Annapolis by Margot Justes

I promised myself a little excursion once a week-there's so much to see in this part of the country.

Wednesday I went to Annapolis, Maryland. I should have done my homework first, the place was packed, parking was non-existent all because it was prep time for the largest boat show in the world.

The central waterfront area was blocked by tents and people rushing about to set up because Thursday was the first day of the show. I walked along some of the narrow red brick streets that sent me back in time. I have to go back to visit the Maritime Museum, the waterfront and the rest of Annapolis at my leisure.

All was not lost, I did manage to see Main Street, filled with souvenir shops, art galleries, restaurants, everything you ever wanted for a boat, along with unusual gifts. I bought a bookmark scrimshaw made from recycled piano keys.

I managed to take a little boat tour and have lunch in a delightful little place that served a delicious crab cake sandwich. I was told that during December all the stores are open until midnight and there are parties all a

Cheers,

Margot  Justes

Blood Art

A Fire Within

A Hotel in Paris

A Hotel in Bath

Hot Crimes Cool Chicks

www.mjustes.com

Moving by Margot Justes

I haven’t posted much on this site recently, there simply was not much time, and I can’t come up with weekly pearls of wisdom on what works and doesn’t in this exciting, upside down and rapidly changing writing business.

After twenty eight years I moved, not only have I moved out of a house, but also out of state. The process of putting the house on the market, selling said house within two weeks, and then packing all the stuff and in the middle of it all take three weeks off for a vacation, pretty much eliminated my writing. By the time I was done in the evening, the last thing I wanted to do was write.

For the next six months I have temporarily settled in a cozy one bedroom apartment in Alexandria, VA. It took me a while to find a small spot where I can comfortably write, and a bit more time to actually start writing.

During the first period of my transition I have done no advertising, have been pretty much absent from the social networks and the surprising fact was that my sales did not decrease because of my ‘social’ absence. In fact they have steadily increased with no effort on my part. That is not to say that I’m making huge inroads into sales, but am gaining slowly and steadily.

My lack of social presence and the lack of negative impact on sales tells me that either my social networking is not working, or that I’m doing something wrong, or that it takes time for readers to find me.  My guess is that I’m doing something wrong, sales is my worst nightmare; I’m simply not good at it. It also tells me that readers are slowly finding me. 

In the meantime, I’ll just keep writing, posting my tidbits and we’ll see what happens. I’m almost halfway through my two projects, A Hotel in Venice, and a novella set in Chicago. It’s back to normal for me, at least for a while, I still have to find a permanent place to live, and I have started to look.

Hope you’ll enjoy a few pictures from Alexandria.

Cheers,

Margot  Justes

A Hotel in Paris

A Hotel in Bath

Blood Art

A Fire Within

Hot Crimes Cool Chicks

www.mjustes.com

Writing Contests & Workshops! by DL Larson

On any given day, opportunities to enter contests or attend workshops fill my email box. Today I discovered two worth sharing with you. Both are RWA sponsored, which tells me they are good quality and trustworthy. In other words, you will get your money's worth!

The Emily Contest:
This contest is for all levels of writers and highly acclaimed throughout the country. The price is reasonable and the feedback will be valuable for any writer. Three judges are used the first round and three finalists from each category move on to the next step. These final entries will be read by an editor AND an agent. What a great pull to get motivated to enter. The kicker ... no synopsis is necessary!  Can I have an AMEN, sister?!
Hurry though, the deadline is October 7.  Simply google: Emily Contest ~ it will take you where you need to go to learn more about this exciting contest!

Writing 21st Century Fiction:
The WindyCity RWA has put together an awesome workshop with master instructor, Donald Maass. Come prepared to dig deep at this workshop. It will be held March 13-14, 2015 at the Sheraton Lisle Hotel, Lisle IL. Space is limited, so don't hesitate, sign up today. Registration is now open to non-members. If you're interested in learning more, go to: http://www.windycityrwa.org/windy-city-retreat-registration/  

I googled Donald Maass. He definitely knows the business and after reading many of his blogs, I know I will benefit from attending his workshop. I'm really looking forward to this retreat.

All writers benefit from workshops and contests. I know I will never grow tired of learning something new or being reminded to write my best always. And ... spending time with other writers is the chocolate upon my sundae!  Love it!

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com

PS: the 4th Grade Writers Workshop was fun. Enthusiasm abounded and participation reached 100%!!!  I read the 'Headless Horseman,' as I said I would. I'd forgotten how much children of any age loved to be read to! So keep reading aloud folks ~ it beats electronic gadgets any day!!

Preparing for a Writers Workshop for 4th Graders! by DL Larson

I'm excited to share my knowledge of writing with other writers, but to host a writers workshop at my library at the request of the 4th grade teachers, has my two worlds crashing together in a symphony of beautiful music. It's a dream come true, well almost. The scheduled day is next Tuesday. We have one and a half hours together. I will lead the workshop along with another youth librarian who has agreed to help with moral support and crowd control.

