Recently On My Nightstand

On Writing by Stephen King It's hard for me to get into a book that's not a romance and even doubly so for a non-fiction. I usually only gag through a few chapters and call it good. But this book was so wonderful, I read the entire thing. Entertaining and informative, it kept me captivated. If King stopped writing books I was too afraid to read and took up the romance genre, he'd probably become my favorite author. I just love his style. He taught me loads about the craft of fiction.

Second Sight Dating by Marianne Stephens New in print, Stephens tries something different with Second Sight Dating. Using paranormal abilities, she creates a sensual relationship between the two main characters. Her story is fun and relaxing to read.

Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas Okay, I have to confess. This book never actually touched my nightstand because I consumed it in one big gulp. But yum. Kleypas pulled out another awesome story. My husband deserves a big thanks here too, for not complaining while I left the night light on and read until the wee hours, finishing Blue-Eyed Devil.

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli I have no idea why I bought this children's story but I'm glad I did. I think I can learn something from Spinelli's technique. The way his words flow is very "lyrical" as one of his reviews quotes. I'd be doing okay if some of his style rubbed off.

Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts I don't think those NR seals on her books really mean a new release. I suspect they're actually guarantees, promising us she's created another hit. Roberts couldn't write a bad story if she wanted to (in my opinion, anyway). The woman's talent is truly outstanding.

Ice Storm by Anne Stuart I'm a romantic suspense junkie, so this is my kind of story. Just can't get enough of them. Fourth in the Ice series, Ice Storm is an exciting, sexy, dangerous ride. Stuart sticks to her usual dark characters and creates a fine line between death and romance.

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah Warning: Do not read Firefly Lane without a couple boxes of tissue. Though this may be Hannah's best work yet, it's not her traditional romance. The central relationship is between the two best friends and it doesn't have a happy ending. But if you're looking for an amazing tear jerker, this is totally the story for you.

The Grieving Process

Did you know there are five basic steps to grieving? Well, some experts say ten and others say four, or six, or eleven, or even twelve. But most of my research keeps pointing back to the five stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying.

If you can't tell, I'm exploring the topic of bereavement for a story I'm writing. I want to properly show a mother mourning the loss of her three-month old daughter. But I'm quickly learning this is not an easy task. After reading a newspaper article, interviewing a mother who'd just lost her baby, I could tell she was still in the denial stage and I just wanted to cry for her because she couldn't yet.

The whole thing was hard to read, so I have no idea why I though writing about it would be any simpler. But if one person reads my tale and feels comforted, realizing they're not alone in their pain and life will eventually move past this agony, then all that hard work will be worth it.

Contest Mania

Okay, I think I'm going contest crazy. I've decided to enter The 15th Annual Ignite the Flame Contest, sponsered by the Central Ohio Fiction Writers. I'm also sending a query letter to the epublisher, Cerridwen Press.

That makes three differnent books to three different publishers and two new entries to two contests. I hope there's at least one winner in the bunch. But, we'll see.
For a great reference on some romance writing contests that are available, check out Stephie Smith's Contest Chart.