Writers and Readers Oh My!

Last Tuesday, after work, I drove to Las Vegas.
Nope, not a vacation location for me.
But, Romantic Times Magazine brought together readers and writers
for a six day conference.
Woo woo.

A bunch of us jumped in my mini-van
Drove through a strange town
to an awesome Italian restaurant
Back row: Vinnie the waiter, Jessica Nelson, Lisa Mondello, Pamela Tracy
Front row:  Danica Favorite, Lenora Worth, Allie Pleiter

We met with Farah who works for Harlequin.  

Harlequin did a book signing
Lenora and I were very happy.

I managed to get a few touristy things done
Like go to the Mob Museum

There was a giant book signing that featured Lenora

The final night, Danica and I plus Judy Devries get together for a party

So, now you know how Pamela Tracy spent the last week.  I'm home now.  The hubby is happy - he no longer has to help with homework. The son is happy - someone will go grocery shopping and buy the right food.  The dog is happy - she's always happy.  The cat isn't happy - he still doesn't understand why we're keeping the dog.

My next book
Available April 24th
Yeah!

More snow? Really? by Lisa Mondello

Thank God for the Internet! That's all I have to say. I'd have no contact with the outside world otherwise. You see, here in New England we've been clobbered with snow. (If you live anywhere in NE you all know what I'm talking about.) Every time I look out the window I'm blinded by white...if I can see anything at all. The drifts are that high. I can no longer see the log pile in the back yard. It's buried. If I hadn't carved a path in the yard and put my beagle on a chain, I'm sure I'd have lost him in the snow by now. All the drifts are twice as high as he is.

Today it's snowing...again. The news is showcasing many places in my area where roofs have caved in on homes, and businesses. Even the local mall got a scare and closed down for a time to shovel off the roof. (That one got my kids' attention.)

Living in Massachusetts my whole life, I'm used to snow. Just not THIS much snow. The good thing is that the power hasn't gone off, the Interenet is still up, I have a full coffee pot of hot coffee and the kids are in school. (Another blessing since these snow days have been killing my writing schedule.)

Okay, enough complaining from me. Please tell me your snow horror stories. I'll vent with you.


In the meantime, I'll dream for March like I always do each year. My crocuses and daffodils will be poking out beneath the snow and my next Love Inspired Romance will be released. If you're snow bound, you can still order In a Doctor's Arms online at Amazon.com or at eHarlequin.com.

So much for multi-tasking!

Hello from Lisa Mondello. School is finally out. I had another child graduate from high school and two others finish the high school year on Monday. End of the school year means paperwork and lots of it! Not only do they bring home lots of "stuff" from school, we need to get paperwork ready for the next year.

This is why I love the fact that so much paper we used to push is going digital. I love that Harlequin is releasing all our books in ebook form. Now no matter how old the book is, you don't have to worry about it being out of print. If you discover a new author and want to go back and get her/his backlist, you can!

I was on the wave of the first ebook push years ago when my first books were published. I owned a Rocket ebook reader and loved it! (My tired eyes mostly loved being able to change the font size.) Now there are so many more ebook readers on the market. For those of you who love the feel of paper on your fingers as you read, I understand. One of the things I always wondered about is if the concept of physically visiting a bookstore would end if we eventually went all digital. I love going to the bookstore and spending time walking the aisles and just looking. It's much harder to browse on line and get that same experience.

But I do love technology and now that both the Nook and the Kindle have dropped their prices, I'm seriously thinking of taking the plunge and getting a new ebook reader. (Yes, my old Franklin still worked and I couldn't justify buying something new...until now.) Nook and Kindle aren't the only books on the market. Sony has several models and I just saw in Barnes and Noble an advertisement for another ebook reader. The name escapes me at the moment.

So tell me about your experiences with ebook readers. Have you given any a test drive? Do you own one? Which is your favorite and why?

Until next time, many blessings, Lisa Mondello

Fresh-Start Family Love Inspired Romance October 2010

http://www.loveinspiredauthors.com/

http://www.ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com/

http://www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to my Deadline: Murphy's Law

I'm not much for science but Murphy's Law is a rule I know well, mostly because it seems to happen to me frequently. I'm Lisa Mondello and I'd like to tell you about a funny little thing that happened to me on the way to the April 1st deadline for my upcoming release, Yuletide Protector 12/09.

