In case you have forgotten, I received a DIY dollhouse kit for my birthday last December. Aside from waiting on a wire to connect the lighting (after which I will glue my roof), it's complete. This adorable project took me about six months to finish. And it taught me powerful lessons on writing I can't wait to share with you all:
Slow progress is progress.
Since getting this kit, I spent a little bit of time each weekend completing one of the small little pieces that would encompass my DIY bakeshop. Sometimes it was a shelf. Other times it was gluing together pieces of furniture. Sometimes I would use tweezers to balance a tiny little bead on top of a metal object that would look like a part of the coffeehouse equipment.
It wasn't fast because it couldn't be. Things needed time to glue and paint needed to dry. And if I rushed it, I know I would have lost patience in the entire process.
If all you can do is a little bit at a time in your writing work, that is still progress. All the time I took to complete my bakeshop did lead to finished work, even if it took a long time. The same can be said for your writing. There is a finish line, even if it's slow getting there.
Perfection is impossible.
I truly believe every writer needs a creative outlet that has nothing to do with writing. One that doesn't include big aspirations. For a while, I used to love creating collages. Well, when I stopped getting magazines, that hobby stopped too. Now it's DIY dollhouses. I love the little furniture pieces and tiny items. And best of all, I get to put it together myself.
Many times when completing this craft, I thought to myself: well, I did the best I could. I didn't beat myself over the head with it and wrack my brain on how to make it perfect. The creative process can't be like that. There isn't perfection in creativity.
The same can be said of writing. As hard as I try, no short story is perfect. I can do my best, but eventually, I need to send it out there in the world. Attempting to achieve perfection isn't possible, in dollhouses or stories.
Turns out, there is time for creativity.
I spent a little bit of time each weekend working on this dollhouse. I would normally spend about an hour or an hour and a half on the tiny craft. It wasn't every day. In fact, it wasn't always every weekend. But it was consistent.
What I realized is that there is time for creative endeavors, no matter how busy you are in life. If I made room for writing the same way I made room for this craft, I would have made a lot of progress. If you don't have time to write, really take a look at what you are leaving time for during your day. It may surprise you how much time you do have to write.
Somewhere in the dollhouse universe, there is a bakeshop put together by yours truly. The chairs are wobbly, and the decor is slightly uneven and misshapen. The shop is kind of cramped, and there's only one table to sit at. But the coffee is strong, the baked goods are fresh, and everyone is welcome.
When I remember, I go there in my mind as I write. Imagining myself balancing my notebook on a table that isn't very big and sitting in a seat that is sort of uncomfortable. But what happens there is the most important thing: I write.
Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. When she's not hunting down the right word, she's talking to God, reviewing books on her writing blog, watching movies, hanging out with family, and daydreaming. Her work has been featured in Ripley's Believe it or Not, WOW! Women on Writing, The Voices Project, Sky Island Journal, and Arlington Literary Journal. Her poetry was also featured in the anthology, Dear Leader Tales. Read her musings at WorldofMyImagination.com.
We here at WOW! Women on Writing are excited to launch the blog tour for The Dark Side of Grace by returning author Ronald Chapman. This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys mystery, action, and/or psychological thrillers. Read on to find out the author's inspiration behind this novel in an intriguing author interview, and enter to win a copy!
A devastating terrorist bomb blast at a spiritual retreat outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, sends journalist Kevin Pitcairn and his beloved Emmy on a quixotic quest to understand the roots of violence. Traveling across the country deep into the bowels of Southern Appalachia, their search takes them through a long-standing rift in the American consciousness to confrontations with remarkable and anomalous characters, some of them deeply spiritual, others well-grounded in research and psychology.
In this sequel to the much-acclaimed A Killer’s Grace, Pitcairn and Emmy return to the exploration of innocence while adding to it a deepening understanding of injury and ordeal―and its amazing corollary of Post-Traumatic Growth. As the quest and its dangers rip their lives apart, doors open that lure them back and forth across the country in search of tendrils tying together the events and anguish, as well as bringing the protagonists more deeply together.
Ronald Chapman is an author, speaker, and facilitator of approaches that increase well-being-ness and produce breakthroughs when practiced deeply and in a sustained fashion. He is the creator of Seeing True™ and Progressive Recovery, resources dedicated to exploring concepts of engaging, releasing, and transcending blockages in our lives. At the heart of Seeing True and all of his work is the Greek notion of “metanoia,” which could translate as a profound change of heart. Ronald maintains two core businesses as well. Leading Public Health provides facilitation, strategy and consultation to public health clientele, while Magnetic North delivers similar services to a broader array of clients.
Ron spent many years as a national award winning radio commentator on KUNM radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is an elite Accredited Speaker through Toastmasters International, and an accomplished leadership facilitator working with clients from all over the world, including the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Ron currently resides in Atlanta, and spends much of his time immersed in art and beauty wherever his travels take him.
WOW: Welcome back, my friend! You are always so busy. I feel like I finish one book and you’re on to the next! You are truly an inspiration; but what is YOUR inspiration? What sparked the idea of The Dark Side of Grace?
