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| BOOK #3--TOO FAR DOWN--RELEASES TOMORROW!!! |
I fell down the other day.
I’m just fine. A scratch on the palms of my hands, a bruise on my knees. But while I lay there, face down, on my basement floor (no I didn’t hit my head, my eye is fine) I had this thought.
“My world just got narrower.”
I’ve witnessed this in my own life but I’m probably more aware of it with my mom and other elderly relatives than with myself, though I've been moving with great caution lately because my balance and depth perception are affected by the changed vision in my left eye. There on the floor I was thinking about being MORE careful. Get more light down here. Don't walk around the car this direction again. My choices to be cautious added up to my world getting narrower.
My mom--with her walker--and a fall that landed her in the hospital for three weeks and a nursing home for three more, will never leave her house to go for a walk again.
Why? She’s afraid she’ll fall.
My mother-in-law quit going out to eat in a place she wasn't familiar with.
Why? Some bathrooms weren’t suited to someone with her senior citizen impairments.
My dad, I remember the day he said he’d never go to another Nebraska Cornhusker Football game again. He realized all the walking, all the stairs to the cheap seats, were beyond him.
I witnessed all of them say (in other words), “My world just got narrower.”
And while I lay there on my basement floor I knew it was my turn. At least until my eyes get better.
So I’m not even saying that’s bad. It’s just reality as you age. You’ve got to make choices, and those choices narrow your world.
But as authors, so much of our world is MENTAL. And that never has to get narrow. I am pretty completely branded as a historical western romance novelist. And I love that. I’m all in for that brand. But I can be WIDE within that.
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| Chance to win a Kindle Fire! |
My heroes don’t always have to be heroic alpha males. Seth Kincaid the Crazy Man in Over the Edge. (okay Seth's pretty alpha in his own lunatic way) Alex Buchanan in Doctor in Petticoats.
My plots can vary more widely than I usually dare. How about the hero is a city boy who’s been to Harvard and prefers to wear a suit to work? He's tough enough, but still, he mostly pushes a pen…and that pen has ink in it, not cattle. Cole Boden in Too Far Down—WHICH IS RELEASING TOMORROW.
Sometimes life can get sticky… (sez the woman who had emergency surgery this summer) Our physical world can of necessity get very narrow. Maybe for a time, maybe forever. But that narrowness doesn’t have to extend to our minds or to our writing.
Let’s talk about a time you took a chance with your writing. A time you went WIDE. Wrote a different kind of character, tried a different genre. And if you haven’t done that, then what about a dream? What would you LIKE to try?
I’ve always thought it would be fun to write a regency romance. And I’ve never even tried. I suppose I should sometime, but the terms, the clothing, carriages, the architecture, not to mention whether an earl is a bigger deal than a Baron. I know Duke is a big deal...anyway, you get why I hesitate. What is a chemise anyway?
Will I ever do it? Can I? Can you?
We need to keep our minds wide open to the possibilities.
Never is that more important than among authors who are creating people and lives and worlds.
We need to keep our minds wide open to the possibilities.
Never is that more important than among authors who are creating people and lives and worlds.
Give yourself a gift for the Seekerville Birthday and GO WIDE!
Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for a Kindle and a signed copy of my new release Too Far Down. Two prizes, two winners!
When an explosion kills men and damages the CR Mining Company, the Bodens realize their troubles are not behind them as they thought. Shadowy forces are still working against them.
Cole Boden finds himself caught between missing his time back East and all that New Mexico offers. Sure he fights with his siblings now and then, but he does care for them. He enjoys running the mine and, when he's honest, he admits that Melanie Blake captures his interest in a way no other woman ever has.
Cole Boden finds himself caught between missing his time back East and all that New Mexico offers. Sure he fights with his siblings now and then, but he does care for them. He enjoys running the mine and, when he's honest, he admits that Melanie Blake captures his interest in a way no other woman ever has.
Read the exciting conclusion to the Cimarron Legacy Series...Too Far Down!
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Three awesome Nebraska writers send their birthday greetings!
Renee McBride above & LoRee Peery below!
Renee McBride above & LoRee Peery below!
And Jennifer Slattery!
I love these videos!
ReplyDeleteYay for Seekerville's bday! Though as much as I'd like to have a wide focus today, it's got to be narrow, line edit due back Friday! :) But I usually always try to write something "not done" like my last heroine was taller and older than the hero. Don't see that often, right? K, back to editing, just wanted to pipe in with a happy bday and say congrats on the new release, Mary!
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa! Thanks for stopping in! Good for you with the older heroine. That does seem daring. taller too.
DeleteMelissa, good to see you! Love those NOT DONE quirks of your novella!
DeleteYou write Regency....hmmm...I think you can do anything you put your mind too Mary! But for me, I have a hard time imagining you switching genres.
ReplyDeleteMy love for Regency historical fiction began with Julie Klassen. I read her book "The Apothecary's Daughter" a few years back and I've read every one of them since. There are quite a few more Regency authors I've come to love and are on my must-read list. To answer your question what a chemise is: (my definition) it's a white undergarment or nightgown worn by ladies. Google describes it similarly "a woman's loose-fitting undergarment or nightdress, typically of silk or satin with a lace trim."
With historicals I'd think an author would have to do a LOT more research to get the details correct...speech for the period, clothing, manners, a typical looking day, whether you are upper or lower class (each one is different in lifestyle), etc! And hundreds of other details.
By the way, happy 10th birthday Seekerville! I think I've only been a part of 2 years give or take. It's like I've met a whole bunch of people I would have never met if I didn't discover this website. So thanks for all the fun times, the laughter, the tears and the encouragement! You guys always make the end of my day special :-)
Mary, I just won a Kindle from a contest the other day & it arrived in my mailbox on Saturday. But I'd love you to toss my name in the Stetson for a copy of "Too Far Down"; I have the other two books so I definitely need to add this to the collection. Thanks so much!
Trixi, even your description of a chemise is confusing...not your fault...and what's a pelise? Okay, forget it, I can look it up.
DeleteBut you know I'd call a pelise a chemise and a Baron an Earl.
Somehow cowboy stuff just seems to come very easily. Saddle, six-gun, Stetson, stallion...and that's just the 'S' terms.
Mary, think of a chemise as a long white nightgown trimmed with lace often worn as an undergarment. If you Google the word (or whatever web browser you use), you can find pictures of what it would look like. I wished we could post pictures because I would have so you could see. You would be amazed at just how many layers ladies wore back then!! Like I said, to write historical you have to know hundreds of details...lol!
DeleteI looked up pelisse because I've never heard of it myself. According to Google it is: " a woman's cloak with armholes or sleeves, reaching to the ankles. " Sounds like a coat. This is fascinating stuff!
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI just thought of something....don't mix the two up....one is UNDER your clothes and one is OVER your clothes....lol!! As far as Baron and Earl, I'm not positive of the ranking. I think a Baron is lower than an Earl but I could be mistaken. Let's not forget Dukes...not Western like John Wayne...lol!! Are we having fun yet??
DeleteDukes are the top. I keep thinking Major. But that's military.
DeleteI know there's another one. Lord, that's just what you called all aristocrats, right?
I can never get it straight.
