C. C. Harrison-author

PICTURE OF LIES - Dante Covelli

2011-05-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

Archeologist Dante Covelli is a complicated man with a complicated past he doesn't talk about. His personal philosophy goes something like this: It's up to me to make things right. Of course, Keegan Thomas feels that's her job, so it's no surprise they don't see eye to eye.

Dante thinks Keegan is nosing around and interfering in something that is not her business by asking questions about a photograph taken on the reservation fifty years before. She, on the other hand, feels she's bringing a gift of memory to young Navajos by providing them a glimpse of the faces of elderly family members they may never have seen before.

Dante questions her true intentions as a journalist, and with good reason. He came to Monument Valley in the first place to keep a low profile and avoid contact with the media. He wonders if she's there to bring up that whole mess from his past.

He thinks Keegan is irresponsible and inconsiderate. She wants him to lighten up. He, like Keegan, tends to bury himself in his work to dull the pain of the past, a pain inflicted by people in whom they'd invested their trust.

PICTURE OF LIES - Keegan Thomas

2011-05-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

While PICTURE OF LIES was in development, I put a lot of thought into my main character, Keegan Thomas. The journey on which I planned to send her required a certain temperment and personality as I wasn't going to make things easy for her. She needed to have a good amount of courage and perserverence despite some personal character flaws that could easily paralyze someone into inaction.

As an investigative reporter, her goal in the story is to find people in a fifty-year-old photograph, and discover the whereabouts of a little Navajo girl, now an adult, who was kidnapped by missionaries and never returned. Can you imagine the determination required to do this? It's what she finds out during her inquiries that really tests her mettle. So I had to make her extremely extroverted, driven, and aggressive when it came to things she felt strongly about.

And what I like about her most is that she is able to do her job despite the terrible pain she feels over losing her own child. In her mind, she's to blame her child went missing. She feels responsible, feels that if she'd been a better mother, it would not have happened. After all, she was right there on that same foggy beach .

The stress of keeping it together manifests itself in some mild OCD behaviors. In the throes of anger or stress, Keegan finds herself compulsively counting things - the number of people in the restaurant, the number of black cars that go through a certain intersection before the light turns red, the number of uprights in a wrought iron fence. This quirk does not get in her way. Strangely, it helps her focus so she can move forward. She really needs that focus later when she finds herself stranded in the wilderness, and again at the end of the book when she's at the wrong end of a gun.

Have I modeled this character after myself? Well, maybe, but it's a better, stronger, prettier, taller, thinner, more inquisitive, impulsive, and courageous version of me. Oh, and younger.

The story thread about the missing Navajo child kidnapped by missionaries was inspired by a true event. The real kidnapped child was found and reunited with his natural family while I lived on the Navajo Indian Reservation as a VISTA volunteer.

And if you notice the acknowledgement at the front of the book to Two Spirits - that's true, too. Watch Independent Lens on PBS on June 14 for the real story.

PICTURE OF LIES October 2011 Release

2011-05-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

Adance Review copies of my new book, PICTURE OF LIES, went out last week. I love this book and hope you all do, too. The story returns to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation where THE CHARMSTONE was set. Different characters, but same locale. Readers who were swept away to Monument Valley while reading THE CHARMSTONE may experience the same journey while reading PICTURE OF LIES. I hope so. I certainly was.

Investigative journalist Keegan Thomas travels to Monument Valley seeking people who appear with her grandfather in an old photograph that was found in his belongings after his death. A string of mysteries evolve from that including the search for an Indian child she is told was kidnapped by missionaries and taken to a boarding school, but never returned. This is especially heartbreaking for her as she's been living a nightmare of guilt and grief since her own little girl, Daisy, was kidnapped practically in front of her eyes.

Her courage and persistence uncover a web of deception that stretches back two generations, and the truth she learns about her own family is the most shocking betrayal of all. Nothing can prepare her for the danger she encounters when she becomes the target of a powerful U.S. senator who will do anything to stop her from telling what she finds out about the people in the picture and what they were up to. Some of the events in the story were inspired by my experiences and the stories I heard while I lived in Monument Valley as a VISTA volunteer.

The next book is already churning around in my head. It's called THE MISSING GIRL, and continues some of the story questions presented in PICTURE OF LIES. You'll see at the end of PICTURE OF LIES where I might be going with that.

REALITY OR REALISM?

2010-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

How much realism do readers want and expect in a novel? Authors worry about this all the time. Some go so far as to check things like sunrise and sunset time tables, and the GPS location of a certain building in the city where their story is set so their references are accurate.

I say, lighten up my fellow authors! It IS fiction, after all. That's what the willing suspension of disbelief is for.

While I do agree we need to make the guns and explosives accurate, and I do tons of research for my own books, I don't get all bent out of shape if the author of a book I'm reading puts Tom's Tavern in Golden instead of Boulder. In fact, I can't think of a single novel I ever gave up on because the author made something like that up.

After all, it's the story that counts. I try to make my stories compelling and fast moving even if I have to ignore reality at times. I will always put the story first.

After all, one of the first things we learn when we begin writing fiction is that it doesn't have to BE real, it just has to SEEM real.

BOOK TIME

2010-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

I recently read an interesting discussion on a writer's blog about book time - how to accomplish everything that needs to happen in the abbreviated time frame of a mystery or romance novel. Characters grow and change, travel, meetings and conversations must occur to move the the story forward, but those events aren't necessarily shown on the page. Still the reader needs to be somehow grounded in time and place to avoid confusion. Well, it's a challenge to a writer, for sure.

Book time is something I'm very aware of when I'm writing, but not so much when I'm reading except when I'm reading romance or romantic suspense. Then I have a lot of trouble with characters who hate each other at the beginning of the book then suddenly love each other. There has to be a darn good reason why she loves him after hating him, and I mean something other than a good sexual encounter. He has to do something really extraordinary to make her change her mind during the space and time limits of a 60,000 to 100,000 word book or I don't believe it as a reader.

Otherwise, when I'm reading I pretty much go with the flow of the story timeline without noticing the book time passing unless it's called to my attention by the author. To be honest, the quick 45 minute solution to most television series is why I don't watch much television. When I do watch a TV series, it's usually one that continues the story from week to week, like "The Good Wife" or "Damages" or "Rubicon" or "The Tudors" or "The Event."

One of the reasons I'm so aware of this challenge in my writing is that some time ago I had a previous agent tell me that the "time tags" I used, you know, those lines at the beginning of chapters giving the date or day of that chapter's events, was too distracting. I had to change it and incorporate the book time passing in the text.

Later, in another manuscript, I had an editor tell me that my book time passing references within the text was a bad habit. So I truly struggle with that in all my writing.

CEMETERY TREES

2010-11-10T07:44:00.001-08:00

I'm close to finishing a new book, a family suspense called CEMETERY TREES. It's about a young woman who, after a troubling adolescence and many years of estrangement in adulthood, returns to the small town where she grew up with an irascible father. It's a reunion that leads to devastating results.

She knew it wasn't true what they said about home being a place where if you had to go there, they had to take you in. Good girl/bad girl Jacobina Valeska couldn't count on being taken in. Nor did she want to go back to the heartache and painful memories waiting for her there. If her only other option hadn't been a cardboard box under the 14th Street Viaduct with her nine year old son and a three legged German Shepherd, she never would have dragged herself home at all.

But she did.

She returned to the place where nobody called her by her beautiful name - Jacobina. They called her Jake, sometimes Jerk. It was the place where her mother ran off with the local sheriff leaving Jacobina with her father. Jacobina was six. Her father was pissed.

Now it's fifteen years later. Within days of her return, she's insulted, assaulted and accused of theft and murder, her son finds a body in the rock quarry, her search for her mother is thwarted at every turn, and she discovers that everything she knew about her past wasn't true.

Welcome home, Jacobina.

I know how the book is going to end, how it has to end. I'm just not sure how to get there, so I'm taking a few days off to let the final scenes come together in my head. I'll update my website, post on my blog, and attend to the dozens of other little tasks that have been set aside while I worked on this book.

While I'm doing that, two things will be going on at the same time. Of course, I'll actively think out scenarios in my mind, but for the most part the scenes will write themselves in the ether of my unawareness. They will come to me in the shower, or while I'm on the treadmill, or I'll come awake in the middle of the night with the scenes and the dialogue fully formed in my mind.

But however it happens, the pictures and words will suddenly be there, and I'll drop everything else and sit down at the computer to write the final chapters.

And then euphoria!

And the next book!

Good-bye Droid, Hello LG

2010-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

I had to say good-bye to my Droid. Oh, it was a great relationship while it lasted! It did wonderful things. I could get instructions for the board games Guesstures and Pictionary. I could search Amazon for books, look up phone numbers and addresses, get driving instructions from MapQuest, find coupons for anything I wanted to purchase, check movie times and TV schedules, and so much more.

But it was a bossy little thing! And it was so sensitive! It took me to websites I didn't want, called phone numbers I didn't mean to, cut off calls I wanted to take, and pretty much had a mind of its own. So I had to let it go.

Hello, my old friend LG! Sorry I left you behind, but I'm back now to pick up where we left off. I missed you.

