Here in Northern Virginia, the weather is warming up (sometimes too quickly!) and we can see the lazy, hazy days of summer right around the corner. Thinking about summer always brings to my mind what books I’ll read and where I might like to read them. Here are some of my favorite places to curl up with a book and lose myself for a few minutes (or, if I’m lucky, hours!).
My reading chair in our bedroom. Nice lighting, comfy seat–what could be better?
On our screened-in back porch. I need to get some floor lamps to make reading after the sun goes down easier.
In our screen room while camping. We have some of those really nice gravity chairs that make reading very cozy away from home.
Pretty much anywhere when on vacation. Since we’re less connected to our regular life, I have more opportunities to slip into another world.
Where are some of your favorite places to crack open a book?
This piece originally appeared on the ACFW blog on April 14, 2016.
The idea comes to you in a flash of brilliance. The plot, the setting, the characters all jumble together like a kaleidoscope of words just waiting to be brought into focus by you. You eagerly sit down in front of the computer, fingers poised over the keyboard and a fresh, blank document open on the screen.
Is there anything better than starting a new story? All of that promise just waiting to be realized fills a writer’s heart with joy.
But what happens all too frequently is that the new idea comes knocking at the door when you’re in the middle of your current work-in-progress (WIP). It’s hard to keep plodding on the manuscript you’re with when a new love comes to town.
When that great story idea bursts upon your consciousness, here are five tips to stay you focused on the WIP—and not alienate completely the seed of perhaps your next novel.
Remember that the grass is always greener. The story you haven’t started will inevitably appeal to you more than the story with which you might be wrestling. The new story doesn’t have any flaws or hiccups—it’s pristine and beautiful to the behold, while the current manuscript might have bogged down in the middle, had an ending change or character flaws.
Remember that all stories have to grow up. The new idea is only in its infancy, in which it is cute, cuddly and without many of the problems or pitfalls a fully grown story will have. Yes, it appears quite charming now, but give it time to grow up and it will resemble your current WIP.
Remember that ideas come and ideas go. The idea you think is fantastic now might fall apart after the first couple of chapters. Sometimes, stories sound better in our heads than they do on paper.
Remember that putting the idea on paper looses its power. Take half an hour to jot down enough details to capture the essence of the idea. Once you have written down the storyline or plot points, you will be free to return to your WIP with a clear head.
Remember that finishing will help you start. The more we leave manuscripts unfinished to start a new story, the harder it is to bring any story to its denouement. Having the fortitude to finish the story—even if it’s one that will never see the light of publication—will help you become a better writer.
By allowing the idea to flourish in its proper place, you will be able to concentrate on your current WIP. And remember that the storyline will wait for you as long as it takes. That’s the beauty of ideas—they can be very patient things.
Bestselling, award-winning author Tracee Lydia Garner pens stories of complex heroes and heroines, and families that experience tough but realistic life challenges in their quest for love. A Washington, D.C.-area native, Tracee is a health and human service counselor and speaks and advocates for people with disabilities.
What’s the hardest part of writing romantic suspense? Tracee: For me the hardest part is the ending. I want to make it really good for the reader, but I also need to wrap it up. I think that us regular people can be difficult and it’s actually a good thing, it means we’re not conniving crooks because we can’t make ourselves think that way. In the mysteries I watch, I always seem to know whodunit and for me that’s annoying. I don’t want to feel like I haven’t done a good job of fooling the reader and I don’t want the ending to be so predictable or that being clever requires a lot of thought.
When do you find time to write? Tracee: I have a full-time job out of the home, and I mostly write when I get home from work and on the weekend. I also write a little after I’m in bed, using the mic button on my phone for dictation. I can get another 300 or so words out before I drift off or if I happen to wake up in the middle of the night unable to sleep.
What’s your go-to when you need a pick-me-up to keep writing? Tracee: I read. I think there is almost like a writer’s constipation that happens for all of us and I find that whenever I’m stuck and I just can’t figure something out, I pick up a book on my TBR pile and just go for it. I did that recently—read a short little Love Inspired story, the ones you can read in a day or a few hours and instantly, my fingers were itching to write. I teach a writing class, and I’ve told my students a work around for some stories that are coming on strong is to write out your fears. What are you afraid of? Did something occur that set you off? This something that I’ve also done for myself over one of my books and it kind of set me free to move on. I couldn’t change what I was afraid of but I didn’t have to keep it and hold onto it any longer either.
Why do you like writing romantic suspense? Tracee: I find straight romance a bit boring. There is something super-romantic about women in peril or danger and a strong man to help protect her. But I attended a audiobook panel recently at the Charlottesville Festival of the Book, and the voice actors said that nowadays, women are saving the day. I find that even in my own books unbeknownst to me, LOL. I know how can it be unknown to me I wrote it, but we’re moving into a period where women are more resourceful, stronger, and more diverse in a myriad of professions. So of course this is interesting to me and sometimes I have let my heroine save her own day and that of the hero too.
Have you ever regretted killing off a character? Why? Tracee: I haven’t regretted killing a character but I have regretted some name choices I’ve made. For some of the names I’ve chosen, I didn’t expect to revisit with them—they were usually a secondary or supporting character, but of course a reader/fan will write and ask, “Are you going to do so-and-so’s story?” Of course then I’m like, D-OH. J
Current book: Deadly Affections Dexter Parker doesn’t believe Leedra Henderson is who she says. Leedra needs answers about her sister. When she starts digging, old hurts resurface. Will the truth remain buried?
