Poetry Tuesday - A New Weekly Post

When I started this blog, I thought it would be the perfect place to share some of my work, my ideas, my goals, and provide a place for authors, new and old, could come to connect with other writers. I will be honest. I had not thought this through as well as I should have. I didn't have any clearly defined goals passed the one mentioned above. I knew I wanted a place to write my thoughts. I knew I wanted a place to share my upcoming writing and my releases, but beyond that...nothing. What I was left wondering is what I could do as a weekly event that would benefit me and my readers.

Then it hit me. I write poetry, so why not have a poetry post each week. It made sense to me. So here's the idea.

1. I will create a scheduled post for Tuesday of every week.
2. It will be poetry themed. I could include an excerpt of a unpublished poem. I may provide quotes or focus on an aspect of poetry writing.
3. I will hold any poetry contests on this day!

It is pretty simple! If you have any suggestions to what you would like to see on this day in terms of poetry, please leave me a comment below or you can leave a comment on my Facebook page by clicking the Facebook logo below.

Wishing you a poetry filled Tuesday,

Sarah

Positive Moments

One of the most important aspects of a writing career is the major work it takes to keep everything going. It can drag you down, stomp on your face, and then help you up to do it all over again. Although life is about this type of hard work, as a writer it is difficult to keep the momentum going. Take me for instance. I have been stuck in my house for 8 days due to a snow and ice storm. One could imagine curling up on a chair or a sofa with the laptop and a cup of hot chocolate with the curtains open to watch the snow. There would be chapter after chapter written in the quiet solitude of the storm. You could feel like a champion when you got up from the chair hoping to get a little stretch in before jumping head first again.

Right?

NOPE!

Here's a picture of the storm:

That isn't what happened at all. I got a little writing done the first day. I wasn't the only one home. There was noise. There was chaos. Everyone was cranky at having to stay indoors. The cats were knocking everything over. The wind that was coming with the storm was throwing my plants on the porch around. Everything seemed to be getting in the way on Day 1.

Day 2....Well let's just say that inspiration struck and I thought "If I cannot get any work done, I might as well clean the carpets." And as that project took center stage, my writing took a backseat. Two more projects popped up.

Day 7...I am sitting on the bed exhausted and wondering where the week went. The sun was peeking out and creating the most beautiful glisten on the snow and warming the house bringing with it the inspiration for some poetry. So I grab my journal and begin writing. As the day wears on, I am still doing projects...but I got some writing done, and I am happy. As I head to bed, I check my email once more. Low and behold, I received my first royalty email, which brings me to why I am writing this post.

It is Day 8 of being stuck in the house, but this morning...I don't much mind it. As I read the email last night, I remembered the struggle I had for years attempting to get to the point of publishing something I wrote. I remembered the pain and heartache. I remembered the learning struggles and the frustration of when I couldn't get it just right. On the day I finally published something, I was so proud and happy. Elated to say the least! And...in the daily grind of writing, that feeling gets lost.

Last night, I was reminded that even if my royalty check was SUPER low...it was still a royalty check. Someone bought it! And that makes me super happy! Today...I ask you, writers, to take a moment and remember a happy time and put yourself in a happy place. The daily struggle and grind of writing is important to us as breath to lungs, but it is worth taking some time out to celebrate our accomplishments.

If you haven't published anything, celebrate that you took the effort and time to write something down! Find something that you have done to be happy about....because it will put you in the best of moods.

Happy Writing,

Sarah

My Goals

Goals as a writer are usually thought of as the following:

1. Write
2. Write some more
3. Publish with a good publisher
4. Rake in the money
5. Repeat

But, one of the most important things that I have discovered in my quest to be published and achieve my dream is....that's all bunk!

What makes everything so unique about my writing experience is that I have made decisions that are not exactly main stream. Take for instance Number 3. Number 3 before the current years would have been the only option for authors. There was no company like Amazon. There were no Indie publishers who took a chance on a no-name author. That meant, every voice who didn't match what the main publishers wanted meant that they would never be heard.

Add that into the fact that all business models for the main publishing companies are completely out-dated and do not fall in line with eco-friendly, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. 

So my goals changed from my 18 year old mind set especially now that I am 31. I have a different view on life, so my writing goals would obviously mature.

1. Write interesting material, but above all...the story I want to create
2. Be eco-friendly. There is no need to participate in a business that has 40% waste on printed material.
3. Engage in my audience on whatever platform I choose.
4. Be happy that your manuscript is published, even if you don't make tons of money.

What most people forget to say about any type of publishing is that it takes a long, long, long time to get everything accomplished. There 

Here's the real list:

1. Write
2. Edit
3. Write
4. Edit
5. Write
6. Edit
7. Format
8. Format again
9. Send to beta readers
10. Receive feedback
11. Write & edit
12. Format
13. Upload to MS Publisher to create Indie Publisher file
14. Format
15. Format
16. Get excited
17. Upload to Indie Publisher
18. Fill out other information while waiting for proof
19. Wait for proof
20. Finally get proof
21. Read the proof
22. Correct the mistakes
23. Upload again
24. Wait for proof
25. Get proof
26. Read again
27. Approve proof

Congrats you just published...................On one platform!

Repeat for any platform you are on.

As you can read, this is quite a daunting task. My goals seem more focused on reality than a work of fiction. In the future, I hope to share more with you about my writing.

What are some of your writing goals?

