They're goin' to the chapel and they're gonna get married...

It is time to become Very Reclusive. I simply am going to have to close the door, bury my head in VK2, not answer the phone (unless it is about my brother Tommy, for he is having a procedure this wednesday-keep your thoughts on him, please?), be very focused, let VK in to tell her story, batten down the hatches (is that how you spell batten?). Yes, even more than before. I've let myself become distracted by things and time for distraction is O V E R! lawdy be! Time is a-wastin'.

I do have wonderful news that I don't think I have shared here. My son is getting married and the wedding is coming up soon. I adore his fiance and his fiance's family. I'm happy for him and hope their marriage is one of love and support and friendship. My son is nearing 30 and she is 31, so they aren't babes in the woods, but they are my babes so I am excited and happy and all those other kinds of feelings.

I like coming by here in the morning and making a quick post, but I do understand if you all get sick of riding by here, honking and waving, and I don't even come out the door (laughing)....but I do read every one of your comments and love them, so if you do still come by, please know how much I enjoy reading them and how they help me to stay connected to things. The more "reclusive" I become, the more I love knowing you all are "out there." *muwah!*

Now....time to get out of my robe and slippers, take a quick walk, grab my yogurt fruit nuts, and Get To Work....

What are you working on? What good news do you have? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop? (teeheee)

image google image: http://www.halogendjs.com.au/dj-packages/images/Wedding%20Disc%20Jockey%20Melbounre.jpg

Scattered pictures.....

Presenting: Diane Buccheri of OCEAN Magazine

I first met Diane Buccheri when I submitted a short story to her magazine. She emailed me back a nice note: she didn't need the short story, but if I had any nonfiction prose, she would look at it. I sent in an essay comparing my misty mountains to an underwater experience, and she accepted it. What I didn't realize when I first submitted was that OCEAN, and Diane, live in the outer banks of North Carolina. We began emailing back and forth - talking about the ocean, the mountains: the connections of water. A friendship born of love of the ocean, mountains, creatures who live with us on this old world, and writing began.

This is one of the most beautiful of magazines I have the pleasure of subscribing to....and of having my prose (including a short story that did fit!), poetry, and photography published in. Diane loves the ocean and its creatures - she writes and publishes FOR the ocean - for its protection. Every issue of OCEAN is packed with beautiful writing from people from all over the world and from all professions - plain old writers like me, scientists, poets, fishermen/women, photographers, etc - I could go on, but if you love the ocean and its inhabitants, go take a look at OCEAN - read and comment on the website blog, submit, and more important, subscribe. I will be a life-long subscriber to this magazine--as long as Diane publishes OCEAN, and I hope that is "forever."

About OCEAN: Hurricane Isabel swept over the small ribbon of an island in the Atlantic Ocean where I live. And with that OCEAN was born. I walked out into my saltwater flooded yard, my front porch newly tilted by the wave that engulfed it, and looked at the sun shining on the water –– everywhere. Big letters appeared in my head: OCEAN. That was it! The idea that had been stirring, that I could almost touch, almost materialize for several years. I immediately went right to work producing the premier issue. Friends supported me upon receiving their surprise issue in the mail. They continue to subscribe to OCEAN, as do others who stumbled upon OCEAN and took it to heart, some since its very first issue, as more do with every ensuing issue, and become friends of OCEAN, become my friends....to read more, visit OCEAN Magazine's website

Diane wrote about Tender Graces: Kathryn's prose is poignant, tangy, sweet, loving, wanting, needing and so satisfying!

Oh the sounds of (almost) silence....

Usually Fridays are "links days" - but, I'm too distracted to provide links, and I suppose I've been doing that a lot anyway (um, mostly for my own stuff...teeheehee *blush* ugh, hard part for a writer is the touting-happy part is the talking about books, language, writing). Oh, but did you read Angie's and my time together? That was fun.

It's raining outside. I'd wanted to sleep late this morning, but the red squirrels would have none of it. They chattered and fussed and complained out at the squirrel feeder. I wrapped my pillow around my head - no use. Finally, I just got up and fed the little greedy things. Did that stop their chatter? Nope, now they are fussing to see who gets on the feeder and who has to wait their turn.

But the rain has gently come and now they aren't fussing as much. The birds aren't singing either.

It's quiet. A muffled morning. As if a giant hand has cupped over the cove.

My brain is a bit muffled, too. So I can't think what I came here to tell you. Maybe nothing. Maybe I'm just saying hello to you all. I come here every morning because it starts my day. Actually, I go to my hotmail account first and read comments - I look forward to that. I miss stopping by to visit you all--but, now is the time I have to keep my head down and write the second VKbook - especially since I deleted all those words.

