tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64965315310889179922024-10-06T23:34:37.276-04:00This blog follows my journeys in writing; the entire creative process from idea formulation and inspirations, to the pitfalls and struggles of everyday life as it competes for my attention. With the goal of someday becoming a published author, I shall also delve into the realm of possibly self-publishing. Join me, comments are always welcome, and I would love to talk to other authors and readers alike!Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-56221782243671889452013-10-12T01:49:00.002-04:002013-10-12T01:49:53.613-04:00

So, I have made the difficult decision to discontinue my other blog, Publish Kestrel, since I find that I post more often here, and have generated more pageviews, etc. etc. Additionally, with my ventures into LeanPub, I have a place to post my work for profit as I continue the creative effort. I hate to be like that, but let's be real... my dream is to be a published author, which means

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-77769156016970827792013-10-10T05:10:00.000-04:002013-10-10T05:10:04.549-04:00

I am pretty sure I have discussed in the past the issue of self-publishing. It is no longer the realm of the vanity publishers, and there are legitimate sites that have really taken off in the last few years. Of course, the very idea of being solely responsible for absolutely everything relating to your precious book is daunting, but it does have its appeal, namely the ability to cling to it as

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-31892008881819085542013-10-09T02:47:00.000-04:002013-10-09T02:47:10.509-04:00

Did I mention what a miserable blogger I am? Oh, yeah, last post, right. Anywho, lots happening lately, not all of it wonderful, but meaningful in its own way, and all the while leading back to where we should have been all along. It is interesting how our lives lead us around in so many different directions, only to have us end up in what was the only place it could ever, should ever have been..

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-52811390222855659962013-09-03T13:01:00.001-04:002013-09-03T13:01:35.523-04:00

     I know it has been a long time since I have posted, I am a miserable blogger, but this time I have avoided doing so on purpose. Not initially, but hear me out.      Only a few hours after making my last post, one year ago, I got the phone call that my 91-year old grandfather had passed away. He had been sick for some months, it was a miracle he held on as long

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-79788506715852978432012-08-31T09:19:00.002-04:002012-08-31T09:20:05.511-04:00

Who doesn't remember their first love? Maybe it was a crush you never had the guts to speak to, or was it the first time you got asked out, got kissed, or do the dirty? It's different for everyone, and sometimes what one person feels as 'love' means nothing to another. Sometimes, a preconceived notion of 'love' may skew someone's view on whether or not they have ever been in love. Here are

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-28916320127065054762012-08-27T01:19:00.000-04:002012-08-27T01:19:06.070-04:00

The weekly excerpt is now posted here: Chapter Four This excerpt is likely fated for the chopping block during editing, but I hope to work it in somehow. I think it shows some valuable insight into Salome's character, for a couple of reasons. 1. It highlights her relationships with her employees, she thinks of them as friends and not merely servants; she takes their advice (sometimes), she

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-30827373102643684672012-08-24T08:37:00.001-04:002012-08-24T08:37:15.762-04:00

I find it helpful to have images to look at to inspire me, so I thought you would like to see what Salome and Donovan might look like. Salome has black hair and light green eyes, the closest I have come is Amy Lee of Evanesence. Other inspirations include Vivien Leigh: And for a slightly more exotic look, no one is more gorgeous than Aishwarya Rai. Donovan

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-64146992648693088192012-08-21T10:15:00.001-04:002012-08-21T10:15:51.234-04:00

As promised, a little more information about my hero in Salome's tale. He is more the silent thinker type than a rakish man of action. He is thoughtful, and has a good sense of humor, but he is a man caught between two worlds, the America of his youth, and his responsibilities to his English title. Describe yourself- in great detail My name is Donovan Christopher Tremaine. As of today’s

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-32669955460511873622012-08-20T07:26:00.000-04:002012-08-20T07:26:05.099-04:00

It's that time of year again! That's right, back to school... Today is the first day of school for my kids. I have three boys: the oldest is 13 and in 8th grade, then I have a  7 year old in 2nd, and my youngest, 5, started kindergarten today. I am proud to say I managed not to cry as I watched them all get on the bus this morning! It is both a relief and a little heart-breaking to have an

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-4797658974343668942012-08-16T00:13:00.001-04:002012-08-21T09:35:37.885-04:00

As promised, here is a little character information from my work in progress. It is written in Salome's own words. Introduce yourself, in great detail My name is Salome Lisette Mercer. As of today’s date, March 1, 1811, I am twenty years old. My birthday is December 28, 1790. I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, at our family home. I am about five and a half feet tall, which is slightly

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-26236064904780198342012-08-14T00:28:00.000-04:002012-08-14T01:19:21.118-04:00

Edit: I actually do have a character page for these characters, but it's rather dated, and since I'm using this exercise, I am changing a few things. Feel free to compare the older version against the newer one, hopefully there is a little more connection between my readers and my characters. I think they were a little cold before, I'm hoping this will make them more likable. So, I realized that

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-23050670623046978432012-08-13T10:04:00.001-04:002012-08-13T10:04:32.711-04:00

Chapter Two of Salome's story is now available, be sure to check it out! Busy with work all this week, but hope to keep up the pace of the story, would be a crying shame to lose momentum now. I'm working on Chapter Ten now, as noted in the previous post, we are still at the Presentation, and Salome has made a new female friend. This is good, because female friends are hard to come by,