Ron: This is such a great question! Somewhere I stumbled across a research paper on post traumatic growth, which is a notion that is central to the book’s plot. It’s also a very cool concept, that the same stuff that breaks people’s lives can be the source for transformation. Turns out everyone from Carl Jung to Viktor Frankl to Admiral James Stockdale had poked at this very same notion, that there is something almost magical about the possibility of inner transformation. It’s even at the heart of Alcoholics Anonymous with the notion of a psychic change.
At any rate, I was at a book event for A Killer’s Grace, the first book in which Pitcairn and Maria Elena get swept up into these psycho-spiritual themes. I was right next to an author, Dr. Pamela Larde, who I asked, “What’s your thing?”
She replied, “Post traumatic growth.”
Gobsmacked, I could only manage to say, “No shit!”
We were off to the races.
Pam is a researcher and a brilliant and provocative thinker. Every time we talked I’d find another thread to follow, which led to still more threads. It was like Alice tumbling into Wonderland. Pam became the model for a key character in The Dark Side of Grace, and all those threads created a central part of the plot.
That said, I should probably note that the first nudge for this novel came when the first reviewer of A Killer’s Grace commented that I’d created a new genre, the psycho-spiritual thriller, then observed he could not wait for the sequel. To which I heard myself say, “Damn! There’s a sequel. I didn’t know that.” Now of course, I think the series will be five books by the time all is done with Pitcairn and Maria Elena. Informally I call the whole thing the Chronicles of Grace.
WOW: That’s great insight. I’m so glad I asked. Here’s another one I think you’ll enjoy answering. What does the great Ronald Chapman’s writing space look like? Where will we find you writing?
Ron: Ha! Wherever I can carve out time is my writing space. Much has been done on airplanes while traveling for my professional consultation and facilitation work. I take solo vacations to interesting places so I can have time and space to write. Any coffee shop with a high top and big cup of iced tea is fair game. Sometimes it just feels right to write.
I remember interviewing an author on public radio, David Stuart, who wrote his Guaymas Chronicles in one restaurant, at one particular table, a window seat at The Flying Star in Nob Hill in Albuquerque. I was so envious of the idea of a dedicated space, somehow consecrated by and through the writing.
I’ve tried to find that place for me for many years to no avail.
However, I do want to report I may have found it finally in my current hometown, Decatur, Georgia. Sun in My Belly feels really good for early morning writing over a killer breakfast and really good coffee. We’ll see how well that holds up over time.
That said, one of my mentors helped me years ago to frame the life I seem to live, which is filled with wanderlust. Today I often say, “The world is my home, and I have a bed in Decatur, Georgia.” My Jungian analyst loves it. She says I am like Mercury the Roman God who simply does not stay put very well, flying about with wings upon his feet.
WOW: That breakfast has me all distracted and my tummy growling - sounds like perfect inspiration! So, what about influence? Sounds like there have been lots of people who have been a part of your personal growth and development. This may be hard to answer, but who has been most influential in your writing career?
Ron: Cormac McCarthy is an inspiration. He does not seem to flinch at tackling really difficult subjects and themes. While I don’t write with his dedication and precision, I aspire to be able to go wherever a story needs to go, especially into challenging places.
Let’s face it, we are in very challenging times in the world, and there are a lot of subjects we need to bring out of the shadows. Everything from substance abuse to family and community violence. One great researcher indicated that the only way we can shift from blame and shame into healing and growth is to get the dark stuff into the light. That certainly mirrors my life.
At any rate, I went on a binge reading with McCarthy’s books at one point. I just love what he can do to illuminate us through story. Then when I read The Road, I was blown away by how a such a bleak and daunting story could bring forth such beauty in the end. As an aside, I also loved the movie. Dark as hell, infused with beauty throughout, and bittersweet in the end.
A friend in recovery once told me he thought bittersweet was the most authentic emotion we could express with the mess that is this life, and the world, and us in the world. “A marvelous entanglement” is what the Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi calls it. Such a wonderful reflection of reality.
WOW: Life sure is messy isn’t it? That leads me to one of my favorite questions of all time and I can’t wait to hear your answer to this one: What would your current self like to say to the teenage Ronald Chapman?
Ron: My favorite phrase today comes from depth psychology: to follow the calling of our soul. That is so true for me.
In retrospect, I was so pained as a young man, it would bring great comfort to know that all those stirrings and callings were valid and trustworthy.
When I got sober, I’m now thirty-seven years in sobriety, I realized all my life I wanted to know I was okay. I never believed that. Even now I can struggle with it though I have so much healing in that area, and so many tools to assist.
It’s not easy marching to one’s own drummer. And yet, I can’t imagine anything that could be more important. To thine own self be true.
WOW: Such sage advice - thank you Ron!
If The Dark Side of Grace were a movie, what song would you think goes with it best?
Ron: A very intriguing question with a curious answer. "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen.
Of course, a beautiful and striking song, some might call it transcendent, which of course aligns nicely with this idea of psycho-spiritual transformation. I have long been captivated by the idea of a broken or holy hallelujah, and that it doesn’t matter which one we experience. Somehow it is all sacred ground.