Yes, I believe you are correct about that Mary, at least from what I've read in books. They always get introduced as Lord so-and-so of such-and-such. I think you're good to stick with Westerns, lol!
DeleteHappy Birthday Seekerville. Mary, I have always enjoyed your books. I’m looking forwarding to the next one. Could you please add my name for the prize.
ReplyDeletejhdwayne@peoplepc.com
Hi Deana! When I type these comments, thanks to Facebook, I always expect people's names to light up!
DeleteWriting a female villain was a definite widening stretch for my writing. :) happy birthday Seekerville.
ReplyDeleteOOOH there is a female villain in Too Far Down. Now I'm not sure if I did that before.
DeleteI know I've always wondered why Disney does so many evil female villains. I figured he had 'mother issues'.
But is this the first one I've done?
I need to think!
Oh Mary! Your post is so meaningful to me at this moment, having just had my elderly Dad tell me he can't go to church anymore because he worries he might fall. Recently, Judge Judy told an interviewer that the key to a long life is don't fall. I have fallen - many times in recent years. Slammed my head against the brick wall at the grocery store. Hit the floor in my house. Crashed after stubbing my toe on a carpet. The only hope is I've seen my three year old grandson do most of those same moves. Maybe it's age at both ends! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI have tried repeatedly to stick to one genre. I'm a failure! Right now, thanks to the recent conference, I'm working on very different projects. It's exhilarating and interesting and I NEED TO SUBMIT! My word for this year? COMPLETION!
My world may be narrowing, but my writing has never been bigger, bolder and fearless. Wow...Blessed!
Congrats on the new release and THANK YOU for your advice and this post!
Lyndee! This: My world may be narrowing, but my writing has never been bigger, bolder and fearless. Wow...Blessed!
DeleteThat's so uplifting! I'm sorry your dad is feeling fragile.
You know my dad, in his last years, wasn't able to sit in a hard pew for long stretches. So, our church let us bring a recliner into the sanctuary and put it at the back of the church...the only place there was room. And dad would sit in that.
I loved it. The old man, the forever church member, sitting in comfort while the rest of us were on those hard pews.
I'm so sorry about your falls.
Ouch. We can pick ourselves up, but we get older and things don't HEAL like they ought to!
Happy 10th Birthday Seekerville!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about your fall Mary. Hope you are doing better.
I always thought it would be great if someone would write about a middle aged heroine and hero. Maybe even have a senior citizen couple rekindle what was lost from their youth by using flash backs.
Blessings,
Cindy W.
What have I heard that called. Rose Ross Zediker wrote a novel with an older couple in it.
DeleteI think she called it Gray Haired Love.
Except I'm pretty sure they were just like...45, not gray haired at all.
In fact as I recall, the cover picture was of a very pretty woman.
But in today's youth-centric world, I guess 45 is an older heroine, right?
WRITE IT, CINDY!!!
Yep 'Gray Haired Love' is the term! Write it, Cindy....I get lots of good feedback from woman on those three books!
DeleteMary, those steps down are killers... and when our vision's impaired, it's dicey!
ReplyDeleteI'm sending you A NEW GARAGE!!!!! It will arrive later this week. :)
I love this post....
I didn't fall down the steps, but I HAVE. I tripped over a misplaced SPARE TIRE, near the back of the car.
DeleteAnd guess how many spare tires I HAVE MOVED IN MY LIFE.
Zero.
So was it just bad judgment on My Cowboy's part? Or did I park wrong and get to close to the tire?
OR DID HE LAY A TRAP FOR ME!!!???
Dark basement, black tire, tight space, poor vision. I think it was a trap.
DeleteSuspicious. Yes, definitely suspicious.
DeleteAt least he didn't set a GLUE TRAP. How messy would that be to clean up.
DeleteOr a SNAP trap. That'd sting.
First, the idea of going wide is clutch. It's so easy to get caught in a narrow cycle because it's familiar, and then we surprise ourselves by stepping outside the comfort zone... and discover that good writing is good writing!
ReplyDeleteLove this!
Amen, Ruthy. It's actually energizing to take creative risks. It helps bring new life to the other work, too.
DeleteHappy birthday, Seekerville! Sorry to hear about your fall, Mary. I've taken many myself. I prefer the falls at home over those public spills. Several years ago, I wrote a YA novel during NaNoWriMo, it was fun and very different from what I was used to writing. Don't enter me in the drawing. I received my signed copy of Too Far Down over the weekend. Yay! Thank you so much. I loved the cowboy hat jar opener...so cute!
ReplyDeleteJill, me too.
DeleteMy Cowboy says he falls all the time, slogging through muddy cattle yards with heavy, mud-clad boots, carrying buckets.
He never even mentions it unless I do.
Meaning....I'm a whiner.
Which is probably fair.
Happy birthday Seekerville. I'm around the same age as Mary and yup, the world is getting a little narrower. Got an ache that has the doctor stymied. Prayers are appreciated and I felt some relief this weekend from petitions offered to God over the last few days.
ReplyDeleteSo have I tried something new recently? I actually delved into the children's world this past year. I went to Highlight's foundation camp this summer and had some heavy duty critiques which improved my adult and kid WIPs. (Yup, they're the same lovely group of people that brought us that magazine in the doctor office.) I gathered up my courage after that and went to the regional SCBWI and entered their calendar contest with some art that one of my Highlights critique people liked. I won a spot in the calendar.
About 2 years ago I got an email asking teachers to submit lessons for a book. Profits would go to my professional organization but this was a chance to try something different so I did. I got my free author's copy last week with my 2 lessons and my art work for 3 lessons included.
This weekend I definitely stepped out of my zone and revived an old Twitter account, put my full name and face on this account, and started working in Ernest on my WIPS. I'm ready for this Seekerville party to begin.
Yes I would live to win either of your prizes, Mary. Hey, I remember some Heart song books that had nothing about cowboys so you are capable of whatever you want to do.
Bettie, wow, good for you, for trying this.
DeleteI wrote about four middle-grade novels years ago, before I was published.
I still love them but they got lost in a computer crash so I'd have to start over...which would probably be for the best anyway.
Not a cowboy in sight.
And good for you on reviving the old novel. And yes I did do some non-cowboy work at the beginning. I loved it. But not as much as COWBOYS!
Love to enter...come on autocorrect
ReplyDeleteOh, now, Bettie. I like thinking you LIVE to enter.
DeleteHappy Birthday Seekerville! Mary, I can relate to your post. Recently we've seen a decline in my 91 year old grandmother's mobility. Her mind is clear though.
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in the drawings.
psalm103and138 at gmail dot com
Hi Caryl. God bless your grandma. 91 years is a great, long life. I hope you're talking to her. She can tell you amazing stories.
DeleteMary, congratulations on Too Far Down. I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteOnce, a friend asked me to try to write an Amish story. I came up with a synopsis and the first three chapters. The research was interesting, but it was not a good fit for me. I wrote a story where the heroine was in her late 40s with a son in college. I kinda liked writing her story. I thought it was a romance, but when I pitched it, I was told it was more like women's fiction. Still, it was fun to write.
Thanks for sharing! I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt. Take care! It was great to see you in Dallas!
