"Welcome to England."

And... welcome back to my blog. I know it has been a while. I've been a careless mistress these last many months and I apologize. I'm ready to re-enter your lives, if you'll have me. And I come to you with some fun, and funny, and downright crazy stories from my own journeys right now. I also bring to you the voice of my daughter.... who is posting her part of the trip on her own blog, THE DAILY BRAT (name chosen by her!)

I thought it appropriate that she should blog as well, since the reason for this trip is to inspire and do research for my next book - a new take on Pride and Prejudice. I've added the brief synopsis to my WORLD OF MY BOOKS page of my website. As I've yet to come up with a suitable title, let's just call it - ANNA'S PRIDE for now.

Already we have been here for five days. Such full and busy ones, in fact, that neither Faith (my daughter) nor I have had a chance to kick off this blog-fest. And, if they are any indication of what's to come, I'm not sure how many posts we will make before all is done and we are on the return trip to the U.S. in mid-August. I'll try to tweet moments out every now and then (@dwilsted) or add your email to the RSS feed at the top/right of this page to get an automatic notice when I have posted something new.

For now I am thrilled to report that we are basically over our jet-lag now. The trip was incredibly easy... certainly not what I was expecting with a two huge bags, me and my ten year old, and a red-eye. My ever supportive husband, Jeff, met us on the other side (he had just completed a business trip to Europe) and is staying for a week to help me with this first part of the research.

None-the-less, I find when I am in research/inspiration mode I am mostly living in my own brain. No one but another writer could probably understand the thrill I felt when I walked through Leavesden Studios (where they filmed most of the Harry Potter movies - for its context re: my book, be sure to read the synopsis.) Suddenly, faced with the amazing artistry required for creating the sets and props, the hero in my story came to life in front of my eyes.

Should I write, should I look around, should I take photos. I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of inspiration in front of me. In fact, I did all three.... and then I talked with people, interviewed a prop craftsman who worked on HP (Adrian Getley), and recorded my thoughts on everything for processing at some future point when I return back to the very un-magical world of my own home.

How could I blog any of this, I wondered? Well, I'm still getting my head around it, but here's what I have figured out so far; the more I experience, the more my character will experience. So, for example, last night we landed in a rather dodgy (like my British there;>) Inn. My daughter, whom I have apparently spoilt to the point where she was in tears by this, couldn't imagine staying. We lasted a night, which was fine.... and over a brilliant dinner at a local pub called, the George (p.s. thanks Spencer for turning things around for us), the linkages to the storyline began to flow through my brain faster than the lovely local beer I was drinking....

Anna and her daughter, Tiffany, would end up at that hotel as well. They would get in a huge fight. Tiffany (much older than my ten year old daughter) would storm off, and Anna, done with her tirades, would let her. Later she would get worried and track her to the pub where she would find Tiffany sitting with the hero, Malcolm. The argument forgotten, Tiffany would enthusiastically tell her mother all about Malcolm's invitation to stay with him nearby.....

I am often asked how I write and I can give no clearer description than this example above. It comes to me by living it and molding the experiences I have, like a sculptor does with clay, into something new.

It's been too long since I have gotten my hands dirty like this and I am loving every moment of it. Won't you come join me on my own journey inspired by my love of writing? I'll write again as soon as I can.....


Cheers,
Deanne

“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 sat in bed and laughed at your videos last night.”

Why does this not surprise me? I have been acclimating myself to the idea that this is my year of humility. Fitting, I think, since my book releases are making me a more public figure. My daughter likes to think I am famous… but aren’t we all within our own circles?

With publicity, though, comes attention. To be honest, I am not really big on attention. I like not having to wear make-up or worry about how I am being perceived. I am happy to have my characters take center stage. As a reader, though, I like to get to know the author of the books I enjoy. I always read the bio and sometimes even follow them on Twitter (btw – if you want to find me there, go to @dwilsted… or if you want to see one of my character’s tweets go to @jessatbettingj)

So, it may be that readers of BETTING JESSICA or UNTANGLING THE KNOT are also curious about me. Obviously my bio is published (link here). But now, with my goal of learning how to kick a field goal, my personal achievements
will be balanced by my personal failures…. And in a comic way.

By now you have probably seen my video blog about this journey. While I have jumped into this with both feet, part of me knew that the water was shallow enough I could wade out if I wanted. Not so anymore. I think I just threw myself into the deep end by inviting the help of a professional athletic trainer, Alex Molden. He has agreed to begin working with me to build the strength and mobility I will need to actually accomplish my goal (without hurting myself in the process).

There is nothing like including someone else in a project to ensure commitment. In this case I am fortunate to be working with one of the best. Perhaps Alex will also be able to help me understand how to handle public attention, since he himself has had lots of it over his lifetime (first playing football for the University of Oregon and then later in the NFL). He even has his own Wikipedia page. 

So, check in over at my Untangling the Knot Vlog page in a few weeks to catch my first training session with him… it may be that my humility will reach an all new high.

“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

“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.

“So I guess you heard about the changes?”

Uh oh… this wasn’t good. Everyone knows how I feel about change; and lately it has been coming at me fast and furious. In this case I had taken a vacation and once again my Starbucks was upsetting the apple cart.

The last time this happened I returned from my trip to find the whole store remodeled…. My favorite chairs were missing and everything seemed out of place. It threw me for a while, but eventually I grew to appreciate the
counter where I could sit and watch them make coffee drinks or the tall tables in the corner by the windows.

So, I am sure over time this new change will grow on me also. But, I should warn you, that it will probably affect you as well; because, in this case, it is the baristas who are changing. These people have become my friends… and more importantly have provided my very best overhears.  

 Allow me to demonstrate:
“I like to keep my washboard abs covered…. I don’t want to be that guy.”
“That’s where you find the unarmed bobble-head.”
“They should require everyone to work a service job at some point in their life.”
“I’m ready to retire before I’ve even started my career.”
and my all-time favorite…
“Good fore-noon to you!”

To all of my Starbucks friends who are moving on to greener pastures you should know, just like the comfy green chairs… you will be missed.

“Next time just leave the cans in your cart. That way there’s less lifting for both of us.”

Given that the clerk was directing this at a 6 foot, well-muscled guy I imagine she will end up being the main beneficiary of this plan. And though technically there was nothing wrong with this plan…. after being around a clever 8 year old I am used to plans being presented as benefiting me, “If I watch t.v. mommy than you can have some time to write,”  and it has gotten rather old.

So, rather than presenting my new blog schedule as a benefit to you, my readers, I will be honest and call it what it is… a plan to give me more time to work on my creative writing. I could say that this means as my readers you will see more of my fiction available in the future… or that you won’t be bored as often with these monologues. But  really I am being selfish here. I miss my writing.

Lately it feels like every time I sit down to write I end up in the black hole of my email or creating a new blog post. I love writing my blog, it is true…. My overhears often amaze me. But I really miss my characters. 
 
So starting next week, I will be blogging every Tuesday and Thursday (rather than m/w/f).

Hopefully this will also give me more time to flesh out the rest of my site. In November my next book, UNTANGLING THE KNOT, will be released and, like BETTING JESSICA, I want to set up a separate section of my website for readers who have read the book and want more. In this case I think it will be more about planning a wedding…. But as I said, I am still working on it. I’d love to hear your ideas about what might be there…. So check out the description
of the book and then leave me a comment below.

It’s in both of our best interests… or, okay, mostly mine.