There's No Place Like Home

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged because I’ve been busy...

First, the West Texas Writing Academy in June was great. I couldn’t believe the talented people who signed up for my class. Within a few hours I realized I was looking at authors I would be reading in print.

Everyone loved the week. I started by saying that the one week of writing would change their life and by Friday not one person disagreed. We learned and grew together, then best of all became friends. The writers who attended were pioneers willing to step into something new and unknown. This course had been in my mind for years and thanks to the instructors: Tim Lewis who taught beginning writing, Dusty Richards who taught writing the west, and Dian Curtis Regan who taught children’s writing, it worked.

We’re already planning next year’s and as soon as the date in June of 2010 is set, I’ll post it on my website.

Three days after the writing academy, I left for Europe and have been exploring for a month. I had a great time seeing wonders I’d only read about in books, but I have to say that the best days of all were the three I spent at RNA (Romantic Novelists Asso.of Great Britain) What a wonderful group of talented ladies and gentlemen. I was a duck out of water most of the time dealing with food I didn’t know and train schedules I didn’t understand, but when I get to the writers’ group, I felt like I was home.



I don’t know when I’ll get back ‘over the pond’ but when I do, I’ve many friends I’d love to see again.

While I was in flight returning, my editor was in D.C. picking up awards for two of my books.



I won the National Readers Choice Award in Mainstream fiction with romantic element for Twisted Creek and the National Readers Choice Award in Historical Romance for Tall, Dark, and Texan. Because my phone was dead, I didn’t find out until Saturday morning. I’d already had my sad party thinking I didn’t place. I was so excited when I heard the message. If I’d been there I know I’d have been too choked up to say more than, “Thank you. You’ve paid me a great honor by reading and loving my work.” This means a great deal to me because it is the readers who’ve kept me writing so many times by their encouragement and notes.

Writing Academy Success!

Last week I reached a goal I'd set years ago when I first starting going to conferences. I wanted to be part of a team that put together a week long writing school where students focused on Writing to Sell. So often writing is taught as an art and teachers forget that some of us are out there trying to make a living off our writing.

West Texas A&M's first Writing Accademy was a great success. Friday morning when I woke up, I realized, I'd done it. Thanks to a hardworking faculty, a great continuing ed staff, and wonderful students wanting to learn, we had the kind of conference I'd always dreamed of.

The wonderful thing about writers is we don't eat our young. We nurture them so that they can go on to write more powerful stories than their teachers.

As soon as I get some rest, I'll be ready to start planning next year.

The funny thing about goals---as soon as you reach one, it's time to set another.

Have a wonderful week,




P.S.


This pic was taken at a Writing Academy outing to Palo Duro Canyon to see the play "Texas."

Off the Road... Finally

I was starting to feel like a homeless person living in my car. I’ve been on the road giving talks and autographing every weekend for a month. My back seat has layers from travels but I had a great time.

From Guymon, to Arlington and Plano , the Carrollton Library and the Red River Museum in Sherman then Wichita Falls ---I had a ball and met the nicest people.

Last week I went to OWFI---Oklahoma Writers Fed. Inc. My first and favorite conference. Marcia Preston (check out her new book at www.marciapreston.com/women.html ) and her team put on the perfect conference. For writers thinking about entering contest, I recommend owfi.org. as a site to watch for deadlines and a conference to attend the first week in May every year.

I’m working on my class at the West Texas Writers Academy coming up on June 8, 2009. Everywhere I travel people tell me they want to learn to write or they wish they could attend my class on writing.

Well, I’ve been working hard to put together a five day, all day, workshop that will be an entire course on how to write. Now, all those people who want to write have to come.

I remember a line from Lolly Anderson’s book How My Magic Refrigerator Sent Me To Paris Free. 7 Rules To Make Dreams Come True. (check it our on www.readerhook.com )

She said, “If you could take three steps to make your dream come true---would you?” For those willing to make their writing dreams come true, take the first step, call 806-651-2037 and sign up.

I’m also working on my story set in Harmony, Texas and loving writing it. I think it’s so much fun when the characters take over. I also love it on those rare nights when I sit down to write and the characters tell me the story.

I’m going back to fiction now.

Talk with you soon,

WT Writing Academy

I've heard it said that once you're a teacher, you are always a teacher. I think I believe that. It seems like since I stopped teaching in 1990, I've been teaching writing. Writer in Residence gives me the platform to continue teaching.

The first student who came into my office at the university was angry. He'd taken all the classes, almost had his second degree and still couldn't get anything published. I took one look at his novel and saw the problem. It was in the wrong format, single spaced, and easily twice the word count of any two books on the mass market shelves.

He wanted to make money writing, he'd spent almost 6 years learning to write, but no one had ever talked to him about how to sell. I don't remember, but I think I must have smiled about that moment because I'd found a place I could be of help writers. Knowing how to write and knowing what sells are not the same thing.

It has taken me 7 years and I've had lots of help from great writers-----finally, we've put together a one week academy that will pass along the SECRET of Publishing. West Texas Continuing Education did the hard work of put together the academy from June 8-12 on the campus. I believe this week will change the lives of writers attending. Multi-published writers, who make their living publishing fiction, will be working together to make magic happen.

So, if you know someone who is thinking of writing, or working on a book in the late hours, please let them know about this one week academy. You can check out the details on my home page, or the website of my dear friend and fellow lecturer, Tim Lewis. Encourage them to take action. We can help them save years of time.

Nothing tickles me more than opening a box and finding a book from a writer who once was a student. Once a teacher, always a teacher, I guess.

Become One with the Water...

Sometimes life drifts along like a slow river. Sometimes it rages. Seems like right now my life river would have white caps. The story I’m working on is coming fast, which is great. I’m working on a story set in Harmony, Texas , an imaginary town just west of Twisted Creek. The people are coming alive and I’m loving how they all relate to one another. Every evening I step into this world and feel like I live there. I’m always surprised when I glance up at the clock and find it’s after midnight.

I went to a workshop where the instructor kept stopping the lecture to have us all meditate. I didn’t learn much from the workshop except I can’t meditate. Thinking of nothing but breathing just doesn’t work for me. About the time I was about to give up, she said some people meditate as they walk. Now that I can understand. To clear my mind I left the lecture and went to Wal-mart. For an hour I just walked and thought of nothing. A hundred dollars later I felt much better. I’d meditated and bought groceries, makeup, plant food, an extension cord and socks. Next week I think I’ll meditate at the mall.