Robin Lee Hatcher's Write Thinking

hot off the press

Yesterday the cover for Bundle of Joy (Steeple Hill, Oct. 2008) arrived via USPS, and now, much to my surprise, a hot off the press copy of Wagered Heart (Zondervan, June 2008) was delivered by UPS. I was originally told Wagered Heart wouldn't go to press until May with a ship date of 5/18. Looks like the book could be in stores a week or two earlier than at first thought.

Pardon me for my excitement, but I'm so in love with this cover. Totally different from the adorable little baby on Bundle of Joy, of course, but perfect for the historical romance that it is. You can read an excerpt of Wagered Heart on my web site, but here's the blurb:

When Bethany Silverton left the genteel life of Miss Henderson’s School for Young Ladies back in Philadelphia for the raw frontier town of Sweetwater, Montana, she had no idea how much she would enjoy the freedom and danger of this wild country.

A conservative preacher’s daughter, Bethany can’t resist the challenge of charming the most attractive cowboy in town into attending her father’s new church. She never dreamed that the cowboy would charm the lady.

But Hawk Chandler isn't the only man vying for Bethany's affections. Ruthlessly ambitious Vince Richards thinks Bethany is perfect for him: attractive, gracious, just the woman to help him become governor. And he is determined to get what he wants at any cost.

Drawn to one man, an obsession of another, Bethany's quiet life is thrown into turmoil. She wagered her heart on love. Now she has gotten more than she bargained for—and the stakes are about to become life and death.

To top off both of these pleasures, the writing on MW is going well. Yea!!! At this stage, possibilities abound. The setting for the story is 1915 which is a fun period to write about. The one bad note in all this is that I wish I had back some of the research books I gave away prior to my move last year. I could use them now. C'est la vie!

-rlh-

new words on paper

The first three and a half months of this year have been all about the rewriting, revising, editing, and proofing of three different manuscripts — books that will release in May and October 2008 and January 2009. I gotta tell you. I was growing sick to death of existing words and the need to fix them, delete them, rearrange them, rethink them, yada, yada, ad nauseam.

Well, today I finally got to work on a new book (first in an historical romance series), and it felt great. Sure, there will be moments when my mind is blank and I haven't a clue what to write next. In fact, there will be lots of those moments, occasionally several times a day. But there will also be those moments when I'm lost in the story and it has all the potential in the world to be what I want it to be.

I haven't discussed titles with my publisher yet, so I will refer to the book for now as MW. It's set in 1915, and my hero and heroine are both running for mayor of their town. You know that sparks are going to fly! I am already enormously fond of Gwen and Morgan and will enjoy seeing their romance develop in the coming weeks.

I spent a little time today working on the Marketing Information Form for MW, including looking for possible costumes for women for the cover. I didn't find quite what I was looking for but do have a few samples to get the cover folks started.

Well, it's about time to call it a night. With luck, my subconscious will keep working and I'll awake with some fresh ideas and insights.

-rlh-

how to handle rejection

I could not resist sharing this YouTube clip of a writer handling/not handling rejection of his latest novel. I'm told it is from a British comedy series, Black Books, starring Bernard Black. There is a little bit of language that some might find offensive, though nothing terribly "blue," so be advised.

Reminds me once again of one of my favorite movie lines from A Knight's Tale when Chaucer tells some bad guys: "I will eviscerate you in fiction. Every last pimple. Every last character flaw. I was naked for a day. You will be naked for eternity."

-rlh-

sick as a dog

Once upon a time, there was a writer on a deadline. A close deadline and too far to go. The writer, however, was rather optimistic that the deadline, slightly extended, was doable.

But she awoke one Wednesday morning to find her home invaded by a nasty virus. Her 94-year-old mother was the first to fall victim and was bad enough that she had to be taken to the hospital to be rehydrated, IV solutions replacing all of the lost body fluids. No writing that day.

The next day dawned. Mother was feeling somewhat better, so the writer went back to work, thinking one missed day of work wasn't so terrible. But by early afternoon, the virus made itself known again. It had not left the house but had gone into hiding. By evening, writer was too faint to even let the precious dog outside. Thankfully, said writer had a wonderful daughter who, despite symptoms of same virus, came to the writer's rescue, driving over, letting out the dog, seeing mother to her bed, giving her something to lower her fever, and spending most of night on the sofa, just in case she was needed. (God bless daughters!)

Two mornings after that, the writer's fever finally broke for good, taking with it her chills and dizziness but leaving behind an overall persistent weakness. Deadline was now looming ever closer. Writer began praying for a miracle.

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The above short story serves as a public service warning. Wash your hands frequently. Avoid this nasty virus, whatever you do.

Monday madness

I am in a race to finish my next book. Still have too far to go, but I'm giving it all I've got. As I flip my calendar over to April, I'm getting a black marker to check off those days as I head toward D-Day. I received back cover and catalog copy for this book today to correct and approve. Reading it made me feel good about the book, too.

Monday nights I like to watch Dancing With the Stars. I love to dance, although these days, it is just me and the dog, who often starts barking like crazy, as if to say, "Please stop, Mom! You look nuts!" Twenty years ago, I would have loved to be a "star" on this show. Of course, I would have fainted long before Marie Osmond did last year.

