A Story To Tell

"And I got nothing for you darling but a story to tell/ About the rain on the pavement and the sound as it fell." - "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?" by The Gaslight Anthem

Yes, today I do have a story to tell. In fact, it's a new novel I have been planning for over a year and just really started to write today. It is going to be mainstream commercial fiction, a slight departure from the Willow series which is most definitely women's fiction, and I am really excited about it. The title is Who We Thought We Were and it is the story of eight friends who grew up together and reunite twelve years after graduation, only to discover that they are not really the people they thought they were back in high school. Nothing sinister or anything, just exploring the real life fact that for most of us, we do not end up being the people we thought we would be when we pictured our future as teenagers. And we do not live those dreamed about lives either, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, as my characters come to realize. The working promo pitch is:

Sometimes knowing yourself in the present means reliving your past.

So, what do you think? Remember, this is just my first attempt at a pitch for this book, so there will be changes and improvements along the way.

Thank goodness for Columbus Day, which my very generous employer gave me off as a surprise holiday, because I was able to sit in a quiet house with nothing to do but focus on my writing. That is a rare commodity that I don't take for granted. I was afraid that I would have a hard time starting this new novel since it's quite different from my Willow Ryan books, but I actually got into it pretty quickly. I wrote 2,000 words today and am now on a writing high, feeling totally exhilarated that I started a new project and am back into the writing groove. Now to get published... that's a goal I'm still working on.

Mark my words, one of these days you will walk into a bookstore and see my work on the shelves. I'm still looking for an agent and have queries for my first Willow book out there, and I will keep trying until I succeed, which I will some day. My writing just means too much to me to ever stop, and that's not just the writing high talking! I am actually feeling strangely optimistic today. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

I Hope You're Having Fun!

"And the first one said to the second one there/ "I hope you're having fun!" - "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney and Wings

This is my 100th blog post! I hope all of you out there have been enjoying what I have had to say all these months about my writing aspirations and my adventures in nannying, and I'll keep the posts coming as long as people will read them.

I read somewhere that when Paul McCartney started the band Wings, they played for gas money. I realized yesterday that if I'm lucky enough to sell a book a day, that will basically buy me a tank of gas and a couple of drinks at Starbucks. That's not much, so it's a good thing I'm having fun! I love to write and even if I never make any money at it, I'll never stop and I'll never give up trying to make a career out of this. Being a writer is not something I do, but something that I am, as I'm sure most writers can relate to.

So here's to the 100 posts I've written, the heartfelt poems that I may decide to share with the world one day, the articles taken from my years of experience working with children, and my three completed Willow Ryan novels. I hope there are many more to come!