SAGE CANE BOOK COLORADO BOOK AWARD FINALIST!

2010-05-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

I had some very good news recently from the lovely Jen Long at Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book. My book, SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR (written as Christy Hubbard) is a finalist in the 2010 Colorado Book Award!!

I couldn't be more thrilled. It's quite an honor and I'm in very good company. The Colorado Book Award recognizes outstanding contributions by authors, editors, illustrators and photographers in multiple categories: history, literary fiction, genre fiction (historical, romance, science fiction/fantasy, mystery/thriller), general nonfiction, juvenile literature, pictorial, poetry, and young adult literature. See http://www.coloradohumanities.org/ for the list of other finalists. It's impressive.

SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR, written under the pseudonym Christy Hubbard, looks at the hardships faced by women in the Rocky Mountain Gold Rush towns of the Old West. It's the story of how mothers, wives, and daughters transformed their rough and tumble mining town into a family friendly center of culture and sophistication. Reviewers have called the book a "marvelous tale of hope and possibilities," and an "inspiring, well-written historical novel filled with details that are sure to please western history buffs."

And I am especially pleased this book is being recognized in such a presigious manner because there was someone who did not believe in it - AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Fortunately there was only one. Now I'm not one to say I told you so, I only want to say - thank you Colorado Book Award judges for the recognition. I'm still walking on air.

DROID

2010-02-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

My comfortable, familiar LG cell phone was not holding a charge any longer, and there was no replacement battery available, so it was time for a new phone. I got a Droid, and OMG it's like giving me a 747 to go to Safeway!!

The Droid is a mini-computer when all I really need to do is make phone calls, and it took me a day to figure out how to do that. Honestly, at first I thought the phone had a mind of its own, dialing numbers when I didn't want it to.

I do like receiving and sending emails on my phone, though (and will do that as soon as I learn how.) I also like having MapQuest (I need to learn that, too.) I'm sure there are many other wonderful things this Droid will do, but - hey! - I'm writing a book! I don't have much time to spend self-learning this phone. I'm waiting for a Droid for Dummies book. Will someone please write one?

SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR - Released 7-17-09

2009-07-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

My new book comes out on July 17th. I'm very excited. It's an Old West Historical set in a Colorado mining town. It's quite a different story than I usually write, and I wrote it under a different name, Christy Hubbard. I loved writing this book. It felt like it was being channeled to me. I think I must have lived one of my previous lives in the Old West.

Here's the story of SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR:

In 1859 a woman needed guts to live in the Old West, and Sage Cane had an abundance. Penniless and in debt after the death of her father, then abandoned at the altar by a fortune-hunting scoundrel, she headed for Colorado gold country to take possession of the hotel she’d inherited from her Aunt Hannah “Honey” Wild. But the hotel is really a bordello called Wild Mountain Honey, and her plan to close it down is met with resistance from Bridger Norwood, the sexy town marshal whose job it is to keep peace in the rough and rugged mining town. Backed by the town fathers, he's convinced the miners need a nice place to go to keep them off the streets and out of trouble.

But Sage wasn’t born to let adversity keep her down or men control her destiny.

Fairplay Creek is a town of, by, and for men, with nothing for women. Not a slip of silk or froth of lace can be found anywhere outside the bordello. While the men mined for gold, drank in the saloons, gambled at the card tables, or visited Wild Mountain Honey, the wives were left behind to scrabble together a home in tents, huts, and dugouts. Until Sage Cane secretly teaches the women in town how to dress for adornment, whisper into a man's ear, and practice the fine art of seduction. Secrets are revealed and secrets are kept, but Fairplay Creek is changed forever.

Thank you RT Book Reviews for your 4 STAR review - "...marvelous tale...Dynamic characters...captivating plot..."

RE-READING BOOKS

2009-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve never understood re-reading books.

Often I hear people say they have read a book many times, or they put a particular book on their keeper shelf to read again later. I have a keeper shelf, but it’s for signed first editions, not for books I plan to read again. I can’t think of a book I would want to read more than once. Why would I? I already know what happens.

Plus, as the saying goes – “So many books, so little time.” That’s how I look at it. I have hundreds of books in my bookcase that I haven’t read yet, and new books are released every day that entice me. If I re-read my books, I wouldn’t have time to read all the great new ones coming out.

I don’t buy DVDs, because I don’t even like to watch a movie more than once. Well, maybe there is a handful I will watch if they’re on television, but few enough that I can name them – Shoot The Moon, Two for the Road, Grand Prix, La Dolce Vita, Tombstone. They’re old movies. You probably haven’t heard of any of them except Tombstone. I have a couple of concert DVDs, but haven't watched them more than two or three times.

Usually, I’m reading two or three books at a time, and I try to make sure at least one of them is nonfiction. Here’s what I’m reading now:

“Fire and Ice” by Paul Garrison
“Live From New York, an Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live” by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
“The Secret History” by Donna Tartt

Oh, and I have new music, too. Here’s what’s new in my CD collection:

“Dummy” by Portishead
“Ultimate Waylon Jennings” by Waylon
“The Essential Johnny Cash” by Johnny
“The Essential Willie Nelson” by Willie

OH, MY GOSH, DAN SIMMONS!

2009-07-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Dan Simmons "A Winter Haunting" and oh, my gosh, it is spooky! I ended every chapter with a cringe, a glance over my shoulder, and a nervous little laugh.

I don't normally jump at house sounds in the night, but I did while reading this book, and in addition, I checked and re-checked to make sure the house alarm was activiated. (Not that an alarm would have scared away any of the malevolence in THIS book.)

Dan Simmons has skillfully blended reality with unreality, so that it ALL seemed real. Mysterious messages appearing on the computer screen, strange lights and noises in the boarded up second story of an abandoned house, the sudden appearance and disappearance of a stray dog, an overwhelming sense of danger, and all of it overlaid with the cold and gloom of a midwest winter.

MAMMA MIA!

2009-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't go to the movies to see MAMMA MIA, I watched it on DVD at home. You have to really, really like ABBA to like this movie. Meryl Streep was cute in it and she looked like she was having a lot of fun. But like I said, you have to really, really like ABBA.

DOUBT

2009-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ah, what a movie!

The movie DOUBT is worth going to see if for no other reason than the sheer pleasure of watching Meryl Streep. Oh, my goodness, she is powerful. Every movement and every muscle exudes energy and meaning.

The story is bound to make most people cringe a little (if not a lot), and the ending will surprise. Listen carefully to every word.

AUSTRALIA

2009-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

AUSTRALIA.

I walked out.

I would have walked out an hour sooner, but the people on either side of me looked like they were enjoying it. This movie is sappy, predictable and boring, and doesn't know when to end. I've heard it compared to GONE WITH THE WIND. Don't believe it.

Save your money and your time.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

2009-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE was nothing like I expected. I guess I didn't know what to expect. I only went to see it because of the rave reviews. The title did not entice me in the least, but it got two thumbs up, and is getting Oscar buzz.

I'm not going to comment on the plot at all, but I will say (and this might be a SPOILER) it had the most feel-good ending of any movie I've ever seen. When it was over, I wanted to stand up and cheer. I did applaud.

Enough said. Go see it.

CHANGELING

2009-01-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

I took time off from writing over the holidays to catch up on some of the great movies that are out. I love going to the movies, the whole idea of going to the theater, buying the popcorn, and settling into that cushy stadium seating. I guess that comes from living in Los Angeles, the company town of movies, where going to the cinema was always an EVENT. It's what I miss most about living there. (Besides the beach, of course.)

I usually go to the first showing of the day when there is almost no one else in the theater. Often I have the whole place to myself, and they run the movie just for me. I love it!

The first film I went to see was CHANGELING, a movie not to be missed. Intense and dramatic, yes. Compelling story, yes. And based on a real event that took place in Wineville, California in the nineteen thirties. The events were so horrific, Wineville later changed its name to Mira Loma.

Angelina Jolie was fabulous as she is in everything. The wonderful John Malkovich, another of my favorite actors, is in it. So is Jeffrey Donovan, the cool, sexy star of TV's BURN NOTICE, but I have to say, after watching him for a season in BURN NOTICE, he didn't seem to fit the part he played in CHANGELING. I had a hard time taking him seriously in the role. Jason Butler Harner played the killer and gave the most chilling performance, my choice for best actor in the film.

Clint Eastwood was the director so you know the film has depth.

THE CHARMSTONE DREAM TEAM

2008-11-14T04:25:00.001-08:00

I'm here to tell you I have the best readers in the world!

I had a great time meeting Donna, Sherry and Sandy who came all the way from Pittsburgh to stop and say hello on their way to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation. There were hugs and smiles all around as we settled in for a chat about THE CHARMSTONE and the book's very sexy hero Durango Yazzie. They loved him as much as I did, and were interested to know that last year he topped an Internet list of "Hero's to Die For."

I suggested they stay at the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, Utah. That's usually where I stay when I go to the Navajo Reservation. It's on the San Juan River, a big river rafting site, and centrally located. And I meet the most interesting people when I go there. (Hi Carol and Lawrence.)

So, I signed the Dream Team's copies of THE CHARMSTONE, and my new one, RUNNING FROM STRANGERS, which they tell me they'd pre-ordered before it was released. We laughed a lot, took pictures, and had a great time.

