Tactical Planning - No lost of life involved.

Did I ever tell you that I don't like interruptions?

I have them, all the time. At work, home, even when I'm trying to soak in the tub.  Bet you have them too.

Take for instant the other night.  

My beloved husband of 32 years strolls into my office.  I’m right in the middle of an intense scene.  The hero is about to speak of his undying love when DEAR hubby starts talking.

My fingers freeze over the keys. Thoughts scattered to the wind. I try the ‘uh huh’ with a nod to at least show him I’m listening while I scramble to recall the incredible sentence I was writing.

“You’re not listening.  You do that all the time.  Act like you’re listening and you’re not.” 

Was that annoyance I hear in his voice?

“Yes, I am. You just said…” and I calmly repeat (not verbatim but close enough) to please him. This is obviously a sign that I want to listen to every golden utterance falling from his lips.

My fingers are beginning to cramp from holding them still so long. Staring at the computer screen, I try patience but it's not working. I hear one out ten words he’s saying while responding with a nod or a yes while I try valiantly to regroup.

It’s impossible.  I consider stuffing something in his mouth.  My gaze wanders along my desk, searching.  I stop at the stapler. No, won’t go through his lips. 

There is NOTHING on my desk that'll make him be quiet.  Ten minutes that's all I need to finish.  Just a measly amount of time to capture the essence of the scene. 

Sweat starts to drip down my brow.  I have to finish this scene. If I don't capture the awesomeness before it flies out the window gone forever then this entire book is ruined.  And it's all his fault.  I frown.  Is that grounds for divorce.  I discard that idea.  I adore my honey when he's NOT interrupting me.   

My heart is racing and I'm having difficulty in controlling the building panic. This is getting critical. And he’s still going strong. 

Gritting my teeth, my last “uh huh” comes out abrupt.  He stops and I feel his gaze on me.  Crap. If he even suspects I want him to leave me alone, he’ll stay just for the heck of it.

The phone sits on the corner of the desk. A light bulb goes off and my mood lightens.

Turning, I face him with my most charming smile and ask, “Have you talked to your Mom lately?  I haven’t talked to her in a few days.”

One little white lie won't hurt.  Hopefully, Ma in law won't mention we'd talked yesterday.

He stutters and stalls, surprise evident on his features. “Uh, well, no.”

Another bright grin causes him to blink. Rapidly. “Why not give her a call? See how she’s doing?”

With a nod, he reaches for the phone and stands.  “That’s a good idea.”

He’s dialing before he’s completely out of the room.

A sigh of pure bliss escapes. I slap my hand over my mouth to keep him from hearing.

With a low wicked chuckle, I turn back to my WIP!

To Thesaurus or not?

Makes me envision dinosaurs when I see that word. Whoever thought that name up must have been reading a book on dinos. Would love to see a thesaurus with blue/purple iridescent scales and bright red feathers.  It'd be 4 stories high and have every word in every language in it. Wouldn't that be grand?

Okay, I digress. But I'm curious. How many of you use a thesaurus to write?

I have a three inch thesaurus. The size of my thesaurus is no  match for any extinct reptile. My book is titled, The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale. Do I love it? You betcha!

The pages are marked with colored tabs (I put them there) to mark words I use too often. Yes, I have a terrible habit when I’m writing to use the same word over several times. The thesaurus helps me find another word in its place. I also think it adds a wonderful flavor to the story too.

I even found a name for my hero in the my novel Dragon Wish from this thesaurus. I searched the words brave, honorable, warrior. When I reached warrior, the name popped out. Paladin. Perfect match for my character so that's his name!

My thesaurus has over one million synonyms along with their acronyms. I’ve had it for about eight years now and the pages are a little yellow and bent. Did I say how much I loved this book? It was an excellent investment for my writing. I’ve tried the computer’s synonym finder but it’s not the same. The selections are small and don’t work well with what I’m searching for. Sort of like having an affair. I feel guilty using any other word search. Did I tell you I can be a little warped?