Priscilla Presley is the oldest female contestant they have ever had on the show, and I have to give her high marks for giving it a go. But is she becoming the next cosmetic surgery nightmare, in the footsteps of Joan Rivers? There is something very disturbing about her looks that just makes my heart hurt. Those cheekbones. Those weird lips. It's not the way she looked when she married Elvis or when she starred in Dallas.

Not that I don't understand the urge to get a facelift. I wouldn't mind firmer skin. I decided to do a facial peel a couple of weeks ago. Well, let me tell you. Peeling it off was not a pretty sight. The skin under my eyes pulled out about two feet. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but it looked like it was going to pull out that far. It was positively frightening!!! What if it hadn't gone back to where it belonged?

But still, I have to wonder what drives women to go to such extremes to look younger. There is something to be said for growing old gracefully — and naturally. Isn't there?

Potpourri

I had the nicest thing happen to me this evening. One of the readers (a lurker) of my blog wrote to check on me since I hadn't posted since Tuesday. And since I usually post on the departing Idol contestant on Wednesday nights that increased her concern. I'm very serious when I say, it is nice to be missed.

After a day of writing on Wednesday, I had a Homeowner's Association board meeting to attend. I am the HOA's treasurer, and after a very hard winter with lots of snow removal, we had important budgeting issues to discuss. Thus, I didn't get to watch American Idol "live." (We don't actually get it live in Boise.)

Thursday was a running around day. I wasn't home much at all. Then it was off to speak to the newly formed chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. IdaHope Writers — cool name, huh? That was a lot of fun but I did Q&A for about an hour and a half so was very tired when I got home. No time to post.

My mom's hospital stay two weeks ago really put me behind on my book, and I've suddenly found myself needing to write many more words per day than is normal for me, so as soon as I was home from the chiropractor's this morning, I hit the writing hard.

TMI? Sorry. But it isn't as if I haven't thought of things I needed to post about. So I am going to do an "information dump" with a much more attractive name of Potpourri.

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Farewell to Chikezie.

On Tuesday, I said that Ramiele and Chikezie looked to be in danger. I also thought that Kristy Lee could have gone. I do feel that Chikezie has more talent than some who are still on board, but I never thought he would go the whole distance to Idol status. This kid has such a sweet heart, from all appearances, that it's impossible not to like him and wish him great success wherever life takes him.

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Let me tell you about a book that you simply must read!!!

Small Footprint, Big Handprint: How to Live Simply and Love Extravagantly
by Tri Robinson

This book — only 125 pages, not counting Notes and Discussion Guide — is amazing. Like the man who wrote it (pastor of the Boise Vineyard), it is simple yet profound. Here's the back cover blurb:

What would you sacrifice to change the world? Your job? Your lifestyle? Your money?

We need a smaller footprint. The pursuit of the American dream has left most of us empty, stretched in nine different directions and self-absorbed. Aside from the occasional natural disaster, we've all but forgotten about the people around the world and down the street who need us and need us to live differently. We need to live more simply.

We want to make a bigger handprint. In a world crying out for help, we struggle to believe we can make a difference. But reformation starts with people who have one idea they believe can change their world and the power of God's love changes everything. We need to love more extravagantly.

The world is changing whether we like it or not. The question that begs to be answered is this: Will you sit by idly and watch it change for the worse or will you allow God to put you on the forefront of changing it for the better? Small Footprint, Big Handprint is your invitation to embark on a journey for the latter.

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How much is too much?

In the midst of reading the above mentioned book, my latest People Magazine arrived, and in it was an article about the McCartney divorce. Poor Heather Mills only gets $33 million cash plus two homes, additional funds for security and vacations and $70,000 a month in child support for their four year old daughter. She complained because Paul can fly A Class while his daughter will be forced to fly B Class with this little bit of money (my wording, not the article's). In the same issue is a beautiful photo display for J Lo and Marc Anthony's twin babies, including pictures of the pair of $3,000 prams (one for each baby) and their gorgeous mansion and her Mercedes.

The contrast of the way these celebrities live compared to how the rest of the world lives (and too many barely survive if they survive at all) made my heart break. I have been working at rendering down my life, at simplifying, at owning less and being owned by less. And yet, Have I given enough, Lord, to those who have so much less? Have I loved extravagantly?

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Movie Time

I have watched some really good movies recently that I simply must recommend.

Enchanted

A truly charming, feel good film. Okay, this isn't food for your brain. This is a movie to watch when you want to smile for a couple of hours.

    Martian Child
 

I am not sure when I added Martian Child to my Netflix queue, but I'm so glad I did. This is a charming movie, one that gives you hope for mankind. A story of a heartbroken widower, a writer of Sci-Fi, who adopts an orphan who believes he is from Mars. It's about unconditional love and trust and acceptance and being an imperfect parent in an imperfect world but doing the best you can and a whole lot more. John Cusack is wonderful (he's such a talented actor), and the kid who plays his adopted son, Bobby Coleman, is a young actor with loads of talent. Do not miss this. And never, never, never, never, never give up. (You'll know why I said that after you watch the film.)

