ANOTHER A to Z Challenge!

Hello again, fellow bibliophiles!

This year, I am challenging myself even further by doing a second A to Z Challenge. Please note this one is completely personal, and is not affiliated with the wonderful folks who host the annual A to Z Challenge in April.

National Police Week takes place in May, as is National Peace Officers Memorial Day. So in honor of that, I want to do an A to Z challenge with Trajectory.

Now you might be wondering why I'd do a challenge with a short story I wrote a few years ago. Well, I have some big news for you. I am currently reworking Trajectory to be a full-length novel! Call it an overhaul, if you will, but this story will be bigger and better than ever.

So to revisit the story, the characters, and to give you a taste of what's to come, we're going to do a May A to Z with Trajectory. We start tomorrow with the letter A. See you then!

A to Z Theme Reveal

Okay kids. It's the day you've all been waiting for! It's time for my A to Z theme reveal!

This year's theme is...

The Good Pirate, Robert!

This is a current WIP (work in progress). It is my first shot at a fantasy-type story.

I want to give you a little background on this. Robert was the name of a bird we had. We have a few birds, including a pair of Lovebirds. They had had clutches (babies) in the past, but Mom (CJ) hadn't laid any eggs in a few years. That is until last summer.

She laid 7 eggs, 4 of which were viable. All 4 of those hatched. Unfortunately, we lost one pretty early on. The other 3, however, seemed to be thriving.

Robert was one of those babies. He had a brief encounter with one of our dogs. He survived, but there was obvious brain damage. Within hours, though, he showing us how tough and resilient he was.

One of the "symptoms" he showed was that he kept his right eye closed (he was able to open it after some time, but it seemed that he preferred to keep it closed). So I always said that he looked like a little pirate. That's where things kind of took off.

Daily, I shared pictures and videos of him and his siblings as they grew up. His siblings developed more quickly than he did. For example, when they were learning to fly, he was still learning to climb. Nothing kept him down, though. He was so determined; he seemed so bright and happy.

One night in September, I went to get him for his evening feeding, and he was dying. We're not sure what happened. We can only assume it is somehow related to the trauma and injuries. Perhaps he threw a blood clot, we don't know. It was a devastating loss.


Robert was such a happy guy, and when I announced his passing on Facebook, I was floored by the number of people who were saddened. People I had never met - people from around the globe who were touched by this little baby Lovebird. At that point, I knew his life wasn't in vain, and that there was something greater to him. That was when I began writing his story.


This book is not complete, in fact, it is very much still a rough draft. I want to use this month to honor Robert, to share his story, and to help this book improve.


So please join me in this fun and unique journey.

Trust me, you're gonna love it!

See you April 1!

What to expect in 2016

I wish I could tell the future. To know what's going to happen, and to be prepared for it. Unfortunately, I can't. However, I can still tell you what to expect in 2016. As in what to expect from me.

This year, expect to see more in-depth blog posts. Expect to see more creativity in my blog posts as well. With things like the A to Z challenge in April, I plan on letting my imagination run wild, and to take you all along with me!

Expect more of a relationship with me. I want to personally connect with my readers. I think it gives us a tremendous friendship, and I also think that it gives both you as the reader, and me as the writer, a more complete experience with all of my stories.

Expect to see more of me. I plan on using social media more, and creating more of a presence, and making myself more accessible and more known.

Expect the unexpected. We never know what's going to happen, what life will throw at us, or what inspiration will hit and when. I ask that you please keep your minds open, and together we can experience some wonderful things!

2016 will be what we make of it, and I plan on making it the best. That's what I'm going to expect. What about you? ;)

Happy new year, and happy reading!

The Shelter Director WeWriWa!

Happy 8 Sentence Sunday, folks!

Click www.wewriwa.com for more information and to see other 8 Sentence Sunday posts.
This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight sentences from a published work or even a WIP (work in progress). Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! It's a great way to meet readers, writers, and your next favorite book!  :)



Today, we're reading a snippet from The Shelter Director, Jen's story. Book # 6 in the Loving Her series.

Shy, quiet, humble – Jen is the kind of person that would give you the shirt off her back and then ask you what else you need. She may not be a movie star, but she’ll treat you like one. She works diligently to help save cats. She sacrifices her life and stability to accommodate her partner. She gives until it hurts, and her reward is a devastating diagnosis. What will her life become?

