Rants and Raves

Welcome Robin Helm

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:47:00 +0000

Please give a warm welcome to Robin. Robin Helm has published the first two volumes of a trilogy (The Guardian Trilogy), Guardian and SoulFire, and is presently writing Legacy, the third and final volume, posting as a work in progress on four different forums. She has also published two Regency short stories.

She and her husband have two daughters, the elder a Navy nurse stationed in Guam, and the younger a university senior. They live in South Carolina with their Yorkie-Poo, Tobey.

Ms. Helm graduated with a BA from Piedmont Baptist College. She is a member of the Delta Epsilon Chi honor society, the American Legion Auxiliary, and the scholarship faculty of the United States Achievement Academy.

Q: Welcome to my blog, Robin! Tell us a little bit about yourself. When did you start writing?

I have always loved to read. I was the baby in a family of six, and there was always plenty to do in the way of cleaning, cooking, gardening, and yard work. I remember hiding in a closet to read quite often, because if my mother saw me, she would immediately make me put down the book and get to work. I think I bought the house we live in because it has walk-in closets.

After twenty-five years of teaching, mainly high school English and music, I left full-time teaching to take three part-time jobs. I began to “beta,” or edit for other writers. Before that time, the idea of writing a book had been too daunting to me. A year ago, I was intimidated by the idea. Now, I have written and self-published two books in The Guardian Trilogy, Guardian and SoulFire, and I am nearly a third of the way through writing the third book in the series, Legacy.

Q: Tell us about your inspiration for: Guardian (Volume I) and SoulFire (Volume II), from The Guardian Trilogy. What is the true essence of these books?

I confess to being a TwiMom. As a high school English teacher, I wondered why my students would stay up all night reading the books of The Twilight Saga, but they would not read the classics. I read the books several times, and I tried to analyze their appeal. Edward, the protagonist, was a natural bad guy fighting his own nature to be good. He was willing to sacrifice his own desires for Bella, an average human girl, because he loved her. I decided to write the flip side of that – an angel, a being who is totally good, who must battle against his nature and be willing to take a lesser form to love Elizabeth, a supernaturally gifted human. Xander, my angel, wishes to become human to be with Elizabeth. He makes a tremendous sacrifice and accepts mortality, aging, and death in order to be able to love her without sinning. In addition, he makes this choice not knowing whether or not she will love him in return. He loves her, and she does not know of his existence.

Just as Edward fights his enemies who wish to kill Bella in The Twilight Saga, Xander battles with demonic forces who are intent on destroying Elizabeth in The Guardian Trilogy. Lucifer knows that Xander, the Chief Guardian, would not have been assigned to guard Elizabeth had she not been extremely important in God’s plan, so he sets out to destroy her from the moment of her conception. The Guardian Trilogy delves into spiritual warfare, drawing aside the veil to allow the reader to see parallel dimensions: the physical and the spiritual. Readers are shown what happens around humans all the time without their knowledge as light forces battle dark ones.

On Fanfiction.net I have many crossover teen fans from Twilight, Harry Potter, and Airbender. I have been amazed by that. On that site, I have about two thousand readers from more than eighty countries. Nothing has surprised me as much as the warm reception the books have received from agnostics, atheists, and seekers.

Q: Have you always had an interest in spiritual warfare?

Yes, I have. I always taught in religious schools, and assigned reading for my students included Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness, and The Oath, as well as Larry Burkett’s The Illuminati. Peretti made me think in a different way; his books showed me the spiritual dimension, and I was fascinated.Having said that, my angels, demons, and plot are very different from Peretti’s.

Q: Jane Austen has quite a devoted following - How has your story taken the beloved characters of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, and brought a new perspective to their classic love story? What will Austen fans love most about The Guardian Trilogy?

The authors for whom I edited wrote Jane Austen fan fiction, and I had been reading the genre for several years before I began to beta. Jane Austen has long been my favorite author, and Pride and Prejudice is my favorite among her works. The Guardian Trilogy is very loosely related to Pride and Prejudice. Xander, the main character, uses the name Darcy when he assumes human form. Elizabeth is his love interest, born to David and Lynne Bennet. Though The Guardian Series does not closely follow Austen’s plot, the characters behave much as their Austen counterparts would in a modern, religious setting. For instance, Xander/Darcy is a protector, much like Austen’s Darcy protected Lydia, Elizabeth’s sister, as well as Elizabeth, by helping Lydia. He has a higher standing than Elizabeth, because he is an angel and she is human. As an angel, Xander is remote and free from strong emotions. He is distant, like Austen’s Darcy. Elizabeth does reject Darcy at one point, much the P & P Elizabeth and Darcy have their Hunsford debacle. Austen fans also require a happy ending for the couple, and they will have it.

Q: If you had to narrow it down to one thing, what would your readers find most enjoyable about your books?

One aspect of the books that has received much comment is the banter between the angels behind the scenes. I give them distinct personalities and some of them are quite humorous and witty.

Q: When will we see your next book in print and where can we find it?

I hope to publish Legacy in late April or early May. Like Guardian and SoulFire, it will be available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle, and on Nook and paperback through Barnes and Noble. For those with iPhones or iPads, downloading the Kindle application will give readers access to Kindle books.

Guardian begins with a prologue, the fall of Lucifer from heaven. The main body of the work concentrates on the years beginning just prior to Elizabeth’s conception in 1989 and ends in the fall of 2007 as she begins her junior year in college and Xander is summoned before God to make a momentous decision.

