BROOKLYN, WE I HAVE A PROBLEM

The only thing better than having a long weekend at the shore is having a long weekend at the shore with bad weather so you can edit without guilt! Can't be on the beach, can't be outside on the deck, can't be walking around town, so what else can you do? EDIT TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! GUILT-FREE!

As many writers can attest, we're most happy and complete when we're in our own little worlds scribbling fantastic thoughts on a page or computer screen. This is certainly true for me, and as much as I suffer through enjoy writing a first draft, editing is where I get to dance naked with a lampshade on my head deepen my manuscript. It's like a grown-up sandbox. Toss some sand here, build a castle there, dig a moat around the edge there. When you know the foundation (first draft) is solid, you can build on top without worrying the castle will collapse into the moat. 

Okay, enough with the metaphors. (You're welcome.) 

PSYCH!!! 

Okay, so I lied. Here's one more:

Writing a first draft is akin to getting a gold medal for a high dive in the
Olympics sketching a picture in pencil on a large canvas. When you've got all the trees, mountains, flowers, pathways, ladies lounging by the lake with parasols (my imaginary painting is from the 1800s), sun, clouds, animals, and houses sketched in a comprehensive and pleasing manner, then...VOILA!!! Your first draft is done. This is when you party like Keith Richards pat yourself on the back and take a long nap. THEN... when you take out your paints or colored pencils and start shading and brightening and clarifying and adding or erasing animals or plants or ladies with parasols, that my friend, is called the editing process. That's where the magic happens. That's where the sand gets kicked in the bully's face. (Did I not mention that in the earlier metaphor? Oops, my bad! Yes, when you're in the sandbox, always remember to kick sand in the bully's face. It's the law in all 50 states and the territory of Puerto Rico. Not sure about the US Virgin Islands, but feel free to Google it.) It's a slow yet rewarding process, and it's how we writers write books.

So, here I am in the sandbox carefully digging my moat, except for one little thing...

I HAVE A PROBLEM. 

"What is your problem?" you ask, because you're kind and caring and, okay, a bit nosy. Well, I was born in Brooklyn, that's my frickin' problem. Besides being rude and having a foul mouth, people born in Brooklyn have this thing called an IG, code for: Impatient Gene. So, rather than simply kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying tossing sand in the bully's face while digging that freaking moat, I think, God, I'm pretty! "I SHOULD BE DONE BY NOW!!!" To be clear, it's not my fault. My parents are to blame. They could have brought me into the world in say Little Rock, Arkansas or Bainville, Montana (a real place, I looked it up, pop 208), but NOOOOO - they thought their DDD (Darling Daughter Debra) should burst forth into the world in Brooklyn, New York. So, here I am loving writing and hating that it takes so much GD time to write.

I hope this gives you a clearer picture of the life of a Jewish American Princess hard-working dedicated writer. If you have questions or wish to be showered with even more annoying sparkling metaphors, please let me know.

Until then, be kind to one another, treasure the moments, and get your damn self vaccinated. Please and thank you.

xo

Debbie

EDITING HELL UPDATE

Friday morning I finished my second full edit on my shiny new manuscript. I took the advice from my CP regarding tweaking the plot, and I'm glad I did. Her suggestions greatly improved the flow of the story. I'll take some time away from the book and dive back in with fresh eyes in a few days. I'm sure there will be plenty more editing to do, but it won't be as massive as reframing the plot and dialogue. After that, I'll send it off to my editor and do some READING FOR PLEASURE!!!

So, what else is going on in my world? Hmm... where to begin. I'll start with three things:

1) LOSE THE MASK! 

I'm fully vaccinated and look forward to wearing my mask less and less until NOT AT ALL! I'm also grateful we have a leader in the White House who doesn't believe in conspiracy theories or lie to us on a daily basis, and who cares about getting America past this life-stealing global pandemic. Seeing the country start to return to the Before Times is encouraging. Of course, things will never be as they were "before," which isn't a bad thing. First off, The Traitor - the guy responsible for the January 6th insurrection - IS GONE! That, in itself, is miraculous. My blood pressure and the blood pressure of millions of Americans are lower. It's a fabulous, beautiful, wonderful thing. 