I have another novel that is completed - did you know that? But, I don't want to put it in front of the VKbook 2 - it's hard not to send it in and see if it could be published. But, I know my focus is VK right now and that's how I need to keep it. But one day maybe you all will also be reading "The Affliction of Sweetie." *smiling* I have another one in the works that I will one day get back to as well - it's between fiction and not-exactly-fiction...

Enough babbling. Time to sip my Deep Creek Blend, take Jake on a short cove walk, and then get to work.

I know I keep saying it, but all of your words and encouragement and reviews and comments mean so much to me. Thank you. I'll have another "presenting...." either tomorrow or Sunday.

Don't forget to send me a photo of you reading Tender Graces! Also, above you can see the book give-away if you send me your email address to be put on BelleBooks newsletter mailing list. Of course, you don't have to be in the book give-away to sign up for their newsletter, I just thought that would be more fun. I have those books to give away still and needed an idea for a contest that wouldn't distract me from the writing! A random drawing seemed simple enough.

I seem not to want to let you all go this morning - there is something I meant to say, perhaps? and have forgotten? or my brain is foggy this morning. Something....

Oh, the silence. If you could "hear' the silence of the cove this morning but for the bursts of squirrel madness and now suddenly the rainfall quickens in that roar across the cove and even the squirrels have stopped: one lone bird chirps then stops. The rain falls hard and determined now. The distant mountains are wavery and almost hidden. The lone bird is still chirping. The little log house is darkened. I should go back to bed, but I cannot. I feel as if I'm on the edge of something that is about to happen....yes, that is my feeling! I think that's it -- as if I am right there at the edge of something...

Hello VK my old friend....nice to talk to you again...oh, the sounnnds of writing....

Yesterday I received an email from someone who wrote: "I miss Virginia Kate. I wish the second book was already out...."

Do you know what this feels like? To have someone actually miss your character? These are the kinds of comments that make me want to grin and cry all at the same time. That and "I couldn't put it down," or "I didn't want it to end."

Which is why yesterday, I highlighted and deleted 30,000 words from VKBook2 -- that's a lotta words, friends. But, they were not our Virginia Kate's words. Writer, get out of the way. So, I got out of the way. But, 30,000 words! Oh Geez, get crackin, Kat.

See, I love Virginia Kate, too - and I want her to have her own voice. When you all pick up VKBook2 and read, I want it to BE Virginia kate again; I don't want you to be disappointed. I don't want book2 to be second rate to book 1. It must feel seamless, as if you just kept reading from book 1 into book 2 without hardly taking a breath. That's what I want - and it is worth the "sacrifice" of taking out those 30,000 words and going from where that LINE I told you all about is to forward. That free feeling tells me I did the right thing, as I also have said.

30,000 words - think about it.

But what I want to stress here to you who write is: There are ALWAYS MORE WORDS! Don't be afraid to write crap *laughing* -- what I mean is, write it all down, write write write, because later you can cut and paste and cut and not paste and put in and take out and rearrange and etc etc etc! There are always more words! You won't dry up! Don't be afraid to take chances with words and language!

When I wrote that original manuscript, and then split it in half, I never knew what would stay and what would go, what would change in the original half that would affect the second half. You have to just trust the process. You have to trust yourself. You have to trust your character's journey. You have to be FEARLESS sometimes!

You have to be able to delete sometimes. And you have to know there are always more words. Maybe I am being too simplistic. Maybe for some writers it comes more naturally, more "easily" -- maybe you are thinking: It would take me months and months to get 30,000 words! Okay, I understand this. Every person is different, every writer different - every journey different. Take from this what fits you. I never tell writers: "You aren't a writer if you....." I hate it when writers do that....as if there is a club and you have to have secret passwords, or special handshakes, or certain credentials to join this club. We're all lovers of books and words and language. We all have our own journey to take how we will take it. What separates success from "not success" is the ability to Keep Going. No matter what: you keep going. Do you think I'm not terrified? Even with a book out I am terrified sometimes....but, I love what I do. I love books, language, words, my characters, the feeling of someone out there reading my words....I put aside that fear and just plow forward.

But what I want you to take from this is sometimes you have to be fearless. Sometimes you just have to do what is best for your Character's Journey. Sometimes you have to quiet that voice that says, "But what if I don't have anything else to say?" You will always have something to say. If you feel as if you do not, it is because you are self-editing yourself, you are getting in your own way. Yes, somtimes being fearless and just vomiting out words will mean more work....but better more work than to present something to the world that isn't your best.