The Kite Runner

 

I've already told my blog readers how much I loved the novel on which this movie is based. Well, I must tell you that I loved this film too. I watched the movie sometimes while holding my breath, in one scene hiding and unhiding my eyes, but it was the last line of the film which made me cry. And I do mean cry. It didn't matter that I'd read it in the book. Seeing it play out on the screen made me weep, both sad and happy tears. A tale of redemption worth seeing.

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So there you have it. Several days' worth of posts all in one.  

-rlh- 

2008 RITA Award finalists

This is D-Day for many writers of popular women's fiction. The day that finalists for the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award (for published novels) and Golden Heart® Award (for unpublished manuscripts) receive phone calls telling them of their finalist status. A day that, for many, is a torturous one, waiting for that phone to ring. A day that will end in disappointment for the vast majority of the almost 2400 entries.

I've received that RITA call seven times in my career. Twice for my historical romances and five times for my inspirational novels. But since I have been entering the RWA contest since 1985, I obviously have had more years go by without a phone call than with one.

Awards are a weird thing. I wrestle every year with whether or not to enter any contests. There are definite pros and cons. I did a guest column over on Seekerville on March 6 that details my love/hate relationship with contests.

Yes, I am hoping to get a call again this year, but in the end, it's the story that matters, not the award. I have a great fondness for Return to Me, the novel I have entered in the Inspirational category, so I would love to see it honored. But I know the same is true of every other author and book entered in the same category. Even if all of them are wonderful, only a few (usually five to eight per category) will make it onto the finalist list. And so it goes.

Well, now I had better get to work on my next book and make this day count for something.

-rlh-

UPDATE: No RITA phone call this year. The good news is, this means I won't be going to RWA in San Francisco. As much as I love that city and enjoy the RWA conference, it comes at a bad time of year for me. So in that sense, it's a relief.

the good and the bad of contests for writers

I spoke my mind about writing contests (for both unpublished and published) over on Seekerville today. Drop over if you feel so inclined.

-rlh-

that feeling of satisfaction

Friends, I have to tell you. There are plenty of times that aren't rosy during the publishing process, plenty of times when I'm pulling my hair out in frustration or am convinced that I can't write my way out of a paper bag. But boy, when it feels right, it really feels right.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, on Monday I received the content edits of Wagered Heart, my May 2008 release, and I've been working on them all week. I finished the last 30 pages this morning. The book is now back in the hands of the capable people at Zondervan.

These edits done, I've just got to sing the praises of my editors. When I rewrote this book last fall, I had a tough time with it. I knew the story was still too rough when I turned it in. It needed help. Big time! And I told my editor so. It improved somewhat when I did what I call the "revise and polish," yet it still wasn't where I wanted it to be. But it got the shot in the arm it needed with this recent content edit. Both of the editors involved made excellent points for places that I needed to do more. Good editors always make a book stronger, and that's what happened here.

There is something very special about the moment when I'm satisfied with a story. Often that doesn't happen for me until I get the first positive review. I am usually a quivering mass of doubt until then. But satisfaction came to me for this story this week, building each day as I went through the edits. By the time I sent the document off, I was smiling. I can hardly wait for the book to be released. Of course, there are still copy edits and typeset galleys to go through before the release date arrives, but we are ever so much closer.

Wagered Heart represents a return to historical romances for me. My most recent books have been contemporary women's fiction. They've often included a love story of some kind, but romance wasn't the focus. It's been almost three years since my last historical romance was released. Since I cut my writing teeth on this genre — and have won two Inspirational RITA Awards for books that were historical romances (Patterns of Love and The Shepherd's Voice) — it feels good to return to writing them. I'm not saying I won't ever again write another contemporary women's fiction. But at least for the near future, I am looking forward to writing more historical romances.

You can go here to read the first chapter of Wagered Heart.

-rlh-

Borders book club interviews

On Monday I received my content edits for my next historical. I have worked with this editor once before, and she is a gem. I have loved all of her suggestions and delighted in making this book better and better. I am hoping to finish up tomorrow, just before all the family begins arriving for this weekend's blow-out celebration for my mom and my aunt's birthdays (94 and 90, respectively).

But just so you won't think I'm ignoring you, here is a link to the Border's bookclub videos. Did you know about this site? I just learned of it from a friend and have already watched some of the Khaled Hosseini interview about A Thousand Splendid Suns (one of my top reads of 2007). Excellent and oh-so-interesting, for both writers and readers. I will be going back to this site again and again. Way to go, Borders.

-rlh-

good stuff happens too

Yesterday I spent the day catching up after being glued to the computer for more than a week. I paid bills, tossed junk mail, quickly skimmed through a few magazines, cleared my desk off and prepared to begin work again on the WIP. I had to go out for groceries. We were running low on everything as I hadn't been shopping in over ten days (too busy editing). Wednesday was not the best day for driving as the Boise area had received another round of snow (we've had wave after wave of these storms). The main road outside my subdivision was a solid sheet of ice at 10 a.m. I drive a Subaru Tribeca with all wheel drive and anti-lock breaks, and even I was doing some interesting sliding. My heart was pumping like crazy!

