Z: Zipline--A Little Lesson from Tom Cruise

As a teenager, I visited Eglin Air Force Base in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. I think the Blue Angels were performing at the airshow later in the day. My friends and I visited an assortment of airplanes on display. I jumped in a F14 Tomcat and sat behind the wheel, chilling like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. After the show, I headed over to a zipline set up by the airmen. After I climbed to the top of the platform, I stood looking out over the vast air force base. I peeked over the edge. Big mistake. I'm not normally afraid of heights. I was actually leaning to fly a plane at the time. My uncle had spent all summer giving me lessons. I never got my pilot's license due to the fact you had to fly solo. I was way too afraid I'd pass out, hit a flock of birds, or get shot out of the sky by a group of Russian MIGs.

The airman helped me into the gear and attached the hook to the zipline. He said, "Count to three and jump." Hahaha!" I laughed and said, "That's not going to happen. You're going to have to push me off this thing." He counted out loud, "One," and pushed.

Sometimes we just need someone to push us over the edge and out of our comfort zone, out of the rejection blues and back into writing. Don't let a little rejection or bad review get you down. Let it be a learning experience and move on. Stuck in a rut or a safe zone? Get out and get flying, I mean get writing!

It's been loads of fun getting to know all of my fellow a to z'ers! I'm looking forward to staying in touch with all of you. WE MADE IT!!!

#atozchallenge #amwriting #topgun 
(Photo credits: free images)

Y: Yikes!

I'm cutting it close today. Yikes stands for "Yikes, I didn't think I was going to make it in the #PitchSlam contest hosted by Michelle Hauck." But I did!! There are 4 teams each with 12 entries. Six lit agents will be perusing the pickings today. (!!!) So, here's the link if you want to view my pitch and see my first 250 words. This upper MG humorous mystery features my second son as the secondary character/sidekick, Tommy. ;-)

Have a great Tuesday! See you tomorrow for the finale.
#atozchallenge #picthslam #amwriting

X: Proceed with Caution

Three letters left in this challenge. I really struggled with what to post today. Last week I started writing a new teen novel. Think spy thriller set in Chicago. I love using K.M. Weiland's Structuring Your Novel. It takes about five minutes to outline your basic story structure. You can always go back later and fill in more details. Are you wondering where I'm headed with this "X" post?

Proceed with caution if you are a character in my new book. Do you enjoy this part as a writer--X-ing characters or killing them off? Maybe your writing doesn't include these acts of God. I feel kind of bad (kind of:) already deciding which lives will be spared and which ones will be X-ed. Sometimes I stop over a character's name ready to eliminate them, but then decide to give them a fighting chance. (Only to change my mind and realize they must go, later at the end of the novel after they've served their purpose.) My other two novels I've written aren't exactly like this. They're geared toward a younger audience.

I'd like to leave you with a pic of my son's X-ray of his badly broken arm. You can see the two metal plates and thirteen screws. :)

How many characters do you usually eliminate per book? Have you ever kept a character and later decided it was best to keep him alive or decided to get rid of him at the last minute?Do you decide ahead of time how many injuries your MC will incur throughout your novel?

#atozchallenge #amwriting #characters #outlining 
Photos: Chicago photo courtesy of free images. X-ray found on my Instagram

W: Why?

I often get asked why I write for teens or why I wrote my debut novel from a male, first person point- of-view. You know I have two teen boys and with all the years spent in the classroom teaching boys, it seems they have become the main target audience for my writing. I love watching the teen protagonist discover the problems that are threatening his very life or world. I equip him with the right tools and watch him resolve the conflict and do battle with the antagonist--all on his own. Well, he might have a few friends or mentors along the way to help him. So, if you want to see your character change (because that's our goal as writers) make the MC a teen, throw him in a shark tank and teach him to swim (and to kill a shark!).

Boys, for the most part, are straightforward, uncomplicated and adventurous risk takers. (Not that girls can't be like this;) Here is one thing I've notice about my boys over the years. When I ask them how their day went at school, I get answers like fine, good, awesome, fine. Never do I get a two hour-long drama infested rehashing of the day's events. Other things I notice about my boys:

Boys don't hold grudges.
Boys can be extremely loyal.
Boys have best friends and keep their friends for a long time.
Boys don't gossip. Instead, they just tell it like it is.
Boys punch, hit and tackle each other, not because they are upset, but because they are boys.
Boys rarely get embarrassed.
Boys don't smell. (Bear with me. My boys own every variety of Axe spray and Old Spice available!)
Boys don't usually discover girls until way later than girls discover boys. (This is why I personally enjoy reading--and writing--novels with a male protagonist.)
Boys don't require driving lessons. They ride enough four wheelers, go-carts & mopeds that when they get behind the wheel, they just drive. (OK, maybe a Driver's Ed isn't a bad idea;-)
 

Aston Martin-Vantage 

I eavesdrop. (Remember, I'm good at that:) A few years ago when I picked up my oldest son from school, he passed a group of girls. They squealed, "Hi, Austin!" My clueless son said, "Uh, hey." Then he turned to his best bud and asked two questions, "Dude, did you get the new Call of Duty game?" and "Man, did you see that killer catch I made in the football game last night." Oblivious.