Good for you, Jackie. Amish AND Women's fiction! You Go! :)
DeleteHappy birthday, Seekerville!! I can identify, Mary. Getting old(er) ain't for wimps. For about a year, I kept falling out of bed and cracking my head occasionally. Turned out it was one of my meds that I shouldn't take at night. Now I've been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and I'm chained/tubed to a C-Pap machine. I have to unhook the face mask just to go to the bathroom at night. My world has narrowed. I don't repel off cliffs anymore, but my imagination is still without limits.
ReplyDeleteI've written historical romance, contemporary romance, and visionary romance. When I was young, I loved reading books set in foreign places like contemporary Paris. I'd still love to read/write those books, but the Christian market is not too keen on publishing any book that doesn't take place in America or Regency England.
In my present novel, my hero acts like a total jerk at one point because he's wounded and a baby Christian. The editor pointed out it made him unlikable. So I rewrote the scene. He's still wounded, but he doesn't lash out at our heroine. Even as writers, we still have boundaries.
I love your heroes and heroines though, Mary! The world is full of interesting, quirky characters, and they all live at your house.
Maybe in my next series, I'll throw caution to the wind and write a contemporary CIA suspense novel set in Berlin and Washington. Oh, right, I did that. It's sitting in a drawer. ;-)
I'd love a copy of Too Far Down. I'm hooked on the Bodens.
Okay, rappelling off cliffs? For real??? Revising my mental image of you, Barbara.
DeleteBarbara, doesn't writing something different bring ENERGY and IMAGINATION to your 'regular' work, though? I think it does. Plus it's FUN! :)
DeleteMyra, I was in the Civil Air Patrol my freshman and sophomore years of high school. And yes, I learned to rapel down a cliff, shoot an M-1 rifle, and identify all the working parts of an airplane engine. Flying lessons were next, but we moved. CAP is involved in search and rescue missions. :)
DeleteI've always sense you were dangerous, Barbara! (I might be joking!)
DeleteWow, I'm impressed, Barbara! My 17-year-old grandson is in CAP in Montana and loving it!
DeleteMy world at 50 is very narrow due to medical issues but I love to read. This book sounds awesome. Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteLisa68, then I think of Ruthy chasing kids and hoisting pumpkins, nothing seems to slow her down, and I wish I was more like that.
DeleteIf I bent over to pick up a pumpkin, I've probably just have to stay down there. Permanently bent!
Good Morning, Mary!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear you fell. AND I glad you are okay! I totally get life getting narrower...I had a few months of that when I broke my knee cap and there are times I do still 'consider' an event from all angles before I decide if it is for me. For example, I can never stand in a 'mosh pit' (did I even spell that right?) at a two hour concert.
I do try to challenge myself to widen my writing. This year, in addition to my romance and children's writing, I've been trying my hand at mystery writing. I've completed two books, one adult and one children, and several short stories.
Rose I mentioned you above. Remember when you were sort of CHALLENGED to write...did you call it 'gray haired love.' It wasn't that you personally challenged but your editor told a group she'd like to see books like that.
DeleteIt was a great book.
Yes, it was gray haired love and thank you!
DeleteHappy Birthday to Seekerville!!!!
ReplyDeleteCan you believe we've been at this for TEN YEARS!?
DeleteHappy birthday, Seekerville! And thanks, Mary, for a thought-provoking post. I've dabbled in chick-lit, fantasy, and romance. I'm still trying to figure out how to write novel-length pieces and what niche I want to fill, so I guess I'm casting a very wide net and hoping something lands inside.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read your book, so go ahead and put me in the drawing! Thank you and I'm glad you're alright!
Glynis, I wrote widely before I was published. I think part of finding my voice was finding cowboys. I've lived in the country all my life, plus I'm a huge John Wayne and Louis L'Amour fan. So the voice was more natural than any other I've tried.
DeleteBut most of the Regency authors haven't lived in Regency England, now have they?????
I am not a writer, but without people like me authors world's would be much narrower, financially. My world will get narrower next week and I am looking forward to reading Too Far Down. Happy birthday, Seekerville!
ReplyDeleteDenise we LOVE READERS at Seekerville! Yay! Thank You For Reading!
DeleteGood morning, Mary! You've really had a rough time this year. :(
ReplyDeleteThis past weekend I was going through a six-inch-thick 3-ring binder of "wider" ideas and "starter" chapters I began through my many years as an unpublished writer. Looking through them, I know some will never be more than the pages and paragraphs as they are currently written (and YES, one is a Regency! And others American-set historicals.). But maybe on down the road, when I'm not working full-time (and then some), I'll be able to dip into the well of "wider" ideas and give something a shot. Maybe back to my chick lit-flavored romantic mysteries that won a lot of RWA and ACFW contests? I'd love at some point to write Christmas novellas and short stories, too. But there are only so many hours in a day and the vast majority of those are already spoken for. But it's fun to think about "wider" possibilities even if none are ever published!
You're so disciplined with your time, Glynna, and I know you HAVE to be. Not much choice. How great to have all that story fodder sitting there waiting for you!
DeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about your fall, but glad to hear you're okay. (I hope you have a handrail down there) You are in good company, I've fallen before too, is there anyone who hasn't?!
Boy are you "preaching to the choir" this morning. I feel like my world is narrowing, but I'm fighting to keep it wide open with all I've got. A bad knee is keeping me from walking as much as I used to, just being outside and enjoying a busy life. Working with my orthopedist to hopefully improve that situation. I told my daughter yesterday as I limped into church it seems at this point life is all about damage control, lol.
I think you can write anything you want because you have SKILLS. I remember a contemporary you wrote about the pregnant driver in an accident at Christmas. It was one of my favorite Mary stories. I think that's coming out in your new collection of stories soon, isn't it? And another about the computer genius, loved that one too.
The main dream I'm entertaining right now is getting healthy and fit enough to turn back the clock and enjoy those everyday things I probably used to take for granted when I was younger. Being in good shape physically is truly one of life's richest blessings.
Congrats on your newest book, please include me in todays drawings.
Tracey, the woman driving, pregnant, saved by the great-great-who knows how many great-grandson of Belle Tanner and Silas Harden. A guy who still lives at the house Silas built for Belle.
DeleteI had so much fun with that. Tanner Harden the fifth, or something. :)
And yes, that and seven other novellas are releasing in December
DeleteThe Calico and Cowboys Romance Collection
PS the tag for this book is"
DeleteNovellas from the Old West Celebrate the Lighthearted Side of Love
But there is ONE contemporary romance in there, the Tanner Harden story.
Good morning Mary and all, I am 66 and feel my world narrowing. Not so much physically, I still feel pretty good and can do most things I've always done, but slowly and with far less enthusiasm. I can feel my circle narrowing as family and friends die or move out into other situations, so I'm trying to stay on top of my relationships. It's also narrowing in that there are some things I can never make right, especially now, and I have to live with the consequences. (Guilt over not home-schooling, anybody? What's done is done, but it could have been done better. "Regrets I've got a few," as Sinatra would say.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course there's the financial aspect. We are trying desperately to get things done and other things paid off before my husband retires in three years. I'm not sure we'll have funds to do a lot of traveling but that's okay, I won't go anywhere they hate Americans or don't have toilets, so there's that.