Thanks, ladies. You're the best! Really!

2008-2009 SIGNING SCHEDULE

2008-10-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

2008 SIGNING SCHEDULE

November 15 – Fall Writer’s Workshop panel – TBA

November 21 – Sedona Public Library, Sedona, AZ – 6 pm

November 22 – Gilbert Library author’s panel, Gilbert, AZ – 1-4 pm

December 3 – Barnes & Noble, Kierland Commons, Scottsdale – 7 pm

December 6 – Borders , Mesa – 2 pm

December 8 thru 10 – Arizona Library Association conference, Phoenix

2009 SIGNING SCHEDULE

January 7 – Anthem Library

January 12 – Anthem Book Club

March 14 & 15 – Tucson Book Festival

More to come

2008 OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONIES

2008-08-10T09:15:00.001-07:00

Almost everyone I know is talking about it - that powerful Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing. Wasn't it amazing? I don't know which part I liked best - the fireworks footprints walking to the Bird's Nest Stadium, the 2000 ancient drum percussion light show, the calligraphy dancers, the dancers with the electric suits, or the airwalkers around the globe!

My daughter called me first thing the next morning to talk about it. I'm STILL thinking about it. Thankfully she Tivoed it so we can watch it again.

I love to see the athletes march in, too, with their big smiles, their eyes sparkling with excitment and anticipation, their spirits so full of hope. And I'm always amazed to see countries I never knew existed. I swear they didn't exist the last Olympics. I guess I have to study up on my world geography.

And aren't those athletes good looking? Every one of them is absolutely gorgeous. That really speaks to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle of exercise and eating well. There's a special place in my heart for those little countries who only send one or two athletes. I always hope they do well.

I make a point to try to watch the events people don't normally pay attention to. I watched the women's fencing - wow! that sabre event was fast and exciting. I watched the rowing, the badminton, the women's beach volleyball - they said that last one is one of the most watched sports. And I know I won't get through this Olympics without shedding some tears. There are always so many inspiring moments, I can't help but well up.

But I'm really torn with indecision. I'm addicted to the Olympics and suffer withdrawal when it's over. I like to watch everything. But I also have a book to finish. I'm so close to the end, I don't want to lose my momentum. And people are waiting for it.

But, well, there's gymnastics and bicycle road racing today. And, oh yeah, water polo, so I think I'll just check my email and start those last three chapters tomorrow.

Fresh Fiction Blog

2008-08-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited to blog on the fabulous Fresh Fiction website. My comments are reprinted below:

STRONG WOMEN

I admire strong women, don’t you? I’m not talking about famous women who have made important world changing contributions to science, literature, medicine or other areas of our culture. I’m talking about the young women of today who set goals, plan their lives, and make intelligent decisions for themselves. Women like Amanda, Tricia and Melissa, the three college students who were with me on the Navajo Indian Reservation as VISTA volunteers. They were smart and sharp, knew what they wanted, and deliberately set out to get it.

But I’m also talking about fictional women. My favorite is Scarlett O’Hara. I read GONE WITH THE WIND scads of years ago, but I will never forget the feeling of empowerment that came over me when time after time, Scarlett stood firm and met seemingly impossible challenges while everyone around her was going to pieces. Remember when she stood in that weather-ravaged potato field swearing she would never go hungry again? It gives me a thrill even now.

And I loved all the fictional heroines of those wonderful gothic novels of the seventies written by fabulous authors like Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, Norah Lofts, and Phyllis Whitney. When the women in their stories heard all those creepy noises and thumpy bumps in the attic, did they slam the door and run away? NO! They went up that creaky staircase to check it out! I loved that! People joke about it, call those women TSTL (to stupid to live), but I thought then and I think now it took guts to do that. To me, courage is being afraid but doing it anyway.
I’m also talking about the women in my books who I hope readers find inspiring in the courage they show over the course of their story.

In THE CHARMSTONE, set in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation, Amanda Bell leaves the comfort zone of her ordinary life in Beverly Hills when she is called upon to travel to a place she’s never been, and where she didn’t know anyone in order to fulfill her estranged father’s last wish. When she arrived in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation, a place as foreign to her as if it were in another country, she felt uncertain, out of place, and, yes, afraid. Over the course of the story, she made mistakes that she learned from, overcame doubts and fears, faced mysterious threats, and despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, persevered.

In RUNNING FROM STRANGERS (due out from Five Star in September), child advocate Allie Hudson finds herself running for her life with a child in her care. She raced across the country to the only person she could trust, hoping he’d forgive her for leaving him practically at the altar. Once there, she endured scorn, uncertainty, rejection, and danger, but she never backed down. She had a child to protect.

In SAGE CANE’S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR (written as Christy Hubbard, scheduled for release in July 2009 from Five Star), lack of finances propelled Sage Cane, a prim and proper city woman, to relocate to a rough and rugged mining town in a remote area of the Rocky Mountains. She had to learn to survive in a whole new — and to her, impossible — environment. It wasn’t easy, but she found a way to empower herself and the other women in town, and together they turned the entire place on its collective ear. Sort of Girl power in the Old West!

Before beginning that book, I did a lot of research on women who traveled into the historic frontier, and I am in awe of them for the colossal courage they showed in going to a place that was not only new and strange, but dangerous too. Sage Cane is my tribute to them.

Who are some of the strong women you admire, fictional or otherwise?

SECRETS WORTH KILLING FOR

2008-07-29T09:40:00.001-07:00

I've been absent from my blog for so long because I've been buried in a work in progress.

I'm back to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation in this story. This time my heroine Keegan Thomas is searching for people in an old photograph. She's a journalist and thought it would be interesting to find these people and interview them for a magazine article.

Well, it got interesting all right. She discovered secrets that had been buried for over fifty years. Shocking secrets. Dangerous secrets. Secrets worth killing for.

I'm almost finished. I've outlined the last three chapters, I know what's going to happen and who did what and why, but I've taken a few weeks off to let the story settle in. The ending is going to be action packed, so I need to work out the details and let them fall into place in my mind. When the final scenes are bursting out of my head, I'll sit down and put them on paper. It will only be a few more days. I still have some research to do.

I'd like to tell more about the story, but it's so tightly plotted almost anything I say will be a spoiler. But I think you'll like this book as well as you all liked THE CHARMSTONE.

CHARMSTONE'S A WINNER!

2008-07-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for my New Year's resolution to keep up my blog! I haven't checked in since January. But THE CHARMSTONE has won some awards so I'd like to brag a little, if that's okay.

2008 Desert Rost RWA Golden Quill - DOUBLE WINNER! Best First Novel and Best Romantic Suspense

2008 Colorado Award of Excellence - FINALIST!

I was so pleased and surprised to be honored with these awards. Thank you, judges.

New in my music collection:

Back to Black by Amy Winehouse

Debussy Nocturnes by the London Symphony Orchestra

Interview at Poe's Deadly Daughters Blog

2008-01-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

I was recently interviewed by Sandra Parshall for her 1/09/08 blog at Poe's Deadly Daughters. Sandra is the author of a fabulous book called, "The Heat of the Moon." With permission, I've reproduced the interview below.

Writers use pseudonyms for many reasons. Would you mind telling us why you chose not to use your real name for fiction writing?

I decided to use a pseudonym because I didn’t want my real name all over the Internet, and my reason for that would make a good plot for a suspense novel (which I will write some day.) But it’s nearly impossible to remain anonymous in this day and age, and within a month of my book’s release, a writer friend mentioned me in her blog using my real name as well as my writing name. There were some consequences as a result of that which, so far, and happily, were minor and quickly resolved. But C. C. Harrison is a registered legal trade name and I think it looks great on a book cover.

The down side of using a pseudonym is that friends and family don’t know what to call you. My daughter now introduces me as C. C. Harrison.

Romantic suspense is perennially popular, drawing readers of both mystery and romance. Did commercial prospects play a role in your choice to write in this subgenre, or are you simply writing what you love to read?

Basically, I’m writing what I love to read. When I was young, I loved the early romance novels full of mystery and intrigue by Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, Norah Lofts, Mary Stewart. By the time I began writing my first novel, that style of romance was long, long out of fashion. But I’m greatly influenced by them, and by Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” Today, the female leads in those books are seen as weepy, wimpy and naïve, but I saw them as courageous. Courage is being afraid but doing it anyway. In every story, the heroine was thrown into unfamiliar circumstances to face mysterious and unpredictable events that were out of her control, but she always found a way to survive. And isn’t that what romantic suspense is today? Despite Scarlett O’Hara’s flaws and weaknesses in some areas of her life, I thought she was a kick-butt, take-charge survivor.

You teach a workshop titled "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?" Which are you? How did The Charmstone develop?

Oh, I’m a plotter, compulsively so! I need to know where I’m going. I don’t even leave my house without a map, and if I’m going over 100 miles, I need a Triptik!

