So now begins the hard part...

Yes..PiBoIdMo 2013 is over, and now begins the sorting out of the ideas.

First I will take all the ideas that are for the characters I have already written about and consider making a chapter book out of them..How many chapters are typically in a chapter book?  Hmmm wondering minds wanna know. LOL

Next I think I will group the holiday ideas together.

Hmm after that I am not sure..but definitely will be giving it thought and writing out some more thoughts to go with each idea...

First I gotta find time for all that...ROFL..busy busy week, working on PR stuff for my job..and life itself..for some reason people in my home expect meals, clean clothes and clean dishes...I think they are setting their expectations a bit high myself..ROFL...

Have a great one...

I did it!! I finished PiBoIdMo!

YAY me!! I finished with 31 story ideas, this does not include the ideas I had for titles for stories, nor new characters I started developing for new stories.  I am so excited to be a part of this and look forward to next year..
Now time to write write write!!

Day 27

well it is Day 27 and I got behind, keeping my counter up..LOL I had my ideas written down, just hadnt updated the counter or blogged.

So Day 27 and I wrote down idea 31.  So I guess I have finished the challenge but I think I will just keep writing down the ideas until Dec 1.  Who knows what my squirrely brain will think of.

I loved this challenge and cannot wait until next year!! Looking forward to some of the other challenges next year too..

Happy Writing my friends!

PiBoIdMo How Goes it??

so all my Picture Book Idea Month friends, how is it going??
I am up to 22 ideas, tomorrow is the 20th, 2/3rd of the way through the month, and more than 2/3rd of the way with my ideas...soo being the ever so committed (read OCD) person that I am..today I started making charts...

First charts of the characters I have already created along with the settings I have already in stories I have written.

Next I set up a chart with possible characters.  As I have written down my ideas, I also have written down characters, so on the chart they went...(nice obedient little character that they are (for now LOL))

Then next I made another chart for possible settings..

So I will add to my charts as we finish up this month and then I will probably make some more charts...ROFL  Do you see a theme here??

One idea away from 2/3

So I am one idea away from 20, which will be 2/3rd of the way finished.  But I am not looking at the number 30 as my magical number.
No what I am wondering about is, which of these ideas will become stories?  So in preparation for that I am signing up for more information about 12x12 (12 stories in 12 months)  and NaNo has an event in May that sounds interesting to me.
I do know that I just want to take these ideas to the next level..

Did you think I forgot about PiBoIdMo??

Nope, just a super busy weekend and not a chance to blog or update my counter.
Saturday was idea-less :-o  I didn't like that but I was a few ideas ahead, but yesterday brought two ideas..so that was a good thing.

I am getting a bit antsy to start working on my ideas.  I did have a friend ask me how many of the ideas do I expect to turn into actual stories.  That is and was a hard question to answer.  I would love to say everyone of them, but realistically probably not.  Shooting for a third of them to be stories (this is my personal goal)

I hope your enjoying the Picture Book Idea Month, I know that I am!!

Days 7 & 8 of PiBoIdMo...

Well there are stories lurking around every corner.  Just waiting to jump out and jump into your head.
Whether it is from a strange noise you hear in your house or a trip to the thrift store, where it is a mad house because they are having an open house for Christmas.  Stories are lurking..just waiting for you to find them..

Where will you find your next story?

Today's Inspiration

Today's inspiration comes from a story my cousin posted about her little girl. When she posted it, I made some notes and emailed them to myself for further exploration of a story idea.  My cousin Kim has some of the funniest stories about her kids and they inspire stories in me, in fact I have a series of stories inspired by Bubba and Abbygale.  Thanks Kim for the inspiration!!

About emailing myself notes, I do this quite often because my memory doesn't always last until morning so I whip out the old smart phone and email myself reminders.  LOL It works for me, what can I say.  And just for inspiration, her are the adorable kidlets who inspire several of the stories I have written.

5th Day of PiboIdMo

Today I am feeling a bit uninspired, but as I was reading blogs, I was looking at a fashion blog, and an idea for a story popped into my head...I wrote it down quickly, because it seemed a bit harder to find today than the past four days...

Elusive Story Idea! bouncing around in my head.