The biggest hurdle is space. Our library is small, but the children's section boasts of four good size rooms, with numerous book shelves, dvd stands and various cushions and chairs taking up a great deal of space. No conference room at this library, we will have to make do with spreading out on the floor, at least for the first part of the presentation.

I have no idea where these children are in their writing development, so I've opted for a basic overview to help them realize the tools they need in order to write. I've called it a writer's tool kit. We'll talk about such items as imagination, conflict, plot, high stakes, strong verbs, setting, heroes and villains, and the reason the main character must keep going. I've prepared a survey for getting to know a character. We'll do an outline together so they will see how to take one idea and turn it into a plot. I made a plot/problem/progress sheet for students to realize who does what as their story progresses along. Another topic I added is genre. We'll discuss how a writer might blend different genres together.

Since their theme is about Halloween, I plan to read an easy reader version of, 'The Headless Horseman.'  Since it is an adaption of the original story by Washington Irving, I gave myself leeway to dabble with the story for the sake of learning. Each child will take a page and find weak verbs, strong usage of words, etc. Then they will do a mini rewrite, using strong verbs and vivid images in order to understand the editing process first hand.

We'll talk about writing a first draft and how to build from that. We also want to allow time for the kids to work on their own stories. They can browse the stacks and displayed books to examine how other authors write. We'll set up plenty of tables so kids can spread out across the many rooms.

I've made plenty of copies of the topics we'll discuss, along with 'Tips for Writers.' Each child will go home with plenty of knowledge on how to proceed to the next step in their writing journey.

I don't remember having a writing assignment like this when I was in 4th grade, let alone 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th. Writing in those days was very structured. Noun, verb, noun ... with an occasional adjective. We dissected more sentences than we ever wrote and I always wondered when I would ever need to do such a thing to a sentence. I can safely say ... never! I also never related writing sentences to writing a story. We read, we dissected, we didn't write all that much. So reflecting back, I wish I had had an opportunity to learn more about the writing world at a young age rather than waiting until I was nearly 40 before starting!

I'm tickled to be helping these kids with their writing skills. I'll let you know how it goes.

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com

Welcome Guest Jennifer Wilck!

Today I'm honored to welcome fellow author, blogger, and friend, Jennifer Wilck, to Book Beat Babes. Jennifer is here to tell us about her latest release, Miriam's Surrender.

Jennifer, it's so nice to have you here. Congratulations on your new release!

Tell us about yourself.
I’m married and the mom of two teenaged girls. Prior to writing contemporary romance, I was a magazine writer and editor and I also wrote freelance articles, mostly for technology magazines. I live in New Jersey, but went to college in St. Louis. I’m currently published by Rebel Ink Press. Miriam’s Surrender is my fourth book.

Tell us about Miriam's Surrender.
It’s a contemporary romance with Jewish themes. This story centers around Passover and is the story of two people who need to discover the freedom of letting go in order to let love into their lives. Josh is an architect hired to redesign the alumni club of a posh, private school in New York. Miriam is the Assistant Director of Outreach, working with the alumni, and is Josh’s day-to-day contact for the redesign. They first met in The Seduction of Esther. Josh had thought he was in love with Miriam’s sister, and Miriam detests him because he hurt her sister. Now they have to work together. As they get to know each other, the animosity disappears, but Josh is hiding something from Miriam and when she discovers what it is, it has the possibility of destroying their relationship. Only when they are both able to let the other in and release some of the control they exert over everything, will they be able to see if their love can survive.

Is it related to any of your other books or does it stand alone?
It’s the second book in my Women of Valor series, but can easily be read on its own. Josh is the villain from the first book and Miriam is the heroine’s sister, also from the first book. But you don’t need to know any of the backstory ahead of time, as it’s explained fairly early on.

Your faith is very important to you, and it also finds its way into your stories. Can you tell us more about that?
Sure! I’ve always loved reading romance, but I’ve noticed that most romances are, by default, related to Christianity in some way (this is NOT a complaint)—even if there’s no mention of religion in the story, the characters get married in a church, grace is said prior to a Thanksgiving dinner, etc. I love reading the books, but I started to wonder if it could be possible to switch it up and make the characters Jewish. So I decided to try to write a series that involved Jewish holidays. The characters are generic enough that anyone can relate to them, but the Jewish holidays provide great themes to deal with—such as hiding one’s identity (the theme of Purim, which was covered in the first book, The Seduction of Esther) and freedom (the theme of Passover, which is covered in Passover in Miriam’s Surrender).

