quirky romance

Creative Sparks

I decided to try something different for my blog, focus less on the specific craft of writing and spend some time talking about the entire creative process. I realized that creativity doesn’t start and stop when I type up my stories.

It’s no accident that crafting, writing, singing and other creative arts are often found in one person. I grew up on a

steady diet of broomstick crochet, macramé, knitting, crocheting, tatting, embroidery, piano lessons, vocal lessons and the like. I love to read and I do love to write. The only thing that I didn’t do much with was drawing/painting. I can draw a tree and that’s about it.

Sparking creativity is a must if one wants to write and write well. In former blog posts, you’ll see that I don’t believe in writer’s block. Why should I believe in something that blocks my creative flow? Why should I admit to the existence of something that prevents me from putting my stories on paper? Instead, I use triggers to spark my creative side.

How do I do this? It’s simple. Observe the creative works of others. Sometimes I watch something completely mindless on television before I work. Sometimes I look at paintings. Sometimes I reread a favorite book and/or watch a favorite movie and find things there that I never saw before.

For example, I’ve seen Shadow of a Doubt with Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten what seems like a million times. I watched it again last night and realized that the screenwriter gives us a reason why Joseph Cotton is the killer he is. Apparently, he was in a bicycle accident when he was six or seven years old and hit his head. After that, his sister said something about ‘ever since then, he’s been getting into trouble’ or something like that.

I thought it was an interesting detail that I’d missed the first few times I’d screened the movie. That could be enough to start a germinating character in the back of your mind.

Sparking your creative fires can be as simple as perusing a photography coffee table book or watching a children’s show. Try it. Find out what works for you.

Love in the Land of the Lakes

The Midwest Fiction Writers, a local chapter for the Romance Writers of America, pulled together 17 writers who each submitted a short story for a fundraiser.

Roughing It or Luxury

Jody Vitek

Roadside Love, in the MFW anthology Love in the Land of Lakes, is a short story I wrote based on annual vacations I take with my family and in-laws to northern Minnesota. What’s there not to love but a cabin in the woods? Well that depends on who you ask.

My husband does’nt like to rough it, so our cabin in the woods is at a resort. Our cabin is a three-story duplex house with running water, air-conditioning and heating, marble countertops, a television and all the other comforts of home. It’s far from roughing it—It’s a house. But it’s a vacation away from home.

Our cabin is lakeside and nightly we receive the most beautiful sunsets. There’s a beautiful sandy beach that reaches into the lake waters for swimming and playing. We’re surrounded by tall pines, oak, birch, and the list of tree variety goes on. There are walking and biking trails, including the Paul Bunyan Trail. Not to mention the great small town shops for you to spend your money.

The unfortunate side to having all of this luxury, is you don’t get to escape from the reality of the real world. We all bring our laptops, iPads, iPhones, iPods, you name it, all electronic devices are with us. We even bring extra TVs with DVD players. To me it’s sad we don’t go on this vacation to escape and yet, I admit I bring my laptop and the other above listed evil techno gadgets.

The resort and surrounding locals have wireless Internet, so we can hook-up and connect with the world. It’s not the greatest wireless but there’s wireless. We check our email and Facebook accounts, you name it we’re all plugged in. Being a part of this guilty party, I use my time to go to a quiet place, whether it be the beach by the lake, on a lounge chair by the pool; yes, there’s a heated pool, I sit and work on my writing.

Growing up, I was in the Girl Scouts and roughing it was in a tent, in a sleeping bag, on the ground. My parents would take us on camping trips too. I sometimes miss the roughing it when we’re at the cabin, the daily smell of a campfire where we would cook our meals and boil water to wash dishes. My husband would call me crazy because of this, but I have wonderful memories as a child and camping in the ‘wild.’

What are your thoughts about resorts and all the technology and luxuries they offer? Do you like the luxuries and prefer them, or do you prefer roughing it and leaving the luxuries behind? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment with your email for a chance to win an e-copy of my debut book Florida Heat.

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Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, and just as many love stories. Love in the Land of Lakes brings you seventeen of these stories, from two childhood sweethearts connecting on the end of a dock on a warm summer’s evening, to a city boy’s chaotic weekend at his girlfriend’s primitive cabin. We bring you the story of a savvy horse who leads her owner to love in post–Civil War farm country, and the haunting romance of an ageless gambler who inhabits a historic riverboat and charms the boat’s new owner.

A kaleidoscope of sunshine, snowstorms, and thunderstorms grace our contemporary, mystery, historical, and paranormal stories as the authors of Midwest Fiction Writers spin lovely romances that will send you drifting into happily ever afters.

Click here to see where the authors are stopping to blog and chat with you the reader.

 Our Stories:

Laura Breck

Bobbers ‘N Bait – The evocative marketing gimmick at the new bait store in town has the fishing outfitter all hot and bothered.

Rhonda Brutt

A Cut Above the Rest – Rachel knew that a simple haircut had the power to change someone’s life. What she wasn’t counting on though, was how it would change hers.