That’s such a profound idea, and once again a theme in the plot of The Dark Side of Grace. If we can see beyond the outer form of things, whether beautiful or ugly, nurturing or painful, we see only sacred ground made sacred by the seeing.
I have a friend who is an evangelical and a prophetic voice. We talk often of the story of Moses and both agree that when God says the ground on which Moses stands is holy, it means all ground is holy if we can come to experience it.
Seems like cause for the whole idea of Hallelujah!
WOW: Ron, I always love chatting with you - your answers are such a breath of fresh air!
Which character do you feel closest to or which character from The Dark Side of Grace is closest to you?
Ron: Years ago, when I was doing author interviews and book reviews on public radio, I remember an author telling me that everything we write is autobiography. Simply enough, we can only write from our own vantage point, so everything is somehow a reflection of us.
No surprise then that Pitcairn is a reflection of me. Not all the outer details, but the inner identity is so much indicative of me. A dear friend who knows me very well told me that she could see my inner workings through all that Pitcairn says and reflects. In some strange way, maybe all of us get to find our way to our own personal and spiritual reconciliation by playing out our stories. Mine just happens to be in books.
One funny thing. When I was a kid growing up in Oklahoma, the bowels of the local library were my safe place. It was holy ground being surrounded by books and the musty smell of them where no one could find me. So too were the stories I read a sacred place.
So even the fact that I have written books is strangely reflective of me and my life.
WOW: I know we could chat all day, but our time is coming to a close. Can you quickly tell the audience what’s next for you? What’s happening for the rest of 2023 and beyond?
Ron: Book #3 of The Chronicles of Grace is in the hands of the publisher. It’s a prequel to The Dark Side of Grace that provides some depth behind key characters. So if the launching point is A Killer’s Grace, then Book #3 is a twin point of entry, which has a working title of One Man’s Life, though that won’t hold up. I suck at titles, and have just learned to trust editors and publishers. Segue aside, both of these feed into The Dark Side of Grace.
Then Book #4, which is totally untiled presently, picks up where Pitcairn and Maria Elena are developmentally. It’s a separate story, but advances their path to transformation. The plot is worked out, and I’m about fifty pages into the manuscript.
Then again, like Star Wars which was released all out of order, One Man’s Life might turn out to be published as Book #5 after the rest of the unfolding has taken place. It’s a very different book, and for all I know the publisher will decide to hold it back for a while.
On another front, I’m transitioning my private practices in public health to allow me more time for writing the stories. I’m almost sixty-seven years old, so I’m thinking a lot about what matters most to me. As an aside, I got a great compliment recently when someone told me I’m quite immature for my age. Loved that! And I’m hoping that stays true for some time to come.
WOW: I knew you’d be working on the next book before I even finished this tour - you never seem to amaze me! We will see you again soon I’m sure, and in the meantime I’m sure our readers will delight in this tour! Thanks for choosing WOW! Ron! It’s such a pleasure.
Check out this hashtag to stay up to date with this tour, the book, and it’s author: #darksideofgrace #darksidechapman
----Blog Tour Dates
June 5th @ The Muffin
What goes better with coffee in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch of author Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You can read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.
Tara from The Mommies Reviews shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Tara’s insight into this thriller!
Lisa Haselton interviews Ronald Chapman about his recent thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss this insightful and thrilling author interview!
Today’s guest author at Choices with Madeline Sharples is fellow author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing an intriguing article titled: “Agnostic but Faithful.” Readers won’t want to miss this one!
Glenda from The Mommies Reviews shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Glenda’s insight into this thriller!
Linda from Boots, Shoes & Fashion interviews Ronald Chapman about his recent thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss this insightful and thrilling author interview!
Today’s guest author at One Writer’s Journey is fellow author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing a fascinating article titled: “Getting Over Ourselves.” Readers won’t want to miss this one!
Today’s guest author at Storeybook Reviews is author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing a captivating article titled: “Finding Emotional Sobriety; Even in Chaos.” Readers won’t want to miss this one!
Nikki from Nikki’s Book Reviews shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Nikki’s insight into this thriller!
Fellow Author Anthony Avina shares his thoughts as he reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss another author’s insight into this thriller!
Judy from Knottyneedle Creative shares her thoughts as she reviews Ronald Chapman’s The Dark Side of Grace. You won’t want to miss Judy’s insight into this thriller!
Today’s guest author at A Wonderful World of Words is author Ronald Chapman. Chapman has recently released another thriller, The Dark Side of Grace. Today he’ll be writing a captivating article titled: “Transformative Ideas: Self-Interest, Positivity and Stillness.” Readers won’t want to miss this one!
Enter to win a copy of The Dark Side of Grace by Ronald Chapman! Fill out the Rafflecopter form by June 18th at 11:59 CT for a chance to win. We will choose a winner randomly the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!
I took part in a nasty email exchange recently. I didn’t start it, and I certainly didn’t want to continue it.