I feel my options narrowing, as far as writing goes, with the changes in the publishing industry. But it's also a time of great opportunity, and God is in charge, so it could still happen. When I let go of the reins.
In the sense of WRITING widely, I said I'd never write a contemporary and I've just written two, one done enough to enter in contests, the sequel well through the first draft. And the first story in the series finaled in a contest, so there's that. Never say never. Both my historicals and my contemporaries are romances and I guess I'd like to expand to women's fiction, suspense and mysteries, but I want to establish myself in one thing first.
Mary, you have given me a lot to think about today. I will be mulling this as I go about my daily whatever, and please put my name in the drawing.
Kathy Bailey
This made me smile, Kaybee:
DeleteI still feel pretty good and can do most things I've always done, but slowly and with far less enthusiasm.
But losing friends and family, that's a hard truth...we just had a neighbor die. 65 years old...in a motorcycle wreck. A HUGE funeral.
My Cowboy said, "I'll never get a crowd like this for MY funeral."
My daughter said, "you don't WANT a crowd at your funeral, it almost always means you died young. If you live a long life, all your friends and family are dead."
True, but it also means you go to a lot of funerals yourself.
Kaybee you said this: I won't go anywhere they hate Americans or don't have toilets, so there's that.
DeleteAlso RATS. A lot of these places have RATS! Stay closer to home where they have like....HEALTH INSPECTORS!
And isn't THAT Mary being narrow, huh???
DeleteRats are a legitimate deal-breaker.
DeleteYour daughter is right, the older you get, the fewer people are available to mourn you. Unless you had a really huge family or circle of influence.
Good Morning Mary. One way to widen a world getting narrower is to read, and personally, I really like it when my reading material has the name Mary Connealy on it. It is so easy to get lost in one of your books, fall in love with your characters, and come begging for the next book. That is why I am so excited about the release of Too Far Down. Cole has been my favorite Boden for some reason, maybe because he's a little different.
ReplyDeleteIn the past few months I written two novels outside of my comfort zone. One was a fairy tale, which I love but doubt will ever be shared with anyone. The other was a story for my sister's birthday using her life as sort of a humorous parallel for the heroine in the story. She loved it but I couldn't have shared it outside my family without tremendous embarrassment. Maybe I need to work on widening my writing world. I have wanted to try a contemporary for some time, but that thought really scares me. All I know is historical.
Congratulations on your new release. So looking forward to reading it.
Aw, Cindy, thank you. I appreciate the kind words about my books. Cole has his hands full in this one! I'm actually reading it right now and I'm enjoying it.
DeleteIf you're going to write about your family, you need to change names and dates and setting. They'll never recognize themselves. Or at least you'll have plausible deniability.
Huh, this is you?
Must've been me subconscious. I never saw the similarities until now.
I am writing wide. I have projects that are non fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Historical, preschool stories, Middle school chapter books, devotionals, I am getting ready to start another romantic Suspense for Nano. Plus I have come up with another chapter book for children. Hopefully many of these will one day be published.
ReplyDeleteSeekerville has been such an encouragement and my biggest source in learning all the techniques in writing and then the steps after the book is written.
Wilani that sounds so FUN! Even if you one day pick a favorite genre and stick to it, you'll know all you can do.
DeleteMary! I am so sorry to say I had not signed up for your newsletter until today. How is that even possible?? I have read and reviewed Too Far Down from Netgalley. My review is all ready to go! I loved Cole Bolden.
ReplyDeleteWriting something different: When I started writing, I wrote inspirational contemporary romance. I have two finished, and three more in various stages. I've submitted them to contests, worked on the feedback, etc. Then an idea hit and that's what I'm working on now. I have no idea where it will go, but I am having so much fun writing it. I love the SyFy channel's abnormal animals, like Lake Placid, Arachnophobia, Ice Spiders, Arachnoquake, Mosquito, Piranha, well, you get the picture lol. A lot of times I don't like the content in those movies. Give me the abnormal animal. So I thought it would be fun to write an inspirational abnormal animal syfy story. I have no idea where it will go, but once it's done, I can say, I wrote it.
I saw some really weird PIGS the other day. SyFy potential there. Bred to be double muscled. Very weird.
DeleteGood for you, Sally. How fun. Why couldn't these be Christian fiction, huh?
Usually these types of movies are of spring break, and all that entails, and language I don't want to hear. They can contain the same abnormal animal, the suspense, the characters, but from an inspirational standpoint. My syfy story is already taking shape lol.
DeleteHappy Birthday to Seekerville! Wonderful videos! I'm determined that 2018 will be the year I do DIFFERENT. I'm gearing up for that.
ReplyDeleteWould love to say the same, Tina! You are my inspiration!
DeleteWow, Tina, I can't wait! Make sure and do different AND the same, so we can have more of your fun western contemporary romances.
DeleteThe Rosetti Curse is one of my favs.
MYRA!!! :)
DeleteHappy birthday, Seekerville! Oh man, I'm guilty of going "narrow" when I don't want to confront something that made me go outside of my comfort zone. Thankfully my hubby is one who makes me "go wide" and keep trying new things. Loved the post and the good advice behind it all! I'm sorry you had that fall, Mary. I'm good at tripping over nothing, and I haven't had eye surgery. ;)
ReplyDeleteWell, bless your husband. Unless he's a pest of course!
DeleteMARY!!! I am SO sorry you fell!! But just like your resilient characters -- you get back up and keep going! :)
ReplyDeleteI went WIDE this weekend -- ate WAY too much and now the scale is creaking ... ;)
You said: "Let’s talk about a time you took a chance with your writing. A time you went WIDE. Wrote a different kind of character, tried a different genre."
The first time I went WIDE was with Charity O'Connor in book 2 of the Daughters of Boston series, the vixen sister people wanted to see "killed or maimed." "I don't know, Julie," both my agent and editor implied, "Charity's not exactly heroine material ..."
No, she wasn't, but BOY, OH BOY, did I have a blast redeeming her in A Passion Redeemed, and I truly had to go WIDE to do it.
The next time came with sweet Emma Malloy in A Heart Revealed, the abused woman whose souse (and louse) of a husband threw hot grease in her face. I had NO IDEA how to write an abused woman, so I definitely had to go WIDE to do it.
But my favorite WIDE experience has been writing the Isle of Hope series, departing from my usual historical stories to a contemporary series was SO MUCH FUN and taught me to go WIDE in a whole 'nother way. I had to learn young people's lingo today and get in their heads, which was a a blast.
So I definitely believe in "going wide," Mare, but just in my books, and hopefully not in the waistline. :)
Hugs,
Julie
I'm one of them that couldn't BELIEVE Charity as a heroine. But you were great with that. I ended up loving her.
DeleteAnd Emma! Wow, poor lady. I'm sort of sniffly as I write because you made me care about her so much!
Keep going WIDE, Julie. Jumping from Boston to San Francisco, then going contemporary. You're a courageous author, Julie.
Good for you!
Mary, I didn't even mention your fall. Should I send you a K9 to assist? Do you know German, because Winston only responds to German commands. NO MORE FALLING, OKAY?? Stay away from cows at night, too!