I was delighted to learn that The Perfect Life is #6 on the February bestseller fiction list at Christianbook.com. Everything about this book pleases me, from the story to the cover to the response from readers that it is getting. I did an interview about the book for Christianbook.com which can be found on The Perfect Life's web page linked to the title at the start of this paragraph. I haven't listened to it yet. Hope I sounded somewhat intelligent. (Hate listening to myself in interviews.)

To top off yesterday in a really good way, I received a lovely bouquet of flowers from one of my publishers. The spring colors helped me forget that winter is still right outside my office windows. The painting on the wall (click on photo for larger image) is one of two original oils I own of previous book covers. Most covers these days are created on computer rather than painted by an artist, so I'm delighted I was able to buy the two I have. (Many of my general market romances had covers I didn't care to have on my books, let alone hanging on the wall in my home. The two I own are exquisite.)

Well, time to go fix breakfast for my mom. After risking life and limb on the roads yesterday to buy these groceries, we'd better both enjoy the meal.

-rlh-

stuff happens

Okay, I am bleary-eyed and have had too many late nights and early mornings as I worked on this book edit. But it will depart my computer in another hour or two. Then I think I'll go lie on the couch and nap.

The main reason for this post is that someone emailed me privately and asked if I was unhappy with my publisher. In case anyone else is wondering the same thing, I'll just say this: I have books coming out from three publishers in 2008, and I can tell you that I'm not unhappy with any of them. The problem that arose on this manuscript's edits was just "one of those things." Doesn't matter what line of work you're in, stuff happens. And despite having some added stress, it's always good to see people jumping in to resolve a problem.

I was talking to a friend a couple of days ago. She is an author who has worked with one publisher and the same editors on all of her books. I mentioned that I've written for 11 publishers over the course of my career and, if the quick count in my head is right, have worked with about 24 or 25 acquisitions/content editors. That kind of experience helps to give me perspective when things don't go perfectly from start to finish.

From the outside, the publishing world does often seem as if it would be fun and glamorous. But when it comes right down to it, writing a book and seeing it published is 90% blood, sweat, and tears. That 10% of joy I feel when I hold the finished book in my hand and later hear from readers who loved it has to carry me through the writing of the next one. And it does.

I love what I do. I just don't always love doing it. {{grin}}

-rlh-

editing woes

Last week is not one I want to ever repeat. I won't bore you with details. Suffice to say, sometimes things don't go as they should in publishing. S-T-R-E-S-S!!! Ah, the writing life. It is so glamorous ... NOT! [Update: FYI, I love this publisher that this book is for. See follow up post.]

A friend sent me this YouTube video and I had to share with you. It cheered me up. I was informed that this is just what it is like when you are not a morning person. I need to know this because I am a morning person. In fact, I may be one of these smiling, singing, golden, glowing, annoying characters you see in this video. Daughter #1 (not a morning person) despised my sunny "Good mornings" when I would wake her up for school. But she loves me anyway, dear child. LOL!

Have a sunny, happy day!

-rlh-

2007 Wrap Up: looking forward, looking back

I let myself relax over this past Christmas week. Not that I didn't do some work, but I didn't allow myself to feel under the gun. I moved at my own pace. I must say that this was the least stressed December I've had in a decade, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Too often I've been under a tight deadline during the holidays.

Well, I do have a deadline, of course. And tomorrow I must hit the ground running. So last evening, I took down all the Christmas decorations. Everything is back in boxes and stored in the garage. It helps that I do just enough decorating to feel festive and not so much that the idea of putting things away is mind-boggling. Been there, done that.

Like many other believers, I've gotten in the habit of asking the Lord for a word for the coming year. In 2005, the word was Endurance. In 2006, the word was Victory. For 2007, I was given two words: Peace and Simplicity. I can look back and see how the Lord taught me many things as He brought those words to fruition in my life. For 2008, God has again given me two words instead of one: Intimacy and Devotion. I already have a hint of what He means to teach me in relation to those words, but I also know there is much I don't understand yet. And so I look forward with anticipation to the new year.

Since I read through the Bible twice in a row (Bible in a year in 2005 and the Bible in 90 Days in 2006), I spent 2007 doing Bible studies and focusing on specific books. But now I'm ready to return to my usual reading schedule (whole Bible in odd-numbered years, New Testament 3 x in even-numbered years). I've got my reading schedule for going through the NT three times, and I'm starting with the New Living Translation but haven't decided which translations I'll use for the other two read-throughs.

This year was a busy one for me. I sold my large home with its large yard and bought a smaller home with a small yard and no yard work. I still have way too many boxes stacked in my garage, but little by little I'm getting through them. When I moved to my last house in 1996, it took me at least a year to get fully settled. So looks like I'm running true to form.

What books did I work on in 2007? A Cloud Mountain Christmas in Hearts Evergreen, Steeple Hill, Nov 2007; The Perfect Life, Women of Faith Fiction/Thomas Nelson, Mar 2008; Wagered Heart, Zondervan, May 2008; Bundle of Joy, Steeple Hill, Nov/Dec 2008; and (just barely started) an untitled historical for Zondervan to be released the very end of 2008. I guess I wasn't lazy this year.

Favorite novels I read in 2007 (in the order I read them): Ten Thousand Charms by Allison Pittman; The Road by Cormac McCarthy; A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; The Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck; Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson; and Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. I reread some great books, too, including C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters. Love that book!

