Adventures in travel

I'm now traveling out of a small airport, not a big hub like Minneapolis, and traveling small has its benefits. Example? My flight last Thursday was canceled due to weather and I was rebooked on the next flight, about 4 hours later. There are only about two dozen flights a day out of that airport, so when flights get canceled, it's chaos. But it's a very small airport, so it's controlled chaos.

Me? I went home, had a nap, ate lunch, then came back. It takes about 5 minutes to get through security and another 2 minutes to find my gate, one of 7 in the airport. Piece of cake.

Yeah, it's inconvenient that I don't have a lot of choices. But a lack of choices also simplifies life quite a bit. And you know -- I'm getting to that point in life where simplified choices is looking pretty darn good....

Can I leave my computer behind?

I'm prepping to go to my first conference of the year (Love Is Murder) and I'm traveling light, just taking carry-on. It's a low-key conference and I don't need a lot of clothing, etc., and I mailed my books and promo items to myself at the hotel, so hopefully they'll be there and waiting for me.

I figured I wouldn't take a computer. I mean, heck, it's a 3 day conference and my roommate and travel buddy will have a laptop. Then I had that nagging little thought. "What if?" What if I get stuck at the airport with a delayed flight (in Chicago, not here. If I'm stuck here, I'll just come home. I'm 20 minutes from the airport. Piece of cake). What if I want to keep my momentum going on that story I'm writing?

Grr. Okay, maybe I'll take a computer. I have 3 to choose from. Well, actually I have 5 to choose from. I know, I'm an over-buyer when it comes to tech. I have 3 very small computers: a Vaio 8", a Toshiba 10" and an HP 12". Then there are my laptops (work, home) but those are too heavy.

Okay, I'll give in. I got out the Vaio and I'm updating it now -- Open Office, Windows OS, etc., all needed an update since I haven't used it since -- hmm -- last summer? I'll put it in my shoulder bag and I'll have it and I'll lay you odds, I don't open it once on this trip.

But hey: better to be safe than sorry, right? Because someday that "what if" scenario will come true and I'll be damn glad I was prepared!

I missed a day because ...

I was busy. Icky busy. Icky as in, I had a colonoscopy so I had all that lovely prep to do. Nothing like sitting in the bathroom for a few hours to help you get caught up on your reading, at least.

Everything went well -- I think. Some biopsies were taken and we'll have the results soon. I don't have any particular worries, but you know how it is -- a curve ball can come at you at any time. So I remain cautiously optimistic.

As I sat there, doing my business, I was reading Jane Eyre. I have toyed with the idea of writing a kinda Jane Eyre book. I hesitate to say too much about it unless I actually get working on it, but suffice it to say, I found Jane absorbing enough to my mind off my woes. Hats off to you, Ms. Bronte!

And I spent the afternoon after the Event resting and relaxing. I was so groggy I had to just be limp. I watched some TV then in the evening I indulged in pajamas and a movie: Finding Neverland. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I realized, as I watched it, that I was truly feeling better. I figured out a way to turn Peter Pan into a murder mystery.

Add another book to my To Be Written stack!

Craft versus crap

I forgot what it was to Craft a book, not just write one. I'm taking my time, thinking about every word, examining the scene and making sure I have a goal there, making sure the scene is moving the book forward.

I don't do that when I write a mystery. I tend to get the story down quickly then I go back, fluff it up a bit, then I consider it done. Once Kathy has read it, I add more to it, tweaking it here and there. I don't Craft as I go.

But this Big Book has to be done that way, I think. Otherwise it's going to become superficial. And Lord knows, this won't be a superficial series if it works out the way I want it to.

Fingers crossed I can maintain this level of concentration. If I can, I think I'll have a story worth reading...

Good Lord, this is hard

I'm working on my Big Book. Actually, it'll probably turn out to be 5 books or more.

I've been working on this for 5 years I think. I've started innumerable drafts, finished some, tossed some away, started from scratch 5 or 6 times. It's a Big Story -- spanning generations, etc. It's all-consuming when I work on it. These characters take root in my head and just live there for months at a time.

I love working on it but I despair of ever getting it Right. I feel like I'm doomed to always write a rough draft.

