Beautiful British Columbia

I was in northern British Columbia for my other job, the non-fiction writing one, and had the pleasure of not only seeing stunning scenery and meeting great people, but also getting back up in a helicopter. Giddy-Up. (Calgary Stampede pun completely intentional. ;) Happy Stampede everyone!!)

Landscapes move me, just like many of the characters I write. What can I say, I dig sharing the natural world with people. . . and getting up in a helicopter. ;)

Sarah Kades' view from helicopter.

Happy Reading, Happy Exploring!

10 Steps to Overcoming Writer’s Shyness by guest author Lorraine Paton

It is with great pleasure that I introduce my friend and fellow author Lorraine Paton. She is an incredible woman and I am absolutely giddy she has released her first book! I met lorraine through the Alberta Romance Writers' Association. We have taught and taken workshops together, sat on the ARWA board together, we are in the same awesome critique group and will be team-teaching Writing Sexual Tension, Heightening Your Readers' Satisfaction at the When Words Collide conference in Calgary, August 9, 2013.

So, without further ado, I introduce to you Lorraine Paton!

10 Steps to Overcoming Writer’s Shyness

By Lorraine Paton

Thank you, Sarah, for having me on your blog today!  I’m thrilled to be here! 

As a newbie writer, I was anxious about sharing my writing with other people, particularly other writers, and now my debut novel has been recently released! It has been quite the journey! So, I thought I’d share the ten steps I took to overcome my writing shyness: 

1) Friends and Family

For me, the safest place to start sharing my writing was with friends and family… probably because usually they usually said they loved it!  They wanted to encourage me, and that is a wonderful thing.  

The one challenge was that if they sensed a problem with what I'd written (and I'm sure there were a lot of problems in those early pages), they didn't always understand how to define what it is because they didn't really know writing terms nor had they studied the craft of writing.  

I didn’t ask questions of those first readers, and, truth be told, I probably didn’t want to know if they didn’t like my story. I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.  At this stage in my writing, I still had a lot to learn, but I was excited about my writing and the joy of creating stories, and I instinctually wanted to share on some level. Having friends and family read my early work was a "feel good" way to start sharing.

2) Application for Writing Group

When I joined the Alberta Romance Writers’ Association (ARWA), I needed to submit pages to the Membership Chair in order to become a full member.  I wanted to be a full member, so I sucked it up and submitted my 50 pages.  Even though I knew my pages would not be critiqued—and, at the time, I thanked God for that!  It was nerve-wracking, but well worth it!

3) Ask Someone Knowledgeable for Feedback

My next step was to approach the founder of my writing group, Judith Duncan, and ask her to read the first few chapters of two of my stories.  She was experienced at mentoring newbie writers, and was very encouraging.  Her feedback was fantastic.  It helped me step back from my stories and she was able to identify opportunities for growth. 

4) Brainstorm with Other People

This was a fun and safe way to share parts of my story (like characters, plot, internal / external conflicts, etc.) with other writers or friends.  Sure, the other people weren’t actually reading my words, but they were giving my valuable feedback on character development or plot twists, helping me overcome clichés or big picture problems.  And, this helped build my confidence that the fundamental building blocks of my story were strong.

5) Share Excerpts with a Great Writing Group

In ARWA, we occasionally have roundtable discussions or feedback sessions.  During those meetings, members are encouraged to bring in usually one to two pages to share.  What is great about ARWA is that it is a safe and supportive community, so the comments are monitored and people are encouraged to stay positive.  Doling out little bits of my writing to fellow writers for comment kept it from becoming too overwhelming when I was still learning how to accept feedback.

6) Critique Group

One of the single best things I did was find a critique group that suited me.  Sarah Kades and two other writers are in mine.  We send approximately 10 pages to the other members. We read and comment the other submissions, and then we meet to discuss the pages.  This is a fascinating process because it really highlights how individual the reading process is – what one person loves, another might hate.  So, I’m glad I waited until I felt a little more confident in my writing and knowledge of the craft, so I could understand how to address the problems other people find. And, it really opened my eyes to the fact that my writing will never please everyone, and I can’t write in such a way that it will.  This shouldn’t have been a surprise, since there are books by best selling authors that I don’t enjoy, so why would I expect my writing to be different? That said, this process has also been incredibly encouraging, particularly when I submit something that resonates with each of my critique partners.  What a great feeling!

7) Blog Hop

I signed up for a blog hop called Six Sentence Sunday, which is sadly now defunct.  On the blog hop, we were required to post exactly six sentences.  I’d sweat those six sentences every week, but at the same time, the premise of the exercise was brilliant. You could sign up as and when you wanted, and chose any six sentences you wanted. The other authors who visited my blog to read my sentences were incredibly supportive, and I count many of the people I’d met through that blog hop as friends.  Although Six Sentence Sunday isn't around any more, there are still a lot of similar opportunities out there.