Today's Idea...

Is/was inspired by the fact that today is my anniversary!! 28 years married to the most wonderful man in the world.  I love my Dave!!
I am loving how each day, the ideas are inspired by something going on around me.  This is neat..

Loving PiBoIdMo!!!

Day Three PiBoIdMo

So today is Sunday and I was at church and I had my bulletin and I thought I will see if I have my "idea" for the day (during the sermon, I know shame on me!!) So I sat there and my mind went blank, must have a been a God thing ;)  ROFL So I start paying attention to the pastor's sermon and all of sudden he says something and an idea popped into my head.  Scribbled all over my bulletin..LOL  I find for me, if I try to think of ideas they can be elusive, but if I just watch life, and see what is going on around me, they pop into my head randomly...I love this!!

Day Two is nearly done.....

 A great day for a great idea!!

It is so funny how and where you get ideas...a trip to visit someone in the hospital brought today's idea...now to get it from the scrap piece of paper in my purse that I wrote it on and record it in my journal.

Day One of 30 days of Picture Book Ideas!!

YAY PiBoIdMo started today!! Loved the article posted  by Tami Sauer about catchy titles, and beginning there.  Click HERE to read that article

So I need to go adjust my meter to record the ideas I had today..that I have written down!!

But I have to say, a trip to Wal-Mart is inspiring for sure..  That place is a story waiting to explode into someone's imagination, might as well be mine!!

Children's Author Blog Hop

Children's Author Blog Hop

Quite surprisingly, I was asked this week if I would take part in a blog hop. My first thought was, "A what?" Thankfully, an explanation followed. It sounded like a lot a fun, and though I'm not a published author (yet), I decided it was definitely something I wanted to do.

In short, a blog hop is a way authors/bloggers can promote one another and share their writing experience by answering several questions (usually three or four). Angie tagged me in her blog earlier this week, and I in turn have tagged three more bloggers at the end of this post. I hope you'll enjoy hopping around and finding other children's authors (and their books) through the Children's Author Blog Hop! Now for the questions:

What are you working on right now?

Currently I am developing a new series.  I have a couple of books sent off to my agent, and she is shopping them, so I am working on a new idea I had on vacation.  

How does your writing process work?

LOL, Well generally I either wake up in the middle of the night, or something will strike me as I am driving and I write it down on whatever I can find, then I sit down and write furiously while I am inspired, and then I edit like crazy. And then edit some more.  LOL   And lastly I will edit it again.  ROFL

Who are authors you most admire?

Wow, this is hard, since I am a book reviewer I probably have the chance to read more books than the average reader.  It is impossible to pick just a few authors, but in the children's genre I greatly admire Lucy Maude Montgomery, the author of the Anne of Green Gables books.  Also Laura Ingalls Wilder's books were favorites for me, as a youngster.

Where do you turn for instruction and inspiration?

Instruction, I have a couple of people I look to as mentors and I bend their ears, for inspiration I turn to nature.  I look around at the beautiful creation that God has given us, and I easily am inspired to take those places and create stories.  I do prefer critter stories.  Animal lover that I am.  

Here are a couple more bloggers who I hope you will visit as they go on tour next. Click on their names to go to their main blogs. Happy Blog Hopping!

Corine Hyman

Corine Hyman is first and foremost a Christian. She is am also a Clinical Psychologist who practices in Baltimore, MD.  However, she is passionate about writing books that educate, uplift, and help Christians, as well as non-Christians grow in their understanding of the Lord Jesus.  To date, Corine Corine has published two Christian Children Books: Why We Give Gifts at Christmas Time and My Journey With Jesus Christ.  She is currently working on the first book in a series that combines her training as a clinical psychologist and Christian faith.  The first book in this series is tentatively entitled Godly Feelings (look for it in the summer of 2014). 
Visit Corine's blog here. http://www.booksbycorine.com


Katie Clark

Katie Clark has been telling stories since she was seven years old. When she realized people liked hearing the stories, well, she was hooked. Katie’s published works include multiple children’s books, including A Tour of Your Muscular and Skeletal Systems, Animal Actors, Police Horses, and more. She is anticipating the publication her upcoming YA novel,Vanquished, the first book in the Enslaved series. You can learn more at her website,www.katieclarkwrites.com.