Maybe this time.

Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep writing. Keep writing.

Deep breath... promo

Started on my New Year's Resolution: promotion. I made a foray back onto some loops to post blurbs about my books. I've decided to focus on 3 different books each month. Lord knows, I have enough of them -- 20 at last count.

So I'll post something daily about one or the other of the books. Today I did If Not For You and Mist. An old book and a new book.

Will it make any difference?

Who knows!

I lied

Yep. I'm going to keep this blog going. I'm using it as a record for 2012. I don't expect anything exciting to happen, but a blog is a simple way to keep a record of my doings.

So here we are, Jan. 2: what's happening? I'm trying to decide whether to get a new car. I wrestle with this question often. I buy a car, I love it, then after 2 or 3 years, I want a new car. My husband thinks I should lease because "I can't make up my mind." He just doesn't understand that sometimes a person just wants a change.

So I may go out and test drive some cars today.

On a writing note: I'm not sure what to work on. I think I should write something that I feel like doing, but right now I'm torn between my latest mystery (the Pooh book) or my sci fi series (Booker's book). So I may take a day off and think about it.

Or maybe I'll go to a movie and say to hell with it all for the day! I'm trying to let my spontaneous side out to play...

Promotion, summer-style

I am once again thinking about promo. I took a month off while we moved but I'm going to gear up and get back in the swing of it next week. I set Sept. 1 as my "start off with new habits" goal, and I'm contemplating what my goal should be for promo.

It has to be fun, something I'll do, and something that won't annoy me. I really dislike strident "buy me" kinds of promotions, so I'll probably try to figure out something fun, like "Avoid my blog on Fridays, that's when I promote" or something like that. I have a hefty back list I can promote, and that's what I'm going to focus on this fall.

So here's my first blast: the History Patrol series. Buy it (kidding: check it out.) It's got reincarnation, romance, shape-shifters, telepathic animals and great villains (John Dillinger, Jessie James, a mad scientist). Seriously. It's fun and thought-provoking.

And I had a heckuva time writing them, so I hope you appreciate the effort!


But they were fun to write, too....

Road trip!

I'm on the road again, this time going to Minnesota -- what an odd feeling, going FROM Iowa TO Minnesota. This is my first trip back since we moved, and it will be interesting. I'll be staying in a hotel, and it will be a very fast visit: in on Thursday, back on Saturday.

Mixed feelings, for sure. I wanted to drop by our old house and gather seeds from one of the plants in my old garden. I brought those seeds with me from Pittsburgh when we moved, 20 years ago, and the plant should be seeding now. But the buyer of our house has sent a nasty-gram to her realtor, describing how we "deceived" her about the condition of the house.

I don't want to get into details in a public forum. Suffice it to say, there was a house inspection done and we corrected any issues that were brought to our attention. The issues being raised are ones we were unaware of at the time of sale.This whole thing has been very hurtful for us, because we really bent over backward, trying to fix the house up and leave it in great shape for the buyer. We put together lists of info about the house (maintenance things, when we bought what, who to contact about what, how to manage the garden)... very detailed info. My husband spent hours (really, days) of time spackling and painting and cleaning and organizing and checking a million little details. We really felt we were turning over an excellent home -- only to be told ... well, I won't go into details.

Our new home has not been without pitfalls. We've done some repairs we didn't plan on but these things weren't found during the inspection, so that's how it goes. We had an excellent inspector go through the house, but he can't find everything. We expected to spend a bit of cash, and yes, we're spending more than we planned. But it's an older home and that just comes with the territory.

So I won't be able to go to the old neighborhood when I'm in Minn. To be honest, I don't want the chance of a confrontation. That's sad, because I have friends there I'd like to see. I'm hoping, in time the buyer will realize that this is all a part of home ownership. Maybe she's never owned a home before; maybe she got bad advice. Maybe she'll realize that it really is a great little home. Because it is, a nice home on a nice piece of land in a nice neighborhood.

That's why this will be a very odd trip -- a mixture of pleasure and worry. I'm looking forward to being there and also looking forward to coming back here -- because now 'here' is home and, as you know, there's no place like home!

