I pray you've had a lovely week so far. Today I'm happy to bring to you my guest, Karen McCullough to share some thoughts with us.
So without further ado.....Here's Karen.....
Baseball
Season Again (and the Connection to Being an Author)
By Karen McCullough
Confession
time: I’m a sports geek. Football, basketball, and baseball seasons cover
pretty much the entire year, and that makes me happy. Always something fun to
watch on TV and sometimes I get to go to a game. The NCAA tournament is behind us now and my
team didn’t win it all. Oh well, they got to the tournament and made it to the
Sweet 16. Pretty good for a group that was seriously under-manned. But I’m
ready to move on.
Spring
is officially here and that means baseball season!
There’s
something particularly exciting about the start of a new sports season.
Everything’s fresh, new, and fraught with possibility. This could be the year
my team wins it all. And even if they don’t, there’s always the chance that
something amazing will happen during the season. This is especially true with
baseball, which is a long season with a lot of games. That means plenty of
opportunities for great plays, amazing hitting streaks, unexpected success
stories, etc.
That’s
kind of the way it feels when I start writing a new book. Since I’m a pantser,
I generally have no idea what’s going to happen on the book. Each day, when I
sit down to write I hope something amazing, something wonderful will happen. I
never know what interesting idea, unusual detail, or surprising plot twist is
going to pop into my head.
That’s
the thrill of both baseball and writing for me. The next pitch could be a home
run. The next sentence I write could be the brilliant bit that knocks the story
out of the park. The sheer thrill of
creation keeps me writing when it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, rejections
mount, or publishers fold.
And
speaking of that, something else is new for me this spring. Since Five Star folded
up its mystery line in January while the second book of my Market Center
Mystery Series was still in the editorial process and rights were returned to
me, I’ve decided to self publish it and subsequent books.
Wired for Murder is currently with my former Five Star editor,
who is doing an edit for me on a free-lance basis. I’m happy she could do it,
since she’s very thorough and has already read the first book in the series.
I’m
also agonizing over cover. I want to
redo the cover for the first book at the same time as getting a new cover for
the second book, something that can brand the series and will work for future
books as well.
And
I’m drawing up a list of blog sites for promo once I get the edits back and
cover done. As yet I don’t have a release date, but I’m kind of hoping I can
manage July 1st.
This
is so much more work than going through a traditional publisher, but I do like
having final say on everything!
Karen McCullough is the
author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic
suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an
Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a
finalist in the Daphne, Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett
Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several
anthologies and numerous small press publications in the mystery, fantasy,
science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, four grandchildren
and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.
Website:
http://www.kmccullough.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kgmccullough
A Gift for Murder (Note:
the cover here will soon be changed since I’m want to give the series a unified
look. The price is likely to change as well so you might want to grab a copy
right now if you’re interested.)
The
Gifts and Home Decoration trade show provides Heather McNeill with the longest
week of her hectic life. As assistant to the director of Washington, D.C.'s,
Market and Commerce center, she's point person for complaining exhibitors,
missing shipments and miscellaneous disasters. It's a job she takes in
stride—until murder crashes the event.
Read an
excerpt and get order links here: http://www.kmccullough.com/Murder.php
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGKYNT6
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGKYNT6
Oh wow, I haven't enjoyed a good baseball game since my brothers played back in the 70's...well except for an occasional LSU game.
Anyway, Thanks Karen for sharing your thoughts with us. I'm a 'panster' too so I know exactly the thrill of starting and discovering a story!
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends. Hope to see you again soon for Saturday Spotlight, Tuesday Treasures and of course, Thursday Thoughts!
Until next time...take care and God Bless!
PamT
14 comments:
Enjoyed the sports connection, Karen, and I'm rooting for your new ventures. I'd be glad to host you on my blog.
Great post, Karen! I'm an outliner but feel the same way when I begin a new project.
Hi Karen, best wishes and best of luck with your stories. I don't do much planning. I am working from a contracted synopsis now but find I am deviating, which is totally fine LOL. For one thing, Doc Holliday told me he needed to have a speaking part. I love when a character tells you something you didn't know and when the journey takes you to undiscovered country. Hugs to you both. Howdy, Pam.
I guess I'm a plantser. I plot, but things don't always go as planned. Best wishes with your new project!
Hey, I hope all goes like Trevor Story's first 6 games this baseball season: a homerun in every game, but one, and that's when he had 2 homeruns. He's setting records. Cheers, Marilyn
Pam -- Thanks for hosting me!
Gail - Thanks for the other. I'm responding privately
Lynn -- Smooches, as always!
Tanya - Yes, that's part of the joy of writing, when something surprising happens!
Patricia - I'm another mostly pantser, too, but I try to plot out a bit.
Marilyn - Exactly! Isn't that a lovely way to open the season?
Good luck forging your path. Karen! The only sport I follow is football, and I know what you mean about the start of the season. I have a long wait between seasons though. :-)
I can't focus on baseball while the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going on! Love hockey! I also love the title of your book, Karen. Sounds great! Thanks for sharing yourself with us today. Once you get things down, self-pubbing is a breeze. (Just a lot of info up front.) Best wishes for all of your writing endeavors!
Hi Karen,
Having raised sons who were jocks and a husband who was also an athlete, I've seen a whole lot of sports. Congrats on the publication of your new novels. Sorry that Five Star has folded their mystery line. So many talented writers have lost out. Best wishes on your self-publishing venture. And you're always welcome to appear on Author Expressions as well.
I, too, am a sports fan--by default, since my brothers, husband and children all drew me in with various sporting activities--everything from cross country running to water polo! Good luck with your new venture. I admire your tenacity!
Best of luck with your new release, Karen. Baseball's my sport and the season is starting off well for my favorite teams.
SO sorry I'm late to the post, it was awesome!! I love the way you compared writing and baseball. I am a HUGE baseball fan. (Although, my Reds are not doing well at the moment, in spite of their promising start, but lots of games left!). It's almost like we're kindred spirits, other than the whole pantser thing (I'm a plotter, have to be, especially with suspense). Suspense is my favorite genre, AND, July 1st is my birthday, so....all sorts of connections. :) Best wishes on the book, sounds like a winner!
I'm a baseball fan, too Mostly college, though. Go Rebs! But years ago when we lived in Kansas City, I did enjoy many a Royals game! Best of luck with your new release!
Hi,
I get an idea and start writing. Then halfway through, I outline the rest (middle and end), but I usually have an ending twist in mind from the beginning. Of course, like some of the others, sometimes the characters take on a life of their own.
Good luck on the release!
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