Halloween Nostalgia

     Halloween has become a very special day for me and James. Of course there’s the flurry of decorating the house with orange and black, pumpkins, leaves, witches and bats! There’s watching Dessie stick her tongue out as she works on the design for her pumpkin, and hearing Dara’s squeal of delight as she tries on her Halloween costume. There’s carving pumpkins, which leads to pumpkin guts in our hair, on our faces, and on the walls.

      James’ pumpkin always has to do with hunting or football, and I like carving quirky things likes owls or wizards. Dara carves animals, and Dessie always surprises us.

      We love watching the girls crunch through the leaves as they run from house to house collecting candy in their orange pumpkin bags. I love all the little kids from school that I can’t recognize under their batman masks and butterfly painted faces who run by waving and yelling, “Hi sub!” My heart melts when they stop to give me hugs and show off their costumes so I can “ ohh” and “ahh” over them.

     On top of the smells of apple, cinnamon, and pumpkin, the vibrant colors, the fresh crisp air, and carefree evening socializing with neighbors and getting free Reese’s peanut butter cups, there are a couple more things that make Halloween special…

     The hunting! James loves hunting on Halloween, rain or shine, because he always says, “Halloween is when the monsters come out.” I look forward to that line every year and seeing the smile on his face as he says it.

     It also happens to be the eve of nanowrimo. At the magical stroke of midnight when it switches from Halloween to November 1st, the infamous writing contest begins, and I pound out the very first words of a brand new story. There is nothing more exciting than finally getting the chance to write the story that's been churning for months in your head, and having a community of writers to do it with!

      Hoping you all have a special Halloween!

Best Apple Butter

I couldn't resist sharing this yummy fall recipe with you!

 The Necessities:

 8 cups of chopped peeled apples
 1 stick of butter
 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
 4 T apple cider vinegar
 1 t salt
 2 T cinnamon
 1/2 t ground cloves
 optional- 1/4 t nutmeg

Peel your apples.

Chop, measure out 8 cups, and throw into your crock pot.

Add 1 stick of butter, 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 4 tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.

Let it cook for about 3 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low. The apples should have rich brown caramelized look when they are done. You can leave it chunky or puree it in a food processor or blender.

We like the silky smooth texture after it's been pureed.

Apple butter is yummy mixed in with oatmeal or spread as a layer between cakes, but you really can't beat it poured over hot buttered rolls fresh out of the oven!

Things to Do While Waiting to Hear From Agents- Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge

Waiting for agents to reply to your query letters can be agonizing. It seems like it takes forever. You put so much time into writing and editing, and then weeks tick by and you hear nothing.

I learned that things like pacing the floor, checking my e-mail every chance I could, and lying haphazardly on the couch while staring at the ceiling weren’t very helpful in the waiting process. I started to read blogs and reread my writing books. Several of them mentioned that reading was a great way to give your brain a breather from writing, and to pass the time while waiting to hear from agents.

I flipped through a few books here and there, but I wasn’t excited to be reading until I came across the Rory Gilmore reading challenge.

I LOVE the Gilmore girls. I love their enormous coffee cups, their eating habits (lettuce essence on a hamburger satisfies vegetable requirements), and their mandatory Friday night dinners.  My favorite quote also comes from that show. I quote it at least once a week as I’m urging my rural internet to work.

So when I saw Gilmore Girls and reading, I had to check it out!

http://www.listchallenges.com/rory-gilmore-reading-challenge

My score was a 51, so I have a lot of reading to do! Thanks to this challenge, I’ve swapped ceiling staring for book reading, and have had a lot of fun in the process!

Just for fun:

RORY: Thirteen million volumes? I've read like, what, three hundred books in my entire life and I'm already sixteen? Do you know how long it would take me to read thirteen million books?

LORELAI: But honey, you don't have to read every one of them. "Tuesday's with Morrie?" Skip that. "Who Moved My Cheese?" Just stuff you already know.


RORY: Okay, but every kid coming to Harvard is inevitably reading books, and different books, and I want to be able to converse intelligently with each of them and I can't do that unless I read books, at least a few from every genre and sub-genre. 