Packing and Publishing

I discovered a surprising correlation between moving and writing as I packed up our house of 19 years and prepared for another move. I've moved a lot in my life (28 times at last count), but this time I really focused on weeding out as I packed. As I did, I was also working on a new book and I found myself comparing the two processes: writing and packing.

The key question I asked myself as I packed was: "do I want to unpack this when I get there? Is there a place for it?" I tried to imagine using that item in the new house. If I wasn't sure, I tossed it.

Okay. Confession. I kept a few things that have memories and will probably stay in a box for a long time, but for the most part, I winnowed it all down to only those things I thought I'd use.

I found that I did the same thing in the book I was writing. I tossed out scenes that just weren't quite right. They were fine as they were, but I didn't think they would move the book where I wanted it to go. I kept in a couple that I'm not sure will stay, but for the most part, I'm editing as I go and I know when I get to the end, I'll have only those scenes that I'm sure will work.

I normally don't edit a lot as I go. I usually slap down a first draft then go back and fix it up. But I think the job of packing made me stop and think as I write, just as I stopped and thought as I packed.

What has been interesting is to see are the consequences of my pack-and-toss method. We've been in the new house for two weeks and every box has at least been opened, if not unpacked. What was surprising?

We moved way too much stuff! Despite all of our efforts to weed out, it seemed like an unending stream of boxes came out of that moving van. And when I unpacked items into my new office, I found myself saying, "Why did I pack that? I could have tossed that and not missed it." I moved research books that I used for previous novels, I moved files and folders and ... stuff. I don't need it. I wanted to have it with me, though.

It made me realize that, a lot of the time, I'll write a scene in my current WIP because I want to write that scene. It may not be useful in that book, but I'm pretty sure I'll use it somewhere, sometime. So I'm not going to restrain myself anymore. I'll write the scene. And maybe when I get to the end and go back to "unpack"(edit) my book, I'll shake my head and say, "What the heck was I thinking?" Then I'll just move that scene to a new folder called "Orphan Scenes" and I'll keep for the next book, or the next one, or the next.

I'll find a place for it -- just like I've found a place for all the things I moved but probably 'shouldn't have.' I suspect at some point in the future, I'll be glad I kept it. And when I get to the next move, maybe by then I can let go of it. 

Or move it ... we'll see!

Random updates from the front lines

Time for my once-and-again updating as life continues to toss events my way.

Packing is going very well. We're on target to move in less than a month (eek!) and so far, everything appears to be handled: movers booked, utilities figured out, closing times set. We'll make a trip over the Fourth to drop some 'precious' items at a friend's house (things we don't want the movers to move). Looks like we'll be camping out on air beds for at least 2 nights, and in a hotel one night (with 4 cats: oh, joy).

On the publishing front: 3 books out in the Deadly Landscaping series (see my Mystery blog for those), 2 books out in the History Patrol series (see my Paranormal/Time Travel blog for those), covers done for the next HP book and the next mystery book, edits done for yet another mystery book (to be released later this year), work in progress going well (albeit slowly because of all the packing).

All in all: I'm pleased with where I am at this point. Looking forward to starting a new working life as a telecommuter. I have my health issues mostly managed, and I'm looking forward to new adventures.

Don't know when I'll get chance to update again, but expect to hear from me before we move. Until then: buy a book or two, sit back, and have fun! I'll have more for you in the future....

    

Packing and Publishing: They're So Much the Same!

I am packing for a move to a new home, 250 miles away. I've got a month or two to get packed, and I've already begun the Big Weed-Out, so I'm not too stressed about getting packed. But I figured I'd get a jump on it over Memorial Day weekend. My move will be bookended by holidays: start packing on Memorial Day and hopefully finish unpacking and be settled by Labor Day.

The best laid plans ... well, we can hope.

As I've been getting rid of Stuff and packing things away, I've discovered that the true test of whether or not to keep an item is when I ask myself, "Do I want to unpack this? Do I know where it will go?" If the answer is "yes" then it gets packed. If I don't know where I'll put it, I set the item aside and consider it for later. If I ask the question a second time and the answer is still 'no', then it goes in the Giveaway Pile.