You see, in a perfect world, computers work the way they're supposed to work all the time, especially when you've mapped out a course for finishing a book before the deadline. But then there is Murphy's Law. I think most people are familiar with Murphy's Law but just in case, let me recap it for you.

Murphy's Law = Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

And it did. Murphy's Law doesn't care about my duties as a mother, a wife or a writer. It just is what it is and strikes at will. I'll spare you all the details of how the big ML struck me this winter and jump right to the good parts about how it managed to mess with me weeks before my April 1st deadline.

First problem: Hard drive is making funny, loud noises.

I'm not a computer expert but I know that when my computer is making noise louder than the music playing on the CD player, it's not good. My conversation with my husband went like this.

"My computer is acting really funny. It's making a lot of noise."
"What kind of noise?"
"I don't know. A noise. It's loud."
"What does it sound like?"
Picture me giving a really lame attempt at duplicating the noise for my husband and him laughing at me. I'm normally very happy to amuse my husband but as I mentioned, I had a deadline looming and I didn't share the humor.

A few disk clean ups and updates later and the noise is gone and hasn't been back since. I think I'm on a roll. I have plenty of time to finish my manuscript. I'm rolling along each day and then...

Second problem: I notice my monitor is a little sluggish starting up in the morning. Not only that but it refused to come out of sleep mode unless I rebooted the computer. And then, just a week before my manuscript was finished, my 22" Samsung monitor died. I loved this monitor. It was perfect. It fit perfectly on my desk and it was crisp and clear and it just died on me.

I'll spare you the shock and horror, but let's just say, I have a wonderful husband and leave it at that. He reminds me the monitor is only 2 years old and still under warranty. Here's how the conversation went with the Tech Support line.

"Good news. Your monitor is still under warranty so all you have to do is return it to a dealer and it will be fixed for free."
"Where is the closest dealer." (He tells me it's three states away.)
"But you can ship it and we'll ship it back to you."
"How long will that take?"
"Three to four weeks."
I calmly explain to him that my manuscript is due in 7 days and that's not going to work. He doesn't seem moved by my pleas to expedite the process. I'm a reasonable woman. I understand the workings of Technical Support and where I rank in the relative scheme of things. I thank him and tell him the monitor will be on it's way shortly. In the meantime I'm frantic and think of the possibilities, for which I'll admit I'm blessed to have many.

1. Use my husband computer, which he kindly offers immediately. Yes, it will work, but like all men, my husband likes to work in what I call "the cave". (Basement) I tried that once years ago and know that my creativity doesn't flow very well when I'm looking at concrete walls and worrying about spiders. On the other hand, he has no problem with it and enjoys working in his cave. Plus it's right next to the boiler and every time someone takes a shower (I have 4 teenagers) it kicks on.

2. Use the kids' computer. Yes, a possibility, but do I really want to sit at their sticky desk? When was the last time they cleaned it? I opt for using their monitor with my computer instead. As I said, I have 4 teenagers and THAT went over real well for about 3 hours until someone wanted to use the computer.

I'm a creature of habit and I'm frazzled and my husband recognizes that look of panic he's seen in me during the 20 or so manuscripts I've written. It's been a tough winter all around. It's spring. My husband suggests we buy a new monitor. Within hours he's hooking up a new 22" monitor on my desk, which I'll admit I love as much as my Samsung, especially since it was on sale! The kids will get the refurbished monitor for their computer so they're happy. My manuscript, Yuletide Protector, is finished on time and out the door so I'm happy. And my husband is happy because he doesn't have to listen to me in crazy mode anymore.

Through the years Murphy's Law has messed with me quite a bit. One day I'll tell you the story about two bridesmaids dresses for two different weddings. How has Murphy's Law messed with you? Share your funny story. It's spring. I think we could all use a good laugh.

Until next time, many blessings, Lisa Mondello

Revisions: Cleaning out the closet of your manuscript

Since I'm deep in the middle of revising my December 2009 book, Yuletide Protector, my mind is overloaded with images of cleaning. When revising, the type of writer you are will determine the amount of revisions you'll need in your book.