This dust-up began when I submitted a CNF essay to a print journal. I had received one of those “Open to Submissions” digests through email. You know the kind. It’s similar to the sidebars we include in each monthly WOW! Markets newsletter, alerting writers to open calls for submissions.
* This round-up I’m referencing was not, for the record, included in the WOW! Markets newsletter.
Anyway, this particular round-up noted that one journal—a name I was not familiar with, a print magazine—was open to original work, as well as reprints. It’s rare to find journals open to reprints, so I immediately took notice. I have a CNF essay that is very dear to me, published three years ago in an online journal. I always keep my eyes open for reprint opportunities because I’d love to hold this essay in a print publication. It’s about my sister-in-law’s suicide, and it’s one of the most bittersweet pieces I’ve ever written.
I sent my essay to the print journal on a Monday morning. I clearly noted at the top that it was a reprint, and cited where and when it had been published online. Three days later, I got an email from them. I was surprised at the speed of the reply, and wasn’t sure if I should take it as a good or bad sign that they were getting back to me so quickly.
Prior to submitting my reprint, I had visited the journal’s website to see if they published any pieces online. Some print journals have been known to post a few sample pieces, to help give writers a flavor of what they publish. With print, it’s sometimes harder to get a sense of what a particular journal likes when one does not have a paid subscription.
Their website did not have any sample pieces posted. I also did not see in their submission guidelines where they said they accepted reprints. I wanted to cover my bases to show that I was not randomly spraying out essays without reading guidelines. As an online journal editor myself, I appreciate the importance of following guidelines to the letter. I pointed out in my cover letter that the submissions round-up email had indicated reprints were accepted.
I opened their reply with my usual expectation of a 50/50 coin toss. They were either going to thank me for considering them and tell me they were not interested in my piece, or they might surprise me and say that they wanted to republish it.
What I was not expecting was the sarcastic reply I read:
Print magazine editors are weary of junk submissions from people who have not read an issue.
“Junk” submissions? Ouch! Where the hell did that come from?
This editor—as it turns out, when I Googled him—is white and male and older, judging by his photo. Not a good look, this email reply of his, especially in an industry that has a history of literary gatekeeping. An industry that consistently and unabashedly valued male (and almost always white) writers and all but ignored, well, everyone else: females, people of color, the LGBTQ community, neurodivergent writers, and on and on. For, um, centuries.
But, this is not a discussion about white male privilege. It’s actually just a discussion about rudeness. About sarcastic, conceited dismissal. Stick with me. We’re getting to that part.
He went on to scold me that they do not accept previously published work, and that the digest that included that guidance was clearly in error. What I read between the lines was that he, in his haughty wisdom, dismissed them as well for being sloppy.
He continued:
Visit our website. And read the magazine.
Though I found his email off-putting, and though I rarely respond to editors when I receive a rejection, I felt this called for some kind of reply. I let him know that I had, in fact, visited the journal’s website before submitting and I had tried to read some of their published work, but that I could not find any writing in any shape or form published on their website. (The only thing I saw was instructions on how to purchase back copies, or sign up for an annual subscription.)
I also apologized for sending my reprint in error, then mentioned in closing how I’ve seen some print journals publish samples, which helps those writers who may not have money to buy subscriptions to every publication.
I’m pretty sure that’s the point where our email conversation went from unpleasant to ugly.
His reply, a half hour later:
Like other magazines, XX receives many submissions from people who have not read it. When I call this fact to their attention, they reply as you did that they cannot buy every magazine to which they submit. Why not? If a magazine is good enough to publish your work, it is good enough for you to buy a copy. Please save your advice on how to run the magazine, and what to put on the website. Editors rarely welcome such comments from writers.
I sat there, stewing over his condescension. I thought about how I had apologized to him and was sincere in owning up to my mistake. The onus was on me after all, as the submitter, to fact-check what I’d read in an erroneous third-party round-up that said this particular journal did accept reprints.
I’ll be sure to file your emails in my Pompous Ass folder, I replied. Get over yourself.
I was not proud of my snark. OK, who am I kidding, you’re damn right I was proud. I assumed that would be the end of it. It was not. Minutes later, I got another scorching email.
And I’ll be sure to pass your name to other editors as a writer to avoid!
I'll do you one better, I wrote back, and share with the journal for which I am an editor to keep your name in mind as one to avoid.
I hit the Send button, but soon regretted engaging in a juvenile tit-for-tat with some gray-haired, bespectacled man who oozed grandiosity. While Googling him, I saw that he crowed about his Ivy-League education, and listed a handful of what he considered higher-tier—and therefore worthy, in his esteemed opinion—journals in which he’d been published.
My Inbox dinged five minutes later. He’d apparently also Googled me, because he called out by name both the literary journal where I volunteer as a Flash CNF editor, and the WOW! Women on Writing community where I write newsletter columns. His comments about both put his ugliness on full display.
Barren Magazine? Are you kidding me? Women on Writing? Am I a woman?
He rattled off a few more insults and closed his rant with the question: Who do you think you are?
