To Do. . . or To Don’t

Have you ever found yourself with such a huge ‘to do’ list you don’t know which thing to do first…so you do nothing? You just sit there and stare at that list and sigh, or cringe, growl and gnash your teeth, want to scream, start pulling at your hair, try to ignore it, or all of the above?

The thing is, they’re all important, and they all need to be done. now, if not yesterday.  That list can not, and will not, be ignored.

This time of year has a particularly demanding ‘to do’ list, but I find myself with this type of issue quite often through the year, not just at holiday time.

So, what to do about it? No, I’m not offering some wise, sage advice. If I had any, I wouldn’t be writing this . . . I’d be whacking away at that list. Either that or I wouldn't”t have such a halacious list to begin with.

I’ve always had a problem with time management, as well as knowing how to separate the urgent from the important.

Knowing this, my creative mind has come up with the perfect solution.

• I get a giant spinning wheel like the one on The Price is Right, or Wheel of Fortune.
• I put one of my to do items in each of the slots around the wheel. If I still have room left, I duplicate those items until the wheel is filled.
• Then I spin the wheel, and wherever it stops, I do that chore/item. Simple, huh? But wait…what if I don’t want to do that one? I just spin it again, right? Wrong.
• This wheel is special. Wherever it stops, it locks up…no second spin allowed until that task is completed. Okay, I still don’t want to do that one, so I just walk away, right? Wrong again.
• This magical wheel has the power to force me to complete the task it landed on. If I try to walk away, decide to do anything else, or deviate in any way, it ZAPS me. Hard!
• It also knows exactly when I’m done, and will unlock the wheel for the next spin.
• Oh, it also know if I have more time in the day to do another task, and makes me spin again, repeating the whole process.

Some gadget, huh?

On second thought, I think I’ll just figure out a way to manage those tasks on my own. The above sounds a bit drastic. So much for a fertile imagination.

Thoughts?

Sensory Science Part 3: PAIN, w/Jeanne Marie Leach

USING SENSORY SCIENCE FOR DEEPER DESCRIPTIONS

© 2015 By Jeanne Marie Leach

The dictionary defines the “senses” as any of the faculties involving sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, by which humans perceive stimuli originating from outside or inside the body. These five senses are the ones everyone learns about in school, and writer’s groups remind you to be sure to utilize them all.

However, in the scientific world there is no solid consensus among neurologists regarding the actual number of senses because of differing definitions of what actually composes a sense. Humans are considered to have at least six additional senses that include:

• · Balance and acceleration


• · Temperature differences


• · Muscle and joint motion


• · Pain


• · Sense of time


• · Direction

After researching these further, I’ve come to the conclusion that these extra “senses” are a valuable part of descriptions used in fiction stories, so as a fiction author, keep these in mind. Most of them are usually mentioned naturally as the need arises in a story, but a couple of them could easily be overlooked. Using these senses will definitely enhance the word pictures you create and will deepen the characters.

This week, I am focusing on pain.

Pain

Physiological pain signals near-damage or damage to tissue. The three types of pain receptors are the skin, joints and bones, and body organs. Recent studies show that pain is registered in a specific area of the brain. The main function of pain is to warn us about dangers. For example, we avoid touching a sharp needle or hot object or extending an arm beyond a safe limit because it hurts, and thus is dangerous. Without pain we would do many dangerous things without realizing it.

Writing application:

We’re talking about the physiological pain, not emotional pain. Both are used in fiction writing, and until now, authors mostly described pain as being sharp or dull or constant or terrible, and innumerable other basics of pain. Imagine how deeper your descriptions will become when you mention the receptors in your description.

Example: Due to sticking her arm out the car window for two hours, the skin on her right arm inflamed and each nerve ending shot miniscule bullets to the reddened forearm. She cradled her forearm close to her, but it did nothing to assuage the pain. Why hadn’t Daren awoken her earlier? Didn’t he notice her arm burning in the sun? Now they’d have to make a stop to get some aloe cream . . . the sooner, the better.

