"We filmed it in the old, abandoned, part of a hospital. Very creepy."

I was volunteering in the IP lounge at the conference and so was privy to some interesting conversations taking place. Aside from the expected discussions of publishing, the Willamette Writers Conference adds a unique perspective in that it also includes screenwriters. It was clear, by simply observing the two two distinct groups, that film and print are very different worlds indeed.

Visual by nature, the film agents and producers represented this in how they dressed and spoke. Networking in a way that could only come from a world of celebrity interactions.

As usual when I attend a conference, I was primarily there to study craft. But even still, it is impossible to avoid the business end of things. And this, is something that draws energy from me faster than a wormhole. And yet, the energy of the film group was extremely contagious, so that I found myself drawn to them like a baby toward an open electrical outlet.

I went to sleep dreaming about the settings of my books, about re-creating the scene in Untangling the Knot where Gabriella discovers the Statue of Mary in Pienza, Italy, or where Jessica walks along the esplanade in Boston.

Lucky for me... it s not entirely a dream. In fact, just a couple of weeks from now I will be on the East coast. I will get to visit the Patriot's stadium and visualize Ryan doing his field goal kicks there. I will get to write in the sand at the cape, just as Gabriella and Chloe did, and I will get to go back to the church where Mandy and Ryan plan to get married.

It's not quite the same as re-creating it for film, but whatever is left out my imagination will cover for me and I will appreciate the chance, for a moment, to dream of the film adaptation.

Do you have a favorite book that's been adapted for film? I'd love to hear what it is (the classic and best, being, of course Pride and Prejudice:>) Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I always love hearing from my readers.

Cheers,
Deanne

"Mommy, you're not even focusing on me."

Rather than coming from my own daughter, this quote was from a little 4 year old boy. We were painting and hanging out at a fantastic open studio, Art A La Carte, where kids can use all the materials there to create anything they want. Presumably they do this mostly on their own... So I thought it would be a great activity to engage her while I got some work done on book promotion (more on that below).

Of course kids are pretty perceptive. And although most of the time they would rather not have us paying attention, as soon as we want to focus on something else they are all over us like an old, anxious dog. Obviously this little boy missed the point that he was supposed to be amusing himself while the mom and grandmother had some quality chat time. :>) Darn. You mean we paid money so that we could sit here and watch him paint?

It helps that my daughter is much older... so while every now and then I had to look up and comment on her artwork, the free Wi-Fi allowed me to let people know that my book, BETTING JESSICA, is FREE today.

Like the little boy, the characters in my first book have been demanding attention lately; feeling ignored, like an older sibling when a new baby arrives. So, I decided to give them, and fans of the book, a little love.

August 9th, I will be offering a free short story based on Jessica and some friends she met while in Tahoe, at http://www.freereadsfromthegenre-istas.blogspot.com/

So, hopefully Jessica and Erik will finally be off my back and let me get back to work finishing my next, great, creation.

“Move the bucket out of the sun or you’ll cook them.”

Huh! Good advice. My daughter and I were clambering across the rocks at the beach in Tahoe testing our skills at catching crawfish. It is an annual tradition, dating back to when I was a kid scurrying across these very same rocks. We were not alone… a dad and his two kids (the overhear was directed at them) were doing their best with nets and lunchmeat. It was time to take some drastic measures. Crawfish are far too clever for that method so I offered them the string and hot dogs we were using.

We, the father and I, watched them fish waiting for sure success. But, while they caught a bunch of little minnows, the crawfish eluded them. I was prepared to be disappointed for them until I looked into their smiling faces
and was reminded that it is not the destination, but the journey, that matters.

Journeys Inspired by Love – I have lived with this tagline for so long now that I sometimes forget why I picked it. Goals and dreams are important. They inspire and motivate. But too often in my own past I have become so caught up in pursuing them that I have forgotten to enjoy the journey getting there. 

One of my favorite bloggers, Chris Guillebeau, wrote a great post today on deciding if what you are doing is Worth it All. Part of making the decision requires visualizing your future self after having completed the goal. It sounds easy but in fact I think this is more difficult than we might imagine. If I have framed my goal of being published purely in terms of the recognition or money I might receive I am sure to feel ready to give up along the way. However, I look at what I have written…. Jessica’s journey to renew her passion for life, Gabriella’s journey to live the faith she espouses, Ryan’s journey to really, truly find love again, and I know that my goal is about much, much more than the rewards at some distant date. It is about sharing their story with my readers; real people who may be facing similar journeys and looking for their own inspiration along the way.