I was floored. And, done. I filed his nasty-grams away in an archived folder, and reflected on what had gone down. I’m not sure I have any answers, certainly not any that can excuse this person’s overblown response to a legitimate mistake in thinking their journal accepted reprints. I regretted stooping to his level, as he baited me with his hostility.
Even more so, I regretted sending him my essay about my deceased sister-in-law. An essay he in all likelihood never read, but felt compelled to call "junk." The whole experience left me feeling a bit brokenhearted.
When writers and editors can’t or won’t respect one other, when someone like this boor dismisses another writer and editor, when he stoops to lording it over other journals and lashes out with a sexist comment about an entire community, it sucks the joy out of this thing we we all work so hard at capturing. How to relate to each other. Getting to universal truths.
Here’s a truth about that editor. He is, indeed, a pompous ass. And if his journal’s mission in any way reflects his own ugliness, it’s not a journal I’d ever want to be in.
Writers often struggle with whether to tell a story through the lens of one or many characters. Multiple point of view (POV) can be tricky to master, but there are several reasons it can be very effective. Rather than go with your gut, consider if your intentions align with these considerations when making a choice.
First, a multiple POV approach can result in a rich characterization, because readers experience characters from both inside and out – at times from their thoughts and feelings and at times when other characters reflect on them. If you have an unreliable, complicated, or defensive narrator, you might benefit from this approach. A great example of such in-depth characterization is Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. By having Mrs. Dalloway’s interiority interlaced with others’ view of her, we get a more nuanced and multifaceted sense of her personality.
Second, because point of view refers to the consciousness through which we see and understand the events of a story, a multiple POV approach can offer the reader competing interpretations. In Atonement, by Ian McEwan, the shifting POV gives varying perspectives on the events of a single day that changes the lives of the characters forever, in a kind of collective understanding.
Perhaps your aim is to reveal different facets of a given world, the way Tom Wolfe skewers social class and politics in 1980s’ New York City in Bonfire of the Vanities. Varied walks of life and a chorus of voices can create a kind of kaleidoscope effect and capture a society as a whole. In my forthcoming novel, THE STARK BEAUTY OF LAST THINGS, I wanted to tell the story of the coastal area of Montauk, Long Island, an elegy of sorts, and the characters profoundly in love with that place. I wanted to suck in everything–the world of fishing, of landscape painting, land use, and every aspect of nature. Each of my point of view characters contributes a different kind of knowledge to create what I hope is a larger whole.
Multiple POV is especially successful in combating a lecturing tone in fiction that deal with controversial themes and issues. As different characters espouse different values or sides of an issue, the reader engages with these debates as well. In Her Sister’s Tattoo, by Ellen Meeropol, a conflict between two sisters and their warring views animates the story and challenges to reader to choose sides as well. In my novel each character has a slightly different relationship to the land, whether it represents beauty, spiritualty, heritage, or a resource to be bought and sold. Multiple points of view allowed me to explore various themes through the thoughts and opinions of a variety of characters and come at issues from contrasting angles.
It can be a challenge to manage the plot and timeline in a multiple POV novel, but it’s worth the effort if your aims and material align with any of these four reasons.
* * *
Céline Keating is an award-winning writer living in Bristol, Rhode Island. She is the author of two novels: Layla (2011), a Huffington Post featured title, and Play for Me (2015), a finalist in the International Book Awards, the Indie Excellence Awards, and the USA Book Awards. Her short fiction and articles have been published in many literary journals and magazines. For many years a resident of Montauk, NY, Céline continues to serve on the board of environmental organization Concerned Citizens
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sat down, intending to share on notes I’d made the night before, notes about the seasons in our lives. But my mind wandered off. You see, I’m writing this post on Memorial Day and that holiday takes my heart to many places, eventually coming home to my parents.
My father was one of the “Greatest Generation,” serving in the Army in World War II. He was stationed in Germany towards the very end of the war and found himself, as an excellent typist with a knowledge of the German language, transcribing for the Nuremberg trials.
But it’s my mother I’m thinking of today, her and all the loved ones left behind at home during those war years. My parents didn’t meet till after Dad returned from his service but she had two brothers, both of whom served, too. My mom was close to her brothers since her father died when they were very young. How hard it must’ve been for her widowed mother to have both sons away!
Fortunately, there were letters, lots of letters. And those letters were precious—and saved. I know this because I have one of the letters my mom sent to her brother, John. He’d appeared in a photograph that was in Life magazine and that was exciting stuff! She said how proud she was of him and how she’d been unable to find a copy of the issue to buy so she’d torn the photo out of a copy in the Student Center and pasted it on her mirror. (Normally, I would be aghast at that behavior but special circumstances, right?)
She wrote about his birthday, about football at Vanderbilt, and people from home. Between the lines, there was love, and of course, support and encouragement. That the Army would be a distant memory someday, and that when he returned he’d “pick right up” where he left off.
