“My Favorite Library” Contest
I’m thrilled to announce the Cross Plains Public Library in Cross Plains, TX, as the recipient of $1000, books and New England goodies in the “My Favorite Library” contest. Many thanks to Bob Childress for nominating this charming library. He says, “In a town of 982, his multi-award-winning library is continually coming up with innovative ideas to instill a love of reading in the community.” Congratulations, and thank you
Spring in Tennessee
We’re just back from visiting my in-laws in middle Tennessee, and one of our stops was beautiful Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum. They’ve outdone themselves this spring with 55,000 tulips. Stunning! I’d just finished an edit and loved being in the sunshine, looking at the flowers and letting my mind wander…
Now I’m watching it sleet here in Vermont! We’ll have tulips soon, though.
Happy spring!
Carla
Hills of southwest Ireland
We took this photo in southwest Ireland…what a spot to relax, wander, think…anything!
Enjoy the day,
Carla
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
With Saint Patrick’s Day approaching, I’ll be posting photos of Ireland. Here’s one I took on the “cliff walk” in Ardmore last May. My FBI agents Emma Sharpe & Colin Donovan end up in Ardmore in “Declan’s Cross” (September 2013). Absolutely stunning part of the world!
A writer in the “zone”
My family and friends all know I’m “in the zone” right now with DECLAN’S CROSS, my September Sharpe & Donovan novel. The “zone” is when a writer is so immersed in the story that everything else falls away. It happens at different stages in the writing and for varying lengths of time. Twenty minutes in the zone early on in a manuscript can work wonders. At the end of a book, like now, I eat, drink and sleep the writing. It’s as if every word of the entire story is on the tip of my tongue. It’s not the time to put the pages aside and go kayaking for a couple of days!
I know, too, that I have to yank myself out of the zone for real life. I want to. It’s healthier physically, emotionally, creatively. I have certain rules I follow that help.
Rule #1
I never eat at the computer but especially when I’m in the zone. It’s too easy to forget I ate that bag of Fritos! I reserve eating for when I can do it mindfully, tuned in to my surroundings, with company other than the characters in my head.
Rule #2
I only drink coffee, tea and water at the computer. I never drink alcohol. N-e-v-e-r. No sugary drinks, either. Mostly I drink unsweetened tea and water with lemon.
Rule #3
I take frequent short exercise breaks. I admit I don’t always come out of the zone easily for these. I get up and move every 25 minutes or so. Often I’ll do 100 jumping jacks right in my office while looking out at the wild turkeys. On very cold days, I’ll do the island lap on Wii Fit. I have a health club but I don’t always get there when I’m in the zone. My favorite exercise is walking. Most of the time it’s safe if my mind wanders on occasion but there was that incident recently with the dogs down the road — nothing like four dogs charging angrily toward you and kids yelling “It’s okay, they won’t bite you!” to jerk a writer out of whether or not to keep that love scene in Chapter 12.
Rule #4
I do “re-entry” and pull myself out of the book when I’m with family and friends. Not only is it rude not to be fully present, it’s also not how I want to live my life. But it can also be…well, perilous. A particular incident when my son was in high school stands out as a cautionary tale for me. I was deep in the zone with a book and I went into the kitchen and grabbed what I thought was the water glass I’d left on the counter that morning. I took a sip just as Zack walked in and looked at me in horror. I tuned into my surroundings and saw the gallon jug of water on the counter — water he’d collected from a small pond down the road known for producing hundreds of tadpoles in early spring. It was for an experiment for his biology class.
Words you never want to hear: “Mom, you just drank my swamp water.”
Talk about getting yanked out of the zone! Over the next few days, we watched the bacteria grow in his petri dish. As I recall eight was normal and we stopped counting at 43. Miraculously, I didn’t get sick. I learned my lesson to always get a fresh glass for water and to pull myself out of the book…especially when there’s a science experiment being conducted in the kitchen.
I’m sure I can think of other rules and cautionary tales but now it’s back to the writing.
Have a great day, everyone!
Carla
The Swift River Valley
Here’s a photo we took of the Swift River Valley on a gorgeous autumn day. Four picturesque New England towns were razed to create Quabbin Reservoir in the 1920s and 1930s. I grew up on the western edge of Quabbin. It’s truly a beautiful area, and the setting for SECRETS OF THE LOST SUMMER and now THAT NIGHT ON THISTLE LANE.
My Favorite Library contest
To celebrate THAT NIGHT ON THISTLE LANE and my librarian heroine, Phoebe O’Dunn, I’m inviting readers to tell me, in 100 words or less, why their favorite library deserves to win $1000. The winning library will receive $1000 and a collection of my books, and the winning entrant will receive books and a basket of New England goodies. I love libraries! Please enter the “My Favorite Library” contest today.
Happy reading,
Carla
Academy Awards time! What’s your favorite classic Hollywood gown?
“My Favorite Hollywood Gown” Poll
To celebrate the publication of That Night on Thistle Lane, I’ve nominated some of my favorite Hollywood gowns. Click here to vote for your favorite! On Oscar night I’ll announce Your Favorite Hollywood Gown of All Time.
Tell your friends and let’s have fun!
Carla
Vote for Your Favorite Vintage Hollywood Gown of All Time
Academy Awards time—on February 24 our favorite actresses will walk the red carpet wearing their elegant finest for the Oscar Awards Ceremony in Hollywood.
In keeping with the theme of That Night on Thistle Lane, I thought it would be fun to host a poll to find out what vintage Hollywood gown is readers’ favorite of all time. After all, Phoebe O’Dunn, my story’s librarian, had her favorite gown from the cache she found in a secret room of her New England library. That gown worked magic for her. She wore it to a Boston masquerade ball and met a handsome swashbuckler.
So I’ve nominated my favorite gowns, worn over the years by legends of the big screen. Click here to vote for your favorite, and on Oscar night I’ll announce Your Favorite Vintage Hollywood Gown of All Time.
Have fun and pass the word!
Carla