Review: Wicked Pleasure by Lora Leigh

*Please note that this review does contain spoiler information.*

Wicked Pleasures

by: Lora Leigh

                                                                                                                                          

Genre: Modern Romance
Hotness Scale: Sizzling

This is the first book I have picked up by Lora Leigh. I found it in a local shop for less than sticker price and said, "Why not?" Like most novels, I do not read the back material so that I can jump into the story without preconceived notions. Yes, I do look at the cover art as a general gauge of the story. In this case, I see a steamy scene between two individuals and expected a sexy novel between a man and a woman. That is as far as I wanted to delve before reading the novel.

The night was chilly. I curled up in my bed with my comfy, pink blanket and my reading light. I cracked open the cover and began reading. Within the first few pages of the prologue, the reader is pulled into a byplay between a very dark character named Cam and innocence in the form of the character Jaci. It is a very dark scene that has an urgency and intensity that pulls you in as a reader. What is very scary is that the characters at this time are aged 16 and 13 respectively. It seems like a very adult situation for someone so young; however, the author seems to create the right intensity and mood with this glimpse of past events. The character Cam is obviously struggling with something mentally destroys him. What has connected back to reality is Jaci.

When the scene ends and we continue with the story, we see a young Jaci being completely enthralled with the bad boy Cam, who has decided to become her protector. This is a very common occurrence with someone who has been yanked back from a precipice. He has formed an important bond to this individual character that leads to a life of obsession. The whole aspect of being attracted to someone in that mind numbing, forget everything else sort of way is a fairy tale only seen inside books and teenagers. Good thing that the author decided to start the characters off at the right age to fit that bill.

Jaci, the young, wild child, chooses to go to a party at the age of 21 where she is faced with the hardened, steel Cameron back from military leave. Like before, he decides what is good for her in a very controlling way and gives her a choice. Either she returns home to her parents' house or goes to his house for "everything." Her desire has catapulted out of control and chooses for her. She returns to his house only to be put in a situation without any prior knowledge between a rock and a hard place - Cameron and Chase.

I am no prude, nor am I lacking in sexual experience. But ANY person who actually cares about someone would, without a doubt, discuss these issues and choices before just throwing someone to the dogs. So, the scene as written is very, VERY unbelievable and quite disgusting. Not the Male on Female on Male (M/F/M) part of it. The overbearing, controlling man like Cameron who takes an innocent girl and pushes her into a situation simply because he cannot become emotional invested and refuses to be a grown-up and discuss the situation before sticking his prick in her mouth and having his brother lick her bits. Jaci did what any normal girl would do in that situation and run the heck out...even if she is entirely turned on by the proposition. The fact that Cameron refused to tell her is outrageous. What is even more outrageous is that the author is trying to make the reader believe that it is a normal situation. Obviously, it is not!

As time movies on, so do the characters. Jaci grows up and begins to grow her business and comes into some trouble with highly influential people who have the ability to destroy her reputation by just a few words. She is still obsessed with Cameron despite the fact that he put her in a sexual situation that utterly destroyed her confidence and trust in any partner for her future.

Cameron and his brother Chase become private investigators that have pulled, quite sneakily, Jaci back into their life by having their employer need her services as a designer. What Jaci doesn't know is that they are both there and wanting what escaped them prior - her...naked...and at their mercy.

At this point in the story, each of the characters are adults and fully aware of the situation. So it is not surprising to the reader that Jaci happily jumps into bed with both Chase and Cameron...as a virgin...who has had her whole sexual life to this point destroyed by the very men that are taking possession of her. From a realistic point of view, this is highly unlikely and quite scary that some man would be so obsessed with someone they 1) destroyed her sexual experience, 2) destroyed her ability to trust any lover, and 3) followed through with the obsession into their late 20's. All under the guise of protecting her from the "highly influential" people who threatened her. The story line and character reaction seems more out of a suspense novel than a modern romance.

There is no woo-ing. There is no romance. There is a little, man child posed as this strong, dangerous man who has no emotional depth despite being in the situation he was - used, abused, and raped. That is what is so bothersome about this whole book. Someone who was in that type of situation has two realistic ways of dealing - self-destruction and too open emotionally. Cameron is NEITHER!

So while the sex starts off steamy, they become quite stale with the same scene over and over. The characters do not seem realistic. At the end, I was quite disappointed with this book - sadly.


*Notice*
This is not a paid review of Lora Leigh's books. I received nothing for this review.

Searching for Inspiration

This morning, I found a link to the Chicken Soup for the Soul website for publication. If you haven't read any of these books, I suggest you pick one up with a box of tissues and immerse yourself in the heartfelt stories people have shared. I remember receiving my first book as a teenager. I, a lover of both baths and books, would sit in a hot bath and read this book. Tears would stream down my face as I read story after story that touched my heart and soul.

My desire for writing came much earlier than that point, but the emotions in those stories reminded me (to this day) that at the base of it all we are all human. Each of us have emotions. And each of us face obstacles daily. It is something I have struggled with a majority of my life. It is also the very thing that drives me to write - emotions. And of course sharing the stories in my heart.

As I read the page, I found that some of my poetry and my life stories would work well in their topics for 2015. I spent a hour going through what I had and chose to submit them for possible publication. Not only is good exposure, but it allows me to add to the inspiration, the love, and the hope that Chicken Soup provides to their readers. Once, it helped me move passed some bad spots. Maybe in 2015, my writings can help someone else.

That's what I really look for each day when I reach for inspiration. I look at the world around me. I look at the emotions and actions of my closest friends and family. I look at nature and wildlife. I look toward the sky, in the trees, under rocks, and finally within myself. It is a hard thing to do as a writer - finding that inspiration. Today, it came in the form of a memory and a hope for the future.

What is your inspiration today?

Sarah