It’s a time to make New Year Resolutions, or Revolutions as one commercial says.  It’s amazing how one letter of difference changes the word so much.  Anyway, here are mine: 

1)      I promise to myself to finish the writing projects I have started and to take up one more.  (I don’t know which one, and I have 3 in mind.)

2)      I promise to send one manuscript out each week.  (I actually have many picture book and children’s books to send out.)  This is harder than you might think.  You see, most of the time, when I send out a manuscript, I get no reply or a quick one.  (I think I’ll have to pass on this one.  Thanks for letting me read it.)  When I put my baby out for others to see it is perfect in my eyes.  I would be willing to edit or rewrite if I just knew what they didn’t like in most cases.  One of my manuscripts is in rhyme and that is not something most editors like these days.  Kids love rhyme, but editors see far too many poorly rhymed pieces.  That makes my story of a little boy trying to find something cool to do on a sunny summer day unsalable to some.  However, I have the pictures firmly in mind, but alas I am not an artist.

3)      I promise to learn how to illustrate my own books.  That’s harder than it looks too.  First of all I have to learn to draw with some accuracy the things I see with my brain.  Secondly, I have to learn to make whimsical consistent drawings.  That is, the same style for the entire book.  I’m working on that very slowly. 

4)      I promise to mention my currently published books, Crossing the Raging River and Don’t Kill the Opera more often in print.  (If you haven’t read them, you might like them.  They’re available on Amazon.)

5)      I promise to spend time with the Bible every day before starting this work.  Now that may not seem important, but it is.  You see, it is like getting my marching orders daily.  If I do this on my own, I won’t do as great of a job as with inspiration.  In fact, these resolutions were inspired by my reading this morning.  John the Baptist told the people of Israel to repent, that means change their ways.  I am announcing how I am changing my ways right here with my New Year’s Resolutions. 

That’s it.  I’m going to try to change my ways, and I can’t do it alone.  Help me remember.  Bug me if you don’t see anything here on my blog each week.  I need you to be my prompters.  Thanks.

Just in time for Christmas, my newest novel is here and available on Amazon.  Don’t Kill the Opera is a story of Beth Cortel, wife, nursery school teacher, and writer, who shares an office with three other wacky writers.  Together trouble finds them, mysterious things happen, and those incidents end up in their writings.  A skunk leaves its mark on Beth and the local gossip mill has her streaking through the streets.  Honest, she didn’t do it! The ladies even manage to staple an intruder to the floor before the cops arrive.   When her marriage threatens to unravel, her new-found friends give her the support she needs to solve her problems.

So how did I get the idea for this novel? Two members of my critique group rented an office and that is where our group met.  There were some strange sounds in the building.  I had ideas of a story about the building and the things that were happening, and the group encouraged me to write it.  Of course I couldn’t use the actual people in the group or the actual location, so I made up a group of women, and a setting.  Twice a month I brought a new segment of what was happening in the fake critique group.  Each time I made up bigger and bigger tales about the women in the group, creating what is now the tale of Don’t Kill the Opera. (The women have decided that they like the fake people just fine.)

Now I just need to get the word out.  I am taking part in an author’s night this Friday, December 6th at the Lewis County Historical Museum from 4:00 – 7:00.  The book is also available on Amazon.  If you have read my other book, Crossing the Raging River, you may like this one too.  If you like any of my works, please take time to go to Amazon and put in a review.  Thank you all so much.  I couldn’t do this without you, my loyal fans.