I don't make it to many first-run movies, mostly because it isn't much fun to go alone and fitting my schedule with the schedule of others too often doesn't work out. So I'm a DVD gal, thanks to Netflix. So here's a few of my favorite movies that I watched in 2007: Amazing Grace; We Are Marshall; Little Manhattan; and Freedom Writers. I enjoyed the new National Treasure: Book of Secrets movie that I saw on Christmas Day, although still like the first one better. And I hope to make it to see Enchanted before it's gone from the theaters.

What else should I add? Hmm. Unhappily, I'm carrying an extra 6 pounds, put on after moving out of the two-story house where I went up and down the stairs an average of 30 times a day. My official work-outs have been sporadic. I get really good for a month or so, then "fall off the wagon" and get lazy. December has been a lazy period. So one of my goals for the new year is to be consistently faithful at my exercise. I took up knitting again after a 30 year break and am really enjoying it. I've already made scarves for Daughter #1 and Granddaughter #1, as well as one for myself. Grandson #2 requested a hat, which is finished but I think it will be too large for him. I just ordered a few knitting books, plus Debbie Macomber's Knit Together, the latter purchased for both spiritual and knitting inspiration. And finally, one more goal for 2008: To be more faithful in my journaling. I was sporadic at it this year, and I feel it. I learn more from life when I write it down and can reflect on it. As the Lord says, "Remember..." It helps me remember when I have a record of events and emotions and revelations.

So there you go. My year in review. What about you? What stands out for you? Do you have a word or words for 2008? How about any goals or New Year's Resolutions? Please share if you feel so inclined.

And Happy New Year!

-rlh-

better to write on black friday

I don't get up early the day after Thanksgiving to go shopping. Just not my cup of tea. This year, some local stores started their sales on the evening of Thanksgiving, and here in Boise, the mall opened at 1 A.M. today. One o'clock in the morning? Are people crazy? Just how badly do you want that Wii?

Since this is a working day for me (I will finish this book, I will finish this book, I will finish this book) with little time to spare for a blog post, I'm going to mention the wonderful Chapter a Week email that readers can subscribe to. There's a subscribe link in the sidebar of this blog, down by the Weather Pixie.

With a Chapter a Week subscription, you'll receive one email per week with short excerpts (about a thousand words) of great new books. Here's something from this week's entry:

Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Unable to find her own Mr. Darcy, she created him.

Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma...these titles conjure up a romantic world of rolling English country-sides, elegant balls, noble gentlemen, and headstrong gentlemen's daughters. But how much do we know about the woman who immortalized those times and names like Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett? Growing up in a clergyman's home gave Jane Austen opportunities to watch human nature at its best...and worst.  Just Jane is a bio-novel, a biography scened-out to read like a novel.  It gives Jane a chance to tell her life's story, in her own delightful and insightful words.

To read a chapter of this fun new title go to ChapterAWeek  or order it online at Amazon.com

Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend, and if you've been out shopping, I hope you found the deals you wanted.

-rlh-

thankful . . . even for the deadline

Daughter #1's house is probably starting to smell good about now. Me, I'll pop my contribution into the oven in another hour. In the meantime, I'm working. This book is due on Monday, and it'll be by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin that I make it.

Our society has done a good job of taking Christ out of Christmas and it has done a similar number by taking the thanks out of thanksgiving. Today is often referred to as Turkey Day, and thus many who can afford to celebrate with a big turkey and stuffing and sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes with turkey gravy and several kinds of pie for dessert fail to stop a moment to count their blessings.

I'm thankful for so much. I'm thankful for another year with my mom (approaching her 94th birthday). I'm thankful for my daughters and their families, for the love we share and for always being there, no matter what. I'm thankful for my dearest and closest of friends, who know me well and love me anyway. I'm thankful for the community of Christian novelists who encourage one another as we pursue our callings. I'm thankful for my publishers, my editors, my agent, and my readers. I'm thankful for Mac computers and iPods and Blackberries. I'm thankful for Poppet and other pets I've loved through the years. I'm thankful for a good reliable car and a warm snug house when it is only 30 degrees outside at noon. I'm thankful that I live in America, even as I pray for a nation at war, without and within. I'm thankful for the freedom I enjoy to read the Bible. I'm thankful for good books to read when I go to bed at night.

And for all of the above, I'm thankful to God who gave me life and a purpose. I'm thankful for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Atheists can deny Him until the end of time, and it does not negate that He is God, that He is the Creator, and that He loves us.

So here is to Thanksgiving Day instead of turkey day. Here is to remembering to be thankful.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin

reader mail

One of the greatest pleasures of being a writer is hearing from readers who have enjoyed your books. Many (and probably most) writers read and reply to their reader mail personally. I do, at any rate. However, I often have to let the mail stack up until I find a free moment to respond. Snail mail is the hardest to stay on top of. I don't get as much of it as I do email, but since I put it in a To Do stack, it isn't in my face the way the unanswered emails are. Therefore, I let that pile grow before I take an afternoon or a full day to reply.