Instead of having someone get a “sharp pain in their side,” have them pinpoint the exact area. I’ve experienced kidney stones, an inflamed appendix, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. To this day, I can tell you exactly which one of these pains I’m having. By lying still and concentrating, I can pinpoint where inside of me the pain is coming from. I can tell if it’s high (kidneys) or low (bowels) or unusual (appendix). Not all of your fiction characters will be able to do this because they haven’t experienced these specific pains before. But they will be able to tell you if it’s deep inside them on the right side, whether it’s high or low, whether the pinpoint is radiating pain across the whole midsection, and many other specifics. These details will take you deeper into the POV character’s experience and will make it more real for the readers.



Jeanne Marie Leach is a multi-published author and freelance editor specializing in fiction and teaches courses on editing fiction. She is coordinator of The Christian PEN, a member of the Christian Editor Network, and member #46 of The American Christian Fiction Writers, where she received the 2012 Member Service Award. She teaches 32 weeks per year to editors on how to edit fiction and continually keeps abreast of current market trends and hones her knowledge of fiction writing and editing through classes and conferences.

 

If you missed the previous posts in this series by Jeanne:

Find Part 1 HERE

Find Part 2 HERE

Be sure to return next week for Part 4: Sense of Time, the final post in this series.

COTT's Oct/Nov 2015 Champion!

Thank you to our viewers, fans, and voters—this was a near record-setting post view for our five authors. Congratulations to all of your and thank you for participating. Some of the comments you received include:

• Thank you for producing such amazing Christian fiction!


• All of them are beautiful covers.


• The world of writing may be hard, but you all have already done more than many people dream of doing by finishing and publishing a book. Keep writing, and best of luck.


• Keep on writing and telling your stories!


• Keep writing! Keep believing!


• Love these covers, all!


• All look like great books, but the cover of Sound of Silver really grabs me the most.


• Voted for After! A lovely book inside and out.


• Love the covers of "After" and "Love's Christmas Past" but am most excited to read "Sofia's Tune" first. Who doesn't love a good secret? Excited!


• LOVE your work, Rachelle!


• Good for you, Janet Sketchley, for having your book included here.

 Certainly all wonderful, but...there

 

                          Can

                                    Be

                                           Only

                                                      One

 

Congratulations to this month’s Champion, Cindy Thomson, and Sofia’s Tune!

Released November 1, 2015

Ebook - $4.99

Print: $14.99

For Kindle: Sofia’s Tune (Ellis Island Book 3)

Please order print copies here.

Also available in print on Amazon

At Barnes & Noble

At IndieBound

In Sofia’s Tune, we meet Sofia Falcone, a young woman who has been living in New York only a short time when she is stunned to discover a family secret, one that soon sends her beloved mother into a mental institution. Scrambling to keep her job and care for her mother, Sofia is convinced confronting the past will heal all wounds, but her old world Italian family wants to keep the past in the past.

 

During this time, she encounters Antonio, a Vaudeville pianist with a street-smart dog, seeking to discover why his father was mysteriously killed. Their crossed paths uncover a frightening underworld in Little Italy. Bringing the truth to light may cost Sofia’s mother’s sanity, Antonio’s career, and the livelihoods of countless immigrants. Change is on the horizon, but it may not bring what they expect.

 

Q & A With Cindy

·       Sofia’s Tune has a musical theme. What can you tell us about the meaning of “tune” in this story?

Antonio is a vaudeville pianist who dreams of becoming an accomplished concert musician. His dog resembles Nipper of the “His Master’s Voice” advertisement for gramophones. There is plenty of music in this story, but the title refers to changing your tune, finding a different path for your life, as both Sofia and Antonio must do.

·       Tell us about the dog on the cover.

Luigi is Antonio’s faithful companion who keeps reminding people of the dog listening to his master’s voice on the recording, as I mentioned. He’s well trained and a good judge of character. I really enjoyed adding a canine character to the story. Dogs are such an important part of many people’s lives. He is Antonio’s dog, but he really likes Sofia, as you can see on the cover!