Seriously, I’ve always been interested in the process of writing a book, how novelists actually did it. I’d been widely published in nonfiction, but that was easy. I just took information someone gave me, did a little more research, and wrote an article. Fiction was something else. I truly thought there was only ONE way to write a novel, and I needed to find out what that one way was. I’m embarrassed to admit that misperception blocked me for a long time. At the time, I didn’t have any writer friends, didn’t belong to any writers groups, so had no one to ask. Joining an RWA chapter opened up a whole new world when I learned that every author had a different way of putting a book together, and that they pretty much made up their own process.

My workshop on Plotters or Pantsers is geared to beginning and early career writers who may be struggling with finding a process that works for them. I talk about the many different ways published authors actually put a book together. It’s about process, not technique.

THE CHARMSTONE developed out of my experiences living in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation as a VISTA (now called AmeriCorps) volunteer. That was truly a life changing experience for me, and the characters and plot just sort of came together. I knew a week after I arrived on the reservation that I was going to write a book set there and pretty much what the main plot points would be. I didn’t begin the actual writing until some time later, when my assignment was over. After I left the reservation, I worked on an archaeological dig at an ancient Anasazi site (which gave me more plot ideas), bought a house in the Four Corners area and lived there for a few years. During that time I drafted three novels, one of which was THE CHARMSTONE.

You've written many short stories, but was The Charmstone the first novel you attempted? How long did it take you to write it, from idea to finished book? Would you tell us about your road to publication, once you had a completed manuscript?

THE CHARMSTONE was my first novel. (Okay, I’ll admit I do have one in the closet that hasn’t seen the light of day, but I plan to resurrect it at some point.) The road to publication for THE CHARMSTONE was quite circuitous involving multiple lost or misplaced submissions, a change of acquiring editors, you know, the usual. But it all worked out for the best in the end because I used the time when nothing seemed to be happening to tweak it into a better book, and outline or draft two others. Life is what you make of it and things always happen in their own time.

Both The Charmstone and your second book have Navajo characters and provide a look at life on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley. How were you received by the residents when you visited the reservation to do research? Has anyone there read your first book and commented on your portrayal of Navajo life? What advice would you offer to other authors who want to write about cultures not their own?

Actually my second book, RUNNING FROM STRANGERS due out in September 2008 from Five Star, doesn’t have Navajo characters, but the story is set in Durango, Colorado which is in the Four Corners area just off The Rez. It’s the story of a child advocate who finds herself on a run for her life with a child in her care.

My work in progress, working title NAVAJO GIRL GONE, takes the reader back to the Navajo Reservation with heroine Keegan Thomas as she searches for people in a fifty year old photograph, one of them a child who she’s told was kidnapped by missionaries and never returned. In the book, she meets a lot of resistance from the Navajos for poking around in the past. They tell her that people who dig up the past end up digging their own grave.

However, in reality, the Navajos are at heart very hospitable people. When I first went to the reservation as a VISTA volunteer, I think they were a bit leery of me, because historically, the intent of some of the white people who came to the reservation was to exploit the Indians despite their promises of help. In the end, I made some wonderful friendships that have survived over time, and I go back to Monument Valley often. And, yes, my book has been very well received there; at least I haven’t heard any complaints so I guess I got it right. My biggest fear was not getting the culture and history correct.

I think it’s very difficult for authors to write about a culture not their own, and the only way they can do it and get it right is to live it. I could never have written about life on the Navajo Reservation if I hadn’t actually lived there and interacted with people on a daily basis. Even so, I have to spend a lot of time on research.

Your second book was inspired by your experiences as a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) in the child welfare system. To an onlooker, this kind of work looks emotionally draining, but it must have rewards for those who do it. What have you learned from working with underprivileged and abused children? Have you seen many positive results of your work?

For me, being a child advocate was extremely emotionally draining. I had to limit the kinds of cases I worked on. I wouldn’t take any case that involved child sexual abuse of any kind. What did I learn by working in the child welfare system? Nothing good. It’s shocking and unbelievable what people do to their children. Looking back, I guess I could say there were a few moments of joy and reward, but only a few. Lack of money, staff, and effective management are huge problems in most child welfare systems.

Has being a published novelist changed your life? Did you know what to expect, or have you had some surprises (good and bad) along the way?

No surprises, not really. It’s pretty much what I expected. The biggest change it’s made in my life is I can’t go to the supermarket in sweats and grubbies anymore. I have to dress halfway decent because people in my community now know who I am and recognize me from signings and seeing my picture in the paper. Basically, I’m living the kind of life I’d always hoped to live - a published author, living alone, secluded, surrounded by my books and papers, writing more novels.

Your second book has the same setting as the first, but the two aren't part of a series. Do you think you'll write a series in the future, or do you have more fun with stand-alone novels?

Every book I write I think I want to be part of a series because I fall in love with all my characters and don’t want to let them go. So far, instead of writing a true series, I try to bring a few characters from previous books into my new books. In the book I’m working on now, I brought in at least one character from RUNNING FROM STRANGERS. The next book after that will be set on the Navajo Reservation and I plan to bring in several characters from THE CHARMSTONE.

Do you plan to attend any mystery conferences in 2008 where readers can meet you?

I don’t have as much time for conferences anymore, but I will be at the Desert Rose RWA Desert Dreams Conference in Phoenix on April 4-6, 2008, and also RWA National in July. So please everyone, I’m very approachable. It’s okay to stop me to say hello. Also, check out my website at http://www.ccharrison-author.com/ and read my blog for news and updates.

New to my music collection:

All the Lost Souls - James Blunt

Amazon Reviews

2008-01-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

There was a lively discussion on the Five Star Authors email list recently about reviews posted on Amazon.com. How helpful they are, how accurate, how fair, and whether or not Amazon reviews influence readers to buy. I think Amazon reviews influence most reader buying decisions, but they are helpful to me in another way.

Here's how I use Amazon reviews:

I never (hardly ever) buy a book based on good reviews. (Book covers don't persuade me to pick up a book either, but I know I'm in the minority on that.) I buy a book based on the summary of the story. If it sounds like something I'm interested in, I buy the book.

Then I go to Amazon for the reviews, BUT I read the one and two star reviews first. Why? Because I want to see if they are constructive reviews or merely general bashing. I ignore bashing. Then I browse the positive reviews. After that I read the book.

If I find myself losing interest in the book, or not liking it for whatever reason, I go back to the Amazon reviews and read them again. If the reason I am not liking the book is mentioned by at least one other reviewer, I usually don't finish the book. (If it's not, I give the book another chance and read more to see if it eventually engages me.) The reason for that is because I have more books in my bookcase, on my "to be read pile", and on my Amazon Wish List than I have time left on this earth to read them.

This wasn't always the case. I used to read every single word of a book out of respect for the author's hard work and effort. Then I amended that to reading at least the first 50 pages before giving up on it. Now I don't waste time plowing through any book that isn't holding my interest.

Here are some of the really good books I've read lately:

The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall

Half Broken Things by Morag Joss

Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

JANUARY 2008 SIGNINGS AND EVENTS

2007-12-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

JANUARY 2008 SCHEDULE

1/18/08 - BOOKMASTER, 2929 N. Scottsdale Rd, 10 am - 2 pm

This is a mulit-author signing, KOOL-FM will be broadcasting a remote from the location during the event.

1/23/08 - WORKSHOP - North Valley Library, Anthem - 7 pm

I'll be doing a mini-workshop called, "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?" Do you plot your book or write it by the seat-of-your-pants? Do you outline your story or just sit down and start typing? What's the best way to write a novel? I'll talk about the advantages and pitfalls of either technique, and give some hints on how to make each method work for you, including 3 Basic Outline Formats, 7 Things Pantsers Must Do, 8 Things Plotters Must do, and What Other Authors Do.

Churning

2007-12-18T07:57:00.001-08:00

So what have I been doing these past months?

Churning.

No, not butter. A new book.

When I’m starting a new book, I find I have to let the story elements work their way around in my head for a while, and when the story is fully conceptualized in my mind, I begin the actual writing. While those plot points are swirling, I work on my characterizations, and make notes of possible story events and turning points. When the book is literally bursting out of my brain, I can finally type “Chapter One.”

While all that is going on, it’s hard for me to do anything else, including blog. Now that I’m a hundred pages into the manuscript, I’m getting a head start on my New Year’s Resolution to keep up this post. I promise.

My new as yet untitled work in progress is a follow up to my first book, THE CHARMSTONE, which was released last April. This new one is also set on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley, and involves a young woman who leaves the comfort zone of her ordinary life to find people and seek answers to questions from the past. By doing so, she becomes immersed in a culture entirely new to her. There’s an old photograph. A missing child. People with secrets, lots of them. Some worth killing for.

I think you’ll like it as much as you all liked THE CHARMSTONE. And, by the way, thanks for that.

UPCOMING SIGNINGS AND APPEARANCES: (More details later)

January 18, 2008 - Bookmaster in Phoenix

January 23, 2008 - North Valley Library in Anthem, AZ , Workshop - "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser", 7:00 pm

February 9, 2008 - Bookmaster in Anthem, AZ

New in my music collection:

HOBO by Billy Bob Thornton
E2 by Eros Ramazzotti

RUNNING FROM STRANGERS

2007-08-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

I’m very happy to announce that my romantic suspense novel RUNNING FROM STRANGERS will be released by Five Star in September 2008. Pleased, too, that I’ll again be working with Tiffany Schofield and the other wonderful Five Star editors and support staff. Really, they treat their authors like rock stars, and diva that I am, I love it!