If you could only use one sentence to describe your writing, what would it be?
I write about sassy heroines and strong heroes, with just a touch of vulnerability.

What got you interested in writing?
I’ve always loved to write. As a child, I’d make up stories in my head before falling asleep. I used to try to write them down, but could never get it to come out right. Finally, as I got older, it clicked.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing seriously four about eight years now. I started off writing when my kids were sleeping. Now I write during the day when they’re in school, or in the early evenings after dinner.

What inspired you to write your first book?
I was watching a TV show and someone entered the scene. He lasted about thirty seconds, but something about him drew me in. I went off and started writing about him. A year later, I’d written A Heart of Little Faith, the first book I ever published.

What comes first, plot or characters?
Usually the characters. I hear them talking in my head and I write them down.

Any advice for new writers?
Write what you love—it will come out in your writing and will make readers love it too.

What is one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?
Where can we find you and your books?
She can be reached at www.jenniferwilck.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wilck/201342863240160. She tweets at @JWilck. Her blog (Fried Oreos) is www.jenniferwilck.blogspot.com and she contributes to Heroine With Hearts blog on Tuesdays http://www.heroineswithhearts.blogspot.com and Front Porch Saturdays at Sandra Sookoo’s Believing is Seeing blog http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com.

My books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AllRomance.

Jennifer, thanks so much for being here with us today!

Helping The Family Business Today! by DL Larson

Every fall our business hosts a pork chop dinner for our clients. We host it at a local community center, hire caterers for the meal where they grill the chops on site.  It smells delicious and tastes even better. We have everything catered except the desserts. Those I make.  And for the last two years my daughter-in-law bakes for the event too! We're famous for our yummy desserts.

So instead of sitting at my computer today, I've been standing in my kitchen baking and watching old movies. It's been a good day. I hardly have the time to bake at all any more, so this bake-fest is my way of showing my family support for this event.

My house smells of pumpkin bars with a hint of chocolate and a twist of apple cinnamon. The chocolate-Heath bars await a cool whip topping which I learned long ago to apply once I've moved everything to the community center. The pecan crusted lemon bars will have a similar topping with crushed pecans to add at the last minute.

I want to dive into my apple slices. I keep telling myself no one will notice. So far I've refrained from cutting into them, but I can't promise I won't! The apples are from our trees in our back yard.

My pumpkin bars are cooling and as I wait to make the cream cheese frosting, I realized I forgot how to make the frosting. Does one use 8 oz. of cream cheese or more? Since I couldn't find my recipe - I blame one of my daughters for this - I clicked on my computer to find a recipe for cream cheese frosting.

Many options abound when searching for cream cheese frosting. I found recipes that called for two 8 oz. packages and one that called for 4 oz. No wonder I couldn't remember. I opted for the one 8 oz. recipe with the option of doubling it in case I need more.

My daughter-in-law made gluten free brownies for our few customers with food issues. She also made a maple brown sugar cake and pumpkin bars. All this with a full time job, a baby and preschooler. She's awesome and a great baker too!

I hope our clients realize how much we appreciate their business and making these homemade desserts has long been a highlight of the meal. It's my way, and my daughter-in-law's way of saying thank you to them. The empty cake pans will be proof that we accomplished our mission.

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com

Where Were You on 9/11? by DL Larson

September 11, 2001, was a special day for my family. My twin granddaughters were born two days before and planned to come home on the 11th. I couldn't wait to hold them, cuddle them and spoil them as only a grandma can do. They were tiny and swaddled tight, in other words, they resembled little burritos. Their nick name soon became the burrito babies!

I remember standing in my kitchen, unloading the dishwasher. The TV was on, a rarity for sure with my husband not at home. I usually listened to the stereo, but not that day, and I don't really know why. The urgency in the commentator's voice caught my attention. I glanced toward the TV and witnessed the destruction of the first tower. It seemed surreal, as if I watched a movie. My chest tightened, my body recoiling at the carnage catapulting to the ground. I had the overwhelming urge to help someone, anyone. In reflection, I think many of us felt the call to reach out to another.

My husband burst through the door, hollering at me to turn the TV on. He stepped into the room and the heartsick look on his face reflected my own. We watched in silence as the second tower collapsed. I think I was crying by then, I remember shaking my head no, no, no. This shouldn't be happening, my granddaughters were coming home. I had supper planned. We were to gather together and begin the spoiling of these beautiful babies. Instead we were praying for those caught in the maelstrom of terrorism.

Life has not been the same since 9/11, is a cliche, yet holds a deep truth none of us can deny. We've all learned to go on, many without our loved ones. This morning I watched the calling out of the names at ground zero. This tribute heals us and reminds us to always remember. We must stand together to fight this disease called terrorism. We can not allow it to grow. I want my granddaughters futures to be safe.

I want America to stand strong once more.

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com