MMWUC - Adrenalin Junkie

Can the coffee; stash the soft drink; close the bag of chocolate. Having a Book Launch Party for my novel, ONE PROMISE TOO MANY, as the official kick-off to my new full-time career as a writer is the best adrenalin rush of all. Otherwise, how can I write this at 5:20 a.m. after having knocked off 238 emails since 11 p.m. Sunday night? The reality of the hard work will soon settle upon me. The two-headed beast of production (writing) and marketing (street book pusher) will force me to make tough decisions about the time commitments in is new life, but for now, I rush forward into this brave new world armed with a book and one heck of an adrenalin rush.

And the Monday morning wake-up call for today...never lose sight of your goal. In ONE PROMISE TOO MANY, Detective Stark has to fight through a lot (disappointments at home and work, lots of unknowns, and the number of hours being awake) to reach his goal. So what does your protagonist have to overcome to reach his goal? What stokes his adrenalin rush? Are you making it too easy for him?

Book Launch Party, ahoy!

Saturday is my first ever Book Launch Party (BLP). I invited Stephen King, Amy Tan, Salman Rushdie, Clive Cussler, and many others in my head. But, knowing that they are busy writing, hobnobbing with the rich and famous, and the famous who are famous for being famous, think Kim Kardashian, I'm excited that my friends, family, and boosters of my career are going to be there with me. It's amazing what you can do when you have support and encouragement. Make sure you encourage someone who has a dream today, tomorrow, and every day. That's how dreams really come true. Yeah, I'm sloppy with sentiment this morning, but I'll fix that. I've got to put my protagonist in harms way, and it's not going to be pretty. Someone dies. You'll find out who in about 18 months.

Get out there and make this day count.

A Tribute to Writing 101

Character's bold; first lines that incite.
Stow back-story, drop clues in plain sight.
Far flung locales with twists dynamite.
Readers want more through the darkened night.

Scene and structure; a voice to ignite.
Arc, spark, and start, motivated flight.
Injured hero with poisonous bite.
Readers need more through the darkened night.

Compose words spare; type sentences tight.
Sling power nouns, strong verbs flexing might.
Byzantine plots with dialogue slight.
Readers crave more through the darkened night.

Nostrils aflame; taste buds burning bright.
Sounds cascading, exploding eyesight.
Fingers aglow with textured delight.
Readers cry, "More!" through the darkened night.

McGuffin twist; obscure victim's plight.
Elusive clues, raising tension's height.
Solutions wrong with thoughts not quite right.
Readers plead, "More!!" through the darkened night.

Mirrored images; good/evil insight.
Black moment bleak, then climatic fight
Lessons revealed with dénouement's rite.
Readers scream, "More!!!" at morning's first light.