Deer Instead of Disasters! #Ski Trip #skiing in Canada

Followers of my blog may remember the (in retrospect) hilarious details of my traumatic ski weekend--the trip that made me decide to hang up my downhill skis forever.  I gave it a fair shot, I improved enough to make it down the mountain in one piece most of the time, and kept it up for a few winters.  And then, after that last run, I decided that throwing myself down an icy mountain in subzero temperatures is just not my idea of fun.  But, I live in New England now, and this winter has been nothing if not snowy (see: blizzards).  So, when my husband expressed a strong desire to return to our their favorite ski resort over February break, I had to bite the proverbial bullet for the sake of my family's fun.

To be honest, I was fine with the thought of spending every day sleeping late in the comfort of our hotel, followed by more lazing around in my pajamas with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other.  After all, I certainly needed to wind down after the first half of February--the beginning of the month was a crazy and sometimes stressful ride: Not only did I finish my fourth manuscript, HAUNTED SOULS, I also signed with a literary agent!  I was exhausted after all the hard work and excitement.

As wonderful as doing nothing sounds, though, eventually I needed to move.  In addition to writing, fitness is my other passion (and job).  And a member of the gym where I work happened to be at the same Canadian ski resort as we were...her family goes every year.  So she suggested we try cross-country skiing on one of the days.  I'd done it once before, and although it was two years prior, I seemed to recall it being much more my speed.

First of all, what a workout!  That part I did remember.  Despite the very cold temperatures, I was sweating after the first 5 minutes.  And the best part was that it was a fun workout!  Once I got the hang of it, I could glide along without fear of a collison, chatting with my friend while admiring the pristine, peaceful woods of Domaine Saint-Bernard.

The trail eventually led to a clearing with a little covered shelter, complete with benches and a firepit.  Strung along the trees were dozens of birdfeeders.  As we approached, my friend suddenly whispers, "Kathryn...look to your right."

So beautiful!

A deer was walking along side of her!  When we slowed, gaping at the close proximity of a wild and usually timid creature, the doe gazed back at us with expectant brown eyes.  I quickly put it together--this deer knew the drill--and pulled out the sunflower seeds we'd picked up at the lodge.  Supposedly, they were for the birds, but it was apparent the deer had decided to get in on the action.

No one else was around.  The deer came closer and closer as we tossed the seeds, and only the birds overhead broke the cold, still silence.  My friend held out a hand filled with seeds, and one of the birds landed on her hand and began to eat.  We felt like we were in a Disney movie!  The only things missing were colorful pastel gowns and uplifting songs.

I LOVE animals, and as I shared the experience with my family over dinner, my enthusiasm convinced them to give cross country a try, too.  The next day, they took time off from downhill and we all went together.

It wasn't quite as magical...this time, the clearing happened to be filled with people.  But the deer were there, and some of them were bold enough to eat from our hands!  One actually seemed ready to search my coat pockets once I'd run out of seeds!

Me with a bird on
my hand!

So, a happy and memorable skiing trip this year, with something for all of us.  And I still had most of the days to myself...peace, quiet, and good books.  If you need a winter escape, try one of my steamy romances...they are spiked with suspenseful ghost mysteries to keep the pages turning!  GULL HARBOR is set on the spectacular beaches of Cape Cod, and SILVER LAKE is set by a sparkling lake in Fairfield, Connecticut.  And BOTH novels take place in the sultry summer months...which seem far off in this never-ending winter...maybe the snow will have melted here by then!

Teaching Creative Writing! #amwriting #CapeCod #Plymouth

This has been a whirlwind month.  Finished my fourth manuscript, sent out initial queries, and signed with an agent!  I am now a "hybrid" author in every sense--I've been published by a small press (SILVER LAKE and GULL HARBOR), I've published independently (DIVINE FALL), and now I've signed with a literary agency, which will begin the submission process for my new novel HAUNTED SOULS very soon.  So exciting!

With all this first-hand experience with different avenues to publishing, I'm confident I can share helpful knowledge as I embark on my first creative writing class.  I'll be teaching "Fiction Writing and Publication" for the local community college beginning the first week in March, and in six weeks, we'll cover a multitude of topics, including the various ways to publish in this rapidly changing industry.  But we'll save that for the last few weeks, focusing first on the basics--identifying genres, Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts, character development, POV (point of view), common pitfalls, and idea inspiration.  Then we'll move on to getting started...and staying on track.  Finally, querying agents or presses, writing blurbs and synopsis, publishing, and marketing.  How will I fit it all into 12 hours?