The powerful and imposing Xander/Darcy, Chief of all guardian angels, has protected exceptional humans from demonic forces over the course of ten millennia without losing a single battle. In 1989, he receives an unusual assignment which will forever change his ordered existence and alter the course of human history. Will he lose the battle for his own heart while guarding supernaturally gifted Elizabeth Bennet from the evil which surrounds her? Will he be strong enough to resist her as she grows from a precocious child into a beautiful, intelligent woman? The veil dividing the physical and spiritual planes is drawn aside to reveal warfare on an unprecedented scale as Elizabeth develops her gifts and her guardian discovers his emotions.

SoulFire, Volume II of the trilogy, continues the story, picking up January, 2008 and ending in August of the same year. Xander is in human form, using the name Fitzwilliam Darcy. SoulFire develops the actual meeting, ministry, and romance of Elizabeth and Darcy.

In the second volume of The Guardian Trilogy, Fitzwilliam Alexander Darcy, powerful Chief of all guardian angels, adjusts to life with a dual nature. An angel/human, Darcy seeks to win the love of his beautiful partner in SoulFire Ministries, Elizabeth Bennet, as they travel together across the globe. While keeping his true identity hidden, Darcy joins archangels Michael and Gabriel in defending and protecting Elizabeth from the schemes and trickery of Gregory, the Dark Prince, and Lucifer, his father.

Though the supernaturally gifted team of Darcy and Elizabeth is tremendously successful in their joint mission as they partner with evangelist Jonathan Edwards, the question remains, will Elizabeth find the strength within herself to forgive Darcy for his secrecy after she accidentally discovers the truth, that he was her guardian angel, or will Gregory be ultimately successful in separating this match made in heaven?

The Guardian Trilogy is a Christian fantasy fiction which loosely incorporates elements of Jane Austen’s masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice, into a Christian story line. Mrs. Helm is presently writing the third book in the series, Legacy.

Robin Helm taught school for twenty-five years in Florida and South Carolina - mainly high school English, music, and Bible. She now teaches elementary school music part-time for Discovery School in Lancaster, serves as Associate in Music and the Music Academy Director for Second Baptist Church, and teaches piano in the academy. Guardian is her first book, as well as the first book in The Darcy/Guardian Trilogy. The second in the series, SoulFire, is completed and should be self-published in December. She also "betas," or edits, for other authors.

She and her husband Larry have two grown daughters. One is currently serving as a nurse in the U.S. Navy in Guam, and the other is a senior at Anderson University majoring in Early Childhood/Elementary education.

Plotting for Pantsers - Meggan Connors

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Welcome this morning Meggan Connors. Please make her feel welcome!

I admit: I am a pantser.

My first novel—you know, the one hidden under the bed, or on the computer drive—was written entirely out of order. I wrote the beginning. Then I wrote a prologue. Then I wrote the end. In between, I was struggling to put together the middle. I didn't have to worry so much about the sagging middle, so much as simply having one.

My second book was written in much the same way. The plotting improved, but I wouldn't say it was perfect. I still had to go back and rewrite the whole book. At the time, I told myself it was because I write organically, and I do. But by the time I got to my third book, The Marker, I'd decided I needed to plot.

So I tried. I had character descriptions, motivations and back story all mapped out before I wrote a single word. I knew all the secondary characters, their motivations and their back stories. I had the entire story planned, complete with the conflict, the resolution, and everything that happened in between. Pages and pages of data, all of it compiled into neat little binders, every chapter carefully plotted before I'd written a single word of the actual book.

And then I got to work. I watched a blinking cursor for a long time. A long, long time.

What I realized about pantsers is that we have to allow the story to tell itself. Too much plotting ruined my story, because, in my head, the story had already been told. But just because I realized that plotting wasn't my thing doesn't mean that it isn't necessary. Plotting is good. It keeps us from derailing our story. Plotting keeps us from having to delete perfectly good chapters because now they don't fit.

So, here's what I've learned to do. I write, because I just write. Because I'm a pantser and I like to be surprised. But I also need to plot.

After I scrapped most of what I'd written about The Marker, I tried again. I kept the setting, I kept the characters, and I amended the plot. I wrote the first two chapters. Then I came up with a loose outline. A very loose outline.

It was nice. I had some elements that had to happen. That was it. How my characters got to these events was up to them. I had the organic feeling that I needed to get into a story, that feeling of excitement of not knowing. But I also felt like I had a vision for my story, that the words I was using weren't wasted. I knew I wouldn't have to go back and delete and rewrite 30,000 words of my 87,000-word document (which I've done before).

So there you have it. Writing can still be an organic process, even if you're a pantser attempting to plot. The loose outline works for me. I love having realized characters who can still surprise me, and I love having the flexibility to change them. I love seeing how they get over the hurdles I put in front of them.

At the same time, I like knowing in advance what those hurdles will be.

Sure, the loose outline thing may not work for everyone. It still means that, once I've finished the story, I will have to go back and look over the first half of the book and make sure that the beginning has characters and a setting that are as fully realized as the ending does.

But it also means that my characters have boundaries, and I, as their creator, do too. It helps maintain focus while keeping the story organic.

Because what's important is the story, not the process.

Are you a plotter or a pantser, and why? If you're a pantser, do you have any tricks to keep your characters in line? If a plotter, why and how do you plot?

