The HEA Cafe

   Everyone loves to dream. We love to wish on stars and birthday candles. We aren’t opposed to working hard to make the dream come true, but often we find our hard work doesn’t manifest into the dream we so clearly see in our minds. Missteps and wrong turns may dim the brightness of our dream. Fate, the Universe, and Mother Nature blindsides us. We get tired. We lose hope. We question our mission, our passion, our purpose.
   The New Year gives us renewed hope and restores our optimism. We can finish that manuscript. We can land that agent. We can sign our name to a three-book contract.

   Yes, we can. This is our year. This is our life. This is our dream.
   While having a positive attitude and believing in ourselves is extremely important, we know that just wishing on a star won’t finish that manuscript or write that query or land that contract. Every dream, every wish, comes with a gift and a challenge (see Monica’s post below…Congrats, Monica!). We have to take the necessary steps, embrace the hard work, to put our wish in motion. If you don’t do the work, what will your life look like a year from now? Every step we take, we move closer to our dream. Every step we take gives us confidence. Every step we take tells the Universe we’re serious about making this year The Year.
   So what do we need to do to make our dreams come true? That’s what I want to explore with each of my monthly blogs here at the HEA Cafe. Happily Ever After is a concept that can exist outside fairy tales and romance novels. We know we can’t be happy forever…or can we? Can we, as witers, have an inner happiness that isn’t diminished by the outside world?

   Can we be happy just to write a story, no matter if it ever gets published? These are questions I’d like to explore with you on the first of every month during 2009.
   This month, we have to look inside ourselves and get clear about our goals, because how can we define what makes us happy otherwise? Ask yourself, what do I want? What are my expectations? What path is really my calling? Don’t censor yourself. Some of you may get an instant message from your soul when you ask these questions, others of you may stew for several days before you have a clear picture in your mind. But a clear picture is essential. I want you to free the limits of your current life for a few minutes every day and see yourself as the person, the writer, you want to be. You know yourself better than anyone else. Live your truth for just five minutes a day.
   When you are able to imagine yourself in the beautiful dream of your soul, say this to yourself, “As I dream, so I am. Infinite possibilities are coming my way.”
   Next month, Exploring Crossroads.

EBOOK!

What does Santa want for Christmas this year? The same thing you and I want…perfect gifts for all the people on our lists. One easy, inexpensive and earth-friendly gift appropriate for both men and women, young and old is a gift card for ebooks. Think of the convenience – for you and the giftee. You can send a GC from your computer to theirs without getting out of your pjs, and they can shop without changing out of theirs.
Then there’s the immediacy. Running late on Christmas Eve and still don’t have something for your sister who’s in Canada? Five minutes on the internet and her gift’s on its way, postage free. 
Struggling to find a green gift for your college-aged dog-sitter who’s iPhone is glued to his hand? According to an article this year in Publisher’s Weekly, a study coordinated by the Book Industry Study Group and the Green Press Initiative showed the U.S. publishing industry emits over 12.4 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, or about 8.85 pounds per book. Ebooks eliminate many of the costs associated with paper publishing and several sites can now send the book to an iPhone or digital readers like the Kindle or Sony.
Where can you get gift cards for ebooks? Check out Fictionwise (www.fictionwise.com ), Diesel eBooks (www.diesel-ebooks.com ), All Romance eBooks (www.allromanceebooks.com ), and Books On Board (www.ebooks.com ). Many ebook publishers also offer gift cards through their online stores.
So give yourself a break and give the folks on your gift list something they’ll love…ebooks.
 