Maybe when book2 comes out, people will still love book1 better - maybe not - I can't predict that. But, when book2 is completed, I will know that I was true to Virginia Kate and her journey. At the cost of thousands of words....but new thousands of words will come and they will be Virginia Kate's voice...not some shadow of her.

If you delete delete delete - you can always retrieve it by pasting it somewhere else - just try it and see if by deleting something it makes you feel "Free" to create or if it does not.

Now, go be fearless! In whatever you do. Trust your instincts. Do what feels right to you.

Presenting: Barbara from Serenity Gate...

Hi Y'all (yawwwllllll)....Isn't that a lovely face? Barbara from Serenity Gate - what a light inside she carries- and look at her sparkling eyes.

Before I brag on Barbara, I guest blogged at J. Kaye's Book Blog. Had a fun ole time, too. Still having fun - reading comments and answering questions. Teehee. She's having a contest there, too- for a signed copy of Tender Graces - This is her contest, and the contest rules are outlined there (my apologies to my friends outside of US and Canada who may go there to try to win a copy ...dang....!)

Now, there are so many of you who have taken the time to write up a praise blurb, or post about Tender Graces, or write up a review, or email me your thoughts, et-cetera. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. So, I'm going to spend some time bragging and talking up all of you! My first "brag" was on Deb Leblanc.

Today, I want to talk about Barbara at the Serenity Gate.

From Barbara's sidebar: "WELCOME TO MY SERENITY GATE. I CREATED THIS QUIET SPACE SO THAT MYSELF AND OTHERS MIGHT FIND PEACE, INSPIRATION, AND JOY HERE. I HOPE YOU WILL STAY TO READ MY THOUGHTS AND ENJOY THE MUSIC AND ART."

And I do find peace, inspiration, and joy there. And lovely music. And lyrical poetic musings. Barbara's blog is a lovely breath of air. There is always something upbeat to read, to feel, to ponder over.

When Barbara won books from my book give-aways, I sent her a bonus book. I never expected anything in return. But one day a package came. Inside was a layer of cloud! Barbara sent me the most beautiful pashima - it is the softest wrap I've ever had. Stop by her Fatimas Treasures!

Barbara wrote this about Tender Graces- I am overwhelmed by her words (and Barbara - I saw your review on Amazon reviews - *laughing!* yes - I went by there...but just for a second, only a teeny second!):

I didn't realize just how gifted she really is until I read her new book! How did I love it? Let me count the ways: 1. Poetic 2. Imaginative 3. Clever 4. Unique 5. Exciting 6. Haunting 7. It made me laugh/it made me cry 8. It's one I'll never forget. The story is beautifully written, haunting, profound, and develops the characters in a way that makes the reader feel personally connected. It should be in Oprah's book club (for the complete post, you can click here)

Thank you, Barbara, for your words, and for your Serenity Gate.

Now, I need to Git to Work (yes GIT!....said like mean old Aunt Ruby!)

Fa la la la la la la tee dahhhhhh!

My feet are cold. Just thought I'd share that. La la la tee dah.... do do doo ...teetle dee...dum ta dum....fa la la la la la la la LA!

Oh? what am I doing, you ask? Welllllll - I'm procrastinating! I was rocking along with VKBook2 and then it all fell apart. I just went "Huh?"

You see, when I first wrote VK - that Really Rough Draft of long ago, I wrote 200,000 words in a fury--it was ...well, it was AWESOME, even if the novel sucked and needed much work. Because I was writing and writing and writing my very very first novel ever, and all because Angie Ledbetter prodded me (bless her bless her!).

I later took half of that manuscript and worked on it - let Virginia Kate's voice shine through, and the end result is Tender Graces. Well, the other half was long put away. I took it out once a few years ago and worked on it, but I didn't remember how far I'd gone into the story. Until today. Yup, I saw how far I last was. It is obvious. There is an obvious LINE of "Good Virginia Kate," and "Bad stilted yucky bleah gork barf Virginia Kate." I mean, from one chapter ending to the next chapter beginning is so very different. It's quite interesting to see. It shows the growth. It shows all kinds of things I could teach in a class! I could take that manuscript and point to the Before and After and we could discuss the processes that brought it to one point from the other.

So, lots of work to do. I am considering just trashing everything from that LINE forward and again letting VK speak through me and tell her story...yes! EUREKA! The stuff after the LINE isn't her. It sounds more like, well, more like ME (I hadn't gotten out of the way yet)...it may make another book somewhere down the road, but not this book. Not my Virginia Kate. I do think putting my fingers to the keys and letting Virginia Kate and all the other characters tell their story will be much better than trying to keep any of the stuff after that LINE. I'll take the stuff from the LINE on and put it up somewhere.

Oh, I'm so glad we had this talk! Thank you...teehee....now, back to work!