Because of the type of books I write — books that tap into the emotions, often times dealing with tough life situations (alcoholism, marriage in crisis, war, family secrets) — some of my mail can be emotional to read. Readers often share things from their personal lives, and the stories they share can be heartbreaking. I'm often asked to pray for them which I am always honored to do.

Over the past few days, I was busy replying to reader emails. I had several from recent readers of my 2005 release, The Victory Club, a novel set on the homefront during WWII. One of the readers had fought in the Pacific and survived Iwo Jima. Another shared memories of her family while her father fought overseas. Since I wrote this book as my way of honoring our military who put themselves in harm's way and their families who sacrifice so much while their loved ones are away from home, it's nice that it is still being found and enjoyed by readers.

Reader mail can be a great encouragement as I'm working on my next book. I always wrestle with doubt that I can pull the book together. I sometimes wonder if I have the talent required or the brain cells left to make sense of it all. That is particularly true at the moment as I try to finish a massive rewrite. So reading these emails from people who have enjoyed my books lifted my spirits and increased my resolve to make this book the very best that I possibly can.

Later this week, I mean to tackle the out of control stack of snail mail — and I hope that not too many of them have moved and have an expired forwarding address.

-rlh-

ahhh...

I've been doing some major revisions on an historical novel for many weeks now (seems like forever). But this weekend, I had to stop revising in order to proof typeset pages for my contemporary Women of Faith novel that releases in March. I finished proofing the pages this afternoon, made copies of the 26 pages that had corrections/changes, logged onto my FedEx account and completed a shipping form, slipped the pages into the envelope, and drove it over to the nearby FedEx drop off location. In another hour or so, that envelope will begin its two day trek from Boise, Idaho to Nashville, Tennessee.

Ah.... Feels so good to reach this point. Next time I see A Perfect Life will be when my author copies arrive on my doorstep. I am still waiting to see the final cover treatment.

I was rather looking forward to an evening of vegging in front of the TV while watching Dancing with the Stars (will Marie Osmond faint again?). Then my #1 daughter called. She couldn't get on an early flight from Salt Lake to Boise, and so she needs me to pick up #1 granddaughter at volleyball tryouts while my son-in-law is with #2 grandson at his soccer practice. So I've now printed off the Google directions from my house to the tryout location. So much for vegging! A huge athletic building filled with teenage girls is a little noisier than what I had in mind. LOL! But it's worth it to be with one of my grandkids. They're just the best.

-rlh-

potpourri

Item #1:  The Leopard OS for the Mac is coming and I'm going to have it. My upgrade disks will arrive on Friday. I plan to upgrade my laptop first and see what happens before I upgrade my main machine. My friends who are longtime Mac users tell me that they've always had easy upgrade experiences without glitches. But others have said they wait awhile until any unexpected glitches appear and are fixed.

Item #2: After some research, I'm supporting Mike Huckabee for the Republican party's nomination for President. I believe we are at a critical place in this nation's history, and I shudder to think about our future under some candidates.

Item #3:  I'm two days late with my Christian Fiction Monday, but here you go:

Deborah Raney's books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Readers' Choice Award and the Silver Angel from Excellence in Media, and Playing by Heart was a Christy Award finalist. Deborah's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. She and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. They have four children and two little grandsons who live much too far away. Visit Deb's website at http://www.deborahraney.com

The brand new sequel to A Vow to Cherish, will release this week from Steeple Hill in mass market format. Within This Circle continues the story of John Brighton and Julia Sinclair. After a tumultuous courtship, John and Julia Brighton have a second chance at happiness, a fresh marriage and, now that their children are grown, a new era in their lives to revel in the promise of the future. Only such a promise is never guaranteed. And life can change in a heartbeat.

A Vow to Cherish released in mass market format last month. This beautiful book duo would make a wonderful Christmas gift for your favorite reader.

Friday already

The week has disappeared, so here is the latest from my little corner of the world:

On the writing front, if these rewrites on my historical romance novel don't kill me ... (yada, yada, yada). The good news is that the story will be much stronger in the end. I do regret that all of my reference books have yet to be unpacked from my move last spring. I would love to be able to get my hands on a few of them.

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On the family front, yesterday I spent several hours in the ER with my elderly mom. She suffered an attack of vertigo early in the morning and was so sick from it that I began to fear she might be having a stroke. Thankfully it was nothing that serious. Some meds to make her world stop spinning and to calm her nausea made all the difference. She is much better today. We are hopeful it won't return.

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And finally, on the CFBA tour for this week, the featured book is by my good buddy, Brandilyn Collins, who loves me even though I'm a wimp and get nightmares from her books. So if you like really scary books by a truly wonderful writer, pick up Crimson Eve soon.

Do you know someone who’s never read a Brandilyn Collins novel? Should you have such a friend—someone who enjoys suspense—here’s a special offer from Brandilyn. Be among the first 50 people between now and October 21, 2007 to e-mail her assistant at gayle.brandilyncollins@gmail.com with the person’s name, e-mail address and street address. (Due to exorbitant overseas mailing costs, United States residents only, please).

A signed copy of Crimson Eve will be sent to your friend—free—along with an e-mail from Brandilyn announcing the book is on its way, courtesy of you. (Don’t worry. Brandilyn won’t spam these email addresses. She just wants your friend to know who to thank.) No worries that this story is third in the Kanner Lake series. Each book stands alone. Brandilyn is convinced your friend will so love Crimson Eve, he/she will surely reciprocate with expensive chocolate.