This is why comments and reviews are so critical to writers. They remind us that what we do matters. Thanks for being part of my journey. I promise to not forget about you and cook you along the way.

Deanne

"We're getting married this summer."

I don't know why, but this overhear reminded me of two of the victims in the Boston Marathon Bombing. I suppose it is because I have been doing a lot of research for my fundraiser to support the Boston One Fund. Through it I have learned of Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky, newleyweds in Boston who both lost a limb in the bombing.


(Picture courtesy of www.giveforward.com) Finding out about them touched me for two reasons, one, because Jessica is the name of my main character in BETTING JESSICA and two, because my entire second story, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, is about a wedding. Both of these books were set in Boston, so this couple feels very connected to my writing.

As many of you know already, I decided to donate all of my profits from the sale of both books to the Boston One Fund during this first week of May. My birthday is May 15th, so the best present my friends and fans could give me would be the chance to support victims such as Patrick and Jess in their long road to recovery. At amazon you can give either book as a gift to a friend (or for yourself if you haven't yet read them). Here's a brief blurb about each story along with purchase links. You can also link here for a sneak peak at Untangling the Knot. The fundraiser is active now.

Thanks so much for your support.,
Deanne

BETTING JESSICA - http://amzn.com/B005YF05CO
(NOTE: This is an updated version, revised and re-released  November 11, 2012)
Hung over and tired, twenty-four year old Jessica  finds she has made a crazy bet to get a date with her favorite
celebrity, Ian  Drake. Of course the bet would be unthinkable except for the  small problem that  she made it with her enemy, Erik. She decides to use the bet  as a way to prove  to herself and others that when she sets her mind to
something she can truly  accomplish it. And, although things don't go exactly as planned, Jessica learns alot about motivation, determintation, and love... not to mention making bets.

UNTANGLING THE KNOT - http://amzn.com/B00BFMJX5K
“I did what?”

Twenty-eight-year-old Gabriella Bessu is St. Therese’s meticulous wedding ceremony coordinator. So the fact that she has mistakenly registered her newest couple for an annulment, rather than a wedding, sends her  Catholic guilt into overdrive.

But who can blame her? The groom is  gorgeous and his two kids tug at Gabriella’s heart in a way that overcomes all her best intentions. Before long, she’s in over her head, fixing her mixed-up plans and helping the children and dad come to terms with their haunting grief for the mother and wife they lost years earlier.

Can Gabriella untangle her own fears and accept the messy life that God has handed them?

“It’s like giving birth only people aren’t as nice about it.”

I’ve made the comparison before between giving birth and writing a book, (most recently in my guest blog post for Susan Heim), but this was a new take on it. And, I could relate, because, while UNTANGLING THE KNOT has so far
been getting awesome reviews, I am sure that at some point someone won’t like it. 

With BETTING JESSICA, my first book, this was incredibly hard to hear, particularly as I was responsible for the entire project. Even given that it was my first book, I was disappointed when people found errors or found part of it lacking. Now, with my second book, I am more prepared. I know that not everyone will get my style of writing or my philosophies. They may want a book with more heat… or one with more poetic language. Hopefully they will be kind
with their feedback (not everyone is… I was shocked by one of the reviews BETTING JESSICA received). But I also hope they will be honest.

This, though, is not true of babies. No one ever says:

 “Wow, I really wanted to like this baby, but I found myself distracted by his big nose.” Or
 “This baby has a lot of problems and should have been worked on more before being put out.”

I suppose it is because one project (writing) seems to be under the full control of the author while the other, a baby, does not. This, though, is not entirely fair or true. For one thing, just like a baby, writing is the result of the author’s own, personal characteristics. My books are not overly sexy because that is simply not me. They contain a deeper
message because that is me. And, like a baby, writing is the coming together of many influences, not the least of
which includes inspiration from a higher power.

Creation, in any form, is a miracle as far as I am concerned. So, while I may not love every book I pick up and read (or write), it is always worth looking closely to see the unique beauty within.

“I was feeling too much like a voyeur. They were on a first date.”

A kindred spirit had moved to sit near me and wanted to explain why she’d had to change seats. Of course she found a sympathetic ear in mine. Observation goes hand in hand with overhearing and together they can feel like
being pulled somewhere I don’t always want to go.

