First Gift Blog Hop

The "First Gift" topic required some serious thought.

You'd think the "first" gift would be the most unforgettable, right?

My husband's first gift was. And after sifting through countless memories created by 23 years of marriage (this month, in fact!), four daughters, one grandson, and every life experience in between, I realized why I'd missed the quiet beauty and perfection behind his gesture.

Like a lot of couples, we married young...right out of high school practically. With college on the horizon and a baby on the way (oh, yeah, I'd gotten pregnant right off the bat!), Hamburger Helper was too expensive for our budget. Add to that, the Christmas holiday was fast approaching.

Hubby's boss had given every employee a Christmas tree (his brother owned a Christmas tree farm), and the smell of fresh pine filled our small apartment. I made popcorn garlands for decoration because, well, that's all we could afford.

A week before Christmas, I came home to find our Christmas tree decked out in beautiful Hallmark ornaments. I squealed in delight, and my husband smiled shyly. "I did extra work on a remodeling job, and they gave me this box filled with ornaments. I'm sorry none of the dates are right."

He was right. Not one ornament had a relevant date. Didn't matter. They were perfect. The thoughtfulness behind his gesture humbled me. The love they represented filled my soul.

We started a tradition that first Christmas together, one we've followed every year since: hanging those mismatched ornaments on the Christmas tree next to others we've collected over the years. They all have special meaning, but some of them-a select few-I cherish with all my heart.

Exercise

So, I try to do some kind of arm/upper body exercise every other day. Have to keep up strength and flexibility for my day job (official court reporter) and nighttime hours spent at the keyboard (writing while I live in my head).

This morning I tied my resistance band around a doorknob and started working through my list of exercises. Now, this isn't new behavior on my part. Everybody that works in my building has seen me using my band. People are used to avoiding me as they trek through the hallway between offices.

Imagine my surprise when someone on the other side of the door tried to come into the hallway. Momentum pulled me forward, nearly yanking me off my feet. I scored a ten on The Three Stooges' sling shot move. The door opener (new guy) realized what was happening and kept the door from smacking me. Good thing, too. I came within an inch of receiving a broken nose thanks to an almost door-meet-face introduction.

Objective for Friday morning's exercises: find a less used doorway!

Rewrites

Ugh...is there a more daunting word than rewrite for authors?

Book two in the Tueri Psychics series is done...but not really. First round of edits for this book is really a rewrite. I had hoped this wouldn't be the case. So much for hope.

Time to put my poster board together, create a new inciting incident, and carry the threads of changed material through the story. Believe me when I say there are enough changes that I'm taking this working project one chapter at a time. Otherwise, I might crumble under the weight of the full picture.

I can do this.

Got my candle, my keyboard, and a truckload of chocolate.

Ready. Set. Go......

Inspiration

Wow, it's been a while since I posted. Things have been a little crazy the last three weeks. Unexpected surgery that required some recovery time. Everything's fine. Nuf said.

I did, however, have plenty of time to read...and think...and plot.

During my forced recuperation, I discovered Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series (first six books anyway-ordering the rest!). I LOVE these characters and plotlines. There's nothing like a fantabulously, well-written story to inspire the hell out of me.When I get sucked into a world and devour page after page, I know I'm reading the work of a master story teller. When a character makes me smile, laugh out loud, or cry, I realize how much of themselves an author has poured into their book. Each emotion, action, and reaction the characters experience are an unguarded peek into the author's psyche. That extention of self, for me, is humbling.

I remind myself of these very things every time I sit before my keyboard and breathe life into my characters. I want to evoke those kinds of responses from the people who read my work. Giving someone a reason to smile lightens the heart. Making someone laugh is a wonderous gift. Sharing another's tears brings each of us, as individual beings, closer to being whole.

And though I'm compelled to write, I will always strive to improve my skills. The characters that speak to me deserve no less. The people that read those characters' stories deserve more.