Happy New Year!

 

Making a Luscious Life!

 

Many years ago, I dyed my hair purple, wore a hot pink coat, an acid green sweater, and visited to the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. The air was fresh, wet, and clean. Walking around the many waterfalls in the Gorge illuminated many things I had not realized before.

I discovered I wanted to live a luscious (my favorite word) life. I didn't want to wear boring black clothes. I wanted color, exuberance, and pleasure. I didn't want to live filled with anxiety or constant worry about what could go wrong.

As part of wanting a luscious life, I took last December off.  I had written eleven books in two years (one of the few bright sides of lockdown).  I liked them all, but i was worn out. I had ruptured the meniscus in my right knee last year, in addition to a number of weird stresses. Over my vacation, I decided I wanted to try new things.

I want to rework how I do my outreach. I want to make it more fun for me.

I always want to bring you the very best of me and my work so I get wound up about writing meaningful, deep, thoughtful essays. My vacation taught me that I was making the stakes for my newsletters and blog waaaaaay too high. What does that mean?  More pretty pictures! More talking about creating a life that makes you shine.

We are going to have so much fun.


 

 

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Archetypes: The Sage.

Finally, we have reached the last Queen Archetype from the Mopop Queen Within exhibition! She is The Sage, and what a wonderful woman to finish with.

 She's the thinker, planner, risk-taker, and philosopher in all of us. She has wisdom, intelligence, and self-reflection and uses these powers to understand the world.

Her biggest fears are being ignored or tricked by others. This can lead to her weakness, which is the seductive lure of never-ending research.

The Sage cares about the environment and wants sustainable fabrics. Her clothing invites inquiry.

 What do you wear to invoke The Sage? What makes you feel wise and able to take risks?

The most important books for writing romance.

My favorite titles.

I wanted to talk about my favorite books on writing. Every author has her go-to's for inspiration and help, and here are mine.

How can one live without Joanna Russ's How to Suppress Women's Writing?

People love to denigrate our genre. This book gives an insightful and quirky look at how much and how little attitudes towards women's words have changed. It taught me just what kinds of horrible internalized sexism colored what I wrote, how I viewed other women, and worst of all, what I did to myself.

Find it here: https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/rushow



Making a Literary Life by Elizabeth See.
A far greater writer than I'll ever be says this:

If everyone who wants to be a writer would read this book there would be many more good writers, many more happy writers, and editors would be so overwhelmed by sweetness they would accept many more good books. So what are you waiting for? Read it! Ursula K. Le Guin

Find it here: http://www.carolynsee.com/Books/literarylife.html



Write Away by Elizabeth George.
From Publisher's Weekly:

Here's a useful book for the novice writer battling the fears and insecurities that attend when she contemplates her first novel....George illustrates her points with passages from both her ownworks and those of numerous writers she admires (Martin Cruz Smith,Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Michael Dorris), this remains more of a how-I-do-it book than a how-to-do-it book. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unlike PW, I'll say that this book is good even for experienced writers. I love her examples - they illustrate her points brilliantly.

Find it here:http://www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com/books/write_away.htm

The most important romance specific book on my shelf is Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women by Jayne Ann Krentz.

"In Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, Jayne Ann Krentz and the contributors to this volume—all best-selling romance writers—explode myths and biases that haunt both the writers and readers of romances.

In this seamless, ultimately fascinating, and controversial book, the authors dispute some of the notions that plague their profession, including the time-worn theory that the romance genre contains only one single, monolithic story, which is cranked out over and over again. The authors discuss positive life-affirming values inherent in all romances: the celebration of female power, courage, intelligence, and gentleness; the inversion of the power structure of a patriarchal society; and the integration of male and female. Several of the essays also discuss the issue of reader identification with the characters, a relationship that is far more complex than most critics realize."

Find it here: http://jayneannkrentz.com/dangerous-men-and-adventurous-women/

I feel that the most important book on my shelf remains Against Our Will by Susan Brownmiller. I'm not going to kid you - this is a painful and devastating book, whether you have been a victim of sexual assault or not. But it endlessly reminds me of what I feel is the great gift that romance gives every reader: That her pleasure is central to life, that her consent should never dismissed or belittled, and that each of us deserves to be heard.

Find it here: http://www.susanbrownmiller.com/susanbrownmiller/html/against_our_will.html

The Bohemian Life

Darla's sweet and smart short story

Darla Luke, a wr.iter of formidable insight, told me that I had a Bohemian life.

