Where Is Writer Off the Leash???

All good things must come to . . . you thought I was going to say end, right? Nope. All good things, or bad for that matter, must eventually change. It's the nature of our world. Far be it from Writer Off the Leash to go against the cosmic flow.

A huge thank you to my faithful followers here at blogspot, but indeed, times they are a'changing. I've got a new look and a new feel over at the new and improved Writer Off the Leash, starting with a whole new title:

J O U R N A L

Just click on that title to keep up with my adventures, thoughts, and ridiculosities over there.

Super Mega Giveaway

You ready for this? Got your knee pads on? Helmet? Wearing a seatbelt? Because the giveaway rocketship is about to blast off!

I’ve teamed up with over 80 fantastic historical romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, alongside 10 bookstore gift cards, PLUS a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet to the Grand Prize winner!

You can win my novel THE CAPTIVE HEART, plus books from some of my author buddies like MaryLu Tyndall, Melanie Dickerson and Carrie Turansky.

All this is just a click away, right HERE.

Play safe and good luck, kids.

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Okay, so I'm not really awarding a poultry supper to the grand prize winner. I have something much more low cal for . . . drum roll please . . . APRIL GARDNER!!! Woo-hoo! A hearty congratulations for April and for everyone who participated.

And for those who didn't win, no need for pouty lips because I have yet another giveaway and this time you've got a chance to win more than my book (though there is a chance for that as well).

I've teamed up with more than 25 fantastic historical romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, alongside a number of bookstore giftcards, PLUS a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet to the grand prize winner.

So stay tuned because the link is soon to follow.

And stay tuned for a whole new look and feel for Writer Off the Leash. More on that later this week (cue evil laughter) . . .

Spring Fling Giveaway

It's spring and I'm feel frisky because hey . . . who isn't? One can't help but frolic when the sun is shining and the grass is green. Except those who are sneezing their heads off from allergies, I suppose. But never fear, even for allergy sufferers, here's a reason to kick up your heels with my SPRING FLING GIVEAWAY.

Here's your chance to enter to win a signed copy of The Captive Heart. Just click on the Rafflecopter drawing below to toss your name in the hat. Easy peasy! And feel free to share the love.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 Types of Rough Drafts ~ An Infographic

As always, this is yours for the taking. Copy and paste wherever and whenever because it's all yours.

Being an Artist is Scary

I'm starting a new book. See the picture? Yeah, that's a blank plot board. You would think by book number thirteen it would get a little easier, right? Hah! Wrong. It's not. In fact sitting down to write another manuscript after a dozen is just as scary as writing the first.

Newsflash: It doesn't get easier. Ever. Why? Because being an artist is always going to be scary. I don't have any scientific evidence to back that statement up, but I do have a few thoughts as to why that is . . .

Art is subjective. 
Not everyone is going to get your art. You can know that and even believe it, but when a critic comes along and barfs nasty-venom juice all over your work, it still stings. That's a frightening risk you take every time you go public with something you create.

Not all art is equal.
Your new piece of work might be suckier than previous creations. You're afraid people won't like this project as much as ones you did before. But here's the deal . . . odds are what you create won't be 100% awesome all of the time. You can always hope to do better, but the niggling fear that this time whatever you made might be a flop is always in the back of your mind.

The magnitude of the project is terrifying.
Writing a book is a HUGE undertaking. So is painting a picture, designing an ad promo, photographing a wedding . . . whatever art it is that you're attempting to do is always going scare the bejeebers out of you if you care about your work.

Anytime you set out on an artistic endeavor, you're going to be afraid. It's the nature of the beast. The question is will you let that fear paralyze you or empower you to beat it back with a stick?

Thoughts on a Few Non-Fictions

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An engaging read. I can't say I learned a lot about the craft that I didn't already know, but King did a great job with his no-nonsense presentation. Here are a few of my favorite quotes . . .

"What made me think I had anything worth saying?"
I love that even one of the most prolific and successful writers I know has doubts about his abilities.

"Fiction writers, present company included, don't understand very much about what they do--not why it works when it's good, not why it doesn't when it's bad."
Whew. I can finally stop looking for a magic formula because apparently there isn't one.

"The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better."
Amen.

My biggest takeaway value from this book is that it validated my sometimes angst over writing a story, that I'm not the only one who carries around a basket of doubts.

The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blown away.

Yep, once again Voskamp's amazing writing style kills me with a thousand different phrases. I totally mutilated this book with highlights and dog ears and tears. Here are just a very few of the awesome things Ann had to say . . .

"Who doesn't know what it's like to smile thinly and say you're fine when your'e not, when you're almost faint with pain?"

"There are graves coming, there is dark coming, there is heartbreak coming. We are not in control, and we never were."

"Great grief isn't made to fit inside your body. It's why your heart breaks."

"Maybe our hearts are made to be broken. Broken open. Broken free. Maybe the deepest wounds birth deepest in wisdom."

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it."

I could go on and on but what's the point? Go buy the book already!

View all my reviews