My sub-par photo of the flier -
good thing I'm not teaching photography!

If you're anywhere near Plymouth, Massachusetts, I'd love to have you in class!  If not, go on over to the right hand column of my blog and click on either the Join This Site blue button or the overlapping squares (depending on your browser) to stay connected - I'll be posting some notes from class along the way.

I'm thrilled to begin this new chapter in my writing career, and if you'd like more information, check out the registration link here: Plymouth Class Schedule - Cape Cod Community College.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing!

I Got "The Call"! Signed with an Agent #amwriting #romance

Very, very rarely, things move quickly in the publishing world.  Usually, it's a business only for those with a superhuman level of patience--which really doesn't describe me, but I tell myself nothing worth having comes easy--but sometimes pieces fall into place in rapid succession.

Earlier this month, I posted about finishing HAUNTED SOULS, my fourth manuscript--a contemporary romance featuring a military hero, intertwined with a suspenseful haunting.  Now, I pushed myself hard to finish this one, because in December, this manuscript won an exclusive submission to a literary agency via a First Page Contest.  While it was fine to enter the contest with an incomplete manuscript, I knew if the agency was interested, there was not much they could do with a partial manuscript.  So, I forced myself to wait on submission until it was done.

And then...I got "The Call"!  While I love the small press I've been published with in the past, having an agent will open new doors to publication in the future, and it's the right step in my career.  Not to mention a dream come true!  I've worked with a number of authors my new agent represents in the past, and I'm thrilled to be part of the team.

Used my "lucky pen" - a
gift from a friend when
I received my first
publishing contract for
SILVER LAKE

Of course, there will be more waiting in the future...lots...as the submissions on this new manuscript go out and we wait to hear.  But for now...time to celebrate!

A glass of wine waiting for the
celebration after I sign with
my new agent!  Woot!

HAUNTED SOULS is Finished! #amwriting #romance + ghostly #suspense

Haunted Souls, like Gull Harbor,
is set on beautiful Cape Cod

Today, I typed the final sentence of HAUNTED SOULS, my fourth novel.  I'm still kind of in a daze...I wrote this novel very quickly.  It's now complete at 80,000 words, another steamy romance mixed with a suspenseful haunting, which is my favorite type of book to write (and read)!


I finished my first Young Adult novel, DIVINE FALL, in December of 2013.  Between edits for that book and author events for my other novels, I didn't have a lot of time or energy to work on anything else.  But I did have an idea brewing, and as writers know, eventually the characters and the story win out.  I did mountains of research, pages of timelines and character Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts, and managed 20,000 words before the summer release of Divine Fall.

A haunting mystery intertwines
with a reunion romance in
Haunted Souls

After that, I was toast.  New release promotion plus tons of events in October (a huge month for me, as all of my novels have a paranormal element) left me zero time for anything.  I didn't even buy a pumpkin until a few days before Halloween.  But all the time, those characters were relentlessly creating dialog in my head, and my mind was constantly spinning plot twists.  As busy as I was, I felt empty without a work-in-progress underway.  That file with 20,000 words entitled "Novel #4" stared at me from my desktop.

So, I decided to use the start of NaNoWriMo as inspiration.  I told myself when November 1st hit, I'd start writing again, full-force.  I had no expectations of finishing in one month--that's not the way I write. But it was great motivation and I managed about another 20,000 words--not bad for a month filled with my son's birthday and the Thanksgiving holiday.

Then, in December, I entered the first page of Haunted Souls into a contest, and it won an exclusive submission to a literary agent!  How's that for motivation?  But of course, agents can't do much with partial manuscripts.  I decided to wait to submit until I had it finished.

Now I knew I could do 20,000 words in a month.  And I did it--60K by the end of Dec., even during the crazy holiday rush!  A little over a month later--today, February 4th, I finished the last chapter, and it clocked in at 80,078.  I'd done another 20K in about 30 days.  Whew!

CLINK! :)

So, tonight is celebration time!  I'm going to crack open a bottle of champagne when my hubby gets home.  It almost feels like I'm returning to the land of reality, after submersing myself into my characters' world so deeply for so long.  Soon, I'll feel that familiar ache that comes with the story being over.  But tonight, I'm over the moon.

Tomorrow, I'll think about that dreaded synopsis...yep, tomorrow.