ReplyDeleteWell, it wasn't a SERIOUS fall, and I did get an idea for a Seekerville post out of it. So nothing is ever wasted, right?
Delete(Mary, brushing gravel out of her palms)
Happy 10th blogoversary!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi fredamans! Thanks for stopping in and saying Happy Birthday!!!
DeleteHey, Mary! I worry about falling, too. I have now reached the age where a broken hip is not far out of the equation. Ha! I'm more careful about loads of things now. One being after sitting a while, I must move VERY slowly for a few seconds.
ReplyDeleteSusan, good for you. And carrying things. I've learned to make several trips up and down my creaky basement steps while I haul in groceries, rather than lug many bags up at once.
DeleteGoing Wide isn't just for writers. It's very good advice for all of us. I tend to get comfortable with my life and don't want to mess up the status quo. Hope you are OK and thanks for theinday challenge. I would love to be entered in your drawing for a book.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Connie, I thought as I wrote this of the Bible verse that said, "The way is narrow and the road is hard that leads to eternal life."
DeleteSo we know, as Christians, there are some things to be VERY direct with, very narrow, but in a good way, a solid, committed way. But within our hard road of faith, we can be wide open.
Does that make sense? I'm not sure it does. :)
Happy Birthday, Seekerville.
ReplyDeleteHi Martha! Thanks!
DeleteMary, good morning annnnd Happy Birthday, SEEKERVILLE!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about your recent fall, Mary! I can identify with the vision thing. In recent years, I've tried readers and two new pairs of glasses, but I've yet to find the right prescription that works best. *sigh* (So thankful your eye is healed and you are on the mend!)
I tend to write characters who may seem "safe" at first with tidy, little lives...that is, until their hidden hurts and blemishes come into focus. I love how God stretches me when that happens.
A regency for you, huh? I'd read it! :-)
Cynthia, you might read the FIRST Regency. LOL after that I might be in trouble.
DeleteI'm going in for an eye exam soon. My surgeon said the eye is healed enough for new glasses, which means this eye isn't going to get any better, right?
Depressing.
Also he said surgery is traumatic and it WILL cause a cataract to form...and fast. So that maybe will affect my vision.
Depressing again, except with a cataract there is a fix, so that's good.
Yes! Concentrate on the good news. {{{HUG}}}
DeleteCongratulations, Seekerville! Mary, I enjoy your books so much & introduced them to my young teenage daughter when she was going through a slump of not liking to read. Boy, did she ever start to devour them! She's now 20 & still loves to read your books! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJanelle!!! Thank you so much for passing on my books. And tell your daughter thank you, too!
DeleteGood Morning, Seekerville!!! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
ReplyDeleteI hear you on that narrowing world, Mary. My mom's world narrowed considerably in the ten years leading to her passing. In her case, Alzheimer's stole her ability to communicate easily with others, and then the ability to communicate at all. Her world narrowed until it consumed her. Pray for people who are dealing with this horrible disease and their families!
But you're right about keeping our writing world wide. It's too easy to say I write Amish romance and churn one book out after another, each one identical to the one before (only the names have been changed to protect the innocent!). LOL!
So I try to keep my writing wide by having my characters tackle issues that you wouldn't think Amish in the 19th century were involved in. In one book (Mattie's Pledge), I had a character who wanted to explore the West. In my current WIP, I have a character who is drafted into the Union army during the Civil War. These aren't events that we think of happening to Amish characters. :)
Thanks for the great post, and the opportunity to win your new book!
And so sorry about your fall. Hurry up and let that eye heal!!!
Hi, Jan, yes with published success comes the pressure to keep on deadline and that makes it hard to experiment, there just isn't time. So, for now, I'm trying to remain 'wide' within my genre.
DeleteHappy birthday to Seekerville. Mary, I would love for one of your main characters to have a disability or major health issue, yet be totally spunky. Amputee,vision, hearing,diabetic,pacemaker, MS..etc. Jacqueline Kimball
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie. You know, I haven't had disabled characters, though I've had two, that I can think of at this moment, with PTSD. And in Long Time Gone, Angie, the heroine was nearly starved to death.
DeleteBut a blind heroine? A hero with one leg? Tina did a great job with a hero with one arm.
I could do this.
I really enjoy your books, Mary. I'm glad you weren't hurt worse in your fall.
ReplyDeleteHi Norma. I'm fine. The weirdest thing falling. While I was going down, trying to catch myself, realizing I was failing and going to fall, my mind was like...AMAZED.
DeleteI'm really going to fall.
I'm going down.
Plenty of time for thoughts like that in the seconds it takes to fall.
I'll remember that in my books!
Happy birthday, Seekerville! And quite a thought-provoking post to kick things off, Mary. Sorry about your fall, though!
ReplyDeleteThings are pretty narrow in my life at the moment, but I have a good excuse. Got my flu shot and Prevnar13 yesterday (yes, I have reached a "certain age") and am feeling quite sluggish today. Bundled up in sweats, fuzzy socks, and a blankie, plus a steaming mug of apple cider beside me.
I had three shots last week. Flu/Pneumonia/Tetanus.
DeleteI was long overdue for the Tetanus, I always get the flu shot and I've aged into the Pneumonia, lucky me!
Is Prevnar13 a Pneumonia shot? I looked it up. I could only understand about every fourth word but that's what it sounds like. Once in a lifetime right?
RIGHT!!!!!
Except my doctor said I have to have another one in five years, then THAT'S it
DeleteMyra, I'm almost finished reading Her Hill Country Cowboy and the story and characters are wonderful! Plus I've learned a lot about service dogs.
DeleteJanet
I'm reading it now, too Janet, but when Too Far Down arrived, I set MYRA aside to read MYSELF. This is NOT personal Myra and I am loving the book. I always read my books as soon as I get my hands on them.
DeleteI'm not even sure why. Just curious, after having finished with the book a long time ago, as to the finished product.
Myra,
DeleteThis is totally off topic, bud didd you know your Rancher for the Holidays was on sale for .99? I spotted it over the weekend on Amazon, then passed the info on to another of your fans. Love a good book at a good price!
Yes, Prevnar13 is the first pneumonia shot you're supposed to get. Then a different one next year with, like, 23 strains covered. Hoping that will do it for a loooong time.
DeleteThank you, Janet! I really enjoyed writing that book. Of course, I love dogs and horses so that helped. 😍
DeleteTracey, I didn't know about the sale on Rancher. Thanks for letting me know!
Since I'm constantly torn between a love for historical fiction and a love for fantasy, writing flash fiction for publication lets me explore any idea/genre I feel like. And occasionally I'll even try something outside of those comfort zones, because hey, it's only 700 words (or less). If it doesn't work out, I haven't wasted a year on it.
ReplyDeleteRachael I don't really understand flash fiction, but I love 700 words. But how to tell a story in that time. Woman's World is 800 isn't it? Or 1000?
DeleteThis really ministered to me, Mary. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI started writing historical romance nine years ago. I was learning the craft along with writing the first draft of my story set in Pittsburgh. Then, my daughter got diagnosed autistic. I shut my laptop and pretty much declared I'm done with writing. For good. I devoted the next years to care for my kiddos. My daughter, by the awesome grace of God, began developing leaps and bounds. Then one day, I reopened my laptop and took a glance at my story. It's like I heard God whisper. "Go for it." I finished it. Edited it - like a gazillion times, and this same story just won the ACFW Genesis contest. It's a testimony to God's faithfulness and the courage He gave me to go wide.
