I'm Baaaaaaaack.... :)

Hello, ya'll. It's been over a month since I've posted, but I sure have been busy: Organized and pulled off a dinner for close to 1,000 people; conquered numerous colds and minors illnesses with my little guys, and finally finished chapter 10! That, honestly is what I'm the most excited about. I'm in the process of trying to hammer out a few minor details in chapter 11 before I plow through that one, and then I'll only have about 7 more chapters to go.

I'm having small issues trying to stay focused and not running with my crazy ideas for the characters. :) But, the show must go on and I am on task, and I'll keep you posted. :)

Nine Down, and Nine Ten to Go! :)

So, my sweet Schro picked the boys up at the sitter's today and freed me up to stay at work and finish up chapter 9. I'm so excited that I can see things truly falling into place. I'm also grateful to my wonderful sister-in-law MJ who helped me out with her Criminal Justice knowledge on a particular part in the story. You rock, MJ!!!

With only about 10 chapters to go, I can definitely start getting ready for the conference in January. I just want this baby done, and at least the 1st 3 chapters edited before then. I have a good feeling about this!

~Anngela

Speed Bump? Hah! It was a Speed Crater!

Glad to say that another chapter has been conquered by my laptop! The difficult transition was alot harder than I thought it would be, but I battled through it. I also decided to try another publisher for my first novel, At Last. We'll see how that turns out. :)

I miss the luxury of the summer: waking up late, staying up even later, writing until 3am...those were the days.

I think I'm still on track to have the novel finished by the end of October. NOT edited and perfected, but .

~Anngela

Has Anyone Seen Robert Frost?

Have you noticed how difficult it is to move in one direction for so long; do all the preparation for something to happen, and then out of the blue you get knocked to the ground? Not really knocked to the ground, but you know what I mean. I've done hours of research for this one, tiny element in my book, a discovery if you will, that is needed to connect the main characters with the past, and reading the section out loud and explaining it to my husband, made me see how trite it was. I didn't intend for it to be trite; in my mind it was brilliant, original, and the first of its kind. BUT, low and behold, in hindsight, it's not. :(

SO, I'm formulating a new plan of transition and action for the plot to develop down a new road...the road less traveled by, and hopefully, that will make all the difference. :)

Goodnight, friends!


~Anngela :)

Colds and Kryptonite

I've been battling this cold for the last 4 days now, and it's really impeded how late I can stay up and write. Normally, I jump on the laptop after the boys have gone to bed and write until maybe midnight or 2am. But, not this week. No sooner than my boy's heads hit the pillow do my own eyes begin to droop. Why is mother nature toying with me? I've had 4 nights in a row where my monkeys have slept solidly...no possible interruptions, but then BAM! I'm out like the proverbial light. :(

On a different note, the local paper is running an article about me today and my little hobby of writing. Hopefully it will help me with my endeavors and not be like the Cover of a Sport's Illustrated that often times is a curse to the one in the photo. But, I can't make a basket or a hole in one, so I think I'm safe. :)

Happy Day,

~Anngela :)

Writer's Block, Beware!

So, I sat at the computer last night, without ANY little monkeys crawling all over me, and I stared blankly at the screen for almost an hour! What was that all about? I'd been on a roll for so long, that the speed bump through me for a loop. (Lots of cliches in there, huh?)

But inspiration finally pushed through today as I was driving to Target (a magical place in itself). So, by tomorrow, another chapter should be complete, and I'll be one step closer to eventual publication. :) Wish me lots of sleep for my babies and no power outages tonight! :)

~Anngela

The Hardship of Two Intellects. :)

So, I haven't been able to really work on my book this weekend because we're down to 1 computer in the house. My PC has basically given up the ghost, and my sweet husband has been letting me use his, but he needed it for school work most of this weekend. I feel guilty swiping it when I know his need will actually pay the bills, and my need will end up costing us money before anything else. (Writer's conferences, postage for query letters, copy costs, etc.)

He's a good man, though, and I'm excited to say I'll be getting a new laptop within a week or two. :) Then, there will be NOTHING to stand in my way. :)

It's 6am, and I've been up for 1/2 an hour finishing up a chapter. I'm so motivated to get through this, because it's something that I'd never have thought I'd write; almost like Danielle Steel jumping into a Louis Lamour writing contest--INCONCEIVABLE! (to quote a classic movie.)

~Anngela

Keeping Up With the Rowling's

So, I stayed home with my little guy today and decided that it would be a wasted day if I couldn't put the proverbial 'pen to paper.' I was only able to get through about 2 pages, but had a great time with my little monkey nursing him back to health. The job of a Mom ALWAYS supercedes actual jobs and dreams. :)

~Anngela :)

How Do They Do It?

I think I need to be a high-falootin Professor so I can go on Sabbatical and just write all day long. If I was on Sabbatical I wouldn't have to grade student papers, lecture on Puritanical Lieterature, or change dirty diapers! (Actually, I don't think I'd be able to get out of the last one.)

I was able to formulate the outline for the next chapter today, which means tomorrow I will continue to write. I'm pretty excited! Barring any unforseen craziness, I'm looking at an October completion date for sure!

This character isn't like anything I've done before. She's more academically intelligent. She's so historically accurate that there are times I'm worried that I'm going to go too in-depth.

We'll see.

~Anngela :)

Welcome

Hello, my loyal followers and friends,

I've decided to set up a new blog site because my writing is branching out away from just my 1st novel and series, "At Last." I'm working on new project tentatively titled "The Stone of Camelot," which should be completed by the end of October. I'm extremely excited about this and hope it can garner a positive response like my first manuscript.

Just to update you, I received word from the last agent I was waiting on, that although 'At Last' was witty, well written and character driven, there wasn't a break out concept which would propel it off bookshelves: It was just a sweet love story (minus vampires, werewolves, and a little boy with a scar on his forehead. :) ) Apparently with the economy, publishing houses are ALL looking for the 'next big thing.' I guess 'At Last' wasn't it.

So, I took a break from writing this summer, and was falling asleep one night when the proverbial muse hit me. I fell asleep, woke up the next morning and wrote the first chapter and a rough outline for "The Stone of Camelot."

I'm very excited about this concept and the 'world' that I'm creating with it. I'll keep you posted on what's coming up. Thanks for all your support and good wishes. :)

~Anngela