RUNNING FROM STRANGERS is the story of child advocate Allie Hudson who is forced to go on the run with a child in her care. In her youth, she’d frequently chosen to ignore the consequences of her free-spirited behavior leaving childhood sweetheart Beck Williams to take the blame. Because he loved her, it was an arrangement that suited them both. Until someone died and Allie disappeared. Now twelve years later, Allie, a devoted child advocate, disgraced family court lawyer, and widow of a murdered cop, seeks refuge at Beck’s secluded Southwest Colorado ranch.

The events in this book were inspired by my work as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) in the child welfare system, and highlight some of the problems inherent in child protection services throughout the country. Whether due to lack of funding, lack of qualified child welfare administrators, or lack of proper care facilities, these kids don’t have it easy. In the book, Allie becomes emotionally attached to the children she advocates for, going far out of her way to see that they are well fed, clothed and cared for. There’s a lot of action and suspense in this book, and a surprise twist at the end. I hope you enjoy it.

New in my music collection - Beautiful Door by Billy Bob Thornton

(Yes, that Billy Bob Thornton. How many of you knew Billy Bob sang in a rock band? I didn't.)

Monument Valley Revisited

2007-08-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

I went back to the Navajo Reservation to do some research for a follow up book to THE CHARMSTONE. I’m pleased to say that book has generated a lot of interest, and quite a few readers have asked me if there will be a sequel. So I went to Monument Valley to get back into The Rez mode, to see if anything has changed, and to meet up with my old friend, Don Mose. It was Don’s cultural preservation efforts at Monument Valley High School that inspired the work of Durango Yazzie in the book.

Only a few things have changed in Monument Valley. The tiny grocery store down the road from Goulding’s has tripled (at least!) in size and is now a modern supermarket with fully stocked shelves. What we called The Mall, a row of makeshift plywood sheds featuring splendid Navajo jewelry, pots, rugs, and baskets, has moved from the road leading to the Tribal Park to the side of Highway 163. It’s now called The Indian Market, but it will always be The Mall to me. Of course, I had to add a couple of pieces to my Southwest jewelry collection.

Had a nice chat with Don Mose. We talked a little about my new book idea. It won’t be a sequel exactly, though I will try to bring in a character or two from THE CHARMSTONE. The new story was not fully formed in my mind, but I knew I wanted to include certain plot elements and Don was able to expand on those for me. For the historical plot elements – the old Indian Boarding Schools – he referred me to Robert Johnson at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock. (Robert, I’ll be calling you soon.)

Don and I sat in the shade at the Tribal Park during their fabulous Drums of Summer celebration. There were Native American exhibits, songs and dances from various tribes, recognition of Elders, Veterans and local officials, and music. A lot of music. Two of Don’s sons, Travis and young Don, are in rock bands now. I hadn’t met them before, so I stayed to hear them play.

Imagine my surprise when I saw they looked exactly like the young Navajo rock musicians in THE CHARMSTONE! It was as if Larry and Albert Rainwater had walked right out of the pages of my book! I mentioned it to Don, and he just smiled and said sagely, “Yes, you really had a vision there, didn’t you?” I guess I did, Don. I think learned it from you.

And one more thing. Cell phone service on the Rez is close to nonexistent, at least it was for my AllTel phone, especially in the remote vicinity of the Park. But as I was walking through the lobby of the Park Tourist Center, my cell phone rang. It was my agent calling to tell me Five Star had made an offer on a second book!

I’ll blog more about that later.

Ready For My Close-up, Mr. DeMille

2007-07-05T12:51:00.001-07:00

I booked a print job recently, an ad campaign for Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona. It was a cast of about thirty people who had been picked to represent a broad range of age and lifestyles. The idea was to show people from all walks of life enjoying an evening at the casino, not just gambling, but dancing and having fun, or enjoying an intimate or family style dinner.

The photographer/director was Rick Peterson of Peterson Productions in Tucson. Check out his website to see his fabulous work. http://www.rickpeterson.com./ It was a three day shoot, and Rick was the epitome of saintly patience trying to keep track of everyone, giving direction, and calmly shooting still shots for ads and billboards, and a video TV commercial.

I was in about three scenarios. Winning at the poker table, playing the slots, and dancing with one of the other cast members. That's me in the picture gettin' my groove on.

Added to my iPod: Digeridoo Australia by Koomurri Tribal Dance

New in my music collection: Escape by Enrique Iglesias and Insomniac by Enrique Iglesias.

AN AWFUL THING

2007-04-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

An awful thing happened last month. I was in a car accident. Thank God and Toyota I wasn't hurt and neither was anyone else, but it rocked my world just the same.

I was on my way home from a Society of Southwest Authors meeting at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Phoenix. Picture this - Saturday afternoon in downtown Phoenix, on torn up Seventh Street right in the middle of the light rail construction. (Who voted for that anyway? I don't know anyone who did.)

The street was blocked and I was detoured off onto a thoroughfare I didn't know to a part of town I'd never been before. I was going slower than the other cars - those drivers undoubtedly more familiar with the area than I - looking for something I recognized. With my turn signal on, and after checking my mirrors, I gradually moved over into the left hand lane when a car barreled into me. He hit me so hard, he pushed me ahead and through an intersection!

Never saw him! I swear he came out of nowhere! In retrospect, I'm pretty sure he came up fast behind me, and impatient with my slowness and not noticing my turn signal, attempted to pass me at the same time I was changing lanes.

So, I was without a car for several weeks and must admit I was traumatized. By the third week, my stress was palpable, but along with it came a twinge of guilt that I was so emotionally attached to a material object. The guilt was momentary, though, because it occurred to me that my car was more than a giant hunk of steel, rubber and plastic. In reality, my car was my security. My safety. My escape from whatever unnamed danger might arise – severe storm, terrorist attack, any natural or man-made disaster. It's an SUV, sturdy and safe. Four wheel drive to take me far into the low desert or over the most rugged mountain pass. Big enough to live in if I had to!

You can see how distressed I was.

PUBLISHER'S CHOICE!

2007-04-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today is release day for my romantic suspense, THE CHARMSTONE.

I'm honored to say it's a Five Star PUBLISHER'S CHOICE! for April. It's so fabulous having that kind of support from my publisher and editor. They've been a dream to work with. John Helfers and Tiffany Schofield are amazing - endlessly courteous, patient, understanding, accessible, available and prompt. They've never failed to answer a question, return a phone call, or reply to an email.

Not all authors are able to say that about their publishers and editors. I'm truly blessed.

Thank you Tiffany. Thank you John. Thank you Scott.

A Romance Review

2007-02-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

I'm so pleased about the nice review of my book from an Internet website, www.aromancereview.com.

They said: "The Charmstone is one of those books that will stay with the reader... It has rich history, romance, intrigue, mystery. You do not want to miss this wonderful book. Highly recommended."

And they rated it Five Roses. Thank you.

Invitations for the May 6 launch party and signing are being designed. Mailing lists are ordered.

Watch for news about events here and on my website.

BOOK LAUNCH PARTY AND SIGNING

2007-02-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging again. Drum roll, please.

I've been busy. Finished a second book. Nearly finished a third, but had to put it aside (again) before writing the final chapters, because the release date of THE CHARMSTONE is drawing near. Marketing efforts for it are rolling along. Make that steamrolling along. Make that steamrolling OVER me. I hired a publicist to help.

The book is generating a little excitement and some local buzz. I've been invited to hold a book launch party and signing at the very posh JD Challenger Art Gallery in Carefree, Arizona. JD Challenger is America's leading artist of Native Americans. The people in his paintings seem to speak to the viewer through their eyes if not their spirit. You can see a sample of JD's amazing work on his website at http://www.jdchallenger.com/.

Celebrating the debut of THE CHARMSTONE at the gallery seems fitting as the book is set in Monument Valley, the wildest, most remote part of the Navajo Reservation. We're sending 1000 invitations. We'll feature Charmstone wine from Pine Ridge Winery in Napa. I'll blog more about this event as it draws near.

Meanwhile, pre-publication reviews of THE CHARMSTONE are coming in. I close my eyes, almost afraid to read them, then experience a twitch in my heart when I peek and see that the reviewer not only got it, but liked it. And is recommending it! Oh, my!

Here's what Booklist will say in their March 1, 2007 issue: Harrison's top-notch romantic suspense sheds light on the beauty of the land and culture of the Navajo.

Top-notch, they said. I like that. Thank you.

BOOK COVER REVIEW

2006-11-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

My book, THE CHARMSTONE, won't be out until April, but my book cover got reviewed.

Kate Allan of Red Wave Communications in the UK has begun a book cover review on her blog. She invited authors to submit their covers and I emailed mine. She reviewed it today and had nice things to say about it. I really love it and think the Five Star art department did a fabulous job of interpreting the backdrop and atmosphere of where my story is set. Kate nailed the sense of it right off.

To see the whole review, go to www.marketingforauthors.wordpress.com.

Visit my website at www.ccharrison-author.com.