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And here is a reminder that today is the last day to get into the drawing for Mosaic by Amy Grant. See this blog post for details.

-rlh-

this and that

Sorry for the protracted silence/spotty blog posting. I'm still deep in revision-land, trying to keep track of the various changes I've made as I work my way through this old manuscript. But I have a few things to say today, so here goes:

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My latest book has arrived at my house. It isn't in stores just yet, but it should be available soon. The book is Hearts Evergreen (Steeple Hill, November). There are two Christmas romance novellas in this book, mine (A Cloud Mountain Christmas) and one by Katheryn Springer. This is a mass market romance, and that means it comes and goes from stores in the blink of an eye. If you want a copy, buy it soon.

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Jill Eileen Smith has an interview spotlight with me on her web site that some of you might find interesting. She asked lots of writing related questions.

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I am currently involved in the Breaking Free bible study by Beth Moore. I believe Beth is a truly anointed teacher, and I never do one of her studies without God revealing something to me that I never expected going in. If you've never done one of her studies, I highly recommend them, especially Believing God.

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Heads Up!  Would you like a chance to win one of three hardcover copies of Amy Grant's new book, Mosaic? Well, tune into this blog the week of October 15th for details. I'm currently reading a copy of it now, and it's a lovely mixture of lyrics and memories, bits and pieces of Amy's life so far.

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I would really like to own an iPhone. Seriously, I would. They are too cool. But AT&T's cellular service in the Boise area is not good. Too many complaints about it for me to leave Verizon which has been the best cellular service for me. Plus I've got lots of long distance friends on Verizon, too, and I enjoy our free chats.

Anyway, I decided to try out the new iPod Touch, having been led to believe it would work as my PDA for contacts and calendar. Ooh, truly cool device. It's so thin and light. It is the iPhone without cellular service. Only I got it home, and I learned that, unlike the iPhone, the Touch doesn't allow me to add new appointments to the calendar. Contacts, yes. Calendar, no. How stupid is that? It is the same technology as the iPhone, and they leave off that capability. I took it back to the Mac store since it does me no good if I can't enter appointments in it when I'm out and about.

At the end of the month, when I'm eligible for the new every two, I'm going for a Verizon Blackberry and putting an end to my iPhone envy.

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This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is featuring Kristin Billerbeck's The Trophy Wives Club. I featured it in an earlier blog post. It was delightful! In her usual witty chick lit voice, Kristin tackles a serious topic. This is now my favorite Billerbeck novel.

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Okay, back to the revision salt mines.

-rlh-

this, that, and the other

Revisions and Rewrites:

I've been keeping my nose to the proverbial grindstone and will continue to do so for the next few weeks. Expect blog posts to be sporadic as I don't know much about the world beyond what is happening in the story in front of me (although while I worked out this morning, I saw that OJ was arrested).

Breaking Free:

I decided to participate in the Beth Moore study, Breaking Free. It started last week. The other two Moore studies that I've done (Believing God and Living Beyond Yourself) were both done on my own using the on-line videos. So it is nice to be doing this with a group. I think there were between 80 and 100 women in my class. There is another class doing it on a different day and time. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lord reveals to me through this class.

Christian Fiction Monday:

It's that time again for me to feature another great author and great book. This Monday the book is from my good friend and fellow brainstorming partner, Tricia Goyer. Tricia is an amazing writer and her books set against the backdrop of war are intricately researched and fascinating to read. So don't miss her latest.

Shadow of Treason
Book 2 in the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series

Sophie discovers that nothing is as she first imagined. When Walt, the reporter who helped her over the border, shows up again after Guernica is bombed, Sophie is given an impossible mission. She must leave behind the man she's fallen in love with and return to the person who betrayed her. Another layer of the war in Spain is revealed as Sophie is drawn into the international espionage schemes that could turn the tide of the war and help protect the soldiers from the International Brigade ... she must find a way to get a critical piece of information to Walt in time.

Read the first chapter of Shadow of Treason.

Tricia's Bio:

Tricia Goyer has written seven novels for Moody Publishing. Night Song was awarded American Christian Fiction Writer's 2005 Book of the Year for Best Long Historical. Dawn of a Thousand Nights won the same award in 2006.  Tricia has also written Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom (Zondervan, 2004), 10 Minutes to Showtime (Thomas Nelson, 2004), and Generation NeXt Parenting (Multnomah, 2006). Life Interrupted was a 2005 Gold Medallion finalist in the Youth Category.  Also, coming out in the next year are: My Life, Unscripted (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Generation NeXt Marriage (Multnomah, Spring 2008), and 3:16-the teen version of the a book by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, Spring 2008).

Tricia and her husband John live with their three children in Kalispell, Montana. Tricia's grandmother also lives with them, and Tricia volunteers mentoring teen moms and leading children's church. Although Tricia doesn't live on a farm, she can hit one with a rock by standing on her back porch and giving it a good throw.

yipee, skippy

Well, my book went off to my editor yesterday morning. I am happy with it right up until the last two chapters. Then it is awful, dreadful, pitiful, pathetic. (In case you didn't figure that out, I am unhappy with the ending.) Thankfully, revisions will come back to me soon, and I'll have a chance to fix what is wrong and add what isn't there but is needed.

