Tag: Writer

Home > ArchivesTag: Writer

Decision Paralysis as a Busy Momma Writer

May 16, 2023 by in category Writing tagged as , , , ,

It’s a quarter to seven on a Sunday morning. The house is quiet. I’m up before my family. It’s just me, my velcro-puppy, and the birds chirping outside my window. There are no sports today which is a STARK contrast from the daily rat race of fastpitch softball, dance classes, obedience training, talent show practice, Girl Scout meetings, birthday parties, house work, and the job that actually pays me.

But today I’m up early and this time is mine. Sure, I contemplate getting in a morning work-out, taking aforementioned velcro-puppy on a walk, or making a nice breakfast for my family.

Today, writing wins.

Photo by Dstudio Bcn on Unsplash

Which of my writing projects should I work on? Sometimes this decision is so easy, but today it is not. Typically, I select the book that is speaking the loudest to me. I can hear the characters talking to each other, just waiting for me to start typing their conversations. But today, no one is talking. That would be way too convenient!

I make my coffee and settle in on the loveseat in the living room. My favorite non-ergonomic writing spot. Velcro-puppy claims her rightful spot next to me.

Indecision joins too.

Should I open that finished children’s book (the one that I hadn’t planned to write) and work on edits?

How about Mac and Cheese, Please, Please, Please the sequel? Am I feeling like a rhyming qween this morning?

Oooh, maybe I’ll work on my romance novel?

“I must be touching you at all times.”

Side note- Total rookie mistake but I not-so-accidentally wrote the second novel of my four-book series before writing the first novel. Whoops!

The second novel is talking. No! That one is done. It’s edited. It’s waiting on book one! Let’s write book one!

Moon rhymes with spoon! DUH! Of course moon rhymes with spoon! It’s a nursery rhyme ya dummy!

I finally click into book one of my romance series and I’m ready to write. I navigate to where I left off and place my hands on the keys, just as the door to my daughter’s room opens and small feet start padding down the hallway.

I tried, I lie.
Goodbye!

Damnit.

0 0 Read more

More Variety

April 16, 2023 by in category Writing tagged as , , , , ,

I am happy to report that our Girl Scout cookie hustle has wrapped up for season. Hopefully now I can stop giving mental space to Thin Mints and Lemonades.

Unfortunately, Sprinter continues in Minnesota. Actually, we’ve experienced all four seasons this weekend. On Friday, we had 83 degrees and sunny. Today we have 30 degrees and snowing.

Sometimes variety isn’t such a great thing.

I had a bout of sneaky creativity recently. I sat down to work on Mac and Cheese, Please, Please, Please the Sequel (working title) and I ended up finishing a completely different children’s book that I started years ago. Like, M&CPPP it’s a rhyming story about food.

As a children’s book author, I wish that rhyming came a lot easier to me. The truth is that I struggle when I’m trying to rhyme. My best rhymes come to me usually when I’m not trying or even writing for that matter. It’s typically when I’m crawling into bed after staying up waaaaay too late binging Love is Blind on Netflix, or when I’m mid-shampoo in the shower. So frustrating!

Anyways, I finished a book! Yay! Now I get to start the wonderful journey of editing and self-doubt. So fun! I also need to find an illustrator – Hoping to collaborate with a fellow Minnesotan on this. The topic is very niche to Minnesota (hint, hint). Good vibes are welcomed!

Here’s a text that my husband received this week from a close friend of ours:

He’ll be happy to know that more variety is on the way. 🙂

0 0 Read more

Are you an author or a writer? and my TikTok Confession by Jina Bacarr

January 11, 2023 by in category historical fiction, Holocaust, Jina’s Book Chat, Paris novels, Writing tagged as , , , , , ,
@jinabacarrauthor

WIP woes… #booktok #authorlife #writersoftiktok #amwriting #ameditingfiction #womensfiction #booktoker @bookandtonic #writer #authorsoftiktok #heartbreakingstories #amediting edit

♬ original sound – Jina Bacarr Historical Author♥

No, this isn’t a trick question.

It’s the challenge we ladies of the pen all face in our social media, digital, crazy, mad, mad world…

The answer is: BOTH.

The writer is me in total chaos working on an insanely difficult book about rape in France during World War II with a deadline looming. My office is a mess, I’m a mess… the manuscript, thank God, is NOT a mess but it’s not finished yet. Weaving such a trauma against the backdrop of the Nazi Occupation is the most gut-wrenching task I’ve ever faced. It’s taken me a while to get a handle on the story of two sisters and how the rape of one of them affects them both.

That’s the writer me.

—–

Now for the author me.

That’s the me writing this post because this is my chance every month to reach out to you guys and let you know what’s going on in my world. It’s how we present ourselves to the book world and at times is as just as trying and difficult as the writer me.

Hence, my TikTok confession.

I hope you enjoy my video showing me in my office drowning in research material… oh, Lord.

——–

And now for some good stuff, if I may.

My WW2 story THE ORPHANS OF BERLIN is now FREE to read in PRIME on Amazon 

THE OPRHANS OF BERLIN

Meet the Landau Sisters barely surviving in Nazi Germany… and Kay Alexander, the amazing debutante from Philadelphia who will stop at nothing to save them from the Nazis in 1939 Berlin…

And of course, there’s a British pilot hero to die for…

US https://amzn.to/3TMKZlf

UK https://amzn.to/3Qjp5mB

—————

0 0 Read more

The Book Review that touched my heart by Jina Bacarr

October 10, 2020 by in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sometimes, you get it right….

When I saw this review of my Titanic love story THE RUNAWAY GIRL, it tugged at my heart.

Yes, it’s a wonderful 5 star review, but more importantly, my story has captured the interest of a young girl who wasn’t much of a reader beforehand. 