The best example I can use for non-observers out there is rubber-necking. We all know we should just drive by, that the reason the traffic is so bad is not from the accident itself but from all the people slowing down to look at it. And yet, there we are, cruising by with our neck craned.

Once I was on an airplane and my step-brother had a panic attack. Since he had never had one before we didn’t know what it was, so everyone was treating it as a possible heart problem. The passengers were asked to stay
seated and a call for a doctor was announced. Still, you would not believe how many people had to ‘go to the bathroom’ near us. All of them wanted to see what had caused the trouble.

Maybe it is the fight or flight instinct in us that makes us stick our nose into what we are not sure we even want to smell. It could be that instinct tells us to make sure there isn’t something dangerous happening.  

Or, perhaps we all just like a good story. The drama of an accident. The heartbreak of public tears. The thrill of a first date. Being a voyeur could be a sign it is time to create more stories in our own daily lives.

*******
Hey everyone.... did you check out my Free Story yet? I'd ove to know what you thought, so leave a comment here if you haven't already on the site:
http://www.freereadsfromthegenre-istas.blogspot.com/2012/11/deannewilstedfreereadcynthia1.html

And, if you haven't read it, go get it. It's a quick and funny read to lighten your holidays. Here's an excerpt:

.  .  .
“Oh my God! Nana, are you okay?” Cynthia realized she was the only one to have  noticed her grandmother fall in the
doorway.

“Get away, you’ll ruin it,” Nana shouted as  Cynthia leaned over to try to help her up. “I want the firemen to give me mouth  to mouth.”

Heat rose in Cynthia’s cheeks as she realized  Jack had heard Nana’s excuse. What must he think of her crazy family? The  glimmer in his eye gave away that it wasn’t what she’d expected. 

Go for it, he mouthed.
.  .  .

Read all of A FAMILY THANKSGIVING MENU at Free Reads from the Genre-istas

"I'm thankful for...."

I love a day dedicated to gratitude! And last night, as I lay cuddled under my cozy covers in bed I thought how very grateful I am for my bed... my place where I can go to relax and escape and dream. And, I suddenly realized how very awful it would be to not have a bed or not know where I was going to sleep. It would be the culmination of every insecure feeling in me.

It is easy, during crazy family holidays, to forget that I am so blessed. So today, while I am grateful for my friends and family, and opportunity to write and readers who read what I write, I am even more grateful for my bed and what it represents... and I pledge this coming year to use part of what I have been given to let others find the security that comes from knowing where they will be sleeping every night.

On November 30th I will be sharing a new story of a crazy Family Thanksgiving at Free Reads from the Genre-istas. I think Jessica (from BETTING JESSICA) would be surprised that her nemesis, Cynthia, doesn't have the perfect life she imagines. Here is a preview to kick off your own Thanksgiving celebration!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and thank you for making my year so wonderful!
Deanne

***********************

A Family Thanksgiving Menu
by Deanne Wilsted

Starter –Toasted Family Topped with Disappointment Tapenade

As Boston blew its icy November wind through the double paned windows in Cynthia Madison’s downtown apartment, she wrapped her faux cheetah throw around her shoulders and snuggled deeper into the soft suede sofa by her fireplace. The crackling flame threw off heat, but not enough to offset the chill of panic that had come to rest in Cynthia’s body. She stared with unseeing eyes at the calendar in her lap and wondered how Thanksgiving had snuck up on her this year.

Glancing at the nearby phone, she considered her choices. Was there anyone available who might invite her to join them for the holiday? Her mind was empty of options. All of her friends were travelling, and she was currently between boyfriends; something that was unusual for her in general and absolutely so during the holidays. Usually she depended on using her boyfriend as an excuse to avoid the very dilemma she now found herself in. Annoyed with herself for having forgotten to plan better, she contemplated her only option other than staying home alone: This year she would have to accept her sister Erin’s invitation to their family Thanksgiving.

Children’s laughter, parent's chatter.

Oh that every day could be Halloween. There is something so special about a night where everyone is out on the street, bumping into friends, talking with neighbors.

The night was dry (amazingly). Somehow the rain had closed shop for that brief amount of time it took to wander from house to house. The kids were excited, running from one front door to the next. So much so that it took a
Halloween buckets spilling its contents to slow them down. Our group grew and receded as new friends joined and younger children slowed. Jack-o-lanterns directed us to the houses ready for visitors, and spooky houses were worth the visit for the extra-large candy they gave out if only you could find courage.