In the meantime, I have revisions on a different book to work on, so I will be keeping my nose to the grindstone for the foreseeable future. No rest for the wicked, as my grandma used to say.

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The book on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's blog tour this week is Camy Tang's debut novel, Sushi for One?  Lots of chatter about this book from a self-described "loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick lit." For more information about Camy, visit her web site.

FYI, to celebrate the launch of her novel, Camy has a contest going on. She is giving away baskets of Christian novels and an iPod Nano! Only her newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today.

-rlh-

blog tours in the NYT

Angie Hunt sent me a link to an article in the New York Times that is definitely worth reading if you are a writer and/or a blogger. (You must have a NYT log-in to read, but it's free, so sign up if you need to.)

The Author Take Q.'s Now:

“When you’re not in the book business you think, of course they’re going to send you around,” she said.

Chances are, unless an author is especially high-profile or promising or willing to pony up for expenses, they’re not.

Fortunately for Ms. Cohen, her memoir has made it onto at least one best-seller list even without a traditional reading and signing tour. She credits a write-up in People magazine, along with a newer publishing tool: the blog book tour, in which an author pops up on a series of blogs, usually over days or weeks, variously writing guest posts, answering questions from the host or sitting for a podcast, a video interview or a live chat. The blogs’ readers may comment and leave more questions. Ideally, they follow links to the author’s Web site and to an online retailer like Amazon.

Again, worth reading.

-rlh-

PS  Please note that both of the authors pictured in the NYT article are using Apple laptops as is the author pictured above. Must be significant in some way. Don't you think?

dead as in deadline

Oh, man. The end of a book is tough. This is when I doubt myself the most.

I'm tired. My eyes are tired. (That's me, yawning and rubbing my eyes to prove it.) My derrière is tired. My neck is tense. My brain is strained.

This is a novel that has been written with constant interruptions (before, during, and after my move), so I feel fractured. I hope the story isn't fractured, too. It's due on my editor's desk (or rather, via email, on her computer) by Tuesday morning. Not a lot of time for that final spit and polish I like to do.

I haven't written "The End" yet but I'm getting close. I am currently going through the manuscript and adding a couple more POVs that I realized yesterday were really needed. That's helping my word count as well. I'm on the short side. I have friends who write long and have to cut. That has never been my problem. Never. I'm pithy.

Okay, yawning over. Back to those new POV scenes.

-rlh-

words, words, words

Every once in a while, I run across a new word that just begs to be used in a book. Got one of those today. Of course, it has to be the right word in the right book used at the right time. That I don't know yet.

malacia (mu-LA-shuh, -shee-uh) noun

   1. An abnormal craving for spiced food.

   2. Softening of the organ or tissue.

[From Greek malakia (softness), ultimately from the Indo-European root
mel- (soft) which also gave us malacology (study of mollusks), malt,
melt, and mulch.]

I don't know if it's abnormal, but I do love spicy foods. I also love tart foods and sweet foods — which may account for the reason I'm joining some other writers in a weight loss effort this fall.

-rlh-

want a chuckle

My friend Katy over on Fallible has a Laugh Out Loud post on her blog called Talk Dirtily to Me.

It's for every writer who feels deprived of their favorite l-y adverbs, exclamation points, and use of caps.

Robin, writing madly, furiously, exhaustively toward her deadline and I'M NOT KIDDING!!!!!!!

nice surprises

I returned from the northern Idaho writers' retreat on Monday afternoon. After a couple of days of catching up (laundry, banking, paying bills, sorting mail, buying groceries, cleaning up, etc.), it was time to dig into the manuscript and make some of the necessary changes that resulted from great brainstorming. Which is why I haven't posted a blog for a week. Just plain too busy.

Yesterday I took my mom to her usual Thursday lunch. Normally I drop her off and run other errands while she eats with her friends. But I decided to dine with them. The ladies were 93, 93, 91, and 89. I was the young pup. It was kind of a hoot.

When we got home from lunch, there was an email waiting for me that two of my 2006 releases (both of them hardcover novellas) are finalists in the ACFW Book of the Year contest. Diamond Place (Revell) is the 3rd book in the Hart's Crossing series. A Carol for Christmas (Zondervan) is, as the title makes clear, a Christmas story, a prequel to this summer's release, Return to Me. Winners will be announced at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference, held in Dallas in September.

Speaking of Return to Me, it was the featured release this week on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. I was stunned to discover it managed to reach #2 on Technorati's Popular Books list on August 2nd. Why surprised? Because Harry Potter has been ruling the roost for the past two weeks. All seven Potter books have been eating up the ratings because so many bloggers are talking about them. One just cannot fight with a cultural phenomenon. Regardless, thanks to the bloggers who were talking about RTM and to those who read and reviewed the book.


I'll be keeping my head low for a few more weeks as I finish the WIP, but I'll try to drop in now and then.

-rlh-

Technorati Tags: ACFW contest, Diamond Place, Carol for Christmas, Return to Me, Robin Lee Hatcher