Just In Case...

I'm sure most of you already know this, but on the off chance you missed it, Nathan Bransford is running a contest for the best 1st paragraph.

Read the rules and submit your work here.

The contest expires tomorrow at 4pm Pacific, so get a move on.

Good luck!

In Autumn's Honor

Things are pretty boring on the writing front right now, so I thought I’d mix things up.

How, you ask?

With a recipe, of course. A lowfat awesome one actually; one perfect for autumn.

So, without further adieu, here is how to make…
Spiced Pumpkin Apple Bread! (yay?)

Ingredients:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cloves
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar

• 4 eggs
• 1 15oz can of pure pumpkin puree

• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

• ½ cup apple juice
• 1 large baking apple or 1.75 small apples peeled, cored, and diced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and lightly flour two 9X5-inch loaf pans. (Too much flour leaves a white film in the corners. Yes, I learned the hard way.)
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another large bowl, mix sugar, pumpkin, eggs, applesauce, and apple juice. Beat until blended.

5. Add pumpkin (wet) concoction to flour (dry) mixture. Stir until moistened.
6. Fold in apples. (If using two small apples, eat the remainder of the second apple with peanut butter. The sooner the better :))
7. Spoon batter into loaf pans.
8. Bake for about 65 – 70 mins or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
9. Turn off oven. (A simple, but often overlooked step. Well, at least at my house.)
10. Cool in pans for 10 min.
11. Remove to wire racks or aluminum foil to finish cooling.

And there you have it. Enjoy!

Book Review: The Lost Symbol

I've been reading at a frantic pace recently. I'm not sure if it's some kind of procrastination tactic to keep me from writing and editing, but the upside is that I've read some great books. Mental and creative recharge, right?

Last night I finished The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Masons and killers and myths, oh my!



Plot:
In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world’s most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown’s most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon’s beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

My Review:
Short chapters and a major plot twist? Awesome. Suspense was present from the beginning and compounded throughout the entire novel. Brown's characters seemed believable and each had very distinct mannerisms. However, the dialogue wasn't always as distinctive and I had to go back a few times to figure out who was talking.

As with The Da Vinci Code, Brown filled narrative sections with enticing bits of legend and history. Personally, I loved it, but if you're not into conspiracy theories or Freemason folklore, this may cause you to skip ahead.

Overall, the plot sucked me in and I couldn't put the book down. Twists and turns abounded in this story set in our nation's capital.

Grade: A-

Help Needed: Do you want to keep reading?

Hiya, Folks.

I need your input. Please read the first page of Autumn Leaves and let me know if you would want to keep reading. Be honest. Be unapologetic. Be... well, just give me your feedback. I appreciate it. :)

“I’m sure this trip is going to kill me.” I held the phone to my ear with one hand, clenched the handrail with the other, and launched myself onto the moving step. The smell of coffee laced with grease weakened as I descended to the airport’s lower level.

“Stop being so dramatic. You sound like your sister.” Eve laughed.

The escalator lurched, almost sending me tumbling, but I regained my balance as it chugged downward. “Listen, I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Sure. Stay safe. And don’t die,” she teased with a giggle.

“I’ll try.” I hung up and jammed the phone in my pocket preparing to zigzag my way to the baggage claim.

The San Francisco airport bustled with people, all seeming to struggle against the confines of time. A family of four draped in diaper bags darted in front of me, almost running me over with their stroller. The disheveled mother didn’t seem to notice and yelled at her son, “Stop it! Stop pulling on me!”

The little boy began to cry and I wondered if they were here out of obligation just like me. His mother yanked him away and they disappeared, swallowed by the masses of frenzied passengers.

A crowd filled the space around me, forming a circle surrounding the carousel, like a mob before a hanging. It lunged and surged forward as luggage moved to meet impatient owners. My purple suitcase rounded the corner and I pushed my way to the front, bumping and nudging through the pulsing wall of people.

A hand sprang out in front of me and ripped my bag off the conveyor. “Let me get this for you, Autumn,” a stranger said.

With a sharp inhale, I spun around to confront the would-be thief.

His eyes, a staggering shade of blue, considered me as I tried to think of something else, anything else, other than how beautiful he was.

“H-how did you know my name?”

His lips parted in a slight smile, but before he could answer, the conveyor belt died causing a noisy sputter. A loud bang followed as one of the fluorescent lights exploded above, raining sparks down on the unsuspecting travelers. Screams ensued and I remained still, used to strange things happening around me.

So, what'd you think? Would you keep reading?

Rejection Science

Rejection sucks. Well, it does, doesn’t it?

From a manuscript dismissal to a query letter denial, it all stinks. Let’s discuss Rejection – the one with a big “R.” (You are free to now say ARRRR!)

So, how do we balance the negative with the positive, even when there doesn’t seem to be any in sight?

Why not be scientific about conquering “Rejection Depression?”

Newton’s Laws of Physics seem like a perfectly rational place to start. Very logical.


First Law - A body persists in its state of rest or of uniform motion unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force.
If we don’t receive a bunch of brush offs, we won’t send out many queries. Meaning, our masterpieces wouldn’t touch the lives of the agents / editors to which we submit. Oh. That sounds like they’re our overlords… perhaps they are. By the way, don’t you just love the term “unbalanced?”


Second Law - Force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma): the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration.
I’d like to change this to: First publication equals the magnitude times the activity (F=ma): the first novel published is equal to magnitude of the project (which is AWESOME) multiplied by the author’s activity. The more people you talk to, the more agents you query, and the more publishers you find that take un-agented talent, the better your odds. It’s a numbers game in the end.


Third Law - To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
I’m resisting the urge to scream, “Karma!” (mostly since I’m sitting in a stuffy cubicle-ridden space)
Newton’s third law is my favorite. With every negative force, create a new opportunity for greatness. Send out more letters. Re-edit your manuscript. Start a new project.


Conquer the Rejection by pushing ahead.

(I’d rather be Spock than Debbie Downer anyway.)


How ‘bout you? Any tips or tricks?

New Addition

As some of you already know, Dave and I added a new member to the Shapiro family. Bienvenidos, Stoli!


So, when not working or squeezing in writing time, I teach my fuzzy kid important things like:

Where to go potty. (Yes, the technical term is "potty")

And how to make new friends.

He reciprocates by teaching me to never forget your wingman when escaping from prison -- a valuable lesson to be sure.
So, what have you learned from your pets?


Have a great week!

Not Like the Others

People think I'm weird. I know they do and no, it's not the underlying paranoia speaking. The sideways glances and tiny quirk of the eyebrows give it away every time.

Honestly, they are probably right. I am different and isn't that what being weird is -- not fitting between the parameters which makes a person normal?

Top 5 reasons for my weirdness:
1 - I'm a writer. No explanation necessary.

2 - I hate chocolate. Even through the computer, the collective gasp of disbelief astounds me. Why do people dig that stuff anyway? Sour Patch Kids are so much tastier.

3 - I drive a stick shift. Apparently, this is not normal for a married, thirty year-old woman.

4 - I turn hermit from time to time. Yeah, it's inconvenient, but it is what it is. (cringe)

5 - I despise cliches and over-used phrases (like the end of number 4).

So, what makes you weird?