This Writer’s Life

Ain’t That A Peach

| Amy

With peaches in a wicker basket on the tablecloth, on a background of foliageSo yesterday I was struck with a thought of sheer brilliance. Since this doesn’t happen often (or as often as I’d like) I thought I would share it with you. Peaches!

Wait, of course that’s brilliant, when you add in the fact that I’m collecting peach recipes to add to the April newsletter. I’ve got one recipe to share as well as a couple to test out. Yes, it;s a tough job, but that’s how much you mean to me.

If you have a recipe starring peaches and you’d like to share it with the other readers, send me an email. You can use this site’s CONTACT ME or simply send it direct at amylillard@hotmail.com. Be it peach smoothie or gourmet peach souffle, we want to hear about it!

Thanks for reading and joining in! I appreciate you all!

“The Call” Blog Hop

| Amy

Every published author has a story to tell about when they first got the call that they were signing with their agent or publishing house. I wish I could tell you this fabulous story about getting the call from Mary Sue Seymour of The Seymour Agency and it being so totally unexpected that it took my breath away. But that’s not how it happened.

TheCallBlogHopActually, it went a little something like this…

I had sent out 16 (yes, 1-6) query letters to agents.  I had decided that if I was going to get anywhere in the writing  business, I needed an agent on my side. And I was determined to find an agent. Thankfully I did, and  one of the the best. (Waves to Mary Sue).

But as with most transactions in the  writing world, there was a lot  of “hurry up and wait” that went on. I sent her my query. I got a letter back  saying she would like a partial. I sent her a partial. I got a letter back  saying she wanted to see the complete. Squeee…I sent it out. And I waited.

Now, I have to tell you that every time I’ve gotten back my manuscript over the years, it has never been good. Nev-ver. So when I got home and saw a big fat envelope-package waiting for me, my heart sank. I didn’t even have to read the  return address to know who it was from. I trudged up the stairs to the mail box and pulled it out, telling myself for the millionth time in my days of trying to publish that one more rejection wasn’t going to break me. I wasn’t all that disappointed. (I was crushed, but I wasn’t going to admit  it).

I didn’t even open it. I didn’t want to read what she said. If it was anything like my previous letters it would say how my writing was good, but it needed “more”. More what I hadn’t figured out and it was looking like I never would. I sat the package on the dinning room table and walked away.

My son, at the time young enough to covet any unclaimed mail, asked  me if I was going to open it. I shrugged. Did I really need to be told again that my characters were lovable and sympathetic but…

“Can I open it?” he asked.

“Sure,” I  said, with another half-hearted shrug.

Let me just say that I am so glad I  had a young reader! And to think that I had almost shoved it in the filing cabinet without even seeing what Mary Sue had to say.

Not a breath taking moment, but momentous all the same.

Want to read about how other authors received their “call.”? Check out our The Call Blog Hop. Details and a full list of participants are available here: http://www.tonyakuper.blogspot.com/ Be sure to check  it out, there are several giveaways along the hop.

My giveaway? A copy of Saving Gideon and a Bag of Swag. To be entered all you have to do is answer this question: Have you ever thrown away an important piece of mail? Or maybe shoved it in a drawer, unopened and forgotten?

Be sure to check my Facebook fan page more ways to increase your chances to win. The winner will be contacted after Friday and so everyone knows, This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Lillard-Author/177732292332322?ref=hl

Good luck!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

| Amy

Christmas tree 2012

I love Christmas and I adore my  Christmas tree. All my decorations are one of a kind  and many. It takes me days to decorate it, but instead of a chore, it’s a walk down memory lane. Not all of my ornaments are special. Some are just Christmas balls that I have picked up over the years, but the majority mean something, even if only that shopping trip with my mother and finding another must-have addition to my tree. But others are so special they bring a smile to my face as I get them out of their boxes each year. I have an ornament from every year that my husband and I have been together. There’s one for our first and our first married, the year we lived in Texas, and the year we moved back to Oklahoma. There’s also one for each year we lived in the Caribbean.  I have two for every year since our son was born. That’s one for me and one for him when has a home of his own. I ‘inherited’ a fourth of my mother-in-laws collector Santas from Hallmark.

I say each year that I need Christmas intervention, but is it really so terrible to love the holiday? I think not. But soon I’m going to have to rank the ornaments in order of importance in order to make them all fit. Or buy a bigger tree, which in turn would need a bigger house. Hmmmm…

What’s your favorite part of Christmas?

On Regrets

| Amy

The hardest thing about the road not taken is that you never know where it might have led.― Lisa Wingate

At the ACFW this past September, I attended a class about marketing. Or course branding was discussed which in turn led to themes in an author’s writing. One of the instructors of the class said simply that each writer, whether they realize it or not, has an underlying theme to their work which outlines their greatest fear. Hmmm…

It took me a while, I really had to think about it. After all, my books are romance novels. What could be the underlying theme in them all? Love conquerors all? Well, yeah, but that’s not my fear. I know the power of love. Most of us believe that to be true.