In this snippet, Jen just had her first conversation with the breath-taking Liz.


Jen stood frozen in disbelief. Thoughts raced and swirled in her mind. So much so, that it all just became a blur of words and emotions. Jen was brought back to reality when Fred tapped her on the shoulder. Jen did not move.

“So, what happened?” Fred’s voice danced above the noise of the world around them.

“She talked to me.”

Happy reading!!!

Blog Hop Tour

Hi everyone!

Today, I am part of a blog hop tour.

My name is Lauren Shiro.



I write contemporary LGBT fiction.




I was invited to answer these by author K'Anne Meinel. You can find out more about her and her infinite list of titles at http://www.kannemeinel.com/


ABOUT ME: I've been writing my whole life. As a kid, I had much more fun staying up in my room writing "novels" than playing outside. At the age of 14, I was published nationally for the first time. Since then, my work has been found in newspapers, magazines, online, in books and text books. I love writing, both fiction and non-fiction alike. When I'm not writing, I spend my time working as a licensed veterinary technician, and I enjoy hobbies from wood working to roller derby.




CURRENT PROJECT: I just finished a full-length novel, Candles on the Spinet.


Military couple Darryl and Corinne Richards purchase their first house. With Darryl’s army career coming to a close, they feel ready to settle down in Louisville, Kentucky. With impeccable timing, Darryl is sent on one final tour, leaving Corinne to live in this new house and new city alone.
Overwhelmed, Corinne becomes reclusive, living a quiet, boring life with her cats as she adjusts to her new surroundings. The problem is: someone or something does not want her life to be quiet or boring. And then there’s the creepy piano in the basement…
A series of strange experiences and events triggers Corinne to dig deeper into her home’s history, and herself. As Corinne learns of the people and past of her home, she also learns some new skills, and she learns about who she really is.
There is more to that creepy, dilapidated piano and that house that Corinne could ever imagine. Through highs and lows, twists and turns, she realizes the importance of placing candles on the spinet.

Candles on the Spinet is due for release this fall!


My current project is a story called Life, Upside Down.

Chantal Thompson is a strong, independent general contractor. She's the kind of person that's always going. A terrible accident suddenly brings her to a screeching halt. Unable to move, she is forced to reevaluate her life. She needs to come to terms with her past, accept her current situation, and look towards the future. It's amazing how slowing down your pace can completely change your perspective on life.


WHAT MAKES MY STORIES DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS IN THE SAME GENRE?: My stories are character driven, rather that plot driven. It's not to say there isn't a plot. My stories connect you deeply with the characters. You see their perspective, you feel their feelings, you experience their story. My books are deep, emotional and very cerebral.



WHY DO I WRITE THE STORIES THAT I DO?: I write my stories with a hope of creating positive social change. My tag line is "Stories of Love without Boundaries." In my stories, you will see me challenge racial lines, social stereotypes, and common prejudices. My books are very much a means for me to create. Personally, I create with intention. In this case, my intention is to help shatter the accepted social norms and to send a message of love, acceptance, and equality.



HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?: I like to think of myself as an organic writer. I go into each of my stories with a basic premise. As I work, I just let the words, people, and events come to me. There have been many times where I have been surprised by what comes out. I like going with the flow and allowing my stories to create themselves. Inspiration can come anywhere and at anytime. I try to keep a pen & paper on hand so I can jot down notes if I'm not able to get to my laptop right away.



WHO'S NEXT ON THE BLOG HOP? I happily pass the torch to a good friend and a great writer, Chelle Cordero. I've known her for years, and her work never ceases to amaze me. She is an author for all readers! Her blog is at http://chellecordero.blogspot.com/ You can also find out more information about her at http://chellecordero.com/




Thanks so much for joining us on the blog hop! Happy reading!!! :)

I got a One Lovely Blog Award Nomination!

I want to thank Tamara Philip of http://tamaraphilipwrites.wordpress.com/ for nominating me! :)




According to Ms. Philip, this award was created by Works of Art by Sara as a way to recognize her favorite blogs. Recipients pay it forward by passing the award along to their favorite blogs. and of course it quickly grew because it’s a very sweet thing to do!