What is your main target audience? Which point of view do you most often write from? Why do you write for adults, teens, tweens, children? 

(Photo: courtesy free images) And you will find the Aston Martin in the pages of my novel Free Runner. I needed a cool, expensive car to feature. My oldest suggested I check out this sweet ride.

#atozchallenge #amwriting #teenfiction 

V: Videos

Videos. My boys make them all the time. Vines. My oldest threw a rotten watermelon off our deck. it plummeted twenty feet, splattering all over the lawn. (I made him clean up the aftermath.) My youngest son, in the dead of winter clad only in shorts and a t-shirt, took a tumble down our backyard hill--on purpose--while his best bud video taped him. And, of course, not to mention the hundreds of snap chat videos they create. No, I do not snap chat. :)

My publisher would love a book trailer from me. Bahahaha. Now, switch on the tears. I can't stop crying. I should've created one before my book debuted this January. But my life is super busy. (Yeah, yeah, we know:) I envisioned one last summer until my son broke his arm. I planned to video him performing a few parkour moves.

I've watched plenty of book trailers on YouTube. Is there anything I need to know? I don't even know where to begin. My writer friend said she paid for one and it turned out to be a nightmare being over three minutes long, wordy and set to terrible music. I think with the help of my techie fam, I could create one? I've told my oldest son, Mr. Artistic, that I can picture him as a graphic designer someday. He's taken advanced drawing, animation, regular and digital photography. He told me he's going to medical school. Well, we will see who is right. ;-)

Technology is truly my arch nemesis. Just when I think Ive conquered this monster, it grows three
more ugly heads. I tread water in this field. I'm not drowning, but there always seems to be a shark nearby, circling me. I'm not as bad as my mom or dad. Good grief, they just got iPhones. "How does this thing work, dear?" Sigh.

I have a clear vision of a short book trailer. Any suggestions? I really don't want to pay for one! Have you made one? What are the things you love about book trailers and the things you hate?
Feel free to leave links to your favorite book trailers or to yours.

#atozchallenge #amwriting #booktrailers
(Photo: courtesy free images)

U: Undercover Agents

In elementary school, I narrowed down my career choices to archaeologist, surfer or secret agent. My first edition copy of Harriet the Spy still sits on my bookshelf. Since I used my "S" post for stress, I thought I'd post today about my obsession with secret agents and the world of espionage.

With all my book research, it's a wonder I don't have the NSA, FBI or the CIA knocking at (down) my door. In the sixth grade, I was given a book on Russian spies filled with stories of KGB agents living life in America during the Cold War. They smuggled information right under our noses. This triggered my curiosity about undercover ops and secret slash double agents. I am by no means an expert in this area, just a huge fan and avid researcher. Because I just finished editing my latest novel, an upper-MG mystery, I am now free to start writing a contemporary upper-MG (maybe YA?) spy thriller I've had stored up in my brain for a long time.

The main character in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz is a fourteen-year-old teenage spy working for MI6 in London. Horowitz equips his young protagonist with memorable high-tech gadgets and with a keen knowledge of the workings of a spy. After all, he was raised by his uncle who was also an MI6 agent. The backstory runs deep and the adventures are non-stop.

Chris O'Donnell as Agent "G" Callen

I enjoy watching NCIS:LA (not to be confused with the other NCIS). Who doesn't love California, the beach and agent "G. Callen"? I'm hopeful that after five seasons we will find out what the "G" stands for.

Do you enjoy watching secret agent shows or writing about undercover ops? Does your book research tend to get you "noticed" by the government? What do you enjoy researching the most for your novels?



#atozchallenge #amwriting #secretagents #AlexRider #NCIS:LA
(Photos: courtesy of free images)


 

T: 3 T's

Tired
I'm getting tired. Don't get me wrong. I'm not tired of this challenge, but I am tired of editing my WIP. As I was finishing the final edits last night, I had one plot hole left n my story to fill. My droopy eyelids and taxed brain refused to find closure. I walked away and tackled the laundry and gathered my running clothes for my morning run. Running is where I do my best editing. I'll figure it out in the morning. But the answer zapped me last night by the last load of laundry! With the plot hole patched, I'm ready to send this story off to my beta readers and critique group. (Then after that, more edits, for sure:)

Teacher
Before I started my writing career, I was a fifth grade teacher. One year I had 14 boys and 4 girls in

my classroom. I couldn't turn my back for one second. As I broke up the wrestling matches and football games in the classroom, I knew I needed to keep them busy. We built bridges out of straws and paperclips, constructed the Colosseum out of sugar cubes and icing and made ancient Roman weaponry out of cardboard and tinfoil. Fun times.

Twitter
The one thing I said I'd never do was join Twitter. I joined last summer. I'm still figuring it out at times. Twitter is a place to connect with writers all over the world. It's a completely different experience than Facebook and that's a good thing.  @jennifer_hawes

Switching careers took a lot of faith. Have you ever switched careers? Do you juggle two careers?Are you tired of editing? How close are you to finishing your WIP? Have you joined Twitter yet? What are you waiting for? 

#atozchallenge #amwriting #twitter
(Photo credit: free images)