Just a wedding...

It was just meant to be a short weekend getaway. But looking back, and yes, even during it, we knew it was one of the best mini holidays we'd had.
My husband's old army buddy (doesn't that conjure up a rotund balding man in a button-busting uniform?) was getting married. For the record, he was not in the least like that vision. He's a slim young man who runs ultra marathons. (I don't know what they are but they sound pretty impressive to me) Anyway, we were invited. It was for a Saturday afternoon, but before that, I had already decided we'd do some things I'd always wanted to do.
First up, we were going to climb a nearby mountain.
Now, before you think Sir Edmond Hillary here, it was Mount Carlton, the highest point in the Atlantic provinces, only a few thousand feet up. Still, I'd not seen it before, so it had to be done.On the way back down, we got a flat tire right in front of a gas station that not only was open, but also had a good used tire. $30 later and we were on our way with it. A bargain, a blessing to be sure. I noticed the name of the gas station. An old dear friend of ours' maiden name. A relative, perhaps?
Then we were going to visit our nephew. My hubby's older brother's boy is married, with a child, living in the same town as the wedding. We were camping, so the family came for a campfire. I can proudly say I introduced them to spider dogs!
The next morning, we walked the waterfront of beautiful Campbellton, New Brunswick. We saw the world's largest salmon. Okay, it's not real, but hey, it's pretty impressive.
Finally, the wedding. As an outside wedding, it was in the groom's parents' backyard, and witnessing the nuptials were also three horses. What a size difference they were!
Though the wedding vows were in French, it mattered not that I understood. I definitely understood the gist. (And the kiss)
Because there were loads of children at the wedding, they'd hired both a clown and a magician/disc jockey. The magician stopped at our table and asked me to think of a card, which I did (King of Spades) and then proceeded to spread out the deck. The only card turned up was the King of Spades. How do they do those sorts of things?
During the reception, we met an actress. She's even worked with Ed Asner! Another couple were lovely and nice, with the man telling me what cushy military postings he'd had. I was green with envy. Well, maybe not green, but if you saw my military career, you'd understand that I should be!
The weekend wrapped up with a picnic lunch in my mother-in-law's favourite town. And then it was back home.
I loved the weekend. It was wonderful, relaxing, warm and sunny, and everyone was more than nice. I was the quintessential tourist. Why, I even took pictures coming out of Walmart!
We were blessed to have this weekend. We loved meeting new friends, catching up with old ones, and camping where there was no wind or bugs.
It will go down in our memories as one we'll talk about for a long time.

CRUNCH TIME

By Debby Giusti

Suspense writers love ticking time bombs. Put the hero and heroine in danger and give them a limited amount of time before something terrible happens, like they'll die or someone they love will die.


Tick…tick…tick…

The vicarious adrenalin rush, the sweaty palms and elevated pulse that go along with a countdown keep readers turning pages and ready to buy the next book.

But what about real life ticking time bombs, AKA deadlines?

Tick…tick…tick…

I just completed THE CAPTAIN’S MISSION, book two in my Military Investigations series from Love Inspired Suspense.

My January deadline meant I’d be working during the Christmas season, but I had four months from contract to completion, which seemed adequate. In reality, shopping, gift wrapping, decorating the house and preparing for the influx of family took time, and something had to be pushed aside. This year, I didn’t send cards or my usual holiday newsletter, but everything else got done, including the book.

Of course, I did turn down a few holiday parties and stayed home New Year’s Eve, but the manuscript arrived in New York ahead of schedule.

Usually the last few weeks before the book is due, I concentrate totally on the story and cancel most of my other activities. Going to church and prayer remain front and center, but everything else is put on hold. If I’m really down to the wire, I stop cooking and my daughter takes over the kitchen duties.

Since my entire focus is getting the story ready for submission, I usually stay up late and rise early. My goal is to get five hours of sleep each night so I can remain alert throughout the next day, although the fear of failure usually takes care of that concern. No need to set my alarm at night. My internal clock wakes me before dawn.

Often I stand at my kitchen counter and work on my laptop in the early morning hours. By 10 A.M., I’m at my desk where I stay until I go to bed. I try to be ergonomically correct while at my computer, but long hours of sitting are hard on my back and wrists so I get up and stretch at regular intervals. Also, I take a walk every day, time and weather permitting.

I love Diet Coke, but I watch my intake when I'm on deadline. Instead, I attempt to stay hydrated with water. Usually, I don’t drink enough liquids while I'm at the computer and have to catch up by gulping down a glass or two of water during my breaks.

With this last book, I had trouble with eye fatigue. I switched to wearing glasses for longer periods and shortened the number of hours I wore my contacts. I also increased the zoom function on my monitor to 150% to help ease the strain on my eyes. I kept thinking about the Post-It note a friend keeps on her monitor: BLINK!

