My Books

What is playing on the iPod? Collision Course, Jay-Z and Linkin Park

I completed a novel. From the concept, character development, ever-developing plot lines, I did it. This gets a self pat on the back and a big whew complete with dramatic forehead sweep. I have written since elementary school, won contests and have heard people say for years that I should write a book.

So I did. In the process of doing so, I fell deeply in love with Natalie and Rob. No matter if I become a juggernaut such as Nicholas Sparks or Laurell K. Hamilton and have dozens of my books published, Natalie and Rob will always be the two characters I love the most.

For months (which my family will gladly attest to), I immersed myself in the process of creating Natalie's world. The book started out as thoughts on a computer screen. I was pissed at lots of things, most notably the number of people in the US waiting on organ transplants. Last October, the official count on the UNOS website reached 100,000 for the first time. I stewed on that for a few days and furiously pounded thoughts out. I stared at what I had written and the random thoughts took shape and I heard a voice telling me that the thoughts needed direction and she was willing to give it to me.

I sat down and gave Natalie, the voice, freedom over the thoughts and let her rearrange them and tell her story. Unfortunately, I decided to infuse some personal details into Natalie's life to relate the details that first came out on the screen. Therefore, Natalie has primary sclerosing cholangitis which is a progressive, degenerative liver disease which leaves the bile ducts too scarred up or hardened to allow bile to pass through. This is the reason I was on the UNOS website. I have PSC and periodically, I check the stats because someday down the road, I will need a liver transplant. My liver doc stands firm in his belief that by the time I need one, the medical community will have developed effective treatment for PSC, perhaps in the form of stem cell treatment, so I am crossing my fingers that he is right.

And since it is MY BLOG, I will shamelessly take this opportunity to promote the collective genius of physicians in the gastroenterology/transplant departments at Duke University Medical Center - GO BLUE DEVILS.

Natalie's story developed, her voice got louder and the writing process got emotional. I gave her trials, tribulations and challenges that would have broke lesser women. Not Natalie. My girl donned her cape and leaped tall buildings with a single bound.

Somewhere in the process of exploring Natalie's world, another voice appeared. This guy slowly showed himself. He was demanding that his story be included with Natalie's. He made it clear that he cared for her and if I would let him in, he would grow to love her. How could I refuse? So, Rob was born.

Now, a year after Natalie made her way into my world, I am two-thirds of the way though the actual construction of Rebecca's story. Rebecca has given me more complications than I could have contemplated. She brings issues that would make Freud drool. She is as complex as a good wine and is a challenge to write. That is why I keep going. I love a challenge. Getting through to the bottom of her story is haunting my dreams and most conscious thoughts.

I am not just telling Rebecca's story, I am telling Christian and Jared's as well. Each could carry their own story with no problem but they are so closely involved, their story becomes one.

For a couple of hours Monday through Friday, I get to explore their worlds. I weave their stories, hoping that I do them justice. By Christmas, I will be done with not only the writing but the process of self-editing. I hope to have a couple of copies ready for the group of people who serve as my feedback crew. Rebecca's story will be ready to query by in the next few months.

This means that not only do I have to finish the book but I have to perfect the art of the query letter, making me break out in a cold sweat. Imagine taking months, if not years, of your work and sum that up for a respected industry professional in less than a few paragraphs. I not only have to make my work shine, I have to work a little bit of kiss ass in there as well. This is not too hard because I only query the agents I have researched and want pretty bad, so a little obligatory kissing ass is not beyond me.

I have so much more to blog on, so please feel free to come back and check later. Thanks for letting me share a bit with you.