Monday, November 25, 2013

The Fussy Librarian

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 26, Screwing Up Time is being featured at The Fussy Librarian, a website I mentioned once before, that offers personalized ebook recommendations. You choose from 40 genres and indicate preferences about content and then the computers work their magic. It's pretty cool -- check it out! www.TheFussyLibrarian.com

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Kindle Books and Tips

Screwing Up Time is being featured at Kindle Books and Tips. It's a great site for authors looking to promote their books and readers looking for e-books, especially if you want a bargain.

 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Editing Groove

Oops. I know I was supposed to post here today. But the truth is that I've hit an editing groove. Words and pages are flowing. My editing muse must've finally decided to show up. So I really don't want to stop. And I'm hoping you don't want me to stop either. But I promise to make it up to you.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Indie Life, NaNoEdMo



November is NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month. 50,000 words isn't actually the normal length of most novels (except middle grade). Most novels fall in the 75k to 85k  range. But the idea is write along with lots of other people and to provide each other encouragement.

I've never done NaNo because Novembers are always much too busy for me, and first drafts aren't my struggle. Editing is much harder for me than drafting. And I'd love to find a group of writers who are also editing, who want to encourage each other and hold each other accountable (For example, I need people who remind me, "Don't watch that cute YouTube video that was just posted on Facebook because you haven't met your editing goal for the day/week." Or, "that spilled orange juice--let the dog lick it up, you haven't met your editing goal." Or, "hey, your kids need clean clothes, teach them how to run the washing machine and get back to editing.") Hmm. If my kids see this, I'm pretty sure this post will get hacked.

Anyway, if there's anyone out there who like to do NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month), let me know. Even if it's just one or two other writers--I don't rue small beginnings. Most great things start small.

Leave me a message in the comments. Or email me Connie (dot) M (dot) Keller at gmail (dot) com. And do it soon, before my kids wipe this post from cyberspace.

And be sure to check out other posts in Indie Life.

Because being Indie doesn't have to mean going it alone.
JOIN US FOR INDIE LIFE!


1.Susan Kaye Quinn, Author2.Steena Holmes
3.Claudia Lefeve4.Author Laura Diamond Lucid Dreamer
5.ali cross6.Katie Klein
7.Larry Kollar8.Faith McKay
9.Civil War Horror10.Ansha Kotyk
11.Terri J. Haynes12.The Open Vein, E.J. Wesley
13.Secondhand Shoes, A Novel14.Eclectic
15.Lisa M. Buske16.Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
17.J.R. Pearse Nelson18.Melissa Pearl
19.Cherie Reich20.PK HREZO
21.Victoria Escobar22.J.L. Campbell
23.K. A. Last24.The Murphey Saga
25.Tyrean's Writing Spot26.Suzy Turner
27.Laura Pauling28.C.M. Brown
29.Stephen Tremp30.Jennifer Writes Things Sometimes
31.Capri Montgomery32.Indiscriminate Writes
33.C. M. Keller, Screwing Up Time34.RaShelle Workman
35.J.J. Bonds36.Why I love the indie life
37.A First Look at Indie Life38.Mary Pax
39.Notes from the Jovian frontier40.L.E. Waters~Fantasy Prone
41.The Indie Children's Authors Connection42.Christian Superheroes
43.Ellie Garratt44.Write Me, Kaye Draper
45.Can You Make a Living Writing? (Author Nikki Jefford)46.Michelle Isenhoff
47.Catherine Stine's Idea City48.The Lina Lamont Fan Club
49.Donna Hosie50.Rinelle Grey
51.Word by Word52.Riann Colton
53.Strange Pegs54.Rachel Morgan
55.sarabeth burke56.Writing, the Universe and Everything Writing
57.J.L. Weil58.Meetings with My Muse
59.Planet Pailly: Where Science Meets Fiction60.Janeal Falor
61.Michael Pierce62.S.K. Falls
63.Donna B. McNicol64.Nadja Notariani ~ An Author's Adventures
65.Alki Nea66.Confessions of a Watery Tart
67.Nicole R. Taylor68.MJ Brodeck - Glitter Writer's Book Blog
69.Inside the Secret World of Allison Bruning70.Talia Jager, YA Author
71.Hunter Emkay72.melanie schulz
73.Books & Legends by Author Ava D. Dohn74.Laura N. Anile, author of VISIONS
75.Agent 5476.The Business of Being an Author
77.Linda Nelson78.Laekan Zea Kemp
79.Joan Leacott80.joannevalentinesimson
81.Jumping From Cliffs82.Tia Bach
83.R. Mac Wheeler84.Gwen Gardner
85.Indie Pub, Then & Now86.Risa Alden
87.Kelly Steel-Chasing Happy Ever After88.Monique's Musings
89.Julie Musil90.The Notebook Blogairy
91.Scattergun Scribblings

