Irish Whiskey - to celebrate St. Patrick's Day

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day The Romance Studio is throwing a huge party...you should plan to attend you could win a copy of Cricket's book Irish Whiskey
Here's the skinny on the book:

http://trsparties.com

When a rock singer becomes famous, his life is no longer his own. His life is usurped by the fans, the tours and the gigs. When he decides to take his long time girlfriend on a much needed weekend of R & R, their plans end up taking a backseat when a pair of jealous twins kidnaps them in exchange for ransom.
Caught in the middle of their plans, Trixie decided that she wasn’t going down without a fight. Will they both be dead when the twins leave with the ransom? Only time will tell as Trixie is forced to use her clever wits and resourcefulness to thwart whatever tenuous plans the deranged twins may have.
Here Is the Buy link if you'd rather not wait.http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=240&products_id=127

Proverbs and Reality

There is a Persian proverb that states "Go and wake up your luck." Is it

possible, do you really create your own luck? An article in February 2012's "Allure" Magazine says yes. It's a belief system you incorporate into everything you do that creates opportunity and those lucky breaks that seem to fall in other people's laps. If that's so...I'm ready to experiment. How about you?

I'd say lighten up, think good thoughts...choose what you want to think about and let the doom and gloom lay. Be more open-minded to possibilities...network more - talk to strangers = ) within limits of course.

How observant are you? Do you really notice what's going on around you...in a way that is your source of opportunity. You have to be awake to notice it though.

Does wearing clothes that make you feel good count? I would say yes because then you project confidence and well-being.

Allure columnist says even what you write in your journal/diary may affect your luck..."There's a high correlation between people who say they're lucky and people who are upbeat.

Try it! What can it hurt and think of what you might gain. Let me know how it goes for you.

Hello Again

Sorry for my absence I've been busy - I know no excuse. Please join me for a new writers course I will be teaching for Savvy Authors here is the information you will need.

Spice It Up, Creativity From The Kitchen

Instructor: Billie Williams. There's nothing worse than bland-as-oatmeal writing that doesn't evoke passion, laughter, anger, love…some kind of emotion from your reader. Story tellers who don't elicit emotion won't gain an avid readership. It's that simple.

If you've struggled, wondering how you can get your writing to sparkle like a new penny, or a just cleaned window, learn to see everything as a metaphor for your writing. Start by looking in your spice cabinet, or your herb garden with a fresh perspective.

Garlic, Life Saving but distancing

Easier to write from this perspective but it puts your reader at arm's length--remember readers want to feel, experience, get to be friends with your main character so they can help him/her escape the villains wrath.

Sage, Advice

Sage has several meanings from wise advice to healing properties - what does sage mean to your story? We'll explore.

Basil, The flavor of language, dialect, cultures

Ah Basil - language - should you use dialect in your dialogue? How do you show culture if not through language?

Lavender, Relax feel the flow--in sync [Chat here with a book giveaway as well as a book giveaway at the end]

In the flow, relax, meditate let things go where they may--don't lose site of the big picture but let your writing flow with a rhythm and cadence only you can create. Here's how.

Mace, Caustic, self defense, breaking the rules

An irritant chemical, a heavy club with a metal head and spikes - what could these possibly have to do with writing you ask..follow me--it's all about rules.

All Spice, Apple pie or American Graffiti

All Spice is for cookies and more from on genre to another all spice imparts its unique twist, it's unique flavor to your manuscript--your voice. We'll explore more.

Appendix: Handouts, "How to Hook A Reader", "Beginnings to the Work Day By the Masters"

WHEN: Jan 2, 2012 - Feb 19, 2012

COST: $15 for Premium Members
$25 for Basic Members

Cancellation policy: Registrations are non-refundable except when the workshop is cancelled by Savvy Authors.

REGISTRATION: Click Here to Register (Members will not receive member rate unless logged in.)

INSTRUCTOR:

Best-Selling, Award winning Mystery/Suspense author Billie A Williams aka Cricket Sawyer is a fiction, non-fiction and poetry author and has won numerous contests for her short/flash fiction stories, essays, and poetry. Currently she has over two dozen books published. She is published in various magazines such as the literary magazine Thema; Guide, a Magazine for Children, Novel Advice.com, Writing Etc. WritingNow.com, and Women In The Arts newsletter as well as Sister's in Crime, to list but a few.

Williams is currently a member of The Wisconsin Regional Writers Association (WRWA) Upper Peninsula Writers Association (UPWA)National Association of Women Writers (NAWW) Sister's in Crime, Women in the Arts Program, Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC), Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. (SCBWI) and Children's Book Insider, and the Children Writers Coaching Club. Visit her at her websites www.billiewilliams.com or http://writingwide.com and sign up for her Newsletter and/or Mystery a Month Book Club on her website.