Meggan Connors' debut novel, The Marker, was released in December of 2011 from Soul Mate Publishing. She would love to hear from readers, and can be found on Facebook and at http://www.megganconnors.com/.

Here's the blurb from my novel, The Marker. I hope you enjoy it!

When her father loses her in a poker game, Lexie Markland is sent to work in the household of Nicholas Wetherby for one year to pay off the debt. Innocent but not naïve, she is savvy enough to know she must maintain her distance from this man who frustrates her with his relentless teasing but whose kisses bring her to her knees. Because although she may be just another conquest to him, the marker he won at the card table, it’s not just her heart in jeopardy should she succumb to Nicholas’ considerable charms.

Since his brother’s death almost a year before, nothing has held Nicholas’ attention for long–not women, not booze, not even an excellent hand at cards. Nothing, that is, until he meets the woman he won in a drunken night of poker. Intrigued by his prize and her chilly reserve, he makes it his mission to crack Lexie’s cool demeanor. But even as passion explodes between them, the question remains: will Nicholas be able to take the ultimate risk… and gamble on love?

Buy it fromAmazon

Barnesand Noble

Blog Tour Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:01:00 +0000

As many of you may know by know, CRASHING HEARTS, was released January 1st via Whiskey Creek Press. I am absolutely thrilled to have my debut novel finally out there.

To top off the excitement, I am in the midst of a blog tour to promote CRASHING HEARTS. Please stop by on the following days if you have time. Would love to see you stop by at any of the different blogs and leave a comment.

January 16th - Romance Book Paradise
January 18th - Kate O'Sullivan (excerpt)
January 24th - Black Velvet Seductions
January 31st - Her Story Calls
February 3rd - Heroines With Heart

Leave a comment here and you let me know where you will leave a comment on one of the above blog tour stops and you could win a signed print copy of CRASHING HEARTS.

Ebooks are available at Amazon or print copies can be ordered directly via paypal here for $12.00 each.

I look forward to seeing you around the above blogs.

Welcome Suzie Quint

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:38:00 +0000

Please welcome with me this morning Suzie Quint. Suzie Quint has always been fascinated with the human psyche, so she can imagine no better way to explore the human condition than through the characters she writes. Finding the happy ending for the people who inhabit her worlds is the best job anyone could have. Getting to share them with others... It doesn't get any better than that.

Welcome, Suzie. I'm so glad you could join me today. Today we're talking about your new release, Knight of Heart.

What motivated you to write this book?

Like so many authors these days, I became enamored with a supporting character in another book I wrote. Rachel McKnight, the heroine of Knight of Hearts, is the older sister of the hero of A Knight in Cowboy Boots. She’s a little different from the typical romance heroine though. As the oldest girl in a family with a lot of brothers, she’s more than a little bossy. She’s also a “fixer,” which is a good quality for a hotel concierge, but doesn’t work so well in her personal life.

Are the experiences in the novel based on someone you know, or events in your life?

Not particularly. I tend to think of the events of my own life as mundane. What I do take from life, I think, are the emotions. We’ve all had those moments when we’re insecure or when we pretend that we don’t care when our hearts are really breaking, or when we hope someone we love loves us back. Those feelings that are so personal to each of us but that we all share. Those are what I take from life and what, I hope, comes through in my writing.

When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote in high school, then took a long hiatus while I figured out my life. That was actually a good thing since most people have to live some, I think, before we have something to say. When I first moved to Seattle, I didn’t know very many people here and I was in one of those dry spells where I couldn’t find anything I wanted to read (this was long before Goodreads came along and I developed a to-be-read pile that would choke a giraffe.) There’s a piece of writer’s wisdom that says: write what you would want to read. So that’s what I did.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?

Every writers’ group or critique buddy I’ve ever had has had an influence my writing. My first real writers group here in Seattle probably deserves the most credit. They never let me get away with anything (for which I’m forever in their debt.) I had some horrible habits when they got their hands on me, but they pounded on me and my writing improved tremendously. Critique buddies are invaluable no matter what stage you’re at, because they spot things you’re blind to. I can’t imagine sending something out into the world without them vetting it first.

How did you come up with the title for your book(s)?

Rachel’s surname is McKnight and I played on that with her brother Zach’s book (A Knight in Cowboy Boots), so it seemed like a fun idea to start a theme with the titles. Since Mac plays a lot of poker, it felt right to find a way to reference that as well in the title, so when I came up with Knight of Hearts, I knew it fit. Though as I continue writing about the McKnight clan, I wonder what I was thinking. I may resort to having contests to come up with titles, the way Janet Evonvich does.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

The theme of Knight of Hearts is about relinquishing control and learning to trust someone else, so I suppose there’s a message in that somewhere.

Who is your favorite character in the book?

I think that would be Rachel. Because she’s not fixated on being “nice” and she’s okay with that, there was a certain freedom in writing her. She’s prickly at times, bossy most of the time, and wants to be the one in control all the time. I had a ball putting her in situations where she had to struggle with those inclinations.

Is there anything additional you would like to share with your readers?

Joseph Campbell said that the purpose of mythology was to teach the ancients how to live their lives. Those myths are hard for modern cultures to apply to our daily lives, so I think in some ways the things we choose to read create our personal mythos. Romances are a great way to remind us to keep our hearts open.

Suzie, thank you so much for joining me today. Knight of Hearts can be purchased here.

Preorder CRASHING HEARTS

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:40:00 +0000

Crashing Hearts is due for release in January. Here's a little tease with the first few pages.