8) Enter a Contest

I entered an online contest where other people had the chance to read and vote on the submissions.  Although I didn’t final in the contest, I still count the experience as a huge success!  Not only did I put my words in front of tons of people, but also complete strangers contacted me on Twitter to let me know how much they enjoyed my story and others asked me where they could buy the book.  Woo hoot! 

9) Beta Readers

So, here I come full circle.  I asked some friends who were not writers to read my books again after I thought I was finished my billionth round of edits (but knew there would always be room for more changes).  This time, though, I gave my readers specific questions and encouraged them to let me know if they hated – and, if they did it, where?  You see, now I am further along in my knowledge of the craft of writing and feel better able to decipher and understand problems that are not already translated into writer-speak. And, perhaps naively, I feel confident that I could probably fix damn-near anything in my manuscript.

10) Publish!

And, now, after all of this, I’m excited to announce I’m at a point in my journey where I've entered into publishing.  I’m sending my book out into the big wide world, where anyone could read it – or review it! More importantly, I’m excited about it!  Go figure!  

Author Lorraine Paton

Lorraine's Bio:

Lorraine Paton's debut contemporary romance novel, Devin's Second Chance, was released in June 2013 and the next book in her Morning Lake series, Annie's Christmas Plan, will be available this fall.  Lorraine lives with her husband in Alberta, which is also the setting for her novels.  When she is not refereeing fights between her two cats or having fun on social media, Lorraine can be found working on several other happily-ever-after books.  

You can connect with Lorraine on: 

Her Blog: http://www.lorrainepaton.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/patonlorraine 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorrainePaton.Author 

Or, by subscribing to her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/tYuqP

 

 

Devin's Second Chance

Cowboy Devin Trent’s life has been stuck for years, unchanged since his unfaithful wife died, and he is determined to keep it that way - an ever-present reminder of why he doesn’t deserve a second chance at love.  Claire Best, by contrast, is in turmoil – she is renting her house to summer folk, she is planning a big fundraiser, and her doctor has discovered something that needs to be investigated.  

Pulled together by the fundraiser, Claire’s teenage renter, and Devin’s matchmaking mom, their immediate attraction quickly escalates to more, but Claire fears her own health worries will only resurrect Devin’s pain and grief over his wife’s final days and she is willing to sacrifice her own happiness to protect him.

Can they overcome their pasts and listen to their hearts before their happily-ever-after slips away?

You can find Devin's Second Chance at: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DEI4BCI 

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Devins-Second-Chance/book-zKwUutiErk-DimMMCcmcaA/page1.html?s=pICsvlfEBkyoqqZx7yehrw&r=1 

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-devin039ssecondchance-1222664-149.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/326435

Alberta Strong

As many of you know, I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. And here in southern Alberta, Summer Solstice came with water this year. What usually is a time of celebration and welcoming summer in was a day of disbelief and shock. Many areas of southern Alberta flooded on Solstice and into the weekend, with more areas bracing for the torrent.

But with this devastation came something incredibly beautiful; people at their best. Put adversity in front of a community and watch the heroes and heroines step up left, right and center. Watching the news and social media feeds, I was in awe at the strength and power of the support, compassion and generosity. Seriously, people are awesome! The incredibly orchestrated evacuations and closures were coordinated, methodical in keeping people safe and calm in a time where chaos certainly could have taken over. Excellent work emergency crews!!

My sincere gratitude to my southern Alberta community and all the incredible people here, and to everyone who heard what was going on and helped with prayers, donations or volunteering.
Thank You.

Here are a link to see photos people shared with the CBC.
Here is a link to the Red Cross Alberta Floods Fund for donations.

Be safe. Go hug someone you are grateful for.

Flower Power

Here's a little flower power from my last camping trip adventure. We stopped at the RJ Haney Heritage Village and Museum in Salmon Arm, BC for their pancake breakfast in the tea room. The breakfast, museum, and staff were delightful! Thanks Salmon Arm for the wonderful hospitality!

Hope this brings a smile to your face. It certainly did mine. Go flower power!

Iris flowers at R. J. Haney Heritage Village and Museum, Salmon Arm, BC.

Special Guest Diana Cranstoun, Two Weeks of WWII Food Rations

I've written before on the vibrant writing community that is in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I met today's special blog guest Diana Cranstoun when I joined Alberta Romance Writers' Association (ARWA) four years ago. She is a joy and an inspiration. I am honored to call her friend and to have her as a guest on my blog today! 

For those interested in World War II, you are in good company, as that is of particular interest to Diana, the main topic she writes about, and what prompted her to earlier this month eat only WWII food rations. For more information on Diana, visit her at dianacranstoun.com.

Please welcome Diana Cranstoun:

Firstly, many thanks for inviting me to guest blog on your site, Sarah.  I’m very excited about it!  As to what to write about...

