F Is For Freaking Out #atozchallenge

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Karyn Good

F Is For Freaking Out

A to Z April Blogging Challenge 2016

I freak out regularly. Not at people. But quietly and consistently over every single aspect to do with being a writer. The crap I tell myself, you wouldn’t believe. That thing that Robert de Niro said at the Oscars that one time?

writing

So true. Whoever writers the stuff actors say when presenting awards is pretty intuitive.

Challenging myself means taking chances. Taking a chance means I’m acknowledging an idea. And great idea will involve risk and stepping outside of my comfort zone. But what was it Fred Devito said? If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. That’s my writing mantra for this year.

I’m one of those human beings that is anxious a lot of the time. In varying degrees. All over the place. Across the board. I still mange to get things done. Even if some days it’s at a snail’s pace. I persist. I’m stubborn. I’m fragile. I fail. I try again. I learn something. I experiment. I conquer. I start all over again. Some of the steps of my daily dance.

writing

You can find other bloggers doing their thing here.

Do you welcome the fear? Dance with it even?

A To Z April Blogging Challenge Theme

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Karyn Good

The Challenge

I’ve signed up for the A to Z April Blogging Challenge. This means I’ll be blogging 26 days in April. Every day except Sundays. Eeps. Challenge is right. But I have a theme and a plan and good intentions. If all else fails hopefully I’ll be too stubborn to quit.

2016 Blogging Theme

The Romance Genre: As A Writer and Reader

This year’s theme is my perspective on the romance genre as a writer and a reader. My take on some of my favourite topics like heroes, heroines, and villains. A peek at my bookshelf. Thoughts on diversity. A look at the different sub-genres of romance. That kind of thing.

The Alphabet

It’s going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to travel around the blogosphere seeing what other bloggers are sharing.

Now might be a good time to share some of favourite blogs. They appeal to me for a variety of reasons. Romance Novels For Feminists is written by Jackie C. Horne who provides book reviews and a smart take on the good and the not so good things and important things happening in romance novels. Momastery written by Glennon Doyle Melton, an author, speaker, and activist. She never fails to inspire me. Terribleminds penned by Chuck Wendig, novelist, screenwriter, and game designer. Lots about writing and pop culture with A LOT of f-bombs tossed in. The Minimalst Baker by Dana and John, a couple out of Portand, Oregon. 10 or less ingredients and one bowl. Delicious!

Books, life, writing, and food!

Otherwise I’m busy rewriting the last third of Grace and Mike’s story. This last part is very bare bones. Lots of dialogue and people turning here and there so there is serious sweaty work needed to get it into half decent shape.

Have a favourite blog to share?

Q Is For Quill #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

A to Z April Blogging Challenge

Quill as in writing implement, because that’s what I’ve been doing. Writing. Well, editing really or rewriting, which I love. Therefore, I’ve fallen a wee bit behind on this blogging challenge. I kind of missed l, m, n, o, and p. Which is too bad because they’re lovely letters.

I’d been waiting for that final piece of the puzzle to come to me and when it did I had to deal with the revelation. I was actually starting to get kind of worried that it wasn’t coming. How was I going to tie it all together? What about the little hints I’d left? The trail of bread crumbs was going to lead to…nothing. Then it came to me. I should have dedicated the letter F to Faith and how I needed to remember to have some.

At that point in writing the first draft, usually this happenes about the halfway point, I need to go back and rewrite the first half so everything fits into place. Then I go on and write the last half. I know you’re suppose to pump out all of the first draft first but that process doesn’t work for me. I know, I tried it once. For National Novel Writing Month in 2009. The experience is still burned in my memory. It took me five years to fix that book. Okay, I didn’t work on it for the entire five years, but it was such a mess I had to put it away until I figured out how to deal with it.

L is for Last Half

M is for Mess

N is National Novel Writing Month

O and P are for Pump It Out

Thankfully EXPOSED is set to release this year and I should get the date soon.

Kate Logan needs a safe haven, a place to start over after her modeling career disintegrates in scandal. But her hometown of Aspen Lake isn’t the sanctuary she hoped. Her vow of a low-key life is disrupted by a break-in and other strange happenings at her boutique. As the chair of Aspen Lake’s Gothic Revival Festival, she’s also drawn the ire of a religious fanatic. Kate is up to her stilettos in drama and intrigue including one sexy carpenter who’s determined to get in her way.

New to town, Seth Stone is seeking inspiration and solitude to concentrate on his art. Short on funds, he agrees to take on a second job restoring the damage to Kate’s Closet. Trouble erupts along with the desire to get to know Kate better. When he’s used as a pawn in a smear campaign against his gorgeous boss Seth fights back. But now the whole town is watching. Including the man determined to further his own agenda. Time is running out with nowhere to hide.

K Is For Kites! #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

A to Z April Blogging Challenge

I have a daughter who loves kites. And what’s not to love! It’s an excellent stress reliever. One can’t downplay the importance of stress relievers these days. I recently read an article on the effect stress is having on women and their health. I imagine men too.