Along Came Number Three

        I was pleasantly surprised to receive my third rejection letter today. It was just a form rejection thanking me for thinking of their agency, and saying it wasn't what they were looking for at this time. I guess the third time wasn't the charm for me!

        Rejection is part of the journey that every writer has to face, and all of the "no's" will make the "yes" even sweeter when it finally comes.

        Happy Writing!

       

Second Rejection and Sliver of Hope

My internet has been slower than getting stuck behind a tractor on the roads of rural Indiana, so I’m a little late posting this!

I have received my second rejection, and although rejection is never fun, the sting of this one wasn’t so bad.

I received a personal letter from the agent that I queried. Eeek! I printed it off and had my own little dance party, because personal letters aren’t very common!

The agent considered my novel, but finally opted to pass. The agent didn’t know if he/she would be able to sell a story like mine in this market. Although it was disappointing, the note was kind, and at least I know that my story was intriguing.

I have definitely gone into this knowing that my story isn’t what agents are looking for right now. There seem to be a lot of agents looking for modern day stories, paranormal stories, and edgy stories. The market says that fantasy has been overdone, but I’m hoping to change someone’s mind! I sent more queries out, and I’m crossing my fingers that the saying, “the third one’s a charm” will be true!

Happy writing ya’ll!

Joining the likes of J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and Kathryn Stockett

I would proudly like to announce that I have officially joined the likes of J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, and Kathryn Stockett!

Am I getting published? No, but just like them, I have received my very first rejection letter! I have it proudly taped to my writing wall, and bought myself a new teacup to commemorate and celebrate moving towards the next part of my writing career!

Why celebrate rejection? Because, I can finally move past the years spent writing and editing, and take the next step of my journey. It isn’t uncommon for hopeful writers to have a shoebox full of rejections, and all I’ve had is an empty one gathering dust on a shelf. Filling that box is a sign of progression. It means my story is finally ready. It means having the courage to let professionals see my work, and it means getting my name out in the exciting world of publishing.

So, here’s to the first rejection, and many more to come!

The Imperfect Writer- Coffee CrAzE

Most of us writers don’t have the luxury of being able to sit at home and write all day. Instead we have to fit our passion into the nooks and crannies of life. Five minutes here while waiting at the doctor’s office, ten minutes there in between classes, as well as late nights and early mornings when life is at rest for a few hours.

That being said, coffee is my greatest ally. I prefer early mornings to late nights, and sometimes the only thing that is going to drag me out of bed is a nice warm cup of Joe.

Heaven's light shining down on Reepicheep, my loyal writing companion.

Coffee is my one indulgence while I’m working hard on a novel, so I’m always looking for excuses for why I must drink it and how it’s useful for the writer.

One day I was in the nano forums and another writer wrote that the reason writers always need something in their mouths (be it coffee, snacks, or pens) is that when your mouth is working it increases the creativity levels in your brain. Yes! Coffee drinking, snack eating, and pen chewing all in the name of creativity! Then to my demise, I couldn’t find any type of research what-so-ever to back it up. Darn.

Then I was reading Family Life magazine and stumbled across this very important research-

Drinking coffee not only provides healthy antioxidants, but also makes you positive, helps you on tests, and helps you catch grammatical errors.

Viola! I needed to drink coffee for the sake of editing! Yes… for editing!

One cup down, one chapter down. Two cups down, two chapters down. Three cups down, three chapters down. Four cups down, um, bathroom break. Five cups down, and the jitters set in.

Suddenly I felt like I was at the fair in the fun house on one of those moving floors. I chose to step on that vibrating floor, and I wasn’t getting off of it anytime soon. I Googled how to counteract the coffee shakes and someone suggested protein, so I wolfed down leftover chicken. Several minutes later I was still shaking, so I added nuts, cheese, and peanut butter.

Did it work? Nope. I spent the entire day with my brain whirling in circles and my feet wearing down the floors of my house. Work on my novel was very unproductive.

Lesson from the imperfect writer- coffee is not the magic editing potion, especially in large amounts.