Writing is like that, too, isn't it? If you write a scene or chapter and it just doesn't feel right, ask yourself: does the book need this scene? Can my book continue on quite happily without it? Do I want to add it to my book and 'unpack it' -- find a place for it? If the answer is "yes" then keep the scene. If the answer is no, tuck that chapter or scene into a file and save it for later. It may come in handy some other day.

Another thing I've discovered has to do with padding. I'm a sparse packer. I don't use a lot packing peanuts or paper. I tend to wrap fragile items in sweaters or clothing and hope for the best. I don't have a lot of really Prized Possessions. I have affection for many things, but if something gets broken, well, I'll probably be peeved then I'll figure out a replacement or do without.

Sort of like in writing, right? If you find yourself padding a scene or a chapter because it's not quite long enough or not 'right', then look at it and see what you can do without. Do you have a lot of peanuts surrounding the action ("peanuts", not ... well, you know!)? Are you treating your characters as though they're so precious they can't be allowed to stand on their own? Knock them down a bit, bounce them around, force them to act without your text holding them up. See who survives and who doesn't. They'll come out stronger for it, I can guarantee.

And lastly, pacing. I've moved a lot in my life (at last count, about 25 times in 40 years). I like to dig in and get a bunch of packing done 'ahead of time' because I know as we approach our move date something will go wrong -- or right -- and those best laid plans will go awry. Maybe our closing date will move up a few days. Maybe I'll have a new deadline at work (yes, I am still working full-time while writing and packing). Maybe the movers will need to accelerate the loading date. Maybe ... so I started a bit early, knowing that if I pack 2-4 boxes a day, I'll probably have a nice cushion of time in which I can 'relax' (yeah, right. Relax during a move to a new state? Dream on!)

Pacing is important in your writing life, too. There are times when you need to write and times when it's best to just take a bit of a break. Pace yourself. Dig in, work a bit on it every day (even if it's just some editing or a few tweaks here and there, the packing equivalent of 'I'll pack the coat closet today'). If you give it some of your effort every day, it will get done and you won't have that panicked feeling as you look at the calendar and realize how much time has passed. Set a goal and aim for it.

And hope that the best laid plans do not go awry!

Move update

Move, you ask?

Yes, "move," I say. My husband and I are contemplating a move to another state. We've lived in Minnesota for 20 years, which is the longest I've ever stayed in one place. There are a lot of circumstances coming together that make it simpler for us to move now, rather than later, so we're starting the search for a new home. We may build, we may buy, we may stay put. We'll see what happens.

What happened the last time we moved (20 years ago) was we said, "Well, let's toss out some resumes and see if anyone is interested." Within a month my husband had 3 job offers. So we put our house on the market and it sold in 48 hours.

Whoops. Looks like we're moving! That year we moved 4 times (once to an apartment, one to another apartment when the first apartment was involved in a building fire, once to a house and once to a second house). We've stayed put since then, but we're both getting the itch to try something new, so...

We'll see what happens! Stay tuned here for updates as life sorts itself out.

Politics ... again

I've been watching the Wisconsin events with interest. While I consider myself a liberal, in this case I think I side with the conservatives. I've long thought that unions are out of control in our country and I somewhat admire the governor for sticking to his guns.

I've never belonged to a union. I never had a guaranteed job. I never had a guaranteed salary. I've never had tenure. I understand why those guarantees were needed -- years ago. But I don't think unfair labor practices abound any more, not enough to justify what unions can demand. I don't think the benefit outweigh the abuses any more.

I've talked to so many parents who have pulled their kids from public schools because of poor teaching. Administrators have their hands tied when it comes to getting good people and keeping them and when it comes to getting rid of people who aren't performing adequately. I've seen it in colleges -- I was married to a professor and believe me, I've seen it in practice there. I've seen it with public employees. There are a lot of very good, dedicated employees and there are a lot who are slackers. In a place without unions, those people probably wouldn't have jobs. And that's how it should be, isn't it?

Why are people in unions afraid to stand on their own merit? Are those careers and people who evaluate performance really so biased? Are the labor practices so unfair? It seems like we have government oversight of just about every aspect of our lives. Surely abuses don't persist, do they?

