Between the Lines

New Years's Challenge by Chiron

Lynda Coker — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:28:18 GMT

“A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” ~Author Unknown

As a new year approaches, the urge to take stock of our life bubbles up like a sip of fine champagne. Let’s lift a glass and toast our accomplishments, savoring the taste of our creative endeavors…the potential of the New Year sparkles like stars within our hearts!

We’ve all made goals… Some we’ve achieved and some still dangle like a sprig of mistletoe, just out of reach. The beauty is, no matter how far that finish line may seem, we’ve all accomplished remarkable things. I’m not yet published in fiction, yet I’ve written three books. No one can take that accomplishment away. Every page I’ve sweated over, every idea that’s seen fruition is an amazing accomplishment. We are Do-ers. We WRITE.

Now, we can shake off whatever frustrations we’ve battled and relish the opportunity to begin fresh.

“For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.”
~T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

The days stretch before us like pristine snow. It is up to us to step forward and forge our own path. How freaking exciting is this? A whole year to accomplish new goals, to wrap up ongoing projects, to meet the face of destiny and see that her face is our own. *smile*

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.” ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Now’s the time to choose how to fill those pages. How best to seize opportunity. How to celebrate our awesome career and relish in our gifts. We Are Writers. No matter how onerous the task can be, we are the luckiest creatures that exist. We Create Worlds. We Are The Magic Makers.

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.” ~Ellen Goodman

And while, at times, we may be tempted to chide ourselves or bemoan the days behind us, let’s make a pact to focus on the potential instead. Who cares if we didn’t plant a seed in time to catch a particular rainstorm 273 days ago! There are seeds a’plenty and a promise of sweet rain to nurture those budding plants to new heights. Plot out your garden and plant away! Harvest time will come, and we will be ready.

"A new year is unfolding—like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within.” --Anonymous

Let’s tease out the beauty within each idea. Breathe gently to encourage those petals to unfurl. Those ideas nestled deep within your soul are aching for release. We are the luckiest of all people… We Are Writers!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey

Write ON!

Let’s focus on goals and see what we can accomplish.

Go-go-GO!!

Chiron O’Keefe www.chironokeefe.blogspot.com

WRDF Review of Finding Sara by Linda Hope Lee

Lynda Coker — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:59:10 GMT

Title: Finding Sara

Author: Linda Hope Lee

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Line: Contemporary Sweetheart Rosebud

ISBN: 1-60154-385-9

Blurb:

Coerced by a domineering father into marrying a man she does not love prompts Long Island, New York heiress Sara Carleton to run away and board a train heading to the West Coast. On an unscheduled stop in Red Rock, Colorado, fate intervenes when she is mugged in a dark alley. Rancher Jackson Phillips doesn't mind helping the attractive mugging victim he and his sister rescued at the train station, but having her come to his ranch to recuperate turns out to be much more than he bargained for.

REVIEW:

A modern Western, packed with secrets, intrigue and old-fashioned romance.

Running away from an unwanted engagement, Sara Carleton is left with amnesia after being mugged in a small town in Colorado. She is taken in by sexy Jackson Phillips and his sister Rose. Although her memory quickly returns, she conceals this information from the attractive rancher, while she decides what course her life will take. But fate intervenes when a face from Sara’s past unexpectedly shows up at the county fair.

In Sara, Linda Hope Lee has created a sympathetic, memorable heroine caught up in her own tangled deceit. Jackson, the quiet cowboy with secrets of his own, is a perfect sparring partner for her as Sara wrestles with her conscience before discovering, after many trials, that it is possible to have it all!

“Finding Sara” is a story that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Reviewed by Joanne Hall

WRDF Review

WRDF Review of Soldier For Love by Brenda Gayle

Lynda Coker — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:57:06 GMT

Title: Soldier for Love

Author: Brenda Gayle

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Line: Contemporary Last Rose Of Summer Rose

Rating: Spicy

ISBN: 1-60154-401-4

Blurb:

She's his Commanding Officer. So why does he seem to be in charge? Major Julie Collins should be on top of the world. Her long-sought promotion has finally come through and she has just been given her first overseas command. But when one of her troops turns out to be the handsome Native American who has just left her bed, everything starts to unravel. Lieutenant Matt Wolf's exploits with the opposite sex are legend—if only they were true. His larger-than-life persona masks deep loneliness and isolation. He has every intention of obeying Julie's order to stay away, but what's he to do when she follows him and then gets herself kidnapped by a deranged voodoo priest? Suddenly, all orders are belayed as Matt mounts a one-man rescue, risking both of their careers and the only home he has ever known.

Review:

Brenda Gayle delivers a story full of romance, action and suspense. It’s an interesting plot of two people looking to find their place in the world and to be accepted for who they are. Brenda has given us it all, the fight for true love and trust, one woman’s bid to fulfill the desire only one man can satisfy and overcome her fear of being used for her family name. Action, with the heroic Lieutenant Matt Wolf, fighting to save the woman he loves for kidnappers that threaten her life. Then the suspense of who is behind this callous act.

This is a story that has you turning the page, wanting to read just one more chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed this story; the plot was great, the hero to die for and the heroine strong. Take a bow Brenda Gayle you just may have convinced me that military romances are worth reading after all.

Reviewed by Sandie Hudson.

WRDF Reviews

WOE IS ME by Lynda Coker

Lynda Coker — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:15:24 GMT

“He’s turned his life around. He used to be depressed and miserable. Now he’s miserable and depressed.” David Frost

A humorous thought when first read, overwhelmingly sad when pondered.

Who of us does not know how it feels to experience a wave of melancholy, an inexplicable sadness, a doom of sorts?

Many people deal with depression after holidays and during the long, grey days of winter. Writers are not immune. In fact, we are sometimes more prone to suffer these low periods because of the necessity to seclude ourselves in order to do the thing we love...write.

Ironically, because our emotions resemble the maniacal twists and turns of a runaway train, we find writing to be practically impossible. We sink ever deeper into our doldrums. Worse, we have no clear sense of when, or even if, we can get off this train.

What causes these feelings? Often, the answer is either not clear or too complex to ponder. The effects, however, are all too visible. Our self-esteem and confidence seem to dissipate. Plotting is impossible. Our characters hate us. We cannot write an original thought or phrase. In addition, every story idea centers on a mortician.

So, as writers, what can we do? Here are five things you might try.

“There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” John F. Kennedy

1. Forget it all. Take a hike. Seriously, get physically active. If there is any sunshine, bask in it, at the very least, let some of it spill on your face.

2. Call a friend. Call two friends. Attend activities with others even if you do not feel like interacting. Do it anyway.

3. Read, not your usual genre, but something totally different and challenging.

4. Put the chocolate, Twinkies, and Honey Buns away and eat some vegetables and fruits to increase your energy level.

5. Volunteer to be a reader for your local library’s Story Time. It is hard to stay in-the-dumps around kids who think you’re the “best Reader Ever.”

Now, you add two more things to this list. No complaining! You can do this. Then send it to another writer.

Wouldn’t it be great if someday this came back to me with pages and pages of thoughtful suggestions? One never knows upon what shore a simple thought may land...

Lynda Coker