Rachel, I know many people who quit writing.
DeleteIt's STAYING quit that's tricky. I'm so glad you picked it up again and God bless you for devoting yourself to your daughter. She needed you so much. I'm glad she's doing so well!
YAY ON THE GENESIS! I WAS THERE!
Happy birthday to Seekerville.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about going wide. I always feel like I started wide. For me, since I started writing memoir before switching to fiction. Going to fiction was going wide.
Then again, since my writings have tended to be in exotic locations, I wonder if trying something in a better known setting would be going wide for me.
Regency is out. :-)
There's so much truth here, Walt, with your exotic locations.
DeleteYes, going wide for you might be ...writing what everyone else considers traditional. LOL
It's your own dilemma!
But I love you WIDE books.
Missed you at M&M, Walt!
DeleteMary, I do have a 19th century story, but it is still a little wide. I set it in Portland, and my heroine is Japanese.
DeleteDebby, I promised my younger son I would take hi, to one Auburn game. He chose his past weekend.
Football beats out a writer's conference. Where is the JUSTICE!!!???
DeleteLOL
Mary, I have my first book signing for my new novel this coming Saturday
DeleteMary, I branched out to try my hand at YA--mainly because I read so much of it. I haven't finished it. Ended up setting it aside. But I may get back to it someday!
ReplyDeleteI'm so loving the video birthday wishes!! So fun to put faces with names!
Hey, Missy, I think you've got great ideas for YA and a real love for youth. It's a natural combo for you IMHO.
DeleteYvonne, not all writing ends up published, but it's still great to stretch and grow as authors and to do that, we need to stray from our comfort zone!
ReplyDeleteLove the birthday videos!!!
ReplyDeleteMary, I loved meeting you at conference!
Getting older is not for wimps. Just on Saturday, my mom was wanting to get up and help me in kitchen and then committed how difficult it was not to be able to just get up and do things. Even with a walker she's to the point she falls every time if someone is not beside her. Big time narrow.
I'm not certain about writing wide. I need to figure out my niche so I can go wide from there
Connie, it was so fun to meet you!!!!!
DeleteI always love putting VOICES with names. Faces, too. But I can see faces usually. But not the way you move and sound.
That's one of the best things about conferences.
Happy birthday, Seekerville!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your fall, Mary :(
But thank you for the encouragement to think more widely :)
May God bless you and all of Seekerville!
Well, if you can't have enlightened ideas hit you while you're sprawled on a dirty basement floor, when can you have them, huh, Phyllis???
DeleteMary what a great post. My brain still thinks I'm 19, my body has proven otherwise. Alas, getting older takes courage. :) I met some amazing ladies at ACFW who are writing in their 70s and 80s. I love that!! In my current WIP my heroine is witty (at least I think she is) so I'm going wide by incorporating humor in romantic suspense. I'm praying it works!
ReplyDeleteSharee, that's great and it's so RIGHT that your characters would have their own personality, right? So why not a funny one. Besides, you're funny, it should be a natural fit for you. :)
DeleteI need PIZZA!!!
Mary, this was a great post. I'm just sorry it was inspired by what sounds like a painful fall!
ReplyDeleteAs I read, I thought about how my world has gotten narrower in some ways. After tearing my ACL 19 months ago, I decided I probably won't ski again. I don't want to risk another tear and the months and months of recovery and therapy. BUT, I am going to use the experience . . . somewhere . . . in a book. ;)
As for me, going wide is coming in a couple of ways. As I mentioned last week, I widened my world by even considering writing YA. I'm not dismissing that idea. I just don't have time to really explore it right now. :)
And, I'm going wide in my characters too. In the story I'm brainstorming now, my character is VERY different from myself. I'm praying about how to write her authentically. Any suggestions on how to write characters who are way outside our norm are welcome! ;)
I'd like to hear that, too, Jeanne. But my advice is, if it SCARES you, you oughta try it!
Delete(I suppose I should apply that to myself, huh?)
PS Sorry about the ACL. Ouch! And skiing. I have been skiing a couple of times. And now, (well, years ago) I am DONE
DeleteBut I was never any good, so I'm sure it's easier for me to give up skiing. Sort of like giving up running with the bulls, you know???
DeleteMary, your comments made me laugh out loud. ;) Yes, I'm definitely figuring out how to write my very different character. When I have time to really invest in getting serious about writing YA, I think I'm going to do it. ;)
DeleteOh Mary, as a great-grandmother for a month now, I identified with so much of what you shared today. Our home needs to narrow from two and a half stories to a one level...SOON.
ReplyDeleteAs for widening my writing, well I submitted two time travels to my editor this summer. In so doing, I branched into the historical past...
And again, Happy 10th Birthday, Seekerville!!
TIME TRAVEL??? Yay, how cool, LoRee! Love your video above.
Deletehi Mary
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of going wide in writing - I just have to figure out where I'm starting before I can go wide from there. Well, I just need to get writing... once the Gupster gets a little older and isn't such a momma's boy.
I'm about to turn 50 and I've noticed the days after my women's volleyball league (two matches, six games per night) I'm a bit more sore and creaky. Can't quit - we've a sixty-three year old on our team so I gotta stick around at least as long as her. We're a bunch of old ladies playing to keep young and laughing at the youngsters we play against. They get so mad when we win (which is only now and then but still...)
I'd like to do animated children's books. Some educational sites have moving picture books, but all they really do is animate the text and zoom in and out on pictures - not the same. I wouldn't have a clue on how to market that, but animated kids books would combine the two things I love most. Going wide would be writing a "real" book like all you Seekers do.
Please Lord, may Seekerville be around for another ten years at least. I'd miss them sorely otherwise...
DebH you're way ahead of me. I never wrote a word, not as an adult, until my baby went to kindgarten. You've got a head start.
DeleteHappy birthday Seekerville! What a great post and I love the idea of going wide. I love, love, love historical romances set in medieval times, but I don't dare try to write one. I'm afraid I would get lost in the research and never finish the book! But I am going to spread my wings and go wide in a few other areas of my writing. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteGood for you, LeAnne. Have you read Melanie Dickersen's re-told fairy tales? They're great medieval writing. And I know how hard Melanie works on research to get it right.
DeleteSorry about your fall, Mary! Hope you're not bruised!
ReplyDeleteWriting the first book in my Amish Protectors series was a leap in faith, so to speak. Does that equate to going WIDE? Coming up with a heroine who would fall in love with an Amish hero...and then to create that Amish hero made me stretch and grow. WIDE? I guess so! Amish Refuge was well received and now the second book in the series, Undercover Amish, has hit the shelves. I'm holding my breath and waiting to see how that story fares. Just sent the edits for book 3, Amish Rescue, to my editor this morning. And the proposal for book 4 headed to her computer last WED...am I still WIDE?