THANKSGIVING 2006

2006-11-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

Among the many blessings I was grateful for at this year's Thanksgiving table, I was also thankful for the following:

o Chris for mashing the potatoes

o Dylan for bringing the flowers

o Izzy for running with hugs and kisses when I came in the door

o Rachel has a cell phone

o Jill and Michelle have two sexy bald-headed men to have fun with

o Barbara is my daugher.

I hope you all had many things to be thankful for, too.

MARIE ANTOINETTE - the movie

2006-11-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

I went to see the movie "Marie Antoinette" the other day. Though the acting was underwhelming, what a delectable confection of a movie it was! The visuals were breathtaking – the palaces, the carriages, the clothes, the food, the pomp and pageantry of society in a French court.

It was the story of Marie Antoinette, a fourteen-year-old Austrian princess being swept into a new life as the wife of the gentle future king Louis XVI. And what a life it was!

Every detail was dictated by strict protocol and etiquettes, conducted with exacting ceremony, all of it audienced by a slew of courtly attendants. Even her lavishly formal meals. Even the marriage bed! Even the birth of her babies. But that didn't stop her (and, to be fair, anyone else) from enjoying the gossip, the intrigues, the flirtations, the revelry and carousing that took place nonstop at Versailles and elsewhere at royal residences.

The furnishings and draperies were sumptuous, the clothes were extravagant, and Marie Antoinette was particular about shoes. (Who isn't?) Apparently director Sofia Coppola inserted a pair of purple sneakers into a scene showing Marie Antoinette's extensive wardrobe of Manolo Blahnik-inspired footwear. I didn't see this, though. A movie reviewer mentioned it.

In the end Queen Marie Antoinette is wrongly accused of bankrupting the empire and inciting the French Revolution, but we are spared any scenes of the guillotine.

It was a delicious way to spend an afternoon. On the way home, I stopped at a bookstore and bought a biography of Marie Antoinette.

Added to my list of 100 Things To Do Before I Die - Visit Versailles.

CATCHING UP

2006-10-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up on my blog. Lots has happened since the last time, most of it not very interesting to anyone but me.

But I have my book cover for THE CHARMSTONE and must say I am thrilled with it. Those Five Star designers are just the best, aren't they? You can check it out on my new website at www.ccharrison-author.com.

I'm busy, busy on another book, three quarters of the way through. I'll talk more about it soon.

THE WRITING LIFE, or Close Out That FreeCell and Get to Work

2006-08-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've always been interested in knowing how writers write their books (their process) and how much time they spend doing it (their schedule).

I know some writers who can write for twenty minutes at a time, get up and do something else, then write for another twenty minutes, and so on. My friend Linda Lea Castle (who also writes as Innis Grace) does that, or she used to do it that way because she home schooled her children. I really envied her discipline and powers of concentration.

My friend Linda Lael Miller writes fast, and it seems she can write a book every couple of months (best sellers, no less.) But I don't think she sits at her computer for eight hours every day, because she also travels, attends conferences, goes to church, works with the Humane Society, and spends a lot of time with her very large family. She used to be on the RWA board, and that alone was a huge commitment requiring a great deal of time.

Some writers I know have very strict work hours. They unfailingly begin at a certain hour and end at a certain hour every single day refusing to be interrupted. Other writers have told me they get up at three or four in the morning and write before the rest of the family wakes, or before going to a day job. That seemed impossible to me.

I'm willing to describe my writing schedule, and will admit in advance that it needs improvement. (I'll talk about process in a future blog.)

Okay. So, I get up between five and six every morning, make the coffee, and sit down at the computer usually while I'm still in my nightgown. I read the news—Drudge Report, then MSNBC headlines only clicking in to the big news of the day. Then the emails. This used to be overwhelming, but I've cut way back on my email lists. When the writing is going good, as it is on my current project, I often let my emails go for days.

I begin the actual writing between 7:30 and 8:00. On a good day, when the writing is really flowing, I'll write straight through with only a break for breakfast and lunch (at my desk) until about 2:30 or 3:00. That's when my back starts to stiffen and my creativity flags. At 3:30, I get ready to go to the gym. During the hour or so I'm on the treadmill, I write in my head. That is, I mentally run through my day's work filling in blanks, working out dialogue, scenes, and plot problems.

I almost never write after dinner. That's my reading time. But I do jump up to make a note if something pops into my head.

I used to keep a time sheet. You know, a log of the dates and hours spent working on a project, but that was too depressing. I got the guilts when I would see that there were days— sometimes many days—between work sessions. So, now I wing it and don't worry about it.

And along the way I've learned that I'm very poor at estimating how long it will take me to finish a book, or even a chapter. No matter how much time I think it will take, it always takes twice as long.

About the FreeCell. The only reason I haven't deleted it from my hard drive is because I need it when I'm on hold with customer service. Any customer service. It's the only thing that keeps me sane.

Albums added to my iPod:

- Freedom Fitness, Christian electronic rock workout music (really!) by Various Artists

Podcasts added to my iPod:

- The Street by Joe Frank
- Suicide Bridge by Joe Frank
- Telephone Prayer by Joe Frank (this one's absolutely hysterical)
- Controlling Your Moods by Joel Osteen

Sage Cane's House of Grace and Favor

2006-08-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

After taking several weeks off to catch up on my reading and regroup, I'm back to work on a partially completed Old West historical romance called, "Sage Cane's House of Grace and Favor," (formerly "Bad Girl of Fairplay Creek," formerly "Wild Mountain Honey.") I'd put the half finished manuscript aside on the advice of my agent when, according to her and everyone else in the industry, Old West romances went out of fashion.

The revamped title came about because Ann LaFarge, formerly of Kensington and now a freelance editor, commented that "Wild Mountain Honey" sounded a bit retro. Well, actually it was. It's from a song by the Marshall Tucker Band popular in the seventies.

So I had to come up with something else. I'm not very good with titles, and by this time, editors were looking for catchier ones. After much thought, I decided on "Bad Girl of Fairplay Creek," but shortly afterward put the book aside.

A couple of weeks ago, I brought the manuscript out again, and was dismayed to discover that while it was on hiatus, Jo-Ann Mapson had published a book called "Bad Girl Creek." So, again I racked my brain for a title.

Hence, "Sage Cane's House of Grace and Favor."

As you may surmise from the title, the book revolves around a parlor house. It's located in a fledging mining town in the Rocky Mountains, Fairplay Creek, Colorado, to be exact. And, as many of my stories seem to be, it's about a young woman who finds herself far from home struggling to make her way in a strange place. How she manages to do that in a rowdy, raunchy mining town where anything goes, and still manage to keep her moral values intact is what the story is about. The fact that it was indeed a town where anything goes is what actually encouraged and allowed her to take a risk. In the process, she turned the tables on the men in town while at the same time turning the town upside down.

The theme of the book is – A town will only rise to the standards of its women.

So, let's hear it for the return of the Old West historical romance. If, indeed, it was ever gone.

Album added to my iPod - Country Falls by Husky Rescue

L. L. BEAN AND ME: Story Characters

2006-07-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

I never, never, never EVER use people I know or any other real people as characters in my stories.

So where do I find my story characters? In the L. L. Bean catalogue. Or Land's End, or J. Jill, or Macy's, or Nordstrom's or any other catalogue I favor. I flip through the pages and look for smiles or eyes or a hair style or color, or any face that jumps out at me and says, "Use me. Use me." If the look fits with the plot elements I have in mind, I'll choose it.

Then I'll give that character a name. Or if I already have a name, a sort of psychic sense draws my eye to a face that naturally goes with it and with the plot. Then I tear out the page, or clip the image and tack it on the bulletin board over my computer. Once I have the look, I'll give the character flesh and bones and a personality.

Now even though I never use real people, there are times I might be inspired by something I know about a real person and use that to portray someone in a story, like maybe a character trait or some other element of a real person.

My book, "The Charmstone" due for release next April, takes place on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Monument Valley, Utah. I lived there for a time as a VISTA volunteer, and found that I used isolated impressions of the real people I met there to define some of the characters in that book.

In the story, Amanda Bell notices that Durango Yazzie wears a watch with a chunky silver and turquoise watchband. She finds it and the man wearing it very attractive. That watch is worn by my Navajo friend Don Mose, but Don is not Durango.

Amanda herself represents the essence of my VISTA mates, three strong, adventurous, courageous and bright young women. But she doesn’t look like any of them, nor does she have any facet of their personalities.

My secondary characters come alive to me just as my central characters do. But they are all created in my mind—Jack Rice, Judy and Jeremiah Moon, Elliott Sheffield, Sallie Rainwater and her two hunky sons Larry and Albert, Cammie Drew, Noah Tucker, Buck Powell. The others, the various Navajo Elders and Medicine Men and wannabes, all typify those I met or saw on the reservation, but no one in particular. In the story, they are all true to themselves.

Albums added to my iPOD:
Graceland by Paul Simon

Podcasts added to my iPOD:
Joe Frank
Joel Osteen

Me and My iPod

2006-07-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

I bought an iPod a couple of weeks ago. It was strictly an impulse purchase. I went to Best Buy for a new stereo, and as an after thought asked about iPods, and ended up with an iPod Nano. I didn't know how to use it, wasn't sure what I'd use it for, but omigod! I love this little thing!

