters is you've connected with a book, curled up in your favorite chair to bend back the binding and fell in love with the story. To that I raise my glass.

What type of books are you reading?