I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
It seems like every year I realize I’ve filled my time with things that take up too much of my time! As I’ve been praying over 2013 during the month of January, I’ve been feeling I need to (once again) simplify my life. So I’m stepping back from a blog I contribute to. I’m also aiming for less participation in some of my Goodreads groups (that is truly a time suck! Fun, but time suck.) My book writing schedule is still very busy, so I’ll be doing no more critiques with my Story Sensei business in the first half of the year so that I can focus on my books, on writing what God wants me to write. I’m going to focus my energy on my own blog --I’m aiming to post 3-4 times a week, as well as posting contests more regularly. I’m also going to be more active on my Goodreads group and my Facebook page , posting contests there as well. And I absolutely DEPEND on those three outlets for help when naming characters, since many of you know how pathetic challenged I am in coming up wit...