I didn't know how to work any of the controls, and it didn't come with instructions, so I bought a "Rough Guide to iPods" instruction book. That helped a lot. Also, the Apple website has instructions and a tutorial, but if you're impatient like me, you won't sit still to wade through it.

To be honest, my iPod purchase was influenced a little bit by Kristen Nelson, an agent in Denver. I'm in the habit of reading her blog and everyday she mentions the name of the tune playing on her iPod. I'm always interested in knowing what music people listen to just like I'm curious about what books they read. By the way, you might want to check out her blog. She's been explaining and analyzing agent and editor contract clauses.

I probably won't use my iPod while I'm writing, but now that I've learned how to put my own music on it, I'll use it mostly while working out at the gym. Here are the albums I have on my iPod so far:

- Play by Moby
- Indigo Spirit by Higher Octave Music
- Myth by Chorus of Tribes
- Life by Simply Red
- A Decade of Steely Dan by Steely Dan
- Music by Madonna

The Charmstone Edits

2006-07-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm working on the first edits of my romantic suspense, "The Charmstone," scheduled for release next April. I actually enjoyed the process, though it was made a bit more time intensive because the manuscript had undergone some revision since it was first submitted. As a result, I had to go through the edited copy and the revised copy page by page by page, word for word making the changes. There were more than I remembered. Events in the first three chapters had been rearranged. A new chapter had been added at the end, and a chapter in the middle lengthened by half. In between were word or phrase changes, and some minor rewriting.

But I like that kind of intensely focused work. Turn off the phone, put on the coffee, hunker down, and just do it.

I'm not familiar with this edit software, though, have never seen it before, so I'm sure I gave my very thorough and capable editor, Diane Kirkle, fits with all my questions about how it worked. I hope I didn't make a mess of it. She hasn't said anything, so either I used it correctly or she's too polite to tell me how badly I screwed it up.

I also enjoyed reading the story again and becoming reacquainted with my characters, lapsed socialite Amanda Bell, and Navajo Cultural Center director, Durango Yazzie. They found themselves thrown together in Monument Valley, the remotest part of the Navajo Indian Reservation, and had to come to grips with exactly where in the world they belonged. Amanda, on a mission to fulfill her deceased father's last wish, turned her back on her life in a gated mansion in Beverly Hills. Durango, newly returned to the reservation, was committed to reconnecting with his Navajo culture, a way of life he had previously cast aside.

They work it out, though, but not without a whole lot of turmoil. You'll see when you read the book.

Font's Point

2006-06-20T12:11:00.002-07:00

I'm adding something to my list of "100 Things To Do Before I Die." I want to visit Font's Point again.

Font's Point is a towering limestone outcrop overlooking miles of the most foreboding, tortured badlands in the Southwest. Just two hours from San Diego, it's center stage in the Anza-Borrego Desert, which itself is one of the last best places on earth. Also, one of its best kept secrets.

I discovered Font's Point twelve years ago on a whim, the way so many of the best things in life are found, led there by an innate adventurousness I inherited from my mom. I'd never seen a real desert before, but one day, finding myself on an extended leave from my job, set out in my Jeep to go four-wheeling in the desert. Never mind that I'd never been in the desert in my life, never mind that I was by myself, never mind that I'd never had my Jeep in four-wheel drive before. I was inexplicably drawn to the Anza-Borrego Desert, and it was love at first sight.

Font's Point isn't easy to find, I just happened on it by turning off the pavement and hotdogging out across the sand. After a few miles, I'd gone as far as I could drive, so braked and cut the engine, and started walking up a long, moderately steep incline. It was hot, but I had plenty of water.

As my eyes topped the rim, my breath caught. Laid out before me, below and as far as I could see, were the Borrego Badlands, miles of barren rock strata that had been down-dropped and eroded into fantastic rock forms a million years ago. Harsh looking, steeply-jagged peaks, and corrugated hills of dried mud thrust up from twisted sedimentary layers, fractured land faults, rich fossil beds, and sunken mesas in colors impossible to imitate by man.

It was a stark, arid terrain where nothing grew and no one lived, and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I felt like I was standing on the edge of the earth.

Below, a road beckoned, isolated, remote, narrow and twisting, and begging for me to explore it. (I couldn't find the road on any of the desert maps, but happened upon it weeks later the same way I found Font's Point - by four-wheeling across the sand in its general direction. That was another memorable day.)

Standing at the top of Font's Point and looking far off in the distance to the east, the land drops suddenly to 235 feet below sea level to the weird and frightening Salton Sea. There, buzzards roost on leafless, lifeless trees. Strange, foul smelling sulfurous substances smoke and bubble up from the ground. Streams run an unnatural fuchsia red. The whole place looks like a scene after a nuclear blast. I don't like it there and stay away.

But Font's Point calls me still, and I hope to go back there.

Blame It On the Internet

2006-06-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm impatient. I don't like waiting in long lines. I want my phone calls returned within thirty minutes, and I don't like waiting on hold playing Free Cell for more than five. Send a snail mail letter? Forget it! I'll post an email then check for a reply every half hour.

Some people who know me would say I've always been impatient. But I blame this expectation of instant gratification on the Internet.

When I sit at the computer with my fingers on the keyboard, I am mind-blowingly aware that I am connected to the entire planet. Imagine that! Anything I want to know, I can find out with a few click taps on the keys. And best of all, I can find it out right away!

I use the Internet a lot, and not just for research when I'm writing a book. I find occasions in my daily life to connect to the Internet. Here are some things I searched for recently:

Brian Eno - Known as the master of ambient music, I was looking for his CDs. I play ambient music when I write. Currently, Inner Dance by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson is in my CD player.

Knife sharpening - My kitchen knives need attention and I was looking for a place to take them.

Poor Clares - A cloistered order of nuns living in the middle of the desert. I'm quite taken with these powerful women and am thinking about using them in a book.

Lynx reintroduction - Wildlife managers in Colorado have recently reintroduced the lynx onto federal lands. This program will be a key element in an upcoming book.

GoDaddy - I reserved my domain names.

Wild Horse Herds - Wild horse herds in Colorado play a part in my just completed book, WITHOUT PERMISSION. Also, there are wild horse herds on some property I own in Southern Colorado. I'm interested in their history and their welfare. Did you know the government has pledged to care for them in perpetuity?

Cortez Journal - I keep up with news in the small town where I used to live through the newspaper's website. Recently newspaper photographer Sam Green took a photo of a wild stallion that had just been corralled by local ranchers. The stallion was fighting mad and thrashing out with razor sharp hooves at the wrangler. He'd been rounded up for relocation because he was a frequent visitor to the domestic mares on the nearby ranches. I ordered a copy of the photo and will frame it to hang in my office.

Brad Meltzer - I just finished reading his very suspenseful and exciting book, THE ZERO GAME. It was the first book I'd read by him, so out of curiosity took a look at his website.

Must go now. Have to check my email.

Writing Contests - Some Cautions

2006-05-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

A member of my critique group - unpublished so far, but destined to be published if she keeps it up, she's a great writer - mentioned she was going to begin entering contests to get feedback on her writing.

I'm not a big fan of writing contests. I've entered a few, won some, finaled in some, but I've never felt the comments and feedback accompanying my scoresheets were particularly helpful to me. It's difficult for a judge to truly assess a book in any meaningful way on the basis of ten, twenty or thirty opening pages, and I found that many of the comments made by judges didn't really apply.

I once had a judge knock off some points and tell me to get rid of a certain character that appeared in the first couple of pages. The problem was, the character she wanted me to get rid of was the villain. Without him, there was no story. In another contest, I had a judge make a complex suggestion that would have sent my story off in a completely different direction. Not helpful.

I passed on the following cautions to my critique partner:

Keep in mind that a winning contest entry may not be publishable. As written, I mean. What contest judges look for in a contest entry may not necessarily be what an editor will find suitable or appealing. Writers with lots of experience entering contests usually write their entry specifically to appeal to contest judges. It's a knack.

Only enter contests where the final judge is an editor. Now, having said the above, if you do final, an editor will often ask to see a proposal, so it gives you a leg up, so to speak. You may have to further revise your proposal before you submit it, though.

Take the feedback with a grain of salt. Don't think that every comment a judge makes is written in stone. Often, the feedback will not apply at all. Use your own judgement. Take and keep what you can use, discard the rest. It's YOUR story.

Don't become addicted to contests. Don't focus your efforts solely on entering contests. I know of someone who won just about every contest she entered, but never sold a book. In fact, she never even submitted a proposal because she never wrote anything more than a contest entry.

Don't sacrifice writing time preparing contest entries. If you have a choice of entering a contest or moving forward on your novel, skip the contest.

If you win or final - BRAG! Go ahead. Tell everyone!

Good luck, Lena.

Writers Conferences - Some Favorites

2006-05-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

There's been some discussion on the Five Star Authors email loop about writers conferences. Some authors enjoy them, others don't.