Second chances. Of course. In Saving Gideon, Avery and Gideon both get a second chance at love. Perfect, right?

Then my father passed away and the truth became apparent. My greatest fear is regret. Unfortunately the regrets I have with my dad  are hopes that somehow things could have been different. But he and I both knew, they were as good between us as they could be. They were not regrets of things undone, but the regret that comes when the vase is broken. It can be glued back together and it works okay, but the cracks are still there all the same.

So am I going to tell you to let the ones you love know how you feel about them? No, even though you should. This post isn’t about that. It’s a vent of sorts, an expression of the feelings I have, but that no longer have a place in my life. Regrets that have to become a part of the “past” column, the “nothing more I can do about this” side of  the paper.

Once upon a time, I had hopes that things could go back to how they were before. Now he’s gone, taking with him any chance for change.  So instead of regrets, I’m going to focus on the positive, the good times we shared, both before and after the regrets came. And be thankful that I had my father (with and without regrets) for the time that I did.

I love you, Daddy. And I always will.

My New Friend

| Amy

What a great weekend I’ve had! I’ve got a new friend. Her name is Sarah and she lives in Inola. She bakes, sews, and works outside her home. I met her at the flea market when we went ‘junking’ this past Saturday.

Sarah is Amish.

Why am I so excited? Because I’ve tried to talk to other Amish women and get to know them better, but they can be understandably guarded. The outside English world can be very judgmental. These women who go out of the community to make money for their families are brave and must protect their image and beliefs. But with Sarah, something clicked. We chatted about books and Amish authors, recipes and her bakery. I could have stood there and talked to her all day long.

We’ve already made plans to return next weekend to see if she’s there. I’m going to take her a copy of Saving Gideon and try to talk to her some more. All I can say right now is thank you, God, for that impulsive decision to ‘run down to the flea market’ and see what was going on. I had a great time with my family, found a couple of Christmas presents, and made a great new friend. Happy weekend!

Thank You!

| Amy

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who voted for my entry in the So You Think You Can Write Contest. Winners are still be tallied, but I have to credit myself with a definite win since I have such great ( and patient) and supportive friends! 

This Week’s Colors

| Amy

So I’ve confessed that I love nail  polish.  You know this about me, right? In getting ready for the conference and book signing (8 days from now!) I went shopping trying to get everything ready. And here’s what I found.

Beautiful huh? The red is Vodka and Caviar and the beige color is Tickle Me France-y. Spot on since I’m so in love with the Eiffel Tower and all things Parisian.

Sigh. I so love nail polish.

I’m not sure the red will make it into my suitcase. It’s a little  flashy for the ACFW (IMHO) but I know the lighter color will be my  staple while  there. I’m not worrying too much about my toes since  I’m wearing my cowboy boots down, around, and back. They are the most comfortable “shoes” I own. And I’m getting a new pair for my birthday. Haven’t see those yet? Stay tuned!

<>< Amy

I suppose I should confess that during the composition of this blog I found another color of nail polish and ordered it. Say hello to French Quarter for Your Thoughts.

Oh. Yeah.

Sushi and the Country Girl

| Amy

If you’re my  friend on Facebook (and I  hope you are), you know that I went to In The Raw to eat sushi this week with a dear friend of mine. See I’ve never had sushi unless you count the bite I spit into my napkin at the Chinese buffet two years ago. But I’m up for something new and I love my friend. Plus we hadn’t gotten to spend any time together this summer since our kids were out of school.

Sushi is…interesting. I was a little put off by the rice (sticky and kind of clumpy) but  I got used to it. I couldn’t use the chopsticks, a  feat I fear I will never learn and for which I will blame the RA. (Hey, if I can’t use a chronic illness to get me  off the hook here, what’s the use in having it?) But I still gave it the old college try and ended up flinging half a bite almost to the next table. Thankfully the restaurant was busy and no  one noticed. After that, my friend caught a passing waitress and asked her to bring me  a fork. And there was no way I could eat the entire piece at one time like my friend.

So here I  am, cutting my sushi in half and scooping the bites up with a fork, while  swilling down diet Pepsi like they were about to stop making it. (Our sushi was HOT.)

And I had the best time I’ve had in a long time. My friend was so concerned that I didn’t like the meal that she bought my lunch. But next time, Kel, the sushi is on me.

It’s good to get out of the box and try something new. And after the first bite and I got used to the texture of the sushi, I did enjoy it.

Now I can’t say it’s my favorite. But like I said, trying new things is good for us. It stretches us, gives us life experiences that are important for us to understand each  other.

After all, I grew up eating deer meat, squirrel, rabbit, and frog legs. I couldn’t let a little crab put me off. No, I didn’t eat the raw kind. But who knows? There’s always next time.

What did you do new this week?