2) CATS RULE

My feline overlords, Emma and Mia are alive and well and living in PA. However, Emma, aka Emmy Lou Cupcake, is getting up in years and down in weight. 15 and 8, to be exact. She has had some serious kidney issues, which have been quite scary. She's been my soul-kitty since 2006 when she looked at me with her sweet blue eyes and stole my heart. I'm spending as much time with her as possible, giving her wet and dry treats, and sleeping with her nearly every night. She loves to play fetch with an old guitar string - her favorite game since she was a kitten hanging out in our music studio. At night, she curls between my legs, and I try my best not to disturb her. It's Emma's world, and I'm just living in it. 

                                                    

My other kitty, Mia, aka Princess Mia Grace Princess of all the Princesses, is as adorable as she is neurotic. She loves tummy rubs and head kisses but freaks out at the slightest unfamiliar sound. She's also hungry 25 out of every 24 hours. Her favorite toys are small cloth "mice" and crinkly balls, but she doesn't play fetch. She can, however, play alone with her toys and chase her tail in circles for impressive amounts of time. She's quite pleased with her special talents, and we pretend to be are, too.

Unfortunately, they've never gotten along well with one another. Still, they manage to get by and even "sleep together" in separate beds in the front window soaking up the sun and getting their beauty rest. 

I love them, and they love me, and not only when I feed them. 

3) I'M IN LOVE

My honey and I are heading towards our eighth wedding anniversary this September. I am one lucky gal to have landed my knight in shining armor. He found me at my lowest and helped raise me to my highest (figuratively speaking, people, although we do have pretty wild Date Nights!). We're quite different in nature -  I'm a full-on artist and he's a full-on not-an-artist, but we balance each other well. He's my partner, my lover, and my best friend. I'll stick around as long as he'll have me.

Will share some more next time. Until then, be kind to one another, hug often, and treasure the moments.

And, if you haven't already, get vaccinated. 

Do it. Now. Seriously. Go. 

xo

Debbie 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                NYE 2021

SHE'S ALIVE!!! 

For those of you who remember me, thanks for that. I remember you, too. And I've missed you. Desperately. Terribly. Horribly. Very Much. A Whole Helluva Lot. 

I'm happy to report, my short, little, eight-year break from blogging is officially over. 

"Why?" you ask, which is a very good question.

Because my son, Adam, through his honesty and openness in his newly minted blog, made me realize I missed this little corner of the interwebs. You can follow his inspiring posts about getting clean and all things related here.

"So, what have you been up to all these years, Deb? Have you climbed Mt. Everest? Created world peace? Called your mother? Cut back on chocolate?" (No, No, Yes, and No.) Again, all very good questions. I can see you've put a lot of thought into this. Impressive!

When I last left off, I'd just gotten remarried, was a slave to two feline overlords, and had bought a new house. The marriage is better than ever and I'm still subservient to Emma and Mia, but the homes (yes, two) have changed. I'll get to that another time. For now, I want to return to the original purpose of this blog...WRITING!

IN A NUTSHELL...

During the past eight years, I've worked hard at my craft. I've written a few more books and self-pubbed two of my earlier works: 

MURDER ON TWILIGHT CIRCLE, an Agatha Christie-type murder mystery and, 

THE SECRET KEEPER, a young adult paranormal romance. You can check out my author's website and purchase my books here. 

Currently, I'm editing my latest manuscript, a women's fiction domestic suspense novel. Wife, mistress, serial killer. You know, the usual stuff. Like many of my books, it's based in a fictitious town in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I'll be sending it off to a much-trusted editor soon, and once I feel the book is as good as I can make it, I'll dive back into the query pool to do a few laps and search for a new agent. In this arena, I hope the third time will, indeed, be the charm. 

Another wonderful thing is I've hooked up with a brilliant critique partner (CP) who lives outside of Ontario, Canada. She is an award-winning novelist who has made a big difference in the direction and focus of my current manuscript. I'll introduce you to her in an upcoming post.

So, that's my quick update. If you have questions, comments, or (especially) compliments, feel free to leave them in the comments, and click "Followers" on the right to add your beautiful face to my page. 

IN SUMMARY:

It's great to be back. 

Cats rule (literally).

Didn't climb a mountain.

Still eat copious amounts of chocolate.

Call my mom regularly.

Get vaccinated if you haven't already, and never miss an opportunity to tell those you love how much you care.

xo

Debbie