Amy Hahn

Lira & Gavril – A dilapidated riverboat brings together a passionate historic preservationist and a man who called it home during the Victorian era.

Rosemary Heim

Lake Dreams – Olivia had her life all planned out. All except for that one impulsive night with her childhood crush. Can he convince her the result is worth the risk?

Ann Hinnenkamp

Hook, Line and Stinker – An LA makeover artist comes home to Minnesota and must use all her skills to tame a wild man.

Kathy Johnson

Snowbound – Caught in a snowstorm, the last person she expects to need her help is the man she loved but lost to someone else.

Rose Marie Meuwissen

Dancing in the Moonlight – Anna Thorstad never imagined reopening her parents’ lake cabin would also open her heart to love again.

Barbara Mills

Hooked – An avid outdoorswoman takes her city born and raised boyfriend for a chaotic weekend at her family’s primitive cabin on the lake.

J.S. Overmier

Henrietta’s Man – A savvy horse carries her Civil War-torn soldier north in search of healing and a future.

Jana Otto

Coming Home – A young widow’s faith and courage are tested when she falls in love with her husband’s best friend.

Michel Prince

Her Stranger – Each night a stranger comes to Rachel’s cabin door. What is it that makes her fall into his arms?

Mary Schenten

Lake Secrets – A weekend getaway at the scene of the crime has Elly struggling to keep a secret from her best friend.

Susan Sey

Unwrapped – Movie star Sloan Leighton sells love; she doesn’t believe in it. Then one frozen midnight on the shores of Lake Superior, everything changes.

Joel Skelton

The Bouncing Bobber – Will a budding romance, sidetracked by youth and ambition, be what it takes to lure Jacob and Nate back into love’s net?

Lizbeth Selvig

What’s Up Dock? – Sophie’s handsome new neighbor is burying body bags in his garden. But he’s afraid of raccoons—how could he be a killer?

Naomi Stone

Wind from the Lake – Wishing on a star? Alien contact? When childhood friends Connie and Hank meet again, they don’t need to believe in anything but each other.

Jody Vitek

Roadside Catch – She swore off relationships with doctors, until one finds her injured on the roadside and has her rethinking the possibilities.

Purchase on Amazon, Smashwords, and AllRomanceebooks

HerStory: Book Release and Giveaways!

Sister Suffragettes, my contribution to this awesome anthology is inspired by an incident in the life of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, a Black journalist, newspaper editor and leader in both the women’s suffrage and the civil rights movements.

Because of her outspokenness and refusal to “play nice”, Mrs. Wells-Barnett often found herself at odds with the women’s suffrage movement. As a result, the leaders of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) insisted that she not march with the Illinois delegation at President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, where they were demanding the right to vote. The reason? A black woman marching alongside whites would offend some Southern women.

But Ida had other plans. On March 9, 1913, she watched the parade from the crowd until the Illinois delegation had passed then joined in, protected from angry Southerners by white women sympathetic to the plight of all women, regardless of race.

Please read on to find out more about the anthology and to enter a great giveaway.

In ancient times, women were regarded as sacred. They were thought to hold the mystical power of creation—responsible for the continuation of our species. With the rise of Science and Religion, these myths were dispelled and their plight began.

HerStory: Fiction Honoring Women’s History Month is a collection of Flash Fiction and Short Stories from today’s top authors featuring female characters that exemplify strong strength of mind, body, and character. Some of these tales are based on real people while others are purely fictional. However, all are standing up for themselves and what they believe in.

Grab yourself a glass of wine or favorite hot beverage and get comfortable as you read about the lives of women who will light the fire in your soul.

It’s finally here. HerStory. Available to the masses. And to honor release day, we’re having a party. Use the Rafflecopter below to enter to win some terrific prizes. *U.S. residents only*

Here’s what’s up for grabs.

GRAND PRIZE

First Grand Prize

Because they have the same agenda: empowering girls/women, Keira’s Kollection owner Mr. Wagstaff has graciously agreed to donate a Strong is Beautiful T-shirt. One very lucky woman is not only going to walk away with a paperback copy of HerStory and be empowered through words, but she will also be showing her empowerment right there on her shirt.

And that’s not all, the grand prize winner also gets a pair of earrings from Cathy from Etsy, who runs Yesware. The earrings sparkle one side and have a message on the other side: the greatest story never told.

Only, we’re telling it, the authors of HerStory. We are telling it.

SECOND GRAND PRIZE

Author Laura DeLuca has donated an incense diffuser to go along with some handmade soap from Greenchild Creations.

And we’re throwing an e-book into this mix. Why soap and diffusers? What does that have to do with women’s history?

In HerStory, Mathilda of Ringelheim runs a bath house. It seems appropriate to honor herstory this way.