Laughing and glad the deadlines were met. Also glad I attended M&M this weekend and got to visit with so many Seekers and Villagers!!! I did hole up in my room to work quite a bit too. Not sure that was WIDE...but, at least, I didn't have to bow out of the conference.
I'm rambling. Probably lack of sleep.
Waving to everyone! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SEEKERVILLE!!!
I saw a picture of you at M & M. WAY TO GO!
DeleteAnd your Amish books, you fill them with so much action and suspense. That's just such brilliant writing, Debby. I am amazed by your work.
Debby, writing Amish is a big change. I'd say that's WIDE! And you've done it beautifully.
DeleteJanet
I love your stories but I think the Kincaid brothers are my favorites and I don't remember Doctor in Petticoats so I'm going to check that one out.
ReplyDeleteNaomi, you know HEATH Kincaid is in The Cimarron Legacy series, right? I loved visiting the Kincaid family again, though it's away from the family, but we heard about them.
DeleteHappy 10th birthday, Seekerville!! Love seeing videos of Villager birthday wishes!
ReplyDeleteMary, so sorry about your fall and grateful you didn't hurt or break anything. I've seen the narrowing of lives and I'm pushing to stay WIDE by taking an exercise/balance class twice a week and getting in 10,000 steps whenever possible.
I've tried setting books in different time periods, but have stayed with historical romances, my favorites. I am considering what WIDE would mean for me. Lots to think about.
I'm so excited about today's giveaway!
Janet
Janet, maybe you should try a different genre. You can make small town and even cowboy work in contemporary.
DeleteMary, do I seem contemporary enough to write contemporaries?
DeleteJanet
Mary, I love that your latest hero is a pen pusher! A huge change from the cowboys you normally write but I'm sure Cole is manly and tough. Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteJanet
He's a Harvard boy. That's different. I had to research and make sure Harvard existed. :)
DeleteHarvard has existed since 1636! Wow. Could that be wrong??
DeleteJanet
Didn't the Pilgrims come in 1620? 16 years later they started a university?
DeleteWow, they came a long way really fast!
I love your post Mary! I remember when my husband (then-boyfriend) told me that he was infertile. I could have allowed my world to become narrow, to limit our opportunity for children in our family. But I had grown up with adoption on my heart (partially from a fear of the pain of childbirth), and four years later when we signed up with an adoption agency, our future got pretty wide. It's been a long journey with bumps, heartache, and risk, but the blessing and joy that our two daughters bring makes it all worth it. I wouldn't have it any other way!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Seekerville!!!
Heidi, that's a great story. Two daughters, I've got only girls so I'm a big fan. :)
DeleteI've recently gone wide by trying to go narrower. By trying to write a novella that's less than 20,000 words long. Coming from a person who writes novels over 100,000 words that's not an easy task. I've still got around four chapters left, and only about 7,500 words to write in them, but it's certainly been a fun experience and has given me an idea for a full length novel to be its sequel.
ReplyDeleteIs it going well for you, Nicki? I like writing novellas but at first they were HARD. I feel like I've gotten better at it, learned to tell a smaller story, but at first it was shocking to think I needed to wrap the book up before one of my full length novels would've been through the opening scene!
DeleteHi, Mary, you took your fall and used it for an inspiring post. Thank you! I love the idea of going wide or thinking big. I think it's important to push our characters and our stories into new territory. When I first started writing, I thought I'd have a hard time ever getting past 50K. Now 75K seems so manageable!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Seekerville!
There you go, Josee. You know my oldest daughter's name is Joslyn and we call her Josee. So it's a fav of mine!
DeleteHappy Birthday Seekerville! Mary, sorry about your fall...hope you are improving fast! I'd love a copy of Too Far Down....have the others in this series and want to read them all at in order. Thanks for your generous giveaway for the book AND a kindle.
ReplyDeleteI'm fine, Jackie, not even really hurt. But falls can be serious so I take them seriously! You're in the drawing!
DeleteHappy Birthday! Never thought of it as narrowing.. but yep I see it in my world too. Would love to read this and thank you for your birthday gifts!
ReplyDeletedkstevens, that's just my term for it.
DeleteOur worlds get narrow...but I'm coining the term! :)
Mary, Your post is very eye opening. I landed on my knee the other day looking for my printer’s replacement black ink cartridge. Couldn’t remember where I stored it at first. It’s a new printer I purchased last year. When I bent down my knee hit a wooden magazine rack. It cut me and I had an instant black and blue raised bump. So I can sure identify with you. Thanks for explaining your theory of narrowing. Funny how you came up with that and wrote a blog about the subject. They say there is a story in everything. Ha. Good job. Thanks for taking your precious writing time to show us a new perspective on narrowing.
ReplyDeleteOuch, Suzanne, for some reason knee injuries really bother me, they always have. I'm not sure why. But I feel your pain!!!
DeleteHappy Birthday to everyone at Seekerville. Take an afternoon break with some special flavored tea and carrot cake cupcakes. Keep on writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suzanne. We're all amazed it's been TEN YEARS!!!
DeleteHappy birthday/anniversary to everyone here! Would love to win the book. I'm not a writer so can't really comment from the author perspective...but still love hearing about it!
ReplyDeleteMH we LOVE readers here at Seekerville. Thanks for stopping in. You're in the drawing!
DeleteSuch a good point, Mary Connealy. Congrats on the new book. And happy birthday, Seekerville!
ReplyDeleteHi Boo. thanks for stopping in for the party!!!
DeleteHappy birthday, Seekerville.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary, for encouraging us writers to dig deeper and think outside our comfort zone. It's good advice. As far as dreaming about books that I'd like to consider writing? Hmm. I wish I could write something light and funny.
I just finished the last of the Sophie's Daughters trilogy yesterday. I was reading Sally's story and thinking of the movie The Hallelujah Trail when all the people converge together. I enjoyed the trilogy very much and liked spending time with the McClellans and the Hardens and others.
Hi Tanya. didn't I see your picture at M &M, too??? Thanks for reading my books. I loved that series!
DeleteHappy Birthday, Seekerville! It seems like just yesterday that I wandered into your workshop at RWA in Atlanta in 2013. My first RWA conference and yours was one of my favorite workshops there because it was all about celebrating each other and helping other writers...just like you do each and every day, so thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd, Mary, thank you for your post. (I'm so glad you're okay!) I was narrowing my own world with my writing for a while, worried about what everyone would think if I wrote the stories and the characters I truly wanted to. But last year taught me to let go of so many things, and it helped me to open my writing up and widen my own view of what I was willing to show of myself to the world. I am so much happier with my writing, myself, and so much more grace has come into my life by letting go. Happy writing, everyone. :)
Jeanine I'm glad you're daring to write what you want. Good for you.
DeleteYou saw us in Atlanta, huh? Well, how cool. I probably knew this but can't remember now, today!
Thanks for hanging in there with us all these years!
Hi Mary...sorry I'm so late to the party, but I never got this post in my email! I had to go looking for it!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, loved the post, and I would love to write a suspense novel after I finish my contemporary western romance series I have in the cooker right now.
Just hope I have enough mystery in me to make it suspenseful!
Happy Birthday, Seekerville!!
I love historical westerns, please enter me in the drawing if it's not too late!