Growing up, I often heard my dad say he never trusted a man who didn’t like dogs. I extended his philosophy in my own life to include animals in general, but the dog-specific element influenced my story Operation Sheba. When I started the story, Pongo, a sweet Rottweiler, showed up as Michael’s pet. In many ways, he mirrored Michael’s character: rock solid, well trained, handsome and agreeable…until you piss him off.
            Pongo’s presence acted as a way to spotlight Julia’s character as well. When the need to sacrifice Pongo in order to save Michael and a group of hostages arises, she racks her brain to find a way to save both the people and the dog. (So I don’t spoil anything, I’ll have to leave you wondering what she does and if it works.)
            I also used Pongo’s kennel as a plot element. As spies, my main characters have to use common items in their environment to get the job done. Situations are never ideal, so forcing them to use their imaginations and view miscellaneous objects in a new light is a way to give them the upper hand against the bad guys. The kennel, Julia’s iPod, and a hearse are all significant tools my spies use in the story. As an author, I love to play MacGyver as much as my characters.
            The final way I used Pongo to add depth to my story was a specific tribute to my father and his philosophy. One of the less admirable characters in Operation Sheba, a power-hungry senator, doesn’t like dogs. He’s Michael’s opposite in all ways so the trait fit him well. I didn’t make a big deal out of it within the story, just mentioned it in passing dialogue between Michael and another character, but that tiny detail reveals as much about the senator’s personality to me as any of his other actions, thoughts, or words.
            Dogs have played a large role in real life for me and I value what they can bring to my stories, but like all characters and plot elements, their purpose in the story can’t be forced. It either fits or it doesn’t. I’ve read books and seen movies where an animal – usually a pet – is dropped into the story without real purpose or clarity, often so the author can kill it off for shock value. Unless your reader has established a bond with the animal, that technique will fail. And if you’ve done a great job creating a bond between the pet and your reader and then you kill the animal off, beware. Your story will end up in the kitchen garbage disposal.
From what I’ve observed in real life as well as fiction, dogs bring out the best and worst in people. My philosophy as an author is a simple take on my dad’s wisdom: whether you’re a writer or a reader, never trust a character that doesn’t like dogs.
            Do you have a favorite fiction character who’s an animal?

Last fall I was in a writing slump. My suspense novels weren’t selling and my agent was unimpressed with the romantic comedy I’d whipped up in three months over the summer when I should have been playing with my kids. Failure tightened around my throat like a noose. Pressure froze my fingers on the keyboard.
            Halloween, one of my favorite holidays, was approaching. One morning I woke up with an idea for silly story about a bad witch who wanted to cut her ties with Lucifer and go good. My muse offered nothing more than a title, Witches Anonymous, and the main character, Amy. It seemed harmless to write something just for fun, and I had nothing else pressing that day, so I tackled a scene.
The noose around my neck loosened a micron. My fingers pulled out of neutral and flew over the keys. I laughed out loud at Amy’s sassiness. The scene became a chapter. Over the next few weeks, my pulse jumped every time I thought about the story. It was just for fun, right? I could throw in crazy characters and twist the plot as much as I twisted my hair. I could write as much or as little as I wanted. I could toss it into the pile with the rest of the unsold manuscripts at any point and not worry about genre or word count or selling.
The process of writing Witches Anonymous freed me creatively. It gave me my writing life back and opened something that was blocked inside of me. In March, I sold my first suspense novel in my Super Agent Series, Operation Sheba. In June, Witches Anonymous won a contest (thanks to Chiron O’Keefe, our wonderful challenge board guru, who insisted I enter) and will be published in February of 2009. I just signed a contract for the second book in my suspense series.

If someone had told me last fall that writing a short story – a paranormal comedy no less – would save my writing career, I’d have scoffed. Now, I’m encouraging other writers to give it a try. This week at Five Scribes blogspot, http://www.fivescribes.blogspot.com , author KL Grady offered her take about writing short stories, “Writing short fiction gave me the opportunity to craft a story without having to commit to a long-term project - no pressure. It also allowed me to learn the quick and dirty route to telling a story.”
Whether you want to refine your skills, experiment with a new genre, or just enjoy a break from the pressure of a full length novel, consider writing a short story. You might find your fingers flying over the keyboard and new doors opening for your career.