Chapter 1

Kira Nichols pushed back her hair as the crisp salt air blew it across her face. She walked up the path—her sneakers leaving small impressions in the soft sand—to the cul-de-sac. At the empty lot across from her house, the foundation had been capped over and abandoned for about a year now.

She sprang into a run at the rumble of a sports car arriv- ing at a fast clip. She arrived at the cul-de-sac at the same time the vehicle skidded to a stop. She caught her breath as the lean, ruggedly handsome man exited his vehicle. The smile he flashed her was one she imagined had many women melting at his feet.

Kira squared her shoulders and approached him. Her five foot two inch frame seemed minute compared to his at least six foot stature. She willed herself to appear calm and not give away that her senses had completely left her at the sight of him.

“Grant Rutledge.” He extended his hand to her. His deep voice, like a shot of brandy, was warm and soothing. She swallowed hard, her anger forgotten for a brief second. Then it flared back and she ignored his hand. “Do you have any idea that there are children in this area?” she demanded, planting her hands on her hips.

“My apologies if you felt I was going too fast.” He gave an exaggerated glance around. “There aren’t any children about now.” He smiled that smile again and in spite of her anger, her heart melted. She started with the realization he still had his hand extended in introduction. She tentatively shook his calloused fingers. Tingles shot up her arm and she struggled with not yanking her hand away. Heat flooded her face. She prayed he couldn’t tell.

“Again, I apologize. I hope you wouldn’t think I have no regard for children.”

Kira turned to go. “I just know the type.” She gestured absently at the car. She forced herself to walk slowly towards her house, feeling his eyes on her back. Her mind whirled. She had practically melted at the sound of his voice. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of him watching her walk away—thankful she had stayed in shape.

The solitude of the cul-de-sac was the reason she origi- nally loved this spot. Her house had been the only one in this two-lot area for six years. She hoped the new construction company would be considerate and not disrupt the serenity, and keep working hours to normal business hours, hours when Jared was in preschool.

She thought back to the long hours they kept when they put in the foundation. Jared had been unable to sleep due to the noise and disruption of his routine. Hopefully this time around the noise wouldn’t disturb him. He was just beginning to sleep through the night.

If only she could.

* * * *

Jared ran up the walkway to meet Kira, signing furiously: “Who is that man?”

“That is Grant Rutledge,” she signed back. “He is going to be building the new house, so you will need to stay away from the construction site.”

Jared’s hands and fingers flew in his excitement to know about the new house, and the fast car he saw. “Jared, use your words.” Kira ushered him into the house.

“Car, red.”

“Yes, the car was red, and it’s very fast, so you must stay away from there.” Kira found Barbara’s eyes over Jared’s head, and gave her the “I have so much to tell you” look.

“Time to get ready for the day, Jared,” Barbara interjected.

Jared skipped off to the bedroom happily, and Barbara handed Kira a cup of coffee. “Spill. I saw him. It wasn’t the fast car that made you come into this house so quick.”

Kira, glaring at Barbara over the coffee, walked slowly to the sliding doors overlooking the ocean. “What happened to the quietness of our lives? Why do I feel like it is gone?”

“Is it gone?” Barbara asked. “Or just stirred up a little? I think maybe you’ve been holding onto grief and bitterness for so long that you don’t have any idea how to look objectively at life. Before you say it, I’m heading for the kitchen and not saying another word. Nevertheless, before I go, let me just say out of love for you, Kira, darling, Patrick’s been gone for four years now. You’ve built your life around Jared, and that’s great because Jared needs you. However, there comes a time when you need someone also, someone besides Jared and an old lady like myself.”

“Barb, it’s not like that.”

“Honey, you’ve been holding on for so long, and don’t tell me you’re not angry with Patrick for the way he left the night of the accident. Kira, I’m angry with him. He never should’ve left that way. You had it just as tough as him, if not more, with the crying. He was the father. He should have been here right beside you.”

“Stop! We are not going to rehash that night and we certainly aren’t going to blame Patrick. He’s gone and nothing is going to change that.” Kira looked toward the ocean and for- got about her coffee and Barbara. For a moment she lost track of the here and now and drifted off into the peace of the ocean.

Something caught Kira’s eye, and she turned to see Grant taking measurements, preparing for the construction. Feelings she hadn’t felt in so long flooded her as she watched his dark, wavy hair blow in the breeze. Half sighing, half growling to herself, she turned from the window. Distractions were not what she needed now. There was a routine to follow. For Jared’s sake.

***

Preorders for your signed copy of CRASHING HEARTS can be ordered via paypal here for $12.00 each or contact me directly to arrange payment.

Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:35:00 +0000

Christmas was my favorite time of the year when I was a child. Isn't it everyone's? Even as my kids were little, I loved Christmas. Seeing their faces when they opened their presents, the joy they had as they got older and buying gifts for people less fortunate then themselves. It was a great time. As time goes by, Christmas tends to stress me out more and more and I just don't enjoy it like I used to. Trees are hard to find. We always cut our own, but I have developed an allergy to all Christmas trees except Scotch Pines. They are becoming increasingly difficult to find and how I fight against having to get a fake tree. Everything is so expensive. This year as I sit in my living room looking at the bare tree, yet to be decorated, I remember the peace that comes with Christmas also. The evenings of sitting with the lights off, except for the lights on the tree, and just enjoying it. It really doesn't matter the amount of gifts around the tree, its the joy of always having my family close. This year will be no exception as my oldest daughter travels from North Caroline to be home for the holidays. The family grows this year with the addition of our first grandson who is just fascinated with the tree. One of my fondest memories is of my kids being very little and sitting in front of the Christmas tree with just the lights on as we sang Christmas songs. The simple things of being with family and just enjoying each other is really all I need for Christmas. What's your wish for the Christmas season?