“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” Anais Nin

“You will find truth more quickly through delight than gravity. Let out a little more string on your kite.” Alan Cohen

Hard to be stressed when you’re watching your kite soar and circle. It’s forces you to look up. And the sky is right there. So big and wide. The wind takes it and all you can do is hold on or let out more string. It’s hard not to be present in that moment. To just breathe it in and wonder.

I Is For Independent Booksellers #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

A to Z April Blogging Challenge

May 2nd is Authors for Indies Day! Across Canada authors will be at their local independent bookstores helping to sell books and show their support.

I can’t wait to talk books and share the love of reading.

Regina

SK Books & Collectibles Inc

919C Albert Street
Regina, SK S4R 2P6
www.skbooks.ca

Contact: Stewart Klyne

Phone: (306) 565-2111

Authors: Bruce Rice, Bev Lundahl, Brenda Niskala, Alison Lohans, Annette Bower, Karyn Good, Gerald Hill, Linda Biasotto, James Daschuk, Byrna Barclay

H Is For Hero! #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

A to Z April Blogging Challenge

What are books without the main players? The heroes. The antagonists. The villains. Secondardy characters. All of them make (or break) the story. They represent hope, love, victory. Patience, kindness, strength. Humour. Defeat, anger, resentment. Betrayal.

I love to write about ordinary characters who find themselves in extraordinary situations. Those everyday women and men who are living their lives, doing their job, until life picks them up and tosses them to the lions. What will they do? How will they react? What does courage and strength and survival look like to them?

To the everyday heroes. The world would be a pretty sad place without you.

G Is For Grammar! #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

A to Z April Blogging Challenge

Usually once a year I decide I need to upgrade or learn something new about the craft of writing. This time it stemmed from a freak-out over punctuation. Gawd, the English language with its they’re, their, and there, proving it has the zaniest spelling system ever invented. It requires a quirky understanding of past and present tense, among many other eccentricities.

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,

But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.

Then one fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,

Yet the plural of moose should never be meese,

You may find a lone mouse or a whole nest of mice,

But the plural of house is houses, not hice.

Part of a Poem Attributed to Anonymous

It’s important to have reference resources at your fingertips to fight the good fight.

“I’m exhausted. I spent all morning putting in a comma and all afternoon taking it out” Oscar Wilde

It was time brush up on some skills.

F Is For Fire! #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

The A to Z April Blogging Challenge

We’ve all got that something in us. That passion. That FIRE. To do what we have to do. What we are compelled to do. We dream about it. Fantasize about it. Read books about it. Watch others do it. We have all kinds of excuses for not getting down to it. Why it’s not possible, or not happening. But really it’s fear of failure holding us back.

One of my favorite books is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. In the story, a shepherd boy named Santiago sets out on a quest inspired by his dreams. He learns many lessons along the way which lead him to understand it’s more about his actions, the risks he takes, and what he learns along the way than about the endgame.

“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” Paulo Coelho

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” Paulo Coelho

It’s up to me. No one else can travel the path, take the steps, walk the walk for me. The journey is about the steps you take, literally and figuratively. And that’s what life is about – feeding the fire within you.

C Is For Curiosity #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

The A to Z April Blogging Challenge

Curiosity isn’t just for kids! And forget about it killing the cat. It’s imperative for writers, and many others I suspect. Curiosity fosters imagination which encourages inspiration. This helps when we’re creating plot lines, characters, and dialogue, etc.

Recently a family member commented on the fact that I notice things she never would. Probably not true. Probably we notice different things. She’s very interested in facts and amassing them and somehow manages to retain them, where as I have no interest in retaining that stuff. But what makes people tick? Oh, yeah. What makes people do the things they do? People and their choices fascinate me. Do I take note of what they do when they think no one is watching, you bet. I pay attention to the way people speak, react, or reply. In line. At the doctor’s office. At the beach. Well, you get the idea.

Being curious and exploring means we’e engaged, living in the moment, and making connections. It’s about exploring the world around us. So embrace your curiosity. Have conversations, read books, watch films, take a walk, ask questions, take a class, try a new hobby. Try a new recipe, a new look, a DIY project.

Have fun! How do you embrace your curiosity?

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. – E.E. Cumming

B Is For Bed #AtoZChallenge

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge is lots of fun!

We bought a new bed. Something we desperately needed. Oh my gosh, it’s ridiculous. And huge. I’m pretty sure you can see it from street-level and we’re on the second floor. I almost need a stool to get into the thing. My husband is confused by the amount of pillows needed to make it look perfect. And was even more confused when I said I needed to buy more. He’s not sure where we’re going to put them all at night. He’s got a point. There’s not a lot of room leftover in our bedroom.

I’m normally a very practical person when it comes to purchases, especially big ones. We both are. This bed is not so practical. But it is gorgeous. And I LOVE it.

A therapist my daughter once had (there have been many) said her own husband was of the belief you should be prepared to spend money on three things: beds, shoes, and tires. Makes sense, no? BTW, my daughter also got a new bed. But I’ll save that story for the G post on Guilt.

Another thing I spend money on: BOOKS! Another wonderful B word. Currently reading Deep by Kylie Scott. Will be reading The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty for book club.

Till tomorrow! What do you spend money on?