Amazon Review:

Crystal E. Rose

Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020

My daughter has not read the whole book yet but likes it. She likes the romance part. She is not much of a reader and I always see this book in her hands.
 
================
 
Wow. What sets my kettle brewing is that this young girl has discovered the joy of reading through the eyes of Ava O’Reilly, my intrepid Irish heroine who flees to America for a new life when she’s wrongly accused of stealing a diamond bracelet.
 
I wonder…
 
Will my book go on her keeper shelf as she gets older?
 
Will she look back on it fondly when she’s plowing through college textbooks and remember the joy she found ‘reading for fun’?
 
Will she grab the dog-eared copy off the shelf in a moment of needing a hug when her romantic life isn’t going so well?
 
Will she re-read it wrapped up in a cozy blanket, holding her hot cocoa? When her eyes tire easily and her hands hurt from arthritis, but her heart soars to once again walk the decks of the Titanic with Ava and remember when she was young?
 
I hope so.
 
Not because it’s my story, but because we never forget the books that touched our hearts when we were young and introduced us to new worlds and changed our lives.
 
And if my story set this young girl on a lifelong love of reading, then I couldn’t be more pleased. 
 
It doesn’t get better than that.
 
Jina
 
 
 

————–

 

THE RUNAWAY GIRL

Two women hold the keys to his heart. Only one will survive that fateful night…

When Ava O’Reilly is wrongly accused of stealing from her employer, she has no option but to flee Ireland. The law is after her, and she has only one chance at escape – the Titanic.

Aboard the ship of dreams, she runs straight into the arms of Captain ‘Buck’ Blackthorn, a dashing gentleman gambler who promises to be her protector. He is intrigued by her Irish beauty and manages to disguise her as the maid of his good friend, the lovely Countess of Marbury. Little does he realise, that the Countess is also in love with him.

As the fateful night approaches, tragedy strikes further when Ava is separated from Buck, and must make a daring choice that will change her life forever…

A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Her Lost Love (Christmas Once Again).

Praise for Jina Bacarr:

‘A delightful holiday romance that has all the charm of a classic Christmas movie. Christmas Once Again is perfect for anyone who loves a holiday romance brimming with mistletoe, hope, and what ifs.’ Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind ‘A breathtaking holiday romance that is sure to stay with you long after reading’

‘A mesmerizing holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another place, another time.’

‘A fabulous book you won’t want to miss’ https://youtu.be/S-33oEM4DlI

THE RUNAWAY GIRL e-book, print and audio book:

THE RUNAWAY GIRL
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Kobo
 
===============
 
 
This book is incredible a truly remarkable story, Sylvie diary, notes photo's and recordings are inspiring. the real story of glamourous Sylvie Martone has to be solved and told. She will never be forgotten.
I loved it
 — Booklover B 

 

 

https://twitter.com/BoldwoodBooks/status/1315245890874093569

0 0 Read more

Meet the unsung heroine of publishing: Miss Proofreader by Jina Bacarr

September 11, 2020 by in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , Ode to my Proofreader My proofreader has the eye of an eagle and patience of a saint, No matter what I write, she swears not to faint Through missed commas, wrong tenses, and a lost full stop or two She carries on in spite of, through and through But what I never expected when I sent my m/s off with a sigh Was that parts of my book would make her cry… ——— Last month I wrote about the copy edits and mentioned that I sent my Paris WW 2 historical novel is off to the proofreader! Oh, my, I had no idea I’d make her cry… I actually stopped in the middle of proofreading my manuscript when she sent it back to me and shed a tear or two myself, I felt so bad for upsetting her. My first thought was… I had to change the scene, make it happy, not have this lovely professional proofreader stop her work because my characters made her cry. How dare they! I was totally surprised how much this affected me. It’s okay for me to bawl my eyes out when bad stuff happens to my heroine, but I think we writers live in a bubble and don’t know realize how much the stories we tell affect our readers. They’re just as invested in the story as we are. And for that I thank you for allowing my stories to touch your soul, wrench your heart, and send you on a journey to a place far, far away, but bring them home, nourish them, cheer with them cry with them when you let our characters come into your life. And yes, my proofreader did finish her proofreading on time (with a tissue or two in tow).
————– THE RUNAWAY GIRL Two women hold the keys to his heart. Only one will survive that fateful night… When Ava O’Reilly is wrongly accused of stealing from her employer, she has no option but to flee Ireland. The law is after her, and she has only one chance at escape – the Titanic. Aboard the ship of dreams, she runs straight into the arms of Captain ‘Buck’ Blackthorn, a dashing gentleman gambler who promises to be her protector. He is intrigued by her Irish beauty and manages to disguise her as the maid of his good friend, the lovely Countess of Marbury. Little does he realise, that the Countess is also in love with him. As the fateful night approaches, tragedy strikes further when Ava is separated from Buck, and must make a daring choice that will change her life forever… A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Her Lost Love (Christmas Once Again). Praise for Jina Bacarr: ‘A delightful holiday romance that has all the charm of a classic Christmas movie. Christmas Once Again is perfect for anyone who loves a holiday romance brimming with mistletoe, hope, and what ifs.’ Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind ‘A breathtaking holiday romance that is sure to stay with you long after reading’ ‘A mesmerizing holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another place, another time.’ ‘A fabulous book you won’t want to miss’ THE RUNAWAY GIRL e-book, print and audio book:
THE RUNAWAY GIRL
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Kobo
BONUS this month: meet Daisy in my Boldwood Books 1st anniversary video!
0 0 Read more

Copyright ©2017 A Slice of Orange. All Rights Reserved. ~PROUDLY POWERED BY WORDPRESS ~ CREATED BY ISHYOBOY.COM

>