Why Do We Hurt The Ones We Love

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:06:00 +0000

As we grow closer to the Christmas time many things go through my mind. To me, holidays are a source of huge stress. What used to be my favorite time of the year has become a time I would prefer to hide from. Holidays should be a time of loved ones coming together and enjoying the time together. Instead, with all the added stress, it tends to have love ones hurting each other. Why do we do this? When does it become a time of not being selfish and self-centered and really setting aside the pettiness? In the past year for numerous reason time and time again it has been reiterated to me that time is short. Life comes with no guarantees and it is in those difficult times that you hold on to love ones to get you through it. So why do the loved ones lash out or shut down and push you away whenever they feel they just don't want to stop being selfish? For the simple reason of it is easier. It is easier to be hurtful and lash out than to show love in spite of the hurtful coming at you. It is easier to shut oneself away than to put yourself out there for rejection. But if you truly love these people, when is it time for fight for that relationship and not let it just slide past you because it is easier? Do you just write people off as "they will never change" just because you don't want to change to stop the cycle? Why do we hurt the ones we love?

Writers Helping Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:58:00 +0000

I must start off by apologizing, as I have not been on to post a blog in quite some time. We had a bit of an upheaval late September with my husband having a stroke. He is just about fully recovered, but needless to say my writing was put on a hold for a bit.

With that said, I am excited about CRASHING HEARTS coming out in January. As I have been looking into different ways of promoting this, it come up time and time again how writers help writers.

I have recently just started putting together a blog tour to promote CRASHING HEARTS. In the process I have opened up my blog for guest bloggers to promote their own works. It’s an exciting process to reach out to other writers and invite them to guest on my blog. It’s open a whole new way to meet new authors.

So starting December 30th, my blog tour kicks off as a guest of Cynthia Woolf. Keep posted for other dates as they are filling in.

Join me on December 20th right here with Suzie Quint as she continues on her blog tour.

Don't Live With Regrets

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 11:08:00 +0000

My oldest daughter is now officially a resident of North Carolina. I listen to her enjoying her apartment, cooking for herself, working, going to school and I am filled with a pride that only a mother can have. She has worked through many adversaries and come out on top. She is hard working and someone I look up to.

As my other two children get ready to start high school, a junior and a freshman, I wonder where life will take them in the next few years. I see my other daughter, the junior, moving on and continuing with her education also. She is a lot like her older sister in the fact that she is driven and determined to succeed when she puts her mind to it. My son, well he is not a fan of school, I know that he will go far in his life.

I wish I had had the drive and determination for my life when I was their age. I spent my younger years not knowing what I wanted and when I did figure out what I wanted for my life, it took me years to gather the courage to finally doing it. That is when I started my journey as a writer.

Four and half short years after writing my first book, it will be released. I’m overwhelmed with emotions when I think of this release. This first book was therapeutic for me to write as, although it is fiction, a lot of emotion and obstacles that I had faced in my own life are portrayed in this book. In writing it through someone else's eyes, my heart healed and I was able to put a lot of regret behind me.

My new motto – Face life head on and don’t live with regrets. This motto I hope I can convey to my children as they pursue their life dreams whether it be as a speech/language pathologist, into forensics, playing basketball for a living, joining the Air Force or getting into the health field, my dream is for my children to pursue whatever desire they have wholeheartedly and without regret.

How many of us pursue our life desires this way? How long has it taken you to achieve something that has been a lifelong goal?

Walking For Breast Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:18:00 +0000

Once again my oldest daughter has undertaken the task of walking for the cure of breast cancer. Last year she walked for 3 days in Boston, MA. This year she has decided to walk it in Washington, DC.

Here is her message:

Please support me as I take an amazing journey in the fight to end breast cancer! The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™ is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™ are invested in breast cancer research and community programs.

I did this walk last year in Boston, MA and instantly became addicted. Every ounce of sweat and every bit of hard work is worth it! After months of fundraising, training, and hard work, it was all paid off after finishing the 60 miles! I have never felt to accomplished and doing something so great for an amazing cause! I can't wait to share this experience with my friend Brian Flowers this year in Washington DC in September! Thanks for your support.

Last year I got past my goal of $2300 and hope to pass my goal this year of $3000! Please visit my personal page, check it out, and donate!

Donate Here

Thanks in advance! :)

Every little bit helps. We have all been touched in someway by this disease whether it be family or friends.

Writer's Block

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:18:00 +0000

What is writer’s block? Is it truly something that happens or is it merely something we talk ourselves into believing. Writer’s block has afflicted me lately. However, the more I think about it, the more I throw aside the idea of writer’s blocker.

My thoughts are blocked from what I want to write. I have a solid plot. I have run through different scenes in my mind while I’m driving. However, when I open up my laptop my mind shuts down from what I know needs to be typed. Is that writer’s block or simply a procrastination technique?

Life gets in the way. We all know that. Not one of us lives the life that we paint in our books. I know I have used life as an excuse many times to not put the fingers to the keyboard. Life will never change – there will be stressors, crises, changes. A writer writes through them.