·       What’s next?

Sofia’s Tune is the final novel in the series. However, I am planning on a novella, a sort of  prequel, which will tell Mrs. Hawkins’s story. Mrs. Hawkins runs a boarding house for immigrant girls. Her story is told very briefly in Annie’s Stories. This novella will be free exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. (You can sign up on my web site.)

Next summer I will be releasing the sequel to my first novel, Brigid of Ireland. The stories are set in 5th century Ireland, and weave in a bit of fantasy and adventure. They are somewhat different from the Ellis Island series, but are still representative of our ancestors’ stories that should be passed down for us to carry on their legacy of endurance, faithfulness, and wisdom.

And speaking of wisdom, Sofia’s name means wisdom, and I hope readers will be inspired by the music in the book trailer, written by my friend from Northern Ireland, singer/songwriter Andy Rogers.

 

Cindy Thomson is the author of seven books, including her newest novel, Sofia’s Tune, the third book in her Ellis Island series. She also writes genealogy articles for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today magazines, and short stories for Clubhouse Magazine. Most everything she writes reflects her mission of “Writing the stories of our inheritance." Visit her at www.cindyswriting.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cindyswriting and on Twitter: @cindyswriting

Julie Arduini has a great Christmas deal for you!

I am pleased to welcome author Julie Arduini to Whispers in Purple today. She is here to share some news about her recent writing endeavors. Take it away, Julie!

THE HEART SEEKERS SERIES NOW IN PRINT JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

When readers ask me what do I like most about working with a publisher, my answer always is I appreciate being part of a team. Write Integrity Press authors are known and respected for marketing each other, not just themselves. That means a lot to me.

One of our team projects is THE HEART SEEKERS SERIES. These three novellas are comprised of A DOZEN APOLOGIES, The LOVE BOAT BACHELOR, and UNLIKELY MERGER. What was so fun about the stories I was involved in (THE LOVE BOAT BACHELOR and UNLIKELY MERGER,) was that we posted our chapters online and had readers vote for the heroine and hero they wanted to see close out each story. Even though my characters didn’t “win,” I can share that all of us authors were as excited to learn the ending and just as conflicted as to what character should win.

With Christmas a week away, THE HEART SEEKERS SERIES is now available for the first time in print. Anyone that purchases either the Kindle or print version not only receives those three stories, but updates on all the characters. Also included is the #1 bestseller, THE CHRISTMAS TREE TREASURE. It’s a perfect Christmas present for the romance reader on your list.

My hope is a new crop of readers will come to love the characters and settings across the USA and Caribbean. In THE LOVE BOAT BACHELOR, I was able to write Nora Laing, a caregiver on a cruise as part of a compromise. For years Nora stepped in and helped her sister and her nephew, Jimmy. With her sister newly married, they are all struggling with their new roles. So much so, Nora’s asked to go on the honeymoon cruise with the whole family. Meeting Pastor Brent Teague and listening to his wise counsel gives Nora the courage to start to find life for herself.

My heart is to write surrender issues and chocolate, so I love Nora because she has to surrender what’s comfortable and take steps beyond what she can see and trust God has the perfect plan for her. Not only did I love Nora, I loved where they were docked, Cozumel. Her shopping excursion with Brent was based on my own shopping experience with my husband.

In UNLIKELY MERGER, Landon Gates runs Lakeview Inn, located in the Finger Lakes Region of Watkins Glen, New York. He’s trying to expand the activities the inn offers as well as transform it into a training place for young adults with special needs. Because he care-gives for his sister, it’s important to him to make the place attractive to tourists and home for his sister, Kaili, and her peers. It’s more than he can handle, and he has to ask Lacewell Limited to consider taking the inn on as one of the business ventures.

Landon was my tip of the hat to my family and the area I lived in before moving to Ohio. My nephew’s name is Landon, and woven into my chapter are places and foods I miss and long for readers to love as much as I do.