Here are the rules:
You must thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
You must list the rules and display the award.
You must add 7 facts about yourself.
You must nominate 7 other bloggers and comment on one of their posts to let them know they’ve been nominated.
You must display the award logo and follow the blogger who nominated you.


1) I have very small hands. My wedding ring was a size 4 or 4 1/2.
2) I have moved over twenty times since the year 2000.
3)I can read and write in Spanish far better than I can speak it. :)
4) My upcoming release, Candles on the Spinet, took 2 years for me to complete.
5) Thanks to my maternal grandmother, I can curse people out in Slavish. LOL
6) Our house was built in 1860.
7) I like to play around with wood working and wood furniture restoration.



Here are my wonderful nominees (please check them out. As a side note, Ms.Philip already nominated some of the people I wanted to nominate, so this became a bit tricky! LOL. Rather than just nominating ANY blogs, I am nominating 2 that I really believe in):
http://www.sylviavanbruggen.com/
http://naturespeaceandhope.wordpress.com/

A to Z

Hi gang!

This year, I am going to try something completely new. This will be quite a challenge for me, but my new year's resolution was to grow, challenge and improve myself as a writer, so here we go!

Starting next week, I am beginning the A to Z blog challenge. It's a blog hop of sorts with one major challenge: save for Sundays, writing a blog post every day in the month of April and each post must pertain to a letter of the alphabet. The calendar is as follows:

Week One:
April 01, Monday - Letter "A"
April 02, Tuesday - Letter "B"
April 03, Wednesday - Letter "C"
April 04, Thursday - Letter "D"
April 05, Friday - Letter "E"
April 06, Saturday - Letter "F"


Week Two:
April 07, Sunday - BREAK
April 08, Monday - Letter "G"
April 09, Tuesday - Letter "H"
April 10, Wednesday - Letter "I"
April 11, Thursday - Letter "J"
April 12, Friday - Letter "K"
April 13, Saturday - Letter "L"


Week Three:
April 14, Sunday - BREAK
April 15, Monday - Letter "M"
April 16, Tuesday - Letter "N"
April 17, Wednesday - Letter "O"
April 18, Thursday - Letter "P"
April 19, Friday - Letter "Q"
April 20, Saturday - Letter "R"


Week Four:
April 21, Sunday - BREAK
April 22, Monday - Letter "S"
April 23, Tuesday - Letter "T"
April 24, Wednesday - Letter "U"
April 25, Thursday - Letter "V"
April 26, Friday - Letter "W"
April 27, Saturday - Letter "X"


Week Five:
April 28, Sunday - BREAK
April 29, Monday - Letter "Y"
April 30, Tuesday - Letter "Z"


Am I up for this? I don't know. But I am willing to try. I want to improve as a writer, and there is no better way to do that than by something like this.

My theme will be creativity and the arts. As a person who grew up in and appreciating all art forms, I didn't want to limit myself to one medium. So, I will be discussing the arts in their various forms and creativity.

I hope you like all of my posts and I hope I can win this challenge! :)

So, until Monday, happy reading! :)

Repetition and Redundancy

Happy Thursday, gang!

This week has been an usual one, to say the least.

I have spent the past few days with my family. My stepfather was dealing with a medical issue, so I made the six hour trekk in order to help my mother.




Because my routine had changed and my time was limited, I ended up using the same entry for my columns on gaylifenewsletter and gayleeds.


This is the first time I have ever done this, and I hope to make it the last. I absolutely advise against it as readers do not enjoy repetition nor redundancy.



As a writer, I do my best to keep my blog and various columns interesting and unique. Each has its own voice and audience/readership. I don't want to bore any of my readers, so I work diligently to keep every post different.


At times, that can be a bit overwhelming. After so much, is there anything new to say? I'm writing stories, blogs and columns. How much can one person say? There were times I definitely questioned my ability to come up with fresh, original work. Yet, to date, I have only reused a column once. This time now. That's not to shabby.