And I went, "Me?? No way." After all, a bohemian travels the world, dyes her hair crazy colors, has an eclectic and varied family of choice, and wears funky, sassy clothes.

 

 

Funky color green

Talk about a moment of clarity. I grew up in a very small town in Northern Illinois. There was a strong tendency toward, shall we say, conformity. I never once believed I would go overseas, write books, or even live in a beautiful city.

Visiting Amsterdam

Visiting the Louvre! 

I still can't believe I went to Istanbul!!

The best adventure of all: The Charming Man.

Blast from the Past: 2013 Resolutions

Back in 2013, some of my fellow writers and I did a series of blog tours. We talked about our goals for the new year on each other's blogs. Here is my post on the topic of Creating a Literary Life.

My favorite book on writing, bar none, is Making a Literary Life, by Elizabeth See. The section she wrote on rejection is life changing. I wanted to discuss it today, but I’d have to quote the whole damn thing, and that was way too much copyright infringement, even for me.

Instead, I’m going to discuss her chapter on making the magic, going beyond the words on the page, and into creating the life that makes you shine.

I can’t say it better than she does, so here it is.

Any philanthropist knows that the more money she gives, the more she’ll get back; any volunteer knows that hour spent in a good cause give us golden time. We all know, at some level, that stinginess doesn’t work.

If you start giving away what you want, you give the universe a nudge – you get the cosmic Jell-O trembling.

If you feel you don’t have enough love in your life (no writer, art6ist, human being can exist without love), don’t go around trying to steal it at low bars from impressionable young men and women: Try giving it away, in a blaze of affection, compliments and hugs. Start with your musty old grandma, your lumpy wife, your doltish dad: hugs and compliments- because you have so much love in your bank that you can afford to give it away, lavishly and recklessly.

So what are you waiting for? The best part of the literary and creative life is giving away what you most want. 

Best of...

For my retrospective, here is a blog post from November 22, 2009. Enjoy!

***

No fear?

A dear friend of mine has characters and stories roaming her head. She wants, no, yearns to write.

Just like the rest of us, she is frightened.

Writing is scary stuff. Let's list a few of the things that scare her.

1. Rejection by publishers.
2. Rejection by agents.
3. Rejection by friends and family.
4. The possibility that you really DO suck.
5. The possibility that you might learn something about yourself that you didn't want to know. (I was pretty surprised that I wrote vampire stories. I wanted to write screw-ball comedies).
6. Bad reviews.
7. Good reviews.
8. Not getting published which leads to...
9. Feeling like you've wasted your time.
10. Not making money.

These fears are real. They stop people in their tracks every day. They even stop me from time to time.

I have no easy answers about how to not be afraid. In fact, these fears are important. You have to look at them and say, "Well. What if I do suck? What if my work does gets rejected from now until the end of time?"

The payoff might not be worth the pain. If so, then congratulate yourself, and realize that there are many other dreams waiting for you! Maybe you will find fulfillment in improv comedy or Linux open-source work.

Make your fears work for you.

2013 Resolutions: The literary life and me

My favorite book on writing, bar none, is Making a Literary Life, by Elizabeth See. The section she wrote on rejection is life changing. I wanted to discuss it today, but I’d have to quote the whole damn thing, and that was way too much copyright infringement, even for me.

Instead, I’m going to discuss her chapter on making the magic, going beyond the words on the page, and into creating the life that makes you shine.

I can’t say it better than she does, so here it is.

Any philanthropist knows that the more money she gives, the more she’ll get back; any volunteer knows that hour spent in a good cause give us golden time. We all know, at some level, that stinginess doesn’t work.

If you start giving away what you want, you give the universe a nudge – you get the cosmic Jell-O trembling.

If you feel you don’t have enough love in your life (no writer, art6ist, human being can exist without love), don’t go around trying to steal it at low bars from impressionable young men and women: Try giving it away, in a blaze of affection, compliments and hugs. Start with your musty old grandma, your lumpy wife, your doltish dad: hugs and compliments- because you have so much love in your bank that you can afford to give it away, lavishly and recklessly.

So what are you waiting for? The best part of the literary and creative life is giving away what you most want. 

My books:

Dracula’s Secret

Dracula’s Desires

Dracula Unleashed

Blog

Facebook

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2013 Resolutions: Jenna Bayley-Burke and the Literary Life

Resolve 2013 : Creating a Literary Life

Welcome Jenna Bayley-Burke, author of Drive Me Crazy. What are your thoughts on my New Year’s resolution to Create a Literary Life? 

