Sunshine!

We all need a little sunshine in our lives now and then. This is especially the case living in the Midwest in January! Not only is the sun shining beautifully here today, but I had the sweetest person brighten my day. She had to come find me this morning (I wasn't in my office) and tell me that my book had kept her up reading until 1 a.m. She also confessed she had to be at the gym by 6 a.m.

This made my day! I know what it's like to stay awake WAY too late just to finish reading a book. (One Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side did that to me.) I only hoped that my book could make someone else lose sleep because of the enjoyment of reading the story.

However, lest we forget, a little sunshine can go a long way. A little makes us feel better, gives us a nice tan, more confidence, and some much needed vitamins. Too much, though, and we'll be burned and miserable. I'm going to remember what this sweet lady said, but I'm not going to claim to be the next Shakespeare. I have lots of learning to do before I can claim that type of talent. But today, a little sunshine gave me more confidence than I've had in a while.

Black Moments

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm going to start out by saying that my goal this year is to focus on adding interesting/relevant writing information to my blog for 2012. We'll see how that goes--planning and grading can get in the way of serious blogging efforts!

Today's topic deals with black moments. Huh? Yep. I know. I just heard about them a few days ago--I'm probably the only novelist who's never heard of them. These are points in the plot where the hero/heroine is at his/her lowest. Everything seems lost. Depressing, right? Hence, black moments. However, the plot usually revives, the hero and heroine can be together, and the story reaches the happily ever after--or at least I hope it does!

Hoping and praying you all have few black moments in the coming year and that you can achieve the happily ever after you're looking for! Here's to a great year!