He did return, and so did her younger brother, picking up their lives, marrying, working, having lots of kids. The war years did seem a distant memory, not often talked about (I never did see that photo of my uncle who appeared in Life). But I’m so grateful for the letters saved and cherished. My mother’s words bring to life those long ago days and places, and honestly, I can hear her voice every time I read that letter.
Write a letter! To brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, moms or dads, friends far away or those nearby. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion; the letter will make it special. And yes, I’ve stood on the letter-writing soapbox before and maybe you’re tired of my near brow-beating. But if I can’t get writers to lead the letter-writing campaign, who’ll do it?
Besides, it’s the gift that keeps on giving and doesn’t cost anything but your time. Because maybe, like me reading my mom’s letter, your loved one will read your words thirty, forty, fifty years from now and smile all day, thinking of you.
So write a letter, now, today! You can thank me later—just send a note!
I can’t imagine trying to write an article that would bear one of the above titles. After all, how can you tell every writer how to achieve success when each of us defines success in a different way? How you define success as a writer depends on many different factors and can change over time.
Writing
Some of us simply want to write. We have a story to tell, and we want to get it down. For these types of writers, reaching the end of the story that has been pushing its way through them is a huge success.
For other writers, finding the time and energy to lay words down is a huge accomplishment. The reality is that many days end without them finding the time, space, or energy to write. So when they do write, they know they have accomplished something amazing. The process itself is the success they crave.
Publishing
For other writers, creating a manuscript isn’t enough. They want to publish it. They want it out in the world for other people to read. Some of these writers choose self-publishing because it offers a level of control that is important to them. Others query, pitch, and submit their work to a variety of traditional publishers. They know that having multiple manuscripts out at any one time increases the chances of a sale.
Whichever path they choose, success means getting their words out into the world. They want their writing out there where it can be found by readers. Online or as an e-book. In a journal or as a print book. Publication marks success.
Earning
Still others want to do more than publish. They measure success by receiving payment for their work. These writers avoid literary journals that offer compensation in the form of publication but no money. It isn’t enough to earn a byline. Instead, they seek paying markets.
Some of these writers also look for writing related income. They take editing jobs. They teach classes and offer workshops. Some of them speak at conferences. All of these things add to their income.
Accolades
Still other writers measure their success through recognition for what they can do. While some hope for a New York Times bestselling title or a medal from the American library association, these aren’t goals the writer can directly impact beyond writing the best book they can possibly write.
To find recognition, they enter contests. They apply for mentorships and to attend retreats. Every achievement means success for these writers.
Impact
There are also writers who need to know that they have had an impact on the world. These writers often choose their topics carefully, spinning up articles about social justice or ecology. Some of them work as grant writers, seeking funding for nonprofits of various kinds.
Success for writers who seek to influence their world can also come when they hear directly from their readers. When they get fan mail, they know they have written something that meant something to at least this particular reader.
You don’t have to find success in only one area. Here at WOW we often discuss what success looks like but we also recognize that it is varied. A writer can find personal success in all of these areas or in only one. What is important is that they define success on their terms and then look for the tools that they need to get there.
--SueBE
Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 35 books for young readers. To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.
The next session of her new course, Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work will begin on June 5, 2023). Coping with rejection is one of the topics she will cover in this course.
Welcome to the Down a Bad Road blog tour! This psychological thriller by Regina Buttner is perfect for fans of domestic thrillers by best-selling authors Kimberly Belle, Kaira Rouda, and Heather Gudenkauf. The blog tour starts today and lasts through June 25th! See the tour schedule below to follow along.
Enjoy the following excerpt of Down a Bad Road
Lavender snorted. “How can a dead person be dangerous?”
Penelope sighed. “It’s hard to explain, the message I’m getting isn’t quite clear. This storm that’s about to dump on us has thrown my chakras out of balance. It happens sometimes, when the atmospheric pressure is in flux.”
What in the hell were chakras? Lavender chewed the remnants of her peach-flavored gloss from her lower lip. This was a whole lot of crazy talk.
“The best I can make of it,” Penelope went on, “is that Ron’s safety is at risk somehow, and this woman may have something to do with it.”
Fear jolted Lavender. At this very moment, Burley was driving down to Pennsylvania, to pay his final respects to Marta.
“When was the last time you spoke to him?” Penelope said.
“This morning. After he asked me to marry him, he said he needed to get on the road—” Lavender’s voice rose, on the verge of hysteria. “Are you serious, Penelope? You really think he’s in danger?”
“Yes, I believe so, and you may be, too. You need to be careful.”
Holy crap! Lavender’s insides twisted with fear. Had Burley lied about Marta’s death? But why would he do that when he was smitten with her? She’d divorced her husband to be with him! She wanted to believe that Penelope’s strange ramblings were completely mistaken, but what if they weren’t, and something bad was about to happen? Either way, she had to get hold of Burley. Now.
“I have to go, Penelope,” Lavender said. She hung up without saying goodbye and dialed Burley’s number, but the call wouldn’t go through. Clutching the phone in her trembling hands, she stared out the living room window as the wind picked up and the swirling snow began to come down harder.
About the Book
Jealousy can be deadly.