I happen to like writers conferences. But my reasons for going and what I take away from them has changed over the years. Early on, when I first began thinking about writing a book, I attended conferences for the classes. I went to every session I could, took copious notes, horded the handouts, bought tapes of the classes I didn't attend, and spent my evenings thinking about and applying what I'd learned that day. No parties or socializing for me! I was there to learn. With a vengeance!

Later, I scheduled one-on-one appointments with editors and agents. I used my eight or ten minutes to ask them what they were acquiring, if there was anything in particular they were looking for, and I pitched my story ideas. For me, conferences are extremely valuable. It keeps me up to date on the market, and I'm able to hear it directly from the editors. I met my agent at a conference. I pitched her, she liked what she heard, and she signed me.

But all conferences aren't the same. Some are huge affairs with thousands of people attending, others are deliberately small and intimate. Here are some of my favorites:

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers - This is held in Denver. It's a big conference with writers and presenters from all genres. They feature a lot of sessions about law enforcement and criminology. Very helpful for those writing crime, suspense or thrillers. You'll hear some famous name authors there, too.

San Diego State University Conference - This takes place in January, a time of year you'd rather be in San Diego than almost anywhere else. This, too, is a big conference, and similar to RMFW.

Desert Rose RWA Conference - This one is held every other year in Phoenix. It's a smaller conference, about 250 people. The focus is on romance writing and a lot of big time editors and agents attend. Registration fills up quickly as people come from all over the country and Canada.

Trois Riviere Fiction Writers Conference - This is a very small, boutique type conference, limited to about thirty attendees, and the slots fill up fast. Because it's so small, the editors and agents are very accessible and approachable. That's kind of the point of this conference. At the last one held in April, someone organized an impromptu reading in the hotel lobby that was attended by writers and editors. Some of the editors were writers, too, and read from their own work. A chance to get to know them in an informal setting. It's held in Farmington, New Mexico every other year.

I'd be interested in hearing about some of your favorite writers conferences, and why you like them.

Next blog I'll update you on my list of "100 Things To Do Before I Die." I may be able to check off one of the items. Nothing definite yet. I'll let you know. Send me your suggestions for exciting or interesting things to add.

Between Books

2006-05-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Since I'm between books, I'm taking the opportunity to get my office back in order. While I'm writing, especially as I near the end of a book, I don't take the time to file and sort the papers that seem to appear out of nowhere. During this down time I reorganize, clean my desk and bookshelves, and churn book ideas in my head. I'll mention later what story question I'm turning over now.

What collects in my office over the months a book is being developed? Mostly things I've printed from email or off the Internet. Information I thought was important at the time got printed out and put in a "to be filed" stack. Things like conferences I thought I might attend (but never did), contests I might want to enter (but never did), editorial guidelines from publishers I thought would be interested in something I was working on, emails about things I needed or wanted to see or do. Personal letters to answer, phone calls to return, personal business that needs follow up.

Interesting observation about all that- sometimes if I wait long enough the urgency goes away. I tossed a lot of paper.

But I accomplish two very important things while I'm putting my environment in order. First of all, the clutter is gone which is very important to my sense of well being. It clears my mind, allows me to sort of expand into my surroundings and take deeper breaths. Second, it gives me a chance to churn story ideas.

The story question I'm pondering today is - who would murder five nuns living in a secluded Order on a remote mountain top in the heart of the Arizona desert?

How I Got Started

2006-05-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

I'm asked a lot how I got started writing books. Despite the fact that I think I was born to write, it actually took me quite a while to get started.

When I was very young, a beginning reader, my mother took me by the hand and walked me down the block to the local library. I remember the first book I checked out. It was about a dog named Val, and when I finished reading it, I thought to myself, "I can do that."

But it was a long time before I actually did.

Over the years I wrote for newspapers and magazines, and my work has appeared in many regional and national publications. I wrote some short stories, and even wrote for confession magazines (remember those?) I wrote for Vocational Biographies, a publisher of career reference materials, and was even fortunate enough to have corporate writing jobs (imagine! doing what I loved and getting a regular paycheck for it!)

But I always wanted to write novels. And I had no end of ideas to write about, it was the how that stumped me.

I thought there was only ONE WAY to do it, and my search began for THE way. That's what took me so long, and what a waste of time that was. Because there is no ONE way to write a novel. There are as many ways to write a novel as there are novelists. I just had to find the way that was right for me. Once I realized that, the story ideas began lining up in queue.

So the right way for me is to formulate most of the story in my head, and then write an outline. I always know the beginning and the end quite clearly. The middle of the story is not always fully formed in my mind, but I do make a list of things I want to happen. The items on the list are not carved in stone, I do wander off in the writing process, but I'm always amazed when I'm finished how many of those events on my list made it into the book.

I've received some interesting suggestions for my list of "100 Things To Do Before I Die." One is studying Yoga at an ashram in India, and though that is something I'd definitely love to do, I'm afraid I have to limit my list to things I'll actually do. Otherwise, my list would be endless.

And thanks, Bulldoglvr, but I don't think I'll be learning to fly, either, for the reason you mention. (See comments attached to my first blog called, "Welcome.")

More later.

Finished!

2006-05-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today I finished my current work in progress. What a great feeling to have completed it! It's a romantic suspense called WITHOUT PERMISSION about a child advocate who runs off with an eight-year-old boy to keep him safe. She flees to the only man she can trust, a nature photographer/wildlife biologist living in Durango, Colorado. Problem is, she dumped him flat years before. And, oh, yes, he's damaged from it. Now she can only hope he'll take her in. It turned out to be a bigger story than I'd planned and I had a lot of plot points to tie up before I got to the last page, so I was anxious to be done.

That got me thinking about finishes. Some things we like to see finished, others we wish would go on and on.

Here are some things I am glad to have finished: A book that I'm writing, a drive over Wolf Creek Pass, a colonoscopy, a crying baby, a blizzard, a summer in Arizona.

Here are some things I don't like to see end: A good book that I'm reading, a B-tribe CD, a beautiful sunset, a massage, sitting on the beach in Santa Monica, the last run in Aspen.

Now that I'm finished with this book, I can take a break and catch up on my reading. I usually read two or three books at the same time, switch off from one to the other. Right now I'm reading books written by friends of mine.

WHISPERS by Erin Grady is a real page turner, and jaded reader that I've become, it takes a LOT to keep me turning pages!

I'm also reading THE GARRISON: LOCKDOWN by Vijaya Schartz. It's not the kind of book I usually read, a futuristic, action-packed romance, but wow! I'm only a few pages into it and I am literally holding my breath to see what happens next.

I'm getting lots of private emails in response to my blog, people asking questions about writing and about my process. In the next few days I'll begin posting some answers.

Be well.

Strong Women

2006-05-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

I admire strong women, don't you? I'm not only talking about famous women who have made important life changing contributions to science, literature, medicine, or other areas of our culture. I'm talking about the sharp, smart, focused young women of today who have learned to set goals, plan their lives, and make intelligent decisions for themselves. Women like my VISTA mates Amanda, Tricia and Melissa.

Women like Amanda Bell, the heroine of my book THE CHARMSTONE.

Amanda Bell was a misfit socialite who never quite fit in, never felt she measured up to other people's expectations. She made a courageous decision for herself when she was called upon to travel to a place she'd never been and where she knew no one in order to fulfill her deceased father's last wish. When she arrived on the Navajo Indian Reservation, a place as foreign to her as if it were in another country, she again felt uncertain and out of place. But she persevered, made mistakes that she learned from, overcame doubts and fears, and despite sometimes insurmountable obstacles, never gave up. And in the process experienced incredible growth.

I like Amanda Bell a lot. I hope you do, too. You'll meet her next spring when my book is released. I plan to give all my heroines guts and spirit.

And speaking of strong women - check out my friend Donna MacQuigg's book THE PRICE OF PRIDE. Her heroine, Sarah Brighton, is truly a free spirit with attitude!

Don't forget to post your suggestions for my "100 Things To Do Before I Die" list. I'll post the best ones, and mention your name, and maybe add them to my list.

Let me know your thoughts about strong women.

Be well.

Welcome!

2006-05-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm honored to be in the company of these impressive Five Star authors.

The title of my book is "The Charmstone" and it's a story of mystery, history and romance set in the Four Corners area of the Southwest. Specifically, the story takes place in beautiful Monument Valley, the most far-flung and remote part of the Navajo Reservation. I lived on the Reservation for a time as a VISTA volunteer and this book is inspired by my experiences there and the lovely people I met. "The Charmstone" comes out next spring, so please watch for it! My agent called to tell me she's already had a request to see it for film rights, so I'm very excited about that.

Living on the Navajo Reservation was only one of the things on my list of "100 Things To Do Before I Die." It's a list I began compiling a while ago, and I add things to it as they come to me. Other items on that list are seeing the Grand Canyon (I've just moved to Arizona, so haven't been there yet), going on a walking tour in Tibet , going deep sea fishing, working on an archeological dig (which I've done), going whale watching (which I've done), learning to line dance, and being an extra in a Cirque du Soleil performance.

But my list is far from complete, so if anyone has a suggestion, I'd like to hear it. Please tell me if you think of something interesting or exciting to do, and if it appeals to me, I'll add it to my list.

Please visit me often. The welcome mat is always out at my blog.