I'm a self proclaimed puzzle writer. I write in pieces. As I've mentioned in many blogs and workshops, I see scenes in my head and write them down as the come to me. Some are very vivid and some are bare bones. They're almost always out of order. My hard drive is full of story ideas that have beginnings and endings written and nothing in between. In creating my books, I piece my scenes together like a puzzle, adding scenes as they come to me and later figuring out where there are holes in the landscape of my story that need to be filled in.

I liken revising this way to cleaning my closet. You know, sometimes you have things in your closet you forgot you put in there. A purse, a pair of boots from college you forgot about and old pair of jeans that are a few sizes too small but you can't part with, and all the other items you use on a daily basis. If your closet is like mine, there are definitely things that don't belong in there along with things that are good, maybe even real good, but need a little updating to make them fabulous! My manuscripts are the same.

My first step is what I call "checking the hangers." I go through each scene and I check to see if there is enough information there to A. warrant having the scene B. to make the scene enjoyable while propelling the story forward and C. see if there is TOO much information that will bog down the flow of the story. (Kind of like having too many pairs of slacks on one hanger.)

The next step is "counting the hangers and getting them in the right order." Those of us who are puzzle writers will almost always have holes and have scenes that are in the wrong order. Rearranging the "closet" is part of manuscript cleanup.

Once the hangers are in order, I fill in the holes. You know, you have a great outfit but you don't have a pair of heels to go with it? (I'm learning that I need to go see Lenora because she's the gal with the shoes!) Same for the manuscript. For me it's usually a transition scene that needs to be added.

The toughest part for me is tossing things out. You know you have things in your closet that don't belong there, but you just can't part with them. I tend to fall in love with scenes and it may take me a while to figure out why something isn't working. In the end, after hemming and hawing, the problem is usually that I have to cut a scene in the story because it's just not fitting right. So I toss it.

Once the tossing, counting, and rearranging is done, I step back and assess my work by reading through the whole book start to finish. I usually set aside a block of time when the kids and my husband aren't around so I can read straight through the manuscript and get a real feel for the flow. I tweak as needed, add a word here and there and then I print. I've learned that if I don't print right then, and send it off, I'll find something else to work on in the story and I'll never let it go. It's kind of like never inviting anyone over because you're never quite sure if your house is clean enough for company. So I avoid that. I like company.

Make sure you check out my blog on Friday at the Craftie Ladies of Suspense website! Many blessings, Lisa Mondello

eHarlequin delivery!

I just love getting books! As I mentioned in my CRAFTIE Ladies of Suspense blog today I got a shipment of books from eHarlequin.com. I'm always excited when I get a package of books and I wasted no time getting started reading Margaret Daley's October 2008 release Foresaken Canyon. I'm loving the book and actually wish the presidential debate wasn't on tonight so I can finish reading. (Truth be known, I'll probably have the book in my lap and read during commercials.) You'll want to keep checking CRAFTIE Ladies of Suspense to see the character interviews for the book. In fact, make sure you check back each week because Terri Reed is interviewing a character from each Love Inspired Suspense book for the month!

The shipment of books reminded me that eHarlequin is still having their 100,000 book challenge. So if you've read a book recently, go over to eHarlequin.com and posts your books. If eHarlequin hits the magic number of books at the end of the year, they will donate 100,000 books to literacy. It's a great cause, so give the gift of books just by reading a book and posting a review at eHarlequin.com!

My crock pot is also working overtime these days. I've been posting my favorite recipes on my post at CRAFTIE Ladies of Suspense so make sure you stop over and check that out. Why am I such a big fan of the crock pot? Aside from being Italian and my joy of feeding people, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant. I have tons of cookbooks and thankfully my family is very receptive to me trying out new recipes!

I've been in synopsis mode and I have to gush about one of my favorite reference books! Pam McCutcheon's Writing the Fiction Synopsis is by far my favorite book on how to write a good synopsis. You'll want to stop by the Gryphon Books for Writers website to check out what they have.

Until next time, many blessings, Lisa Mondello