So for now I sit at the keyboard and if I can put all the words I want out there, I write partial thoughts. They will blossom fully as the story unfolds. The excuse of writer’s block has been banned from my vocabulary.

What about you? Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how do you push through it?

Grandparents

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:53:00 +0000

I have written before about lives taking different stages. My husband and I are entering a new stage as we prepare to be grandparents for the first time. The gammet of emotions that we felt when we were first told -- from we're too young, to worry for our daughter, to excitement.

We had talked about being grandparents, yet had thought we had years to go before that thought became a reality. But as the days pass since being told, our excitement grows. My husband has decided he is too young for the title grandpa, and has researched names to be called, finally deciding upon Lolo. As for myself, I have looked, but haven't decided on what I would want to be called.

As you're children grow, you worry about them, but it is a totally different feeling to suddenly be worried about your grandchild. Although we are young, I look forward to fall when our new grandbaby arrives and we move into that next phase of life.

Feel free to let me know what you have called your parents, or if you are grandparents what you are called? Would love to hear the variety we have out there.

Trusting Your Instincts

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Trusting your instincts. We all have gut instincts that tell us whether or not something feels right. Learning to trust those instincts can be difficult.

In my life I have found myself doubting my instincts, and then regretting, later finding out if I had gone with my gut instinct things would have been different, and better. Through the years after not trusting my instinct, I started doubting my judgment period. Wanting to put that behind me, I have resolved to start trusting my instincts. How can you start trusting instincts when past has proven you as not a good judge of what's right and wrong?

Hindsight is 20/20 they say and how true that is. Now entering a new phase in my life, I wonder if I can trust my instincts. I want to trust them when I feel that my life is getting better and better and I have to let down the walls and learn to trust others again. Is it that easy though? Not at all.

In my first manuscript, trusting someone with her heart, my heroine found was most difficult. After writing The End, I realized that allowing her to begin to trust the hero of the story, I found myself letting go of pieces of the walls surrounding my heart. As it was shattered in the near past, I realized that sometimes you don't trust your instincts and it brings more pain than is bearable.

So as I enter this new phase in my life, walls built up high around my heart, yet not letting go of the love of my life, I wonder if I can trust again. Can I allow those walls to crash down and can I allow my hero to help repair those shattered pieces. My instinct says yes. How well can I trust that instinct if in the past I have ignored it and regretted it.

If we can write happily ever after, why can't we live it? No, we can't write the hero to do exactly as we want, but can we write our life to be as free as conflict as possible and allow ourselves to be strong and instinctive. As parents we are instinctive on how to protect our children, yet with ourselves we don't always trust our instincts and instead shut ourselves away, or hurt people we love just to get the first hurt in thinking it will save us from being hurt. In the end it only hurts us more deeply than we could have imagined.

Renewed Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:02:00 +0000

I just finished the Winter Writing Festival from the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. It was a fabulous time with writing sprints, supportive writers and meeting new friends. Participating in a writing festival like this pushed me to get on my writing again, setting new goals and working towards them.

I find setting monthly goals more workable than the yearly goals. Short term goals have a light at the end, easier (for me) to fulfill, which in turn brings me a renewed sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Upon finishing the WWF at the end of February, I was able to jump in with some writing friends to do an informal March Madness. Keeping each other accountable during these monthly goals/sprints makes me more aware of my goals and somehow the competitiveness in my kicks in and the writing pours out.

So my goal for March -- finish my current novel Mirrored Deception. I have already started the process of editing with my critique group, which also gives me a push to finish it as they want to know more of what is going on, and what will happen next.

What are you March goals -- writing or just life related?

Cabin Fever

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:52:00 +0000

I have lived in New England all my life and yet winter is not my favorite season. In fact, I absolutely hate the snow. I'm not an outdoor person, especially in winter, and do everything I can to avoid going out in the terrible white stuff.

This winter we have been bombarded with snowstorms, week after week. Awakening this morning to yet another snowstorm, I am starting to feel the walls close in on me. The driveway gets narrower and narrower with no place to put the newly fallen snow. I can't even get to my front door with the amount of snow we have.

I long to get away to someplace warm and tropical. A beach to lie on, soaking up the sun. Instead I sit inside and try to write. At least my characters can enjoy the sun and ocean, the warmth of a summer season, or the crispness of fall.

I long for the feel of warm sand under my feet as I listen to the waves lapping the beach. A few years ago my kids gave me a picture of the ocean, that when turned on has the sound of waves. This picture soothes my cabin fever.

Do you have a favorite season? Or a season that makes you just want to climb the walls?

Moving Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 13:56:00 +0000

Changes in our lives come in many ways. I sit here this morning thinking about some changes my son is going through. He just played his last basketball season of his middle school life. They were undefeated through the season and the tournament, taking first place. His love of basketball is amazing for me to watch. He has spent years perfecting the game, spending hours at practice, open gym and outside in our yard shooting -- even in the middle of winter. He works hard at this love he has and it shows. As he transitions to high school and looks forward to his high school basketball career I notice the similarities we have.

As a new writer, I started with taking classes to learn the profession. The rights, the wrongs and the in between. As my writing progressed, the more I was compelled to "practice" and increased my efforts to learn the craft. Rejection after rejection spurred me on to perfect my love. When the email came that my first novel had sold, it projected me into a new phase of this profession. Continuing to write, working with critique partners, moving more in to social media and getting my name out there with a web page took on new meaning.