Amish Brides by Jennifer Beckstrand, Molly Jebber, Amy Lillard — Under bright blue skies, wedding bells ring–fulfilling sweet dreams, impossible wishes, and joyous new beginnings among these three new stories. (Contemporary Romance from Kensington Publishers)
Sprouts of Love by Valerie Comer — An overzealous community garden manager delivers more than the food bank manager can handle. Can love sprout amid the tsunami of vegetables? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Summer Dreams by Delia Latham — God’s love…reflected in the waters of the Pacific, and in the eyes of a young couple who walk its moonstone shores. (Contemporary Romance from White Rose Publishing [Pelican])
Right Where We Belong by Deborah Raney, Melissa Tagg, Courtney Walsh — Three sweet stories of small-town romance by three tried-and-true authors. Whether in a quaint home bakery in Langhorne, Missouri, a cozy boho coffee shop in Maple Valley, Iowa, or a charming lakeside cottage in Sweethaven, Michigan, love grows best in small towns just like this! (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
A Spring of Weddings by Toni Shiloh and Melissa Wardwell — Two Spring wedding novellas, “A Proxy Wedding,” and “Hope Beyond Savannah.” (Contemporary Romance from Celebrate Lit Publishing)
True to You by Becky Wade — Former Navy SEAL John Lawson hires genealogist Nora Bradford to help him to uncover the identity of his birth mother. As they work side-by-side, this pair of opposites begins to suspect that they just might be a perfect match. (Contemporary Romance from Bethany House [Baker] Publishing)
Cozy Mystery:
What the Bishop Saw by Vannetta Chapman — A fire blazes out of control in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, leaving an elderly, Amish bachelor dead. Bishop Henry Lapp rushes to the scene, and he learns the fire was no accident. When the police point the finger at a suspect Henry knows is innocent, the bishop must decide whether or not to use his mysterious, God-given gift—one he’s tried desperately to ignore all these years—to try and set the record straight. (Contemporary Romance from Harvest House Publishers)
General Contemporary:
A Season to Dance by Patricia Beal — The heart wrenching love story of a small town professional ballerina who dreams of dancing at the Met in New York, of the two men who love her and of the forbidden kiss that changed everything. (General Contemporary from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)
Looking Glass Lies by Varina Denman — A poignant and relatable novel, Looking Glass Lies captures the war women wage against themselves, and the struggle to see beauty reflected in a mirror not distorted by society’s unrelenting expectations. (General Contemporary from Waterfall Press)
Historical:
Blind Ambition by Carol Ashby — What began as a bored man’s decision to try a different road turns into an emotional and spiritual quest that changes the direction of his entire life. (Historical from Cerrillo Press)
Wings of the Wind by Connilyn Cossette — A broken and bitter Canaanite woman dresses as a man to fight against the invading Hebrews, never expecting that she would live to be captured and married to one of her enemies, and certainly not to find love and healing among the very people who killed her family. (Biblical/Historical from Bethany House [Baker] Publishing)
The Noble Servant by Melanie Dickerson — She lost everything to an evil conspiracy . . . but that loss may just give her all she ever wanted. (Historical Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho: Rebecca’s Plight by Susanne Dietze — It’s a mail-order disorder when newlyweds realize they’ve married the wrong partners with similar names. An annulment seems in order–and fast. But when the legalities take longer than expected, Rebecca Rice wonders if Tad Fordham wasn’t the right husband for her all along. . . . (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
A Love So True by Melissa Jagears — They begin with the best of intentions, but soon the complications pile up and Evelyn and David’s dreams look more unattainable every day. When the revelation of a long-held secret creates a seemingly insurmountable rift between them, can they trust God still has a good plan for them despite all that is stacked against them? (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker] Publishing)
Road to Harmony by Sherry Kyle — When Jonas returns to Harmony, Elena’s heart is torn between her secret love, and the storeowner her parents hope she marries. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)
Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt — Can a young widow hide her secret shame from the Irish preacher bent on helping her survive? (Historical Romance from Mountain Brook Ink)
Romantic Suspense:
Fatal Mistake by Susan Sleeman — Each day could be her last…but not if he can help it. An FBI agent must protect the woman who can identify a terrorist bomber in bestselling author Susan Sleeman’s riveting romantic suspense novel. (Romantic Suspense from Faith Words [Hachette])
Robin Patchen is a wife, a mother of three teenagers, a freelance editor, and an award-winning multi-published author of seven novels and novellas. She loves to illustrate the unending grace of God through the power and magic of story.
When do you find time to write? Robin: I don’t find the time so much as make it. When I’m working on a book, I set aside two hours every day to write. No matter how many words I write during those hours—even if I add no new words at all—I work on my book for two hours a day, five days a week. On a good week, after 10 hours of work, I’ll add about 8,000 new words.
How do you connect with your characters? Robin: I like to interview them about their lives, asking them tough questions like, “What are you most afraid of in this story?” and “What do you need me to know?” It’s weird that their answers surprise me, because I’m writing the answers too. Somehow, interviewing them puts me in their head.
How do you pick the location/setting of your romantic suspense novels? Robin: Most of my novels take place in New England. I grew up in New Hampshire, but I’ve lived in Oklahoma for 21 years. I love writing about New England, because it reminds me of home.
Current book: Twisted Lies: Hidden Truth Book 2 An American teacher working in a Mexican orphanage must return home to find millions stolen from her former employer or lose her adopted daughter forever.