Tags: Writing Life





*** PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED ***

Promises to Go!

Okay I've skipped a couple days - too many irons in the fire - I finished Zip - now renamed Cold Water and submitted it (it's a Young Adult Mystery/Suspense - the kid from Knapsack Secrets, now has his own book.) Had to send it to Wings for rights of first refusal - cause it's linked to the other book -- so we'll see what happens. (Just a query letter so far, we'll see if they even request the manuscript.) So okay

Today Promise yourself to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the great achievements of the future.

I believe in light of the New Year just breaking ground, this is very good advice. 2009 will never appear again, what can you do to make 2010 The Best Year of Your Life?

If you are looking forward and not backward, if you are living in the now--you already have a good start on great achievements. Remember when you drive at night you can only see as far as the headlights can shine, when you walk upstairs you can only do it one step at a time(unless your a kid taking as many as you can at once), but that is enough - all you need to do is keep doing it again, and again, and again until you REACH your goal.

You do have a goal don't you? (not a resolution, but a goal a target)Short and long term goals - you have to aim at something or you have no direction. If you don't plan your success, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail". Make it a banner year. I'm looking forward to it.

Promises Promises!

Today promise yourself that you will be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
Sometimes, being the shy violets that we are, as authors, we find it easier to be supportive and congratulatory about someone else's wins - new contracts, promotional coups and other things then we tend to be about our own. Because we were told "brags a good bargain, but hold on is a lot better," or "Let someone else toot your horn." Well, that doesn't work when you have to go the 9 miles to promote your own books and be "out there" where people may criticize or even applaud what you do.

But--and here is the best part, what you give you get. So if you are enthusiastic about other people's success, feel that feeling, know that feeling and then claim some for yourself as well.

When Christopher Paolini first met publishing success with Eragon, I dissed him as-- oh sure his parents are publishers, authors, business people...he has an edge - maybe, but this home schooled little boy (15 when he wrote it) had just gotten his GED and was looking forward to college. Instead of heading off straight to college he decided to write a book.

Hubby just finished reading the first of the trilogy Eragon, and asked me if I would get the other two for him. He said he found no mistakes in the editing (where he found several in the Harry Potter books he just finished reading) and he said the kid writes a great story.

I must swallow my ill-placed envy or is it jealousy, and read the first of his books to see how he made and is still making news. His series is number 3 on the New York Times best seller list, still.

Anyway, be happy for those who've succeeded. Your turn can't be far away, actually good vibrations from you will make it happen sooner.
Try it - it couldn't hurt.
Cricket
http://www.cricket-sawyer.com

"I Think I Can, I Think I can!"

Challenge - Promise Yourself: To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.

When you are facing hard times either financially, emotionally, or spiritually it isn't easy to think only the best for yourself or any one else - but sometimes just smiling will help lighten the burden you feel. And create untold good for you and those you care about.

You can work for the best outcome, you can work to do your best - that doesn't mean perfect that just means the best for where you are and what you CAN do right now. (like parents raising children...you only do what you can do with what you have, know and are.)

If you expect the best - to paraphrase Henry Ford - you can think you can or you can think you can't --either way your are proven right.

So, if you expect the best, throw your dreams toward the moon, even if you fail you'll wind up among the stars - if you aim, expect - the best! You'll have a better chance of getting something more then not shooting for the moon at all. You can do it, if you think you can. "Little Toot, I think I can, I think I can,...." Go for it!

Hope your New Year will be your BEST year ever
Cricket
http://www.cricket-sawyer.com

Where Have I Been?

Sometimes life gets in the way of the best laid plans of mice and men. Besides several new books coming out in the last couple months - I have a few more being released in the months ahead. Fury of Fire: A Woman Betrayed (book 3 in this series)(Crimson Moth Publishers) is due out in January, as is A Writer's Vehicle, Filbert Publishing is a book on the craft of writing. Watch for contests and blog tours associated with each.
However, today I would like you to concentrate on something else....
Its another challenge for you today:
Promise yourself to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

That may be a little difficult, you may have to keep checking yourself when you don't really see the bright side - but if you look really hard I bet you can find one.

Today, we have near blizzard conditions - blowing, drifting, at times near white outs - so the weather is a bit of a bear, but I have a warm and comfortable home. It's a good day to stay inside and write - or bake bread or any of the household chores that make my home a place I love to be.

I'm sure when you look around you have a bunch of sunny just under the veil of "your crabby" or someone else's crabby exterior. Make a smile your umbrella and your rain will all turn to sunshine and rainbows.
Try it!
You can email me your results if you like.
at cricket@cricket-sawyer.com
visit my website at http://www.cricket-sawyer.com