Although I grew up in Glasgow 20 years after the Second World War ended, it’s not really surprising that particular war has always fascinated me.  On my daily walk to school I passed several gardens that still had air-raid shelters in them. When my history teacher asked my class how many of our fathers had been at Dunkirk, at least a dozen hands (including my own) shot into the air. And although the rebuilt stonework was fairly well matched, it was obvious where a landmine had taken out a tenement building on the street where my mother was born. 

The soldier/sailor/airman’s experience of those years is well documented, but those of the women they left behind, not so much. Perhaps that’s what was in the back of my mind when I decided to limit myself to wartime rations for a two week period.  What must it have been like trying to feed your family during that time?  (BTW, rationing in Britain continued until 1954, nine years after the war ended.)

Weekly allowance of rationed food for a British adult during WWII.
Photo by Diana Cranstoun

The weekly allowance of rationed food for a British adult consisted of: 8oz meat, 4oz ham or bacon, 2oz butter, 2oz cheese, 4oz margarine, 4oz cooking fat, 3 pints milk, 8oz sugar, 1lb jam every 2 months, 2oz tea, 1 egg, 3oz sweets.  Bread and vegetables (locally produced/in season) were not rationed and formed the basis of the diet.  Certain tinned foods were available on a points system. Although proteins e.g. eggs were rationed, that didn’t mean they were always available.

The first week was a challenge trying to juggle everything so I didn’t run out of rations, but by the second week I was starting to get the hang of it, and I learned a lot from the experience.  Preparation and cooking from scratch every day was very time consuming.  I had the luxury of a fridge, microwave and being able to buy all my groceries in one trip to the shops, but that wasn’t the case for the women during the war. Even harder if you were holding down a full-time job as well.

But perhaps the greatest thing I got out of the experience were the memories my aunt supplied.  She was a child during the war and had some unexpected tales to tell. 

One story I remembered my mother telling me, and which has always stuck in my head, was her experience during the Clydebank Blitz.  She was a young mother of a six month-old baby at the time. The night of the blitz, my grandmother gathered the whole family onto mattresses in the hall as the bombs fell. If they were going to die, they would die together.  (This was about half a mile away from the landmine mentioned above.)

My aunt, eleven years of age at the time, remembers the event differently.   We all gathered in the ‘safest’ place in the house but I several times made an excuse to go to the bathroom so I could see the searchlights and the glow of the fires. Ah the resilience of youth!

Oh yes, and then there was her story of the pheasant . . . !

Donald Maass, Writing 21st Century Fiction Workshop, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Last Saturday I attended the Calgary association of Romance Writers of America's Spring 2013 workshop featuring Donald Maass, Writing 21st Century Fiction. What an incredible, intensive day, with absolutely lovely people. The workshop included hands-on writing that really cracked open another several layers of the writer inside. I'm still processing and analyzing all the information (get your geek on!). It was an excellent workshop.

CaRWA hosted the workshop in Redwood Meadows, a small, scenic community south of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and writers from different local writing communities, including ARWA, IFWA, and WWC, attended. It is always inspiring being in a room full of writers and Alberta has a vibrant writing community!

Breaks were enjoyed outside in the best weather we've seen this spring so far. You know when the sun warms up the spruce needles and everything even smells great? That's what Saturday was like, gorgeous!

Donald Maass and Sarah Kades, CaRWA Spring 2013 Workshop.

I first heard of Mr. Maass four years ago.  My first novella was out with Amira Press and I knew I loved this whole writing thing, but that I had a lot to learn!  I joined a local writing group, ARWA, and a name kept popping up, Donald Maass. Everyone spoke so highly of this dude and I was encouraged to check out his books and see him speak if I ever got the chance. So I did.

It truly was a great day, with great people. I learned A LOT, busted past some writing comfort walls I didn't know were there, and reinforced some essential, core beliefs about writing and myself.

Storytelling is part of us. It always has been. It is cool to be part of that.


Thank you CaRWA for the opportunity and Mr. Donald Maass for coming. ;)

Happy Writing, Happy Reading!

Workshop: Writing Sexual Tension, Heightening Your Readers' Satisfaction

*Special 
Pre-Festival Workshop

Writing Sexual Tension, Heightening Your Readers' Satisfaction

Lorraine Paton

Sarah Kades

In this three-hour workshop, ARWA's Sarah Kades and Lorraine Paton introduce techniques for creating believable sexual tension between characters by exploring the use of sensuality, emotions, and more. Come, learn how to satisfy your readers, and be emboldened.

Workshop will take place on Friday, August 9th at the Carriage House Inn from 9 AM - 12 PM, just prior to the festival.

You can register for this workshop at http://www.whenwordscollide.org/spec_workshop.php, or you can make out a cheque for $10 to "Alberta Romance Writers' Association" and mail it prior to July 31, 2013 to:

Alberta Romance Writers' Association c/o When Words Collide c/o The Sentry Box 1835-10th Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta T3C 0K2 Canada

Note: This workshop is presented by ARWA for the low, low registration fee of $10 and is made possible through an agreement with When Words Collide.