Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from June, 2010

Sexy Vegetables

I’ve had several friends ask me why I’m wearing a carrot costume in my Twitter and blog photo. Believe it or not, carrots and other vegetables do in fact tie into the plot of With Good Behavior ! My mother is very skilled at sewing. I remember that she would make a dress for my Barbie, and then whip up a matching dress for me. (Thanks, Mom!) She also sewed a few Halloween costumes for my sisters and me, and our favorite had to be the carrot costume. As the story goes, during bath-time my mom and sisters were discussing silly Halloween costume ideas, and at that moment the carrot seed was planted. Always up for a challenge, Mom took some orange and green felt, a yardstick, a wire hanger, and voila! So how is the carrot connected to With Good Behavior ? Roger Eaton, the captain of the architectural cruise ship that employs Grant and Sophie, has a penchant for eating Chicago deep-dish pizza and other artery-hardening foods. In one part of the story Roger tries to start eating heart-he

The Main Characters

The romantic leads in With Good Behavior , Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen, are two law-abiding citizens who unwittingly got mixed up with a Mafia capo, Logan Barberi. Their involvement with Logan led them both to prison sentences. The story begins as Sophie and Grant are starting parole and attempting to rebuild their lives and their dignity. Sophie is a former psychologist who’s an intelligent, spunky, strawberry-blond beauty. She has a tendency to open her heart to wounded people, including the “bad-boy” boyfriends littering her past. Grant is a former Navy lieutenant who’s hard-working and kind, with dark Italian features and stunning crystal-blue eyes. He has a penchant for brooding and self-sacrifice. Their paths collide outside their parole officer’s door, and both have no idea about the explosive hidden connection waiting for them like a ticking bomb down the road. For more of my author interview, check out http://www.omnificpublishing.com/ The interview will be posted around

Legal Eagle

I continue to learn so much throughout this publishing process. Once Omnific Publishing developmental editor Jessica Royer Ocken and managing editor Cindy Campbell finished meticulously editing each chapter, attorney/copy editor CJ Creel went over the manuscript with a fine-toothed gavel, highlighting several implausible aspects of my character’s crimes and sentences. Ruh-roh! Seems that I missed out on the pesky little issue of “criminal intent” for Sophie’s felony. I panicked at first but my Aunt Nancy’s calming words, “Set-backs can often represent good news” indeed came true. And my trusty legal advisor Nix came through with some great ideas for making changes. After reworking several scenes, I think the novel is better for it! It looks like the release date will be sometime late June/early July. We’re inching ever closer!

Working it Out

There is accumulating research evidence that exercise is good not only for physical health but also for mental health. Exercise is a great intervention for depression and anxiety, and can also boost brainpower! It seems that cardiovascular exercise can create increased cerebral blood flow and brain connections, resulting in improvements in executive functioning tasks like planning, memory, and multitasking ( http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/06/exercise.aspx ) What does this evidence have to do with writing a novel? I’ve found that WALKING is the best remedy for any difficulties I’m having with the plot or characters. If I’m not sure about the next direction to take in my story, I’ll strap on the iPod and hit the neighborhood for about sixty minutes of brisk walking and voila! I’ve usually come up with a creative idea in the process. There’s something about repetitive cardiovascular activity that helps us work out problems while working out. ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co