I'm just not sure about this. It sounds like "I deserve a job" to me. It sounds like "I deserve to be taken care of." No one has ever guaranteed a job or a salary for me. Why do you deserve it? What makes your job so different? Why can't you be evaluated based on merit?

I just don't get it, not in today's age.

yes, it's confirmed: I don't belong here

I just got back from a visit to my hometown. This is the first time back since my Mom's funeral, and I wasn't sure how it would feel. After all, it's not really 'home' any more, is it?

Nope. It is home. Yes., it was odd being there without seeing her. But it also felt right -- that's my home, where I grew up, where my friends still live. I have friends here, but there's no friend like an old friend and I have several there. I love walking around town, I love the layout of the place, I like the feel.

It confirmed for me what I've been considering for a long time. I don't belong here. I belong there.

Now to make it happen.

Back in town and ready to work

I just got back from Love Is Murder, a great little conference in Chicago. I know: Chicago in February. Argh! But despite the mild travel headaches, it's a great conference.

Why? I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and I think LIM has the 3 things I really want in a conference:
the chance to interact with readers, one on one
a small group of authors, some with small press and others 'big' names: a nice mix of authors
a relaxed atmosphere, where I can hang out with readers and my peers

I'm tired of conferences that are all about promotion, or conferences where there's an "us" vs. "them" mentality (the Big Guys and the Small Guys).

Yep. Because of this weekend, I'm rethinking my conference plans for the year. What a great side effect from a good weekend!

Okay. Now back to our regularly scheduled program

I launched my new web site/slog -- a web site blog.

I'm not sure if it'll fly or not. I think there are still some kinks to work out. But after three days of transferring files, I think it's Good Enough.

That's an important distinction to make. It ain't perfect and I know it, but for now, it'll do. Someday (I know, I know: roll your eyes) someday I'll go ahead and have a pro design a web site for me. Someday I won't listen to my spouse when he says, "why don't you just ..." And Someday... well, you get the idea.

Anyway, there it is: jayellwilson.com. Poke at it and tell me if it's broken. If it is, I'll try to fix it. And stay tuned. It will probably change, and often. I find I enjoy tweaking things like web sites, blogs, etc.

No, no! Back to writing!

Pretend this is a web site

As you can tell, I still don't have a real web site yet. I'm getting bids from various designers, but it looks like it will be at least a month or so before I get something up and running. I am not in panic mode. Let's face it, I'm blogging here, there and everywhere a lot, I have this space to announce Stuff, and I'm not Nora and don't have adoring fans screaming for information about me (whew). So hang tight and a web site will appear someday.

Until then: minor news. I'm teaching a class in the Twin Cities. Come on out and join me: http://tinyurl.com/48c3zor .Trust me: we'll have a lot of fun and you'll learn something. Win-win!

Here it is! My latest book

Yep, the last book in the New Human series is here. Right here in digital and right here in print. In another week or so it will be on Amazon.

This book concludes Dru and Jak's story that was started in Living Proof. In Leap, they have to save the New Humans, deal with a plot to overthrow the government and figure out how to introduce the human/machine 'blends' into the population.

Oh. And Dru needs to figure out how to trust Jak again.

It's going to take a leap of faith to make it all work.

Yes, we're still on hold here

I'm working on getting pieces of my web site uploaded here as "Pages" on Blogger. I'm not sure if I'll use Blogger permanently or switch over to Wordpress. Blogger is SO much easier to use but WordPress may be a bit better looking.

Sigh. Go for looks? Go for comfort? Sort of like choosing high heels over sneakers.

I ordered a Blogger for Dummies book (I hate those titles but it was the only thing I could find). I already have WordPress books. I'm hoping the BfD book comes soon so I can delve into this, make a decision, and (ta da!) have a web site again.

Until then...stay tuned. This site will be tweaked and touched now and then as I get time. I'm trying to finish my latest book (about 4 chapters to go!), dealing with holidays, and still sorting through Mom's estate, trying to help get that settled.

Here's hoping 2011 is a bit more even-keeled.