It sounds wonderful…can I be in it?

I’m still mired in the small-children-rule-my-world life, and will be for another decade and a half. I have grand dreams of a literary life. Attending readings, signings, book clubs, conventions. I’ll wear long cardigans and flowing skirts and sip tea all day long. I’ll write in quaint, local cafes where I’ll be known by the staff and regulars and ‘the writer’. 

I’ll read as much as an agent, a story a day at least, three on a good day. And I’ll know the authors, drop them quirky notes about how I loved their latest and recognized parts of the trip they took to Spain a few years back. I’ll read on a hammock, or a fainting couch. Preferably with bonbons.

*tires squealing* 

What the heck are bonbons anyway? I mean, really. When I am ready I don’t want anything that could dirty my fingers and get on the pages of the book or mar my e-reader case. This is why true readers covet m&m’s. And while I can hear the folksy guitar scoring that life, I’ve always been more of an uptempo, dance mix kind of girl. 

My literary life takes place online. Mostly on Twitter (the break room) or Facebook (the reception area). A few times a year I’m on the ball enough to arrange the kids’ and husband’s schedules so they can do without me for a bit. Conferences and brainstorming sessions leave me energized to write and create, but unfortunately I come home to the chaos created by my absence and… I don’t feel at all literary as I decode what transpired by laundry stains and what’s missing from the pantry.

 Alas, I’m not sure I’m much help on this one, Linda. So sorry. Ask me in again in a decade and a half. 

Find Jenna : Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter | Blog| Pinterest  

Keep the party rolling!

Maggie Jaimeson - Take a Vacation

Jessa Slade - Get Organized

Paty Jager - Volunteerism

Linda Mercury - Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life

Jenna Bayley-Burke - Eat Healthier

Cassiel Knight - No More Procrastination

Cathryn Cade - Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions

Su Lute - Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss

Jamie Brazil - Shrink My Closet

2013 Resolutions: Cathryn Cade and the Literary Life

It All Started With Barbie    Cathryn Cade 

Hawaiian Heroes III; Blooming in the Wild

My first memories of reading are such good ones—carrying home books from the public library in a pile so high I had to balance them under my chin. And then devouring them as fast as I could. Being read aloud to by my teacher after lunch every day. (My mother says she and my dad read to us every night, but darn it, I can’t remember that, even when I look at the family photos.)

Dr. Seuss was a favorite—Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Then on to The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Black Stallion, Tarzan of the Apes. Hey, I didn’t say I was into great literature, just good stories. 

So much so that when I grew up and went off to college, I fell in love with a career. That’s when I knew I wanted to be not just a teacher, but a librarian. And for many years I loved the job. Stayed home with my two boys in the middle, then went back to it.

I still love a good adventure with some mystery, suspense, a character who learns something important about herself, and a happy ending. Which is why I find it so very satisfying to read romance. I think Jayne Ann Krentz said it best in an interview with the Seattle Times. 

“While the (popular) fictional landscape may change, the players remain consistent. At the core of all the genres are the archetypes. We know what a hero's supposed to act like. He's still gotta have the classic heroic values—courage, honor, and determination.”  

And of course many of our favorite heroes are heroines! With the same qualities as the male hero, but tempered with the best of femininity—compassion, tenderness and a strong belief in family. 

And that’s why, when it was time to move on to a new career, it was romance writing that attracted me. Did I mention I’ve been writing stories since I was old enough to draw those big, crooked letters on wide-ruled paper? My stories sort of continued the wild adventures had by my Barbie and Ken dolls. 

So in a weird way, I have Barbie to thank for my career. No wonder I write erotic romance with a muse like that—boobs like a stripper and eye-makeup to match! Add the fact that she and Ken hung around naked in the dark a lot, and there you have it. (In their Barbie carrying case, what did you think I meant?) 

What’s your favorite genre of romance? And can you remember the reading path that brought you here? I’d love to know. Leave a comment!

Happy New Year,

Cathryn Cade

... red hot romance!

Goodreads, My Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Samhain Author Page,

And sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies!

Continue the blog party!

Maggie Jaimeson - Take a Vacation

Jessa Slade - Get Organized

Paty Jager - Volunteerism

Linda Mercury - Creating a Literary (or Creative) Life

Jenna Bayley-Burke - Eat Healthier

Cassiel Knight - No More Procrastination

Cathryn Cade - Take Time for those OTHER Creative Passions

Su Lute - Reduce Stress: Find and Follow Your Bliss

Jamie Brazil - Shrink My Closet