Appealing To the Muse

A good while back I began what was to be Book 2 of a romantic comedy.

The characters and story were fresh in my mind. I had great expectations at finishing the book in a matter of a couple of months. The storyline began like this.

Life took over-and every time I tried to write, the book turned to this.

I struggled with too much on my mind and had left the book too long. The story became fuzzy and I was unable to connect.  A few months later I dug the manuscript from its file and read through what I’d written. I let it simmer, connected with the characters again and changed the outline. So, then I had this.

Things are looking up!

Now, I’m loving my characters again and appealing to my muse while I complete A Smoky Mountain Wedding in time for Christmas this year. I hope life is agreeable and the book comes to a close, because there’s Book 3 to jump into!

So watch out Muse! I won’t take no for an answer. 🙂

Name that deputy sheriff!  He’s a twenty-five-year-old, quiet young man and as honest as the day is long, from Gatlinburg, Tennessee. When things get too busy around the jail, he gets a bit rattled. Think Barney Fife.

If you have a catchy first name, and if I use your suggestion, I’ll be happy to send you a free digital copy of A Smoky Mountain Wedding when it’s completed.

So send in your first names for the deputy sheriff! Grab a chance for a free copy of A Smoky Mountain Wedding.

I can’t wait to read the names you come up with!

You can leave a comment here or email me at nanacjd3318@att.net Please put “deputy sheriff contest” in the subject line.

The deadline for sending in your names for the deputy is March 19, 2016. I’ll announce the winner on my next post, which will be March 23, 2016. In case of a tie, I’ll have someone draw for the winner.

Please don’t forget to leave your name and email so I may reach you. Thank you!

Good luck and happy reading!

Links to my books, available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, Apple and Smashwords, can be found here: http://caroldevaney.weebly.com/my-books.html

Writing and Retreats

As much as I’d like to have gone to Whidbey Island, WA. or Port Townsend, WA. or Vermont or Connecticut, last week’s writing retreat was good enough. I was close enough to home in case something should come up, but far enough away for privacy. The week was productive and relaxing.

After all, time alone, peace from the phone and a quiet place to gather thoughts and get them down and into a story, is what a writing retreat is all about. Well, those requirements and a glorious view to soothe the mind.

My son, Michael Devaney, wrote non-stop for four days. I’m not sure of the exact count, but I think his four day total was around 8,000 words! That’s a bunch of writing. Though Michael doesn’t normally consume coffee at night, throughout the writing days he did! You can check out his Amazon Author page at:

http://www.amazon.com/MichaelDevaney/e/B00KFF1BGW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Leave him a comment and like his page if you can. Michael will appreciate it.

This is one view of our beautiful lake sunsets. 

Here’s a photo my son took last weekend at his hunting club of a Wolf Spider. She blends in well with the ground cover, so you’ll need to look closely. You can also click on the photo for a perfect view of the baby congregation!

Wolf Spider

I’m not fond of spiders—at all, but I find this spider interesting. It’s the only spider to carry its babies on its back. Those baby numbers could range as high as 100-300, though roughly only about half of them make it to adult stage.

When I saw the babies on the spider’s back, I was reminded of all the stories in my folder waiting to be finished. Then characters came to mind. All those characters that sit on my back until they work their way into my heart and onto pages of a story waiting to come alive.

While writing last week, my story was set in my mind. Once I began to write, the characters had a totally different plan. The story took a 360 degree turn. That’s okay though, I’m enjoying the character’s new opinions.

Characters and new novel beginnings are our babies. They’re hard to share and even harder to let them go. To say goodbye. To give them wings.

I’m finishing up the second book in a series that has been too long on the back burner. I’ll be sad to see the stories come to an end, but happy to finally share with readers.

A Smoky Mountain Wedding – Book Two, coming soon.

My books are available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, Diesel, Apple and Smashwords.

You can find links on my website for all My Books