AND as Mathilda seems to know, every woman needs soap and every woman needs time to relax. So one lucky winner will take a nice long shower with her fantastic handmade soap, set her diffuser on a table, and curl up with HerStory on her kindle. Who says you can’t be relaxed and empowered at the same time? (and smell good)

THIRD GRAND PRIZE

Another donation from Laura DeLuca: an ebook, a Japanese tea set, and an Oriental incense diffuser. How does this tie into HerStory?

In Please Stay, Asuka, a Japanese wife of the 1600s, is preparing the evening meal while awkwardly trying to discuss a matter–somewhat delicate–but of great importance with her husband.

As you get lost in your ebook, in Asuka’s story (penned by Becca Diane), you can pretend you are there. Perhaps you feel your husband’s penetrating stare. But you serve him his tea, straighten your spine, and say what needs to be said…then wait, breath held, for his reply, incense lightening the tension in the air…

FOURTH GRAND PRIZE

One lucky winner will have a chance to make their voice heard on the radio…with a $25 Amazon gift card burning a hole in their pocket!

HerStory goes behind the scenes to locate the stories of women who lived, laughed, and touched the lives of generations…

Now, here is your chance to have your story told to the world….or your mother’s…it’s your chance to talk about the most inspiring woman or women in YOUR life. Shout it out! Tell listeners everywhere about this amazing person. Honor her!

This prize is being donated by Indie Reviews Behind the Scenes.

PRIZE 5, FOUR WINNERS, FOUR TINS OF EMPOWERMINTS

Four of these tins of mints are being donated by the Unemployed Philosophers Guild. That means four lucky winners are going to win a tin of mints to carry around in their pockets and every time they look at the tin, they’ll be empowered!

The tin is also the perfect size to serve as a pillbox once the mints are gone. This is something you can keep for a LONG time.

PRIZE 6, TWO WINNERS, CROSS STITCH WALL HANGINGS

Author and editor Tara Chevrestt has a secret addiction and hobby. It makes her feel like an old lady, so she keeps it under wraps, but now the truth is out…

She likes to cross stitch!!!

And with the suffragette tales (Sister Suffragettes by Dahlia DeWinters and Chevrestt’s own From You No and Silent Suffragette) in the back of her mind, she found a pattern on Etsy by Patternbird and set to stitching.

Two lucky winners will walk away with these. They are 3.25″ by 6″ and have a hard backing so they may be placed on a wall.

PRIZE 7, ONE WINNER, FLAPPER-STYLE HATDonated from Rakestraw Book Design.

Toni Rakestraw, one of the HerStory contributors, is stitching this hat so one lucky reader can–in her mind–march in a suffragette parade as she reads HerStory. Or perhaps this is something Margaret Sanger would have worn as she leaves the workhouse in The Woman Rebel.

PRIZE 8, ONE WINNER, ONE PAINTING

You’ve heard the term multi-published and many of HerStory’s authors can place that before their name, but how about multi-talented?

Author Morgan Summerfield can not only write as she shoes us in Adella, but she can paint too! She is kindly donating a painting 27″ wide by 11″ high, titled Morning Poppies. The frame is handmade with real wood and she stretches all her own canvases. It is hand-painted-by her!-in multimedia.

And last, but certainly not least, we have a lovely Coco Chanel quote pendant donated by the lovely Jewelry Designs by Lula. One winner will win this delightful pendant that says A girl should be things: WHO and WHAT she wants.

I could not have said it better.

Enter for all prizes using the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is for three weeks. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond with their snail mail addresses. After 48 hours, new winners will be chosen.

Thank you and enjoy HerStory! Be empowered! Learn something. Believe in yourself and womankind.

Buy links:

Smashwords

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Learning Curves

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the craft of writing these past few weeks. There have been quite a few “freebies” on Amazon/Nook and I must admit I’m a sucker for “those who bought this book also bought…..”.

Taking a break from the task of actual writing and examining the craft of writing is both a benefit and a curse.

The benefit is that I can now begin creating patterns in my writing. No matter what we write, I’m finding out, there is an underlying structure that works its way through the storyline. In fact, we are all writing the same stories over and over again, simply with different characters and situations. It’s okay, though. People love familiar structure. For example, Jaws, Alien, Panic Room and Fatal Attraction are all the same movie. Not the same plot, characters, etc, but if you screen all those movies, you will find the same types of scenes. Try it.

The curse is that I clearly see all the mistakes that I have made in my published stories. Things I’d love to go back and change.

But I can’t. And as a constant “fixer-upper” I’ve learned to let of go that. Almost. I think. Sort of.

However, I don’t have to make those same errors moving forward, right? So with my little Index Card app on the iPad, I’m creating a database of terms and scenes and reference sheets that will assist me in creating the super-perfect story that everyone will love. Right? Right????

Or at least a story with perfect, underlying structure.

Truth is, I thrive on discovering new concepts and tips that will assist in making me a better writer. The learning and the self-improvement never stops. It’s like a shark – stop learning and you sink to the bottom of the pile.