Longtime bachelor Ron Burley has a rule against messing around with married women in his rural upstate New York town, but sassy, lovely Lavender has convinced him to break it. Their steamy affair sets someone off, but it isn't Lavender's clueless husband-it's Marta, Burley's clingy childhood friend and ex-lover.
Marta knows Burley is on the verge of going broke, so she secretly tries to lure him with a lucrative job offer and some enticing fringe benefits. Although he's sorely tempted, Burley's afraid to trust Marta due to the sketchy circumstances surrounding their bitter breakup years ago; but this might be his only chance to get back at her for what she did.
Suspicious of her boyfriend's romantic history, Lavender visits a psychic for a tarot card reading in a creepy cabin in the Adirondack woods. Watch your back, the psychic warns her. Burley and Marta aren't the innocent people they're pretending to be. Someone's out for revenge, and this love triangle could turn deadly.
Thriller fans will enjoy the tense, cat-and-mouse-style suspense in this spellbinding page-turner. Filled with deceit, festering grudges, and high-octane drama, Down A Bad Road is deftly crafted to keep the reader wanting more. —Laurie Buchanan, author of the Sean McPherson novels
Down A Bad Road is gripping, unforgettable suspense laced with dark humor. Regina Buttner’s unreliable but compelling characters struggle in a blue-collar community where everyone is willing to do whatever it takes for a leg up or a way out. Expect to laugh. Prepare to cry. But don’t plan on setting this fast-paced thriller down until you read the last page! —Cam Torrens, author of Stable
A cautionary tale with a gut-punch plot. In this steamy, small-town thriller, Regina Buttner takes the reader down a bad road indeed. —Brian Kaufman, author of A Shadow Melody
Regina is a registered nurse-turned-writer who was raised in beautiful upstate New York, where she spent many happy years exploring the winding back roads and scenic hiking trails of the Adirondack mountain region. She recently traded the snowy northern winters for the tropical breezes of the Sunshine State, where her favorite pastimes are kayaking among the mangroves, strolling the gorgeous beaches, and attempting to teach tricks to her boisterous corgi.
WOW: Welcome to The Muffin, Regina, and congratulations on the release of Down a Bad Road! I love the twists and turns in this story. Did you plan these ahead of time or did they come to you as you were writing?
Regina: I’m very much a plotter rather than a pantser. I like to know where my story is going, as if I’m setting out on a long drive and following a road map. When my novels are in the planning stage, I create that road map by first constructing a narrative outline of the story, using the same voice that I would use if I were explaining the plot to a friend. I do, however, allow myself to write “by the seat of my pants” when I’m creating my individual scenes. That’s where potential plot twists will often surface, as though the story has a mind of its own. I then weave those twists into the narrative outline, adjusting the story arc as I go along.
WOW: What advice do you have for authors wanting to incorporate a major twist or surprise ending into their story?
Regina:You can’t just plunk a bad guy or a dark secret into your story without setting the reader up for it first. If you don’t, you risk losing your credibility as a storyteller. The reader won’t find the sudden turn of events to be believable, and they’ll lose their trust in you. To prevent that from happening, you’ve got to drop a few breadcrumbs here and there throughout the story. Breadcrumbs are tiny bits of information that hint at things yet to come in your characters’ lives. This subtle foreshadowing will percolate in the reader’s subconscious, building up to that delicious Aha! moment later on in the book, when the puzzle pieces of the plot begin to snap into place.
WOW: Do you find it difficult to write villains? Why or why not?
Regina: I have a blast writing villainous characters! In Down a Bad Road, I had a wonderful time creating self-centered Lavender, bumbling Burley and manipulative Marta. Lavender was especially fun to play around with as she morphed into the satirical vixen that my beta readers said they “loved to hate.” Writing these unlikeable yet compelling characters freed up a part of my normally straight-laced psyche, which allowed me to explore the darker side of human nature.
WOW: I love that! How much of your own personality shows up in your characters?
Regina: My sense of humor tends toward the sarcastic, and my friends would probably describe me as a bit of a smartass. I think those traits of mine shine through in the character of Lavender, but magnified about a thousand times! I actually consider myself to be a genuinely nice person who would never stoop to Lavender’s level of insensitivity and scheming. In that sense, I’m more like the character Burley, who strives to live a life of integrity, even though his efforts often fall far short of his intentions.
WOW: Did any particular book or author inspire you to write a thriller?
Regina:One of my all-time favorite novels is Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel, the classic gothic tale of mystery and obsession. I’m a longtime fan of du Maurier’s vivid settings and intricate plotting. I love the ambiguity of cousin Rachel’s seemingly innocuous actions as she toys with young Philip’s affections. Every time I reread the novel, I find myself pondering Rachel’s intentions right along with the bewildered Philip. In homage to du Maurier’s stellar example, I try to weave that same sense of uncertainty and foreboding into my own stories.
WOW: Do you have a favorite writing craft book or favorite piece of writing advice you’ve received?