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

People Watching

When I was young, I sometimes went with my grandfather to the airport. My grandfather was a very punctual man. But often we’d get to the airport 2 hours before the flight we were waiting for was due in (this was back in the old days before TSA and you could wander the airport). My grandfather would pick a comfortable seat near a main artery of airport-people-traffic and he’d sit. I’d sit next to him in companionable silence. A few minutes before the flight was due in, we’d walk to the terminal and wait for whoever was arriving.

When I was an adult, we were together at the airport and I finally asked him, “Why do we come so early?” He smiled and said, “So we can watch all the people.” And, of course, that’s what I’d been doing too in those hours while we sat. I’d watch the people go by and made up stories about their lives. But I was taken aback when he said this. I’d always viewed him as a practical man. He was a contractor who built homes. He’d served in the Dutch Underground during World War II. He was a man who did things with his hands. But I should’ve known there was a romantic in him. He was known as a gifted organist—back in the old country when organ-playing was a sign of culture. When he was 88 years old and came to visit our family for a week, he got down on his hands and knees and played Matchbox cars with my little boys. And he always had a peppermint in his pocket for me.

He’s been gone for many years now, and I don’t have any regrets. But I do wish he’d told me the stories that he made up as we people-watched at Los Angeles International Airport.

Here's a photo of my grandfather in his Dutch army uniform.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

KidLit Blog Tour, I'd Probably Be a Scullery Maid

The lovely Laurel Garver, author of Never Gone and Muddied-Finger Midnights, tagged me in the KidLit Blog Tour. Thanks, Laurel!

What are you working on right now?

Right now, I’m finishing book three in the Screwing Up Time series. It involves several time travel locations, two in the past and one in the future. And I’m beginning to play with ideas for book four. (But I won’t allow myself to write any new ideas down yet. If I did, it would be too tempting for me, and I’d start traveling to this new place and begin the adventure there. And that would be so unfair to my readers who haven’t gone to any of the places in book three yet.)

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

The majority of YA/NA books (time travel included) are written from a girl’s perspective. But when I started this series, my sons were in their teenage years, and they and their friends were wonderful guys—creative and funny, people I enjoyed being around. I wanted the chance to tell their story. How does a guy see and understand relationships, his own weaknesses, and how do his experiences help him to grow?

Why do you write what you do?

I love YA because it’s one of the most creative genres out there with lots of subgenres (dystopia, zombie, romance, sci fi, etc.). So there’s something for everyone, both readers and writers. Plus, it has tremendous energy with its quick pacing and dynamic characters. How can you not love it?

How does your writing process work?

When I start a book, I usually have a general idea of where/when the book is going and who the new characters are. But how the story is going to get there is a complete surprise. It’s like riding a rollercoaster while wearing a blindfold—and I love it.

Any departing words of wisdom for other authors?

Write because you love it. Make a conscious effort to take joy in the writing journey. You have no control over agents, publishers, sales, etc., but you can choose to let all that go when you write. Fall in love with the characters, the words, and the process, everything else is secondary. (I have to remind myself of this all the time, especially when I’m rewriting a sentence that doesn’t work for the twentieth time.) And I remind myself to be grateful that I live it a time that I can write and share my work. If I’d been born in another time (without a time travel elixir), I’d probably be a scullery maid working 5am to midnight and always getting into trouble for daydreaming about the past.

I'm tagging Anne Riley, Melissa Pearl and Rowenna . I can't wait to read their answers.