Our lives change daily. Decisions we make change us. Circumstances in our lives change us. I look at the changes I have been through, some with awe that I made it through and some with regret of the choices I made, but I look at the course my life is taking with excitement and a renewed love for my writing.

Welcome the changes in your life and enjoy the ride.

My Favorite Time

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:43:00 +0000

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. Decorating the tree with family around, buying presents for your loved ones with anticipation of seeing their faces upon opening said gifts, baking, Christmas movies and music.....I could go on and on.

This year is a little different for me. My oldest daughter is away at college, therefore not home to help decorate the tree. Due to several financial issues, the gift buying is minimal. We did get the tree decorated and some holiday baking started. The Christmas movies have been on nightly and music playing on my trek back and forth to my day job.

However, as I reflect on past years and what has been important to me through the holidays, I struggle this year due to the family not being together. This past year has been a tough year for my family with separation, financial issues, etc. As I reflect on what's important, I realize I don't care about the gifts, even the holiday baking, movies, music. The one thing that is most important to me is having my family together for this occasion. To be surrounded by ones you love is the magic of the season. A husband holding you close as you want kids open presents, kids glowing because of the fun. It's infectious. I love seeing my children anxiously awaiting a sibling to open a gift from them, just dying to see if they are thrilled with it.

In our household for as long as I can remember Christmas starts at anytime after two a.m. Yes, we actually get up at two a.m. and start opening presents. Santa is usually very generous in bringing a family movie to watch when the presents are done, and then breakfast with the grandparents starts the process all over again.

Yes, Christmas is my favorite time of the year and this year all I want for Christmas is for my family to be together, (and maybe a netbook for my writing.)

The Email

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 00:42:00 +0000

I have heard people talk about the thrill of "the call". A writer can only imagine that moment, until it happens.

This past week I received "the email" that was offering me a contract on my first manuscript. I was at my day job and could hardly stay seated when all I wanted to do was jump up and tell everyone that would listen -- and even those that wouldn't. A feeling of satisfaction of something well done -- must be well done if a publisher wants it, right? A feeling of pride that I had produced this, a feeling of overwhelming amazement that this was happening to me.

As I punched out the number to my husband's cell phone, the first to tell, I couldn't wait for him to pick up. The words "they offered me a contract" came out and he immediately knew what I was talking about. My husband has been my biggest supporter and fan through the waiting process and writing process. Who else would be the perfect one to share the news with first?

Two days later, I'm still flying from the realization that I'm going to be a published author. Sharing the news with other authors is rewarding as they know the hardness and reality of rejections and unsureness as we send out our babies to agents or publishers. Tell me about your "call/email".

Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:11:00 +0000

Who is your hero? As I was a kid, my daddy was my hero. He could do anything, make anything better. Okay, he's still my hero. Regardless of how old I have gotten, my dad can still make things better with just a smile, a hug or just a cup of coffee and a chat.

As my children grow, I wonder who their heroes are. My oldest daughter in her freshman year at college states her younger brother is her hero. He has inspired her to go into the field of speech and language pathology with his hard work to overcome, and live a normal (whatever normal is) life with his autism. My son has worked hard to overcome his nonverbal state. He learned sign language in order to communicate with us, and then after the age of three started to verbalize. He spent a lot of hard work on occupational therapy to control his sensory overload.

When I wrote my first book, my hero in the book was very similar to another one of my heroes -- my husband. The hero in my story was kindhearted, loving and had a quiet strength about him. This is a man that is supportive, encouraging and just picks you up when you are down. My first book wouldn't have been written without that support and encouragement from my husband.

So whether you write, or are a reader, what is your ideal hero? Or who is your real life hero? What makes a hero? Hard work and perseverance, or is it someone that is just always there?

We all need heroes in our lives, and we all need to strive to be a hero in someone else's life.

Motivation?

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:24:00 +0000

What happens when we have our feet pulled out from under us? I have recently come back from a hiatus from writing as personal crisis in the family took all motivation from me to be involved in anything writer related. No words flowed onto the empty screen, no desire to communicate with my writer friends. Life suddenly became hollow and undesirable. How do we allow personal circumstances not to deter us from writing?

When life gets in the way, we easily push the writing aside. Yet we carry on at our day jobs as a necessity. Days you don’t want to work, you force yourself out of bed and into the office just because that is where the paycheck comes from. When does the writing become top priority in your life? How do you break through the personal circumstances and push out the story anyway? So much emotion can come from your personal circumstances to make your story enriched. But the idea of making it actual happen can be fear gripping. Life can push you on and motivate you or it can paralyze you.

Pushing through my fear this past week, I was able to finally put words to empty screen after three months of complete emptiness. Writing is something I love, yet couldn’t motivate myself to do it because I lost my biggest supporter of my writing. Pushing through that fear was freeing. Showing up for a writer’s meeting locally was another motivator. What motivated me to continue? Writer friends that continued to send me emails, messages encouraging me to continue.

Where do you find your motivation when it feels hollow and empty?

Post Mother's Day Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:39:00 +0000

As we travel through life, our journeys can take us in numerous directions. In my journey now I wear many hats -- medical secretary, mom, wife, writer, housekeeper, counselor, cook just to name a few. Some of these jobs are a pleasure while other I could do without.

The most rewarding job I have ever had is being a mom. Rewards are bountiful when the children are little and come in forms of flowers picked from the yard (mostly dandelions), drawn pictures hanging on the refrigerator, or what is more rewarding than hearing a nonverbal child say "I love you" for the first time.

