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Thursday, December 4, 2008

Avenging Angel, the making of the book



Welcome to my December party! I hope you brought your popcorn!
Teaser to the book is now available on my
WEBSITE!

Telling the story of the journey from where I started to where I am now is not going to be a short tale. I hope you can stand the retelling.

I spent a ton of time online, writing and being critiqued by people I didn’t know personally. I spent an enormous amount of time offline, writing and being critiqued face-to-face with people that I did know, and believe it or not, there was not a lot of difference between the two groups. They were all tough cookies and had hard choices for me to make. I struggled.

I hoped that somewhere, at some time, I would find the pot of gold at the end of the horrendously long rainy season. But like so many new writers, that was just a pipe dream. You ain’t gonna get published without blood, sweat, and tears, folks. Ya just ain’t.

I remember a short story that I had to write in grade school about the Pilgrims. It had to be a real story, not some cheap imitation out of our history book. (To hear the retelling of that, go to my website to find out how it all turned out.) That is most likely the first bit of really authentic fiction writing I ever did, and it sort of tilted me in the direction of where I am today.

Later in my life, I was the editor of my college newspaper and knew writing was definitely in my blood at that juncture. But as a lot of young people do, I gave up my dreams of career pursuits for marriage and kids. For probably fifteen years, I didn’t do more than talk about writing.

It was when my kids decided they wanted to be actors that I found a wealth of time on my hands. Driving to play practices, performances, and auditions gave me so much opportunity to develop ideas, it wasn’t funny. Besides, (my kids) got all their talent from some one, didn't they? Talent is not always acquired. *grin*

My husband was the one to put a cork in my daydreaming and turn my ideas into reality. He plunked me down in front of our very first home computer in the early part of the 1990’s and said, “Now, you have no more excuses. Write.” And so I did.

But life intervened once again, and I had to go to work for a living. Time at a job took away from my creative urges to the point where it was only done sporadically and usually not very well, at that. I just had no energy to devote to it. I had to learn more about computers than about characters in night classes, which kept me too tired to type.

So how did I get from that time to this? Well, find out next week, in the continuing saga of “Avenging Angel, The Book” right here. Same time, same station, same bat cave. By the time we get to my book launch date, you are going to know more about me than my diary does. Hint: Do you like fantasy??

8 comments:

  1. The journey is half the fun. Especially when you look back on it and are able to say. Yay! I made it!

    Congrats. :)

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  2. Oh, how cool! I love hearing about writers' journeys. Glad to hear that you've got a supportive hubby!

    Looking forward to more next week. :-)

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  3. Great story, Kim. And I gotta give you Kudos on having a supportive spouse. It means the world. My wife has been my biggest fan and greatest critic. I'll never forget the old saying, "Behind every great man, is a woman rolling her eyes and a mother-in-law shaking her head."

    All the best on your climb up the best seller list,
    Ron

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  4. Aw -- thanks you guys :) -- you're the best !

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  5. Kim, this will set a great example to new writers who think, "If I wrote a great book, it will sell immediately." I've had to counsel lots of new writers lately in that subject, and will direct them to your true story. ;o)

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  6. Hearing about your history with writing makes me feel as if we're related. In another life, I'm thinking we were sisters.

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  7. Aaron, that is true. I would not have new writers think it is a paved highway. It is more like a rock-strewn horse path. Joylene, I know what you mean. I keep having those moments, too. Funny how we all have similar situations in our lives!

    Warren, how wonderful to have you pop over. I am going out to visit your site right now :)
    Kim

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