Regina: Being the plotter that I am, I’ve found the craft book Write Away by Elizabeth George to be an indispensable guide for planning a novel. Her method takes you step-by-step through the process, from initial idea to final draft. My favorite piece of advice from George is the importance of “showing up.” Your novel won’t get written without you sitting down in that desk chair every darn day, and doing the work. Only you can make it happen!
WOW: Wonderful advice, Regina! Thanks for joining us and we wish you all the best with Down a Bad Road.
---- Blog Tour Calendar
May 29th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the blog tour launch of Down a Bad Road by Regina Buttner. You'll have the chance to read an interview with the author and win a copy of the book.
Return to A Lit Life to read a guest post from Regina Buttner about how a visit to the Stillwater Hotel in Upstate New York inspired the setting for Down a Bad Road.
Enter to win a copy of Down a Bad Road by Regina Buttner! Fill out the Rafflecopter form by June 11th at 11:59 pm CT for a chance to win. We will choose a winner randomly the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!
As a traveler, I’ve migrated throughout the United States—from Michigan, to Hawai’i and in between—landing, finally, in Portland, Oregon. I was chasing that dream we were all told we wanted, only to realize my own. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois-Chicago, I landed a laboratory position along the Gulf Coast of Texas, analyzing wastewater and soil samples. When I’m not testing what comes out the other end of the toilet, I’m writing. Currently, I am working on a speculative fiction novel in which humans have discovered an exotic fuel source that burns clean and renews itself, sparking a war with galaxy-traversing space rats.
----------Interview by Renee Roberson
WOW: Hi Aubrey, and welcome! Your essay really made me stop and think, so thank you for sharing such a personal experience. What are you hoping readers take away from “How to Measure Maximum?”
Aubrey: With this essay/personal experience, I would like for readers to understand the plight of a woman during times of extreme stress and lacking basic necessities such as housing. We live in a tumultuous time for the economy and it's getting worse. Population rates rise but available and affordable housing has not kept pace. This tragedy steadily unfolds in the United States and elsewhere as more and more hardworking people find themselves out on the streets. The median house price in the Portland, Oregon area alone hovers around $400k. I don't know many people that can qualify for a mortgage at that rate. Furthermore, rent averages around $2k a month for a typical two bedroom apartment. Only recently, have businesses begun applauding themselves for paying closer to $15 an hour. At that pay rate a few years ago, I struggled to find housing and slept in my car for over two years.
WOW: I agree on all points. Reading about it in a firsthand account such as yours makes the crisis all the more clear. When did you first decide you wanted to pursue a career in science?
Aubrey: In college, I originally planned to major in History or Anthropology. The job market for those fields seemed extremely competitive so I switched to Biology. At the time, I felt like studying something practical would lead me to a job that paid the bills with a little left over for traveling or other leisurely activities.
WOW: Could you share some life lessons you’ve learned from your travels?
Aubrey: Probably the greatest life lesson I have learned by traveling is just that: to travel. I think it is imperative to discover how other humans live around the country and around the world. In the United States, I have been lucky to have met folks from other countries, learn their cultural values and world perspectives, expanding my own in the process. When I talk to people back home (in Michigan), many of whom have never left the state, or even the town, it is as if I am speaking to the past. They seem stuck and unchanged, encapsulating ideologies and worldviews of a nostalgic sort. I like to think of myself as a continuously evolving creature that craves change and spontaneity. Life is about growth and learning and the best way to do that, in my opinion, is to go out and wander the world.
WOW: You are currently working on a speculative fiction novel. What do you think is the hardest part of creating a body of work in this genre?
Aubrey: Besides finding time to actually do the writing, probably the most challenging endeavor of writing speculative fiction is the research. Though it is fiction, I want to write stories that sound as if they could happen in our lifetime. Space exploration, rudimentary and largely confined to our native solar system, could be a possibility. Discovering exotic fuels that might power that prime directive is also possible. Encountering other life forms that grew up on other planets is also probable at some point. Writing speculative fiction, to me, fuses the imagination with the real. Making that world seem as believable as possible, despite all the aliens and advanced technology, is an arduous journey that, with the proper diligence, can have great incentive.
WOW: That's a great overview and I love that you are working so hard on the research aspect of it as well. Who are some authors who inspire your writing?
Aubrey: I love reading so my personal list is long and spans genres. A few on the top shelf are: Anne Rice's dark fantasies, Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," the hilarious writings of Douglass Adams ("Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series). Also ranking high are: Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" series and Philip K. Dick, whose wildly imaginative stories have provided a lot of inspiration for me. Becky Chambers is becoming a new favorite of mine ("A Closed and Common Orbit"). More women writing "traditionally" male genres is vital to the literary universe because a lot of science fiction out there caters more towards men than women. Chambers not only provides a female perspective but she also explores non-binary genders, a very significant topic in a country that actively fights for and against the rights of LGBTQIA+ communities. A good writer can weave words of gold and honey but a great author can spin a tale so vivid and real that you forget your own life when reading it.
WOW: Losing yourself in a story--that's the absolute best, isn't it? Thank you so much for being here today and we wish you all the luck with your writing endeavors!
A blog tour is a marketing campaign that
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