As children grow, rewards come in other ways. Rewards of a teenager wanting to spend time with me, shopping or sharing my love for reading and attending a book signing for the first time. Rewards of being shared with teenage troubles and really wanting my advice.

My oldest daughter recently went on her senior class trip to NYC. This is a child that is preparing to move away next year for college - yet, how my heart warms when she called just to "share" aspects of her trip with me that couldn't wait until she got home.

Life is short. I look back over my children's years of growth and don't regret one moment of putting off housework to play with my kids when they were little. I don't regret putting them high on the priority list. Would I have loved to throw myself into a writing career when the kids were little? Definitely. But at that time, my priorities required me to put my kids first. Two young girls and an autistic son. Do I regret not writing sooner? Not at all.

Relationships are what you make of them. I have enjoyed my children through every aspect of their lives thus far. I look forward to enjoying them as they enter adulthood and make their own choices.

Being a mom is the most rewarding job I have had ever had.

Putting Aside Disappointment

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:33:00 +0000

Disappointment comes in waves. This week it feels like I'm drowning in them between life issues that have come up and then Friday night receiving yet another rejection for my book. If not for the major kick in the butt from a writer friend of mine, I would give up completely. So I continue on in my endeavor of getting published.

With new resolve, I have decided to move on to book #2, which is a quarter of the way completed and dive into it once more. In researching cost of breast cancer treatment, I realize how important this walk my daughter is doing for the cure of breast cancer. So many people are uninsured, or have very limited insurance, and the costs of treatment for breast cancer are staggering. We need to take a step back, dig down if we can and contribute to the cause. Breast cancer has touched my life through my great aunt and my grandmother. Have you been touched by this disease either through a family member or a close friend?

I was here. It's such an appropriate song for all of us to stand up and make a difference whether it is for something such as breast cancer or if it is just touching other peoples lives.

I urge you to make a difference and donate if possible to this cause here.

So I put aside my disappointment in yet another rejection and move on in my writing. In learning more of the different aspects of this terrible disease, I urge you to help, if you can, to find a cure.

I Was Here

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:08:00 +0000

I was here. This has become the theme song for my daughter. She's 18 now and has decided she wants to touch people lives in a way that makes a real difference. High expectations? I don't think so. Alexa has always been a very kind hearted child. Her newest endeavor is a three day walk for a cure for breast cancer in Boston, MA in July. This is a 60 mile walk over the course of three days, 20 miles a day, which requires each participant to raise $2,300 in sponsors.

Having a grandmother and a great aunt who both had breast cancer, I whole heartedly support her in this endeavor. How many woman have been touched by this disease in one way or another either by having it themselves or having a loved one be inflicted. As I watch Alexa train for this walking up to 6 miles a day at this point, with blisters on her heels, I am amazed at her determination to touch someone's life.

Every day I watch her I am learning a lesson of the person I should be, and want to be. How often do we get caught up in our own lives with all the stress, mundane tasks, and just every day life, that we just don't give a thought to things of this nature.

I ask any of you that may feel the desire to help to donate towards Alexa's goal to help find the cure for breast cancer. Donations can be made under Alexa Davis' name here.

I thank all of you that may contribute to such a worthy cause. My hope is with this post we will all endeavor to touch someone's life through our own everyday life.

Compassion

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:29:00 +0000

Where do you learn compassion from? As a child my parents tried to teach compassion to us, teaching us to do the right thing. Yet as we grow and life circumstances change our view on things, compassion sometimes isn't foremost in our mind. What has hit me in the last few days is that there is always a lesson we can learn from our children. The other night at the dinner table, my oldest daughter asked if a friend of hers could spend the night at our house. Apparently he had left his mom's house and was sleeping in his car.

Now I'm not against taking kids in -- however, I do question why they have left their house and what is going on with them. My household has rigid rules and yet I find that we always have a lot of extra kids around just to hang out. After a lengthy discussion with my daughter, we discussed how years ago she had stood by this same friend when he was removed from his mom's house due to abuse from his brother. She continued their friendship when he moved out of state and when he finally came back home. Now as they are seniors she still longs to take care of people. She has always had a kind heart.

So agreeing, we have a visitor for the night and again the next night. I look at my children, thinking that something right must have been instilled in them. They know the right thing to do and how to be a good friend to someone.

What lessons do you learn from your children or even young adults you may know? Do we take this lessons for granted or do we allow them to touch our lives, allowing ourselves to learn and grow in our own lives.

Separation Anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (Emma Leigh) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:33:00 +0000

We have two dogs in our house -- a greyhound and a springer spaniel. The springer spaniel, whose name is Domino, but is more fondly called Fats Domino due to his overweight nature has not adjusted well to me going to work outside of the house. When I closed my transcription business last year and sought work outside the house, Domino became very needy after being alone with Bay (the greyhound) all day.

Yesterday Domino was having a terrible time with the wind blowing outside and sat on the top stair where we have a gait across so he can't wake up the kids in the morning. He cried and barked. When my oldest daughter got up, he followed her downstairs to the kitchen while she got her breakfast and then trailed after her when she went to the living room. Later that day after the girls got home from school, Domino decided that he needed to be on the bottom shelf of the computer that my daughter was using. We have decided the poor thing is suffering from separation anxiety.

Domino needless to say has become very needy demanding attention all evening. Anyone else have pets that suffer from separation anxiety?