This, to me, was what Halloween was all about; the candy was simply a byproduct. And not even a good one at that. Still, as I discussed with another mom earlier in the day, holidays would not be the same without treats. The knowledge that this one special time we get buckets of candy is part of what makes it thrilling. Even without the candy, though, I would look forward to Halloween night for the pure enjoyment of seeing the neighborhood alive.

Having recently finished re-reading ANNE OF GREEN GABLES I have found the roots of my longing for just this sort of community. I remember that I loved this book as a child. There is nothing as heartwarming as a story of an adopted child, without any sense of belonging, finding a home; meaning not simply the house, but the whole town and the people in it who accepted her. 
 
While we may not all be orphans, perhaps on some level we too are searching for this sense of belonging. I don’t know. I only know it resonates with me and, I hope, in my writing. The next holiday, Thanksgiving, is about
family. This too has attachments to home. It has also inspired many cartoons illustrating why we don’t always find our sense of belonging in this space. http://newyorker.tumblr.com/post/12898464600/a-thanksgiving-cartoon-to-get-you-ready-dont

Next month I will be offering a free-read at: Free reads from the Genre-istas

If you have enjoyed  BETTING JESSICA, you may appreciate that the story is about one of the side characters, Cynthia, and her own family Thanksgiving. But even if you have never read BETTING JESSICA, I think the idea that Thanksgiving can be crazy, stressful, and yet still offer that sense of home will resonate with everyone.

Happy Halloween!

“What kind of law do you practice?”
“Criminal, though it’s not as exciting as they show on TV.”

Jobs are kind of like that. When we are young we dream of being a firefighter or teacher or dolphin trainer, and in some cases even end up in these ‘dream’ jobs. Only to realize that a lot of firefighting is keeping the  truck clean, that teaching is about having the energy to break up petty arguments even while fighting a headache and dolphin training is… okay, I still think dolphin training would be pretty cool (other than the always smelling like dead fish
thing).

Writing is similar. It is 12:25 and I just realized that life got in the way of my doing my blog today. So, rather than work on my new story (which is eating me up inside) I flipped to my blog mode and began to write this. Yesterday I spent my writing hours visiting and revising the commas and semicolons in BETTING JESSICA (which I hope to finish revising and re-release by the end of next week!) The day before my writing consisted of emails among my writing group. The day before??? I didn’t even try to write at all.

I suppose it is not a surprise I am not setting myself up for retirement with this yet. A blank screen waits for me when I can find a moment away from marketing, editing or planning (not to mention mothering)…. And every writer knows that there is nothing more daunting than a blank screen.

On tv writers are a bit nutty. They usually smoke and drink a lot, stay up late typing page after page from some guttural place deep inside themselves. In case my readers wonder, this is not me. I am annoyed when a story comes to me in the middle of the night, and only grudgingly leave my warm bed to get up and capture the essence of it before stumbling back to bed. I am far more likely to be sipping a coffee while writing than a drink (though perhaps I should try this)… and unless I am PMS-ing my deep, emotional scenes typically come from a place of quiet reflection, prayer and meditation rather than angst.

At the same time, sometimes it is easy to forget that I am living the dream… My life may not always be exciting enough to film, but I am forever grateful to each of my readers for letting me stick with this business of writing. I hope each of you is fortunate enough in your life to be doing your dream job as well.

“His Federer bet earned OXFAM over $100,000.”

Not only did my ears perk up at this, but so did my daughters. Even she knows that $100,000 is a lot of money. This critical piece of news happened to come from my husband, who instead of sharing it had waited all day to tell the
tennis coach. Huh!

He should know me well enough by now to appreciate how much I love feel good news like this. Apparently back in 2003 a gentleman made a bet that Federer would win 7 Wimbledon titles by 2019. Sadly, he passed away before  seeing it come true; but he willed his bet to OXFAM who was able to collect $155,000 from Federer’s recent win.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with OXFAM: “Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations networked together in 92 countries, as part of a global movement for change, to build a future free from the injustice of poverty.”

So putting the win in OXFAM context, with 206 points scored by Federer during the match it was the equivalent of 20 goats per point.

I’m of course not suggesting we should all go out and start gambling… but in the words of my character Jessica, “Hadn’t a bet already given her the determination she needed to accomplish the impossible?”

Here’s to making (and winning) impossible bets!