Readers want originality. They don't want to read the same story endlessly. Now, I'm not talking about re-reading a favorite novel. We all do that, and it is wonderful to experience your favorite story time and again. But, would you want to read a story where the cover art is different and the characters' names are different, but the storyline is the same? I wouldn't. If these stories were by different authors, I'd assume someone plagerized. If it was the same author retelling the same story, I'd call them a formula writer (something I abhore severely). Either way, I as the reader, lose.



I don't like losing, nor do I like causing other people to lose. So, I focus on originality. I do my best to ensure that you as a reader do not lose because I could not create something new. I push through the occasional block so that you are not disappointed.



This is not me claiming to be a saint or the best writer out there. I'm just explaining that it isn't always easy to have something fresh when you're constantly writing.


On the flip side, creating causes creativity. The more one paints, the more one's artwork improves and increases. The more a singer sings, the more opporunities the singer has to sing. Creativity begets creativity. Er go, the more I write, the more original my writing becomes. And that, my friends, is the best part about writing - or any art form, really. It is a gift to have the creative juices flowing.



That is the other reason why I diligently work to keep my writing unique. I am giving you, the reader, the gift of originality and I am giving myself, the writer, the gift of more creativity. It's absolutely a win-win situation.


Yes, currently if you were to visit both sites, you'd see the same column. I'm not proud of it, but extenuating circumstances made it necessary. Again, this is my first offense, and I don't ever plan on repeating this mistake again. After all, who likes repetition? ;)



Happy reading, y'all!

Lynda Bailey

Good morning, readers! Today, I am VERY happy and excited to welcome guest and fellow author, Lynda Bailey! :)

Here's a little background on Lynda: "I’ve always loved stories, especially romances. For me the only thing better than reading a romance is writing one. That and drinking red wine while eating dark chocolate. My manuscripts have been finalists in major writing contests, including the 2010 RWA Golden Heart®.



I live in Reno with my husband of thirty years and our two pampered pooches."

Linda wrote Battle Born Love which I read & reviewed last week. Again, I definitely recommend you get your hands on it! ;)

So, without further ado, here is Ms. Bailey!



Thanks so much, Lauren, for letting me hang out today!

So, we’re talking about dialogue. In my humble opinion, dialogue is an intricate part of storytelling—of getting the reader into the story— because it’s an extension of the characters’ personalities. Dialogue isn’t something the reader should ever have to think about. It should just…be. It should be an even flow, a give and take of conversation. If the dialogue reads stilted or forced, the reader is probably not going to hang very long with the book.

The first rule to writing believable dialogue is to make sure it jives with whatever time period you’re using in the story. If you’re writing a Regency story or a Civil War saga featuring slaves, you better be on your game with regard to those vernaculars. I got dinged in a review of my historical western romance because the reader felt I used 2012 terminology for a story set in the 1880s. Ouch! The last thing you want as an author is to have your reader yanked from the story.

Maybe that’s why I choose to write contemporary romance. No need to worry about the proper Scottish dialect for me. :) But even with contemporaries, you have to be careful. I personally love to use words like “gonna,”“hafta” and “kinda” in dialogue—Spell/Grammar Check be damned. This is how people talk in real life so it’s how my characters are gonna talk. Think about Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy. Did he say, “I am trying to take you to the grocery story.”? Uh, no. He said, “I’m tryin’ ta take ya to da store.” Huge difference.

The other thing to keep in mind when writing dialogue is, if your character can say something in five words, have them say it in four. Short, snappy lines makes the reading go faster because more pages are getting turned. It also puts more *white space* on the page. And readers loooooove white space.

As a reader, one of my pet peeves is when the author uses a bunch of he said/she said or he asked/she asked in dialogue. Rather than having Sally say blah, blah, blah, have Sally do something. If she’s upset, have her stomp a foot or glare at the hero. If she’s being coy, have her swish side to side. Shy, maybe she should twist her fingers together. Remember that pesky, yet brilliant advice: show, don’t tell. Don’t tell me who’s talking, but show me by having some action during the dialogue. It helps to solidify the characterizations and makes for a (hopefully) more enjoyable read.

Okay, so I’ve voiced my opinion about dialogue. Do you agree with me or am I barking up the metaphorical tree? Shout out your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks again to Lauren for hosting me today!


Please visit me at www.lyndabailey.net. Or drop me an email Lynda@lyndabailey.net.