I would love for everyone reading today to consider THE HEART SEEKERS SERIES for their loved ones, and for them, too. Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

To purchase THE HEART SEEKERS SERIES, click here.

About Julie:

Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the Amazon bestseller, ENTRUSTED, and co-author of THE LOVE BOAT BACHELOR and UNLIKELY MERGER. She also shared her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities at JULIE ARDUINI: SURRENDER ISSUES AND CHOCOLATE.

• Facebook: http://facebook.com/JulieArduini
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/JulieArduini
• G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JulieArduini/posts
• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/JulieArduini
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• Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/JulieArduini
• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Arduini/e/B00PBKDRSQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427852247&sr=8-1

Thank you Julie, for sharing with us. It’s been  a pleasure hosting you today.

Her Candy Cane Christmas, by Bonnie Engstrom

Devastated by her fiancé’s abrasive treatment, Noelle cancels her wedding, including the flowers from florist Braydon Lovejoy. Can love bloom again in California? Will a Santa propose to her?

Noelle Day finally has the courage to break off her ill-fated engagement with her volatile fiancé and cancel their Christmas wedding. It’s embarrassing, and she has to share the humiliating reason with her friends The Candy Canes. The other five girls were to be her attendants in red taffeta gowns.

When she faints and falls into the arms of Braydon Lovejoy, the now former wedding florist, Braydon is confused by her abrupt manner. Who is this beautiful woman with the sepia hair and the huge brown eyes? Is she a damsel in distress as he suspects? He prays for an opportunity to find out.

Then he backs his delivery van into her precious red car, and he’s sure she would never go out with him, especially since he was hired to deliver a huge bouquet of roses to her from a secret admirer.

Noelle is confused how to respond when Bruce, the school principal, physically forces himself on her. After all, he is her boss, and she’s just a first year English teacher.

She finally accepts a lunch date with Braydon, and he takes her to Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar, California where she learns he is the local rose expert. But, Noelle worries their friendship is happening too fast and calls a respite.

One of the Candy Canes has a tragic accident, and the women bond together. But Braydon, who is not sure why he is involved, becomes their anchor.

Will Braydon’s prayers heal the hurts, physically and emotionally? Will the injured Candy Cane forgive the woman who caused her accident, the woman who is related to Bruce the principal? Will Noelle ever have her California Candy Cane Christmas?

A little bit about this book: Her Candy Cane Christmas has been festering in my heart for over five years. It started out as a possible story in a novella collection. The primary author dropped out because she didn’t like that I wrote about abuse, even though it is all off stage and gets resolved. Thus, the collection did not happen. However, I like to write about real problems that often happen in real life. So, what began as Candy Cane Roses became Her Candy Cane Christmas. It is still set in Newport Beach, California where it began. And, it does have a happy ending with all problems and distress resolved. It is a story that I believe needed to be told. I hope you do, too. Life has many struggles, but with God, faith can overcome them.

Please give me personal feedback, especially in my email. Just put BOOK in the subject line. Thank you.

My email address is: bengstrom@hotmail.com.

Please read my other stories on Amazon.com using my name Bonnie Engstrom to bring them up, or the titles of my stories:

• Butterfly Dreams


• A Winning Recipe


• A Cup of Love


• Her Culinary Catch


• Her Candy Cane Christmas

Most of them are FREE if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited. A great value.

About Bonnie:



Bonnie Engstrom and her psychologist husband, Dave, live in Arizona near four of their six grandchildren. The other two live in Costa Rica where they surf. But, they share their Arizona home with Sam and Lola, their two rescued mutts in charge of the household.

She used to bake dozens of Christmas cookies in November and freeze them so she would have a lot to pass out to neighbors. Now … well, that was a long time ago. Instead of cookies for Christmas, she writes. Her Candy Cane Christmas story set in Newport Beach, California, where her family was raised and where they have many fond Christmas memories, is perfect for gift giving. Or, for just cuddling up by the fire for an inspiring romance read.

She hopes you enjoy it and also gift it to special women in your life. Don’t forget to leave an honest review on Amazon.