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-84328519827524798372012-08-09T02:55:00.001-04:002012-08-09T03:00:33.522-04:00

Now I have read many, many Regencies and historical novels in my time, and one of the subjects I have always found fascinating were the descriptions of the clothing characters are wearing. There are many errors made when it comes to this subject, but I think that my reading history has given me quite a lot of basic knowledge to work with. By the same token, however, I really would like to stick

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-3127602698378419532012-08-05T22:55:00.001-04:002012-08-05T22:55:53.747-04:00

So I just updated my companion blog to include the first full chapter of Salome's story: Chapter One I have also concluded that I will no longer post stories past Chapter Ten, which is where I had stopped posting my Empress story. This is for a couple of reasons: 1. These are still works in progress, and in much need of revision, so they are by no means complete. 2. The ever present fear of

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-14379238180830764312012-08-02T21:31:00.001-04:002012-08-02T22:09:52.687-04:00

My brain is filled to overflowing with more undoubtedly useless trivia, except perhaps as it pertains to my current novel. I have been steadily researching to add more accurate detail to my story, and as I continue, I will post about the random things I learn and include in my story. Today, however, I would like to focus on a topic I have always taken an interest in, though never had the means to

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-84943377897558731882012-08-02T01:23:00.000-04:002012-08-02T01:24:16.926-04:00

I have probably posted on this subject before, but it bears repeating! Deciding on names for characters is blasted hard. I am the proud owner of quite a few baby name books, which came in handy for deciding on names for my actual children, but the children of my novels require even more effort. Why is it so hard? Well, for one, you want the name you pick for your main characters to have some kind

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-44248817707717043532012-07-31T11:33:00.002-04:002012-07-31T11:33:27.382-04:00

So, I haven't been keeping up with blogging, obviously. And I haven't actually finished any writing projects either. I have been percolating a few new ideas, done a little writing on them, a little research here and there, and thanks to my great hubby, have done LOTS of reading since he got me a Nook color for Christmas 2010. My Nook has become a great source of entertainment in my house. I read

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-16580438385277728762009-11-17T15:57:00.003-05:002009-11-17T16:04:06.923-05:00

So, it's really nice when writing historical fiction to be able to include a real life character. The trick is knowing your place and time, and whether or not its possible to stretch reality in such a way that will fit your story.I have just finished doing just that, and it made for over 3000 words! All in about two hours time. Pretty freaking awesome! Neat trick too...It all started yesterday

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-20339286873486293832009-11-14T13:14:00.001-05:002009-11-14T13:16:30.024-05:00

So this week has had its ups and downs, but between this morning's NaNo meeting and the one I'm going to in a few more moments, I will cross the 10,000 word threshold and hope to get to 12,000 before the end of the day. I need to stop talking and web-browsing and just write already... Bah!

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-43108802009671200662009-11-11T12:45:00.002-05:002009-11-11T12:59:47.843-05:00

Thanks to the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books blog (insert link later, see side panel for now), I have a great new side angle to write from.Poor Anne and Kate, they are just having to go through hell.I can't say this is going to be your standard romance, there's love and sex and definitely some Happily Ever After, but in the meantime, there's rape, racism, murder, revenge, miscarriage, you name it.

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-34284995204199387552009-11-11T12:17:00.002-05:002009-11-11T12:20:17.672-05:00

So, NaNo has been motivational. I'm not on par with where I should be if I expect to actually WIN this year, but I'm at nearly 8,000 in a week's time, so that's respectable. Again, I am working on Anne and Kate's story, with a twist in how I'm going about it. Plugging along one scene at a time seems to be going okay, just writing whatever comes out, not going back and editing or re-reading, and

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-48460449069079972942009-11-07T10:35:00.002-05:002009-11-07T10:38:55.001-05:00

So yet again, I am going to attempt to get back to writing, and what better incentive than to sign up for NaNo again! At this moment, I am sitting in my coffee shop with a few other writers, companions in the agony that is pounding out a novel in a month's time. My word count is pitiful at the moment, and that is only compounded by the fact that I have such little free time to accomplish anything

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-51267323855425373062009-02-16T12:52:00.001-05:002009-02-16T12:54:12.582-05:00

So I had submitted awhile back for "First Page Saturday" at Dear Author, and this Saturday was my day! Some very helpful comments were posted, so check it out!Dear Author

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-90106982985777348602009-02-16T11:59:00.002-05:002009-02-16T12:08:15.459-05:00

Happy belated Valentine's! How did you spend your day?Well, I started off by working in the morning... Hubby thought he was being funny by sending me a gorgeous bouquet to my job and signing it from "Your Secret Admirer :)"... Later we went out for Thai food, I will have to get him to send me the picture of my meal again and post it... I ordered the Tilapia special, and it was the whole fish! It

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6496531531088917992.post-75694642066199380902009-02-05T22:36:00.002-05:002009-02-05T22:42:21.174-05:00

I work for one of the coolest companies in Greenville, SC. It's a coffee shop, but it's more than that. Check out Liquid Highway. I just recently became a location manager, but my location is not up and running yet, so I'm just a glorified assistant manager...Still, I think my company is awesome, and it combines two of my great loves, coffee and helping others! Hopefully we can keep up our growth

Kestrelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377506516687501785noreply@blogger.com0