Even when the writing is done, getting the work into the final format is time consuming. Self-editing and rereading the pages in a hard copy or in a different font to pick out typos takes time, as well. My husband and eldest daughter read my final copy before I send the book off to the editor. If they find any glaring errors, those corrections also need to be made.

Printers always act up when a book is due! I try to keep extra print cartridges and reams of paper on hand so I don’t have to run to Staples at the last minute. Luckily, I have a backup printer if my old faithful decides to crash.

Mailing options vary and impact whether the book arrives on time. I’ve had problems with USPS Priority Mail so I usually send my manuscripts UPS. Brown provides a great on-line tracking system, and I follow my manuscript’s progress as it leaves my small town, heads first to Atlanta and then on to New York City. Regular delivery gets it to Love Inspired Books in two working days. Overnight delivery is more expensive but is sometimes a necessity when time is short. I email my editor to let her know the manuscript is on the way and attach the document file electronically along with the message.

When you're under a deadline--whether contest entry or full-length manuscript for publication--and the clock is ticking, how do you handle the stress and complete the work on time?

Happy writing!

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

http://www.debbygiusti.com/

The Mad Dash to Deadline!

Hi from Lisa Mondello! I'm going to make this post short and sweet because I am DEEP in the final stages of finishing a manuscript for Love Inspired ROMANCE that is due Feb 1st. Truthfully, no matter how much time I have to write a book I always have my back up against the wall. I need that deadline to get the muse kicking into overdrive.

I wanted to take a moment to announce that as of Monday, I will be JOINING the Craftie Ladies of Romance site and will have my first post announcing my next book titled Fresh Start Family, which will be published 10/10. This move doesn't mean at all that I'm abandoning Suspense. Far from it. Like Ramona, I find that dead people just naturally end up in my stories and since that can't be helped, I might as well just go with what works for me.

Anyway, as I finish up these last pages on my manuscript, I want to tell everyone that I do have an exciting suspense in the works. My editor already has the follow-up story to Yuletide Protector on her desk and I'm anxious to hear word on whether or not Love Inspired Suspense will be publishing Jake Santos' story. Those of you who have read Yuletide Protector will remember Jake as being Kevin's partner on the police force. I'll keep you posted!

I do invite you to visit me on Monday at our sister site, Craftie Ladies of Romance, where I will be making my first blog post.

Until next time, many blessings, Lisa Mondello

PS. If you are on FACEBOOK and want to follow along with the posts on the Craftie Ladies of Suspense loop, scroll down the sidebar and join us on FACEBOOK. You won't want to miss a word of the upcoming VALENTINE's MURDER the CRAFTIE Ladies have in store for you!

Where is the summer going?

I am camping as we speak.  I'm sitting at a spare picnic table trying to pick up the wifi with a red laptop.  It's early in the morning, and most campers pulled out Monday morning.  Up here in New Brunswick, we had a holiday on Monday.  

It's only early August and I can see my breath this morning.

Yes, all of you sweltering in other parts of the continent, I could see my breath this morning.

But it's all part of the deal here.  I'm used to it.  

The one thing I 'm not used to dealing with, is some tight deadlines.  I've got to finish a manuscript by Sept 30, paint birdfeeders for a fundraiser and we've been invited to several functions this summer.  

Summers are for time off, aren't they?

And yet, we weren't planning to go anywhere for holidays because both our kids are working full time, so we squeezed in some fun activities on weekends.  Take this one for instance.  We went to the drive in theatre.  The triple bill showed Aliens in the Attic first, and to tell you the truth, I loved it!  The funniest part came when the kids had to use an old rotary phone!  Hilarious!

Well, my fellow campers have made coffee for me, and must go.  They're staring to tease me about sitting out in a field by myself.

I guess I'm outstanding in my field.

Groan.  It's early.  I can see my breath, and I need coffee.  What more can I say?

 

The Unofficial Kickoff to Summer And...

What it means to a writer.
Last Monday we in Canada celebrated Queen Victoria's birthday. Most of us get the day off, but just as importantly, it's the unofficial kick off to summer. I hear that many in the US think the same way about Memorial Day.
Take my brother in law for example. To him, summer means barbecuing. He serves up grilled chicken and those delicious sausages with cheese in them, and juicy homemade hamburgers. To him, summer has started. Gotta love a guy like that!
To me? I'm a writer. I'll have my head deep in murder and mystery and like Margaret said earlier this week, deadlines.
I have two deadlines this summer. I'll be attending a big writers' conference this too. And I want to write a devotional.
It's going to be hard. We have a short camping season here, and I love to camp.
Well, I've got it solved. I'll burn the midnight oil during the week, and when we camp on the weekends, I'll lounge in a folding chaise, with sunglasses and a cold drink and grunt out the occasional word in my sleep to my fanily and friends, just to show them that I'm listening and not sleeping.
Of course the ruse will be up when I sleep through the aforementioned barbecue.