Blessings,
Marcia
Hi Marcia...you know westerns and suspense are a natural combo, maybe you can pull all the threads together in one book!!!!!
DeleteMake your suspense hero a...texas ranger!
I'm thinking two small-town sheriffs...one a man, the other a woman...
DeleteHappy birthday seekerville!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is all very exciting
Hi Hannah, the excitement builds all month. Prizes every day. Stop in again and again and join the party!!!!!!!!
DeleteHappy Birthday Seekerville! I am not much of a writer, but as a reader, I enjoy trying different kinds of genre. That is how I go wide. :-)
ReplyDeleteBecky B
Oh my gosh, yes, I took a chance with my writing ... I went from always writing contemporaries to writing western historicals. It's been a blast, although those contemporaries that have been patiently waiting for my return are starting to get a bit antsy.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed that this physical narrowing doesn't last a long time for you, Mary. I've had several times when I had to temporarily narrow-up physically ... and I've always been glad when I could go wide again. Although, some physical narrowing of my body wouldn't be such a bad thing ;-)
Delighted that Too Far Down is almost here!!! Don't enter me in the drawing -- I have it on pre-order.
Nancy C
Those videos are so much fun! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNancy C
My 'go wide moment' in writing (at least one of them) was to write a historical idea I had for a contest. I previously wrote 1st person, present tense YA....never thought I could do historical or 3rd person...and then past tense too. But I did and I still am. My debut is Historical. Taking the 'wide' (the scary unknown) too often is worth the effort. :)
ReplyDeleteHey, Mary! What a fun topic! But I'm so sorry you had a fall, which is what inspired you.
ReplyDeleteGoing wide feels pretty amazing. I branched out with my Regencies, but Medievals are my first love, which is why I'm writing two more. I do plan on doing some Southern books set in the 1880's, but I'll go back to my YA Medievals. Still wondering if I'll keep doing fairy tale retellings or not. I probably will. But I have gone wide with heroes and heroines as you talk about. I do a few "beastly" heroes, as in the wounded types, but I also do sweet heroes who are all in for the heroine. I finally did a book where the hero and heroine really couldn't stand each other at the beginning of the story (A Viscount's Proposal) and it was SO FUN. Definitely want to do one of those again, possibly with my Mulan story, which I'm determined to make a romantic comedy. :-)
It is good to go wide, I think, to mix it up so your readers aren't saying that all your books are similar. I dearly hate that and try really hard not to let that happen. But it is hard.
Great post, Mary!
Oh, I meant to say, thanks for naming your new heroine after me! :-)
DeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY, SEEKERVILLE!!
ReplyDeleteBeen out of town all day visiting daughter Becca to celebrate her birthday (today!) but wanted to stop by Seekerville before I go zzzzz... :)
Loved this post, Mary - - but sooo sorry about your eye surgery and your basement fall. Bless your heart - - please be careful. We want you to continue writing those amazing stories!
Hugs, Patti Jo
Hi Mary, Sorry I missed today. Looks like you had a great turnout and fun. Hugs
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteMary, I want Too Far Down. I loved the other three books. I'm vested in the characters. I'd love to have you as a guest on my blog. I write historical romance and took a chance an wrote a contemporary romance set in my city, Aurora. Illinois. It was a fun change. A different publisher picked it up. New Duet is due out Mat 1st. I just finished the sequel to my debut novel Secrets & Charades and sent it off to the editor. If all goes well I'll continue to write more historical romance. My mind is full of ideas. But I do love my characters in New Duet and if asked I sure one of their friends could be the center focus of a sequel. I love SciFi. I'm a Star Trek follower. Not a Trekkie ( no costumes for me.) But I don't write it. I wonder about writing a crime drama because I'm a big fan if NCIS. The research for that would be quite extensive. Who knows maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteMary, it amazes me how your writing inspires me so much, and totally gets how I feel. It's like you're in my head! I have always been adventurous. I love traveling, seeing the sights, learning new things, new experiences. However, at this time in my life, books are my only adventure. I have two small boys in school, a full time job and lots of wife/mother responsibilities. Traveling and adventures aren't practical right now. So, I read. I read about the different places I wish I could be. I read about a time period long ago that I can only dream of. I read about other people's struggles when the stresses of daily life seem too much, and it helps me refocus. Take my mind off my own problems for a bit so that I can then see them a new way. And, in the back of my head, I think of the future: when my boys are grown, and life isn't so demanding, my husband (or my sister, since my hubby tends to be a homebody) and I can travel the world that we have read about and dreamed of. My life view is currently narrow, but my books broaden my life, and get me through the rough days. Thank you! I love my books, and I consider my favorite authors as friends. :)
ReplyDeletePlease add my name to the hat. I would love a signed copy of your book! Thank you for the opportunity.
Happy birthday, Seekerville!! When I was younger, I use to only read mysteries, so my early writing is only mysteries stories, but about 10 years ago, I read Susan May Warren's historical series with Heiress, Baroness, and Duchess, and my love for 20th century historical romance came through. So now I'm composing a World War II thriller to combine both of my loves. Have a great week everyone! I can't wait to keep celebrating with all you during this wonderful month.
ReplyDeleteMy best wishes for a rapid recovery, Mary!
ReplyDeleteAnd happy birthday, Seekerville!!
I'm late to respond, but thanks for this positive post. I'm experiencing the shrinking of my parents' world right now. Not a lot of fun. I love your positive spirit and all your heroes!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release, Mary! Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteI've been debating on the idea of a weaker heroine who grows in courage. Maybe that'll be my first broader step. :)
Thanks for the post!
Thanks for sharing with us I'm glad you weren't too badly hurt. I don't write so I don't have that happen. Thanks for the chance to win. 😍
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds great. 😊
Congratulations, Mary, on your release of Too Far Down! I'm sure it'll be a super fun read. And I'm also glad you weren't too badly injured.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should write this post now when I've started developing a new character, who is weaker than the bold and spirited heroine in my YA historical fiction series. And I'm going to be bold and attempt to do something I've never done before: write both heroines simultaneously as a third story in my YA historical fiction series is pelting my brain to get out on paper. You are so right about writing being MENTAL!!
Thanks so much for your generous giveaway and an opportunity to win.
I hope you are okay!! And congrats on the book release!
ReplyDeleteAs far as taking a chance, I don't think I really have to a real big extent, but I would LIKE to write a fantasy story. For now, just a dream, but maybe... :-)
As for your writing a Regency--go for it! Please! I would adore reading a "non-western" or maybe even "tweaked western" story of yours, not that I don't swoon over all of your books anyway! ;-)
Happy birthday, Seekerville gals! We are so glad you like to write these wonderful books!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Seekerville! It's hard to believe you gals have been at this for 10 years. I admire your stamina.
ReplyDeleteMary, my world is getting both smaller and larger. I don't like climbing ladders these days because I feel shaky on them - smaller. In August I went whitewater rafting for the first time- larger. Weird, huh?
I've always been tempted to write in the speculative genre. I even have a story idea. Just too chicken. The story scares me!
My world has been narrowed in many ways due to heath issues, but I can make it wide in other ways. Reading widens my world in many ways. I'm grateful to all the authors for blessing my life with the books they write.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Seekerville! Love your books, Mary!
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