Do you have a favorite thesaurus? How often do you use it? Let me know.

Keeping Track

Of what, you say?  Well, there's story submissions, reviews, promos and WIPs just to name a few.

I love spreadsheets and I utilize them to the fullest.  I have a separate sheet for all my WIPs.  In these sheets, I keep track of the progress of the story that includes chapter lengths, story arcs, conflicts, etc.

Then there's the sheet for review request.  I keep track of everyone I send either a request or a book to so I don't forget and end up sending it twice.  I do this with submissions to publisher also.

It's so easy in this fast paced world with all the media avenues to work with that you can become lost in what you've done and where you sent your work. I've been lucky about not ending up with a dual sub. By tracking everything I do, it makes it easier for any new release I have.

Writing is not easy, promoting isn't either so to me, having a record of what I'm doing takes a lot of stress off.

How do you keep track of your subs?  Your writing progress?  Would love to hear from everyone!

Judith Leger

Crawfish, Mudbugs, Crawdads = Good Eating!

Saturday, my hubby and man of my heart is going to pick up some crawfish to boil.

What do I say about that???

Lets out a cajun hollar!

I love boiled crawfish and I've been so hungry for some for several weeks.  Also my hubby can cook some awesome crawfish.  He puts potatoes, onions, butter, crab boil and we also do mushrooms with them. OMG, they are so good. Yum yum!

Can't wait to dig into them.

Happy Eating!!!

Judith Leger

Wraith's Forest for Free on Amazon!

For the next 3 days from April 9 to April 11 my short story, Wraith's Forest, will be free over on Kindle.

Link!

Fairy tales and haunted woods lead us through L.J. Leger's Beauty and the Beast story of one girl with the weight of a village on her shoulders and the attention of a very unlikely soul.

 Jenna is chosen for the coveted task of gathering the magical fruit to preserve the peaceful balance of the secret valley where she and many others live. During the harvest, one fruit is damaged and the task of healing the bruise falls on Jenna’s shoulders. She must enter the Wraith’s Forest, retrieve a magical blade from the specter who lives there so the valley will remain a utopia. But once she makes contact with the Wraith, her fear slowly disappears and her curiosity is aroused with more questions of why the Wraith is in the Forest and the true purpose for the harvest. If you love Beauty and Beast type fairy tales, Wraith’s Forest is the book to read. Perfect for Young Adults!

Website

Review: Howl by Annalise Grey

When this book was offered for review by Ms. Grey, I jumped at the chance to read it. I'd heard some good things about it. I wasn't disappointed.  I love the cover too!

Blurb:

Nineteen year old Sophie Matthews is a line-walker between two worlds - human and werewolf. She lives around humans but is never truly part of their world. That is, until she is spotted by a hiker. 

What should have been a passing glance becomes so much more as Sophie falls for the one thing she is forbidden from ever having: a human mate. 

Adding to her stress is newcomer Daniel, the arrogant wolf on Sophie's tail. 

Then several humans are killed by a mysterious and dangerous beast within the pack's hunting grounds. The humans begin whispering of wolf-men roaming the forest and the threat of discovery looms heavy around the pack. 

Everything is falling apart and Sophie realizes just how little control she has over her future. Will she risk everything - her heart, her family, and her safety - for a chance to control her own fate?

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It's the story of a young shifter, Sophie, finding her way in life.  I loved how Ms. Grey created her world around this family so that they fit into the modern world.  Still, the dangers are real should they be discovered.  From the very beginning you're caught in Sophie's POV and you remain there through the story.  You feel her excitement with the hunt, her worries for her family and her desires for a human.

It's a great story and I highly recommend it!

Buy Link:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103663

My Cover for Enchanted

I received my new cover from Lyrical Press for my upcoming release, Enchanted.  I love it!  Let me know what you think.  I'll post the blurb soon!