Jan Prahl

Jan says "I'm a daughter of THE King, wife of 30 years, homeschooling 

mother of 6 and Nana. Come visit me Under the maple leaves."



Also check out these authors of children's books who have already participated in the tour..

Janice
Angie
Sally

So if you know me...you know

that I generally do not post a lot about my son who died.  Not because I am over my grieving stage, not because he isn't  important, but because that is my personality.  That first year, I couldn't think or talk of much besides John.  But we are closing in on the fifth anniversary (in late January) of his passing.  HOWEVER, around holidays and especially his birthday he is on my mind a lot.  So I was thinking the other day about what he would look like, 5 years later.  He would be 19 on Sunday.(the 27th)  An adult.  Old enough to vote, to serve his country, to go to college.  Things he will never do, because he made a decision to play a dangerous, deadly game.  Do I think he knew it was dangerous.  Nah, John wouldn't do something to hurt himself or others, he was just curious, a follower.  I don't know where he learned about the Choking Game, all I know is he played it ONE too many times, and he died.
If you are a parent, step-parent, grand-parent. Educate yourself.  This is a very informative web site to help you learn more about how to recognize the signs of your child doing this.
G.A.S.P

Happy 19th Birthday John David, we will always love and remember you.  You are greatly missed.  Tell all the fam in heaven we love them.  I love you son..~Mom~

John @ 10 years old......(4 years before he died)

Writing..

The book that I co-authored is finished, sent to the publisher, we are waiting on edits.  I have written several children's stories that I am trying to get published. I love writing those.  And a big leap here, I signed up for SMW's NaNoWriMo contest for November (am I nuts or what) NUTS!!

On the book writing front...

So you say to me...you said you signed a contract, you said you were co-authoring a book..months ago, what is going on?

I say.... The book is finished, has been sent to the publisher, we are now waiting to see what edits are needed.  Also waiting to hear what the title will be.

You say...Ok...I just wanted to be caught up...

ROFL...well maybe that was how it went.  LOL

2013 Christy Award Nominations Named..

Link to the Nominations

Congratulations to all those nominated!!!

He is RISEN!!!

Love Dolly!!

Good Friday...

Looky, Looky...

My dear friend June's newest book cover...

Her book releases on April 1, 2013  it is available for purchase here after that date

CLICK HERE

A writing exercise...

Using this picture as your starting point, write a blurb for a story idea.  If you choose to write more...please leave a link to a blog or wherever your writing more...

(ohh for what it is worth, these are my great-grandparents, and my great-grandmother died when my grandfather, their only child was 14 yo)

Contract Signing Day

Well it is official I have signed the contract for my first book, to be co-authored with Laura V. Hilton.  It is with Abingdon, Quilts of Love Series, to be published in November 2014.

A writing exercise...

From Ritty's blog

Matty hoped her husband Elijah would like the picture that she had the traveling photographer take of her and the baby.  She had not expected to have her picture made today, but seeing the photographer taking pictures, she couldn't resist.  It was so hard with Elijah being away from home working on the railroad.  She got so lonely, but a year's wages could give them several years headstart on the homestead, so it was worth it. Perhaps the picture would help Elijah also, he could see his girls everyday. 

Living out here on the plains was hard.  The wind blew her hair all the time making it messy, and her skin felt like it would never have enough cream on it to be smooth again.  This life was not for the faint of heart, but she and Elijah had nothing back home, and the government would give them their homestead if they could prove it.  And prove it they would, or die trying.  That thought sometimes scared her more than she could ever reveal to Elijah.  Dying with him gone on the railroad.  What would happen to the baby?  Matty could not let her mind go there, that was too frightening to even think about. 

What am I doing these days??

welllllllllllllllllll right now this very moment I am battling a headache, but that is not what your wondering about I am sure. What am I doing? I am reading and reviewing still, on my review blog. I am doing PR and publicity work for my friend June Foster and I have been working on a children's book series. Right now I am also fighting with some computer errors and that drives me crazy... I hope your having a wonderful New Year, I pray your blessed this year!