Here is the link for my book on Nook. Presently I'm selling it for $2.50 there, US dollars. Judging by some of the books I saw there, that's a fair price.
Truthfully, I hate putting a price on my novel. It's just weird to me. I mean, there will never be an amount that would accurately match the amount of hours I put into it...ever. But I want the price to be attractive enough that people will want to buy it.
Because I like people reading my book. It feels good when they say they like it. Even my mother liked it..."enough". I knew it wouldn't be met with rave reviews from her because of the smidgen of language in it, the f-bomb was dropped twice, and there was a little bit of sex in it. Just a little. My mother can be a bit of a Puritan sometimes, but to each their own, right?
I love hearing what people's favorite parts were. One of my favorite scenes in the novel, is the "almost kiss" in the laundry room on Christmas day. To come so close, and to be rudely interrupted. Grandma Pearl meant well, but she obviously did not get the family memo stating that Craig and Angela were to be left alone! In many ways, that moment marks Craig's first breaking point. He decided at Thanksgiving that he wanted to see where his friendship with Angela would take them, so long as it was slow...but things begin to ramp up without his expectation. On Christmas he also gets to see the depth of Angela's pain over her brother's death, and it once again puts his own in perspective.
Craig's pain is very real, and in no way does his opinion that Angela's pain is worse than his own pain mean that it actually is. While it is true that there is always someone who has a worse situation than our own, that in no way diminishes the reality of what we feel and experience. Many times it's just a matter of perspective. Many times it's just knowing that we're not the only ones to feel pain and despair. For so long, Craig only ever saw his own pain. It consumed him.
But then he saw Angela's. And knew that he wasn't alone. While Angela's struggle with her guilt over her brother's death was far from a perfect Christian example (there is no such thing, but we often think there is), it is enough that it gives Craig hope. Because Angela never stops fighting the despair that so often threatens to consume her; she often ran from it, denied it, but she never stopped fighting.
And I went on a lot longer than I intended! That happens from time to time.
Hope everyone has had a good Monday! Here's looking to more snow on Tuesday!
Showing posts with label Craig Moore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Craig Moore. Show all posts
Monday, December 16, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Unproductive Week?
So far it has been an unproductive week for me; at least when it comes to writing. Mr. Janney has been home sick from work and the first the computer has been turned on this week has been to write this. It hasn't been wasted time, as any time spent hanging with my hubby is nice! He usually gets home so late that there is little time in the evening to really enjoy the time. I'm not sure if I'll get anything other than this blog post written tonight as I am exhausted from another long day at work.
I did spend some time on Sunday working on back story for my series, scenes that will never be published and are solely for my information. I'm still not sure they're events I want to have happen, but either way the rough draft of my characters' pasts is at least partially written.
Which is important for me at least to know because in a very real sense, one of the antagonists in my novel Farmer's Daughter is the past. At the very least, Craig and Angela's different reactions to past events which hampers their lives.
They both withdrew from life.
Craig's reaction to his abuse as a teen closed him off from the female gender, and because he didn't feel safe enough to tell his father it also hindered his relationships with men. He also turned away from God. Kevin, his friend from college, is the deepest friendship Craig has. Craig is seen as aloof, sometimes unfriendly, and moody. Most people fear his temper, although we don't really see much of that once Angela comes on the scene. Although it is never said in the novel, it is evident that Craig lives a very scheduled life. There is some debate as to whether or not Craig is considered kind, and it probably depends on who one talks to.
Like in any town, everyone has their own opinion about everything and everyone, but we'll talk about that on a later day!
Angela's reaction to her brother's accident is varied. Because she feels responsible, Angela internalizes her emotions. All her anger from that day, all her guilt and self-loathing. She manages to live some semblance of a normal life. She still went to school, graduating and enrolling in college. She has several close friendships with other females, but because she felt abandoned by her brother and later betrayed by her brother's best friend she holds herself distant from men. Yet she lives on a knife's edge, because the accident left her with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and just the sound of squealing brakes can send her into a panic attack.
Had these two continued to live in the same town without crossing paths, something Angela worked very hard at, odds are they would never have found the healing they needed. Don't get me wrong, I believe in the healing power of God and right thinking about ourselves. But I also believe in the human factor. Our words, our actions, our love or hate towards another human being can do so much good...or harm. We are powerful beings and all to often we ignore the powerful influence we can have on other people.
Each and every one of us has a past. And we've all had heartaches and abuses and bad things happen to us. How we allow those experiences to shape us, is entirely up to us. Fortunately it's something that can be changed if we come to realize we've made a wrong decision. If we allow it, our past circumstances can give us the experience needed to help pull someone else out of the same dark hole we came out of.
I think I'm going to wrap it up. I'd like to write more, but I don't want to go on too long. And I'm thinking bed is in order soon. 4 AM comes WAY too soon, regardless of what time I go to bed!
Before I go, a question for you. Have any of you had a chance to read my novel yet? If not, the Kindle version will be going on sale at 8 AM Saturday morning and will be .99 cents for 72 hours. :)
I did spend some time on Sunday working on back story for my series, scenes that will never be published and are solely for my information. I'm still not sure they're events I want to have happen, but either way the rough draft of my characters' pasts is at least partially written.
Which is important for me at least to know because in a very real sense, one of the antagonists in my novel Farmer's Daughter is the past. At the very least, Craig and Angela's different reactions to past events which hampers their lives.
They both withdrew from life.
Craig's reaction to his abuse as a teen closed him off from the female gender, and because he didn't feel safe enough to tell his father it also hindered his relationships with men. He also turned away from God. Kevin, his friend from college, is the deepest friendship Craig has. Craig is seen as aloof, sometimes unfriendly, and moody. Most people fear his temper, although we don't really see much of that once Angela comes on the scene. Although it is never said in the novel, it is evident that Craig lives a very scheduled life. There is some debate as to whether or not Craig is considered kind, and it probably depends on who one talks to.
Like in any town, everyone has their own opinion about everything and everyone, but we'll talk about that on a later day!
Angela's reaction to her brother's accident is varied. Because she feels responsible, Angela internalizes her emotions. All her anger from that day, all her guilt and self-loathing. She manages to live some semblance of a normal life. She still went to school, graduating and enrolling in college. She has several close friendships with other females, but because she felt abandoned by her brother and later betrayed by her brother's best friend she holds herself distant from men. Yet she lives on a knife's edge, because the accident left her with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and just the sound of squealing brakes can send her into a panic attack.
Had these two continued to live in the same town without crossing paths, something Angela worked very hard at, odds are they would never have found the healing they needed. Don't get me wrong, I believe in the healing power of God and right thinking about ourselves. But I also believe in the human factor. Our words, our actions, our love or hate towards another human being can do so much good...or harm. We are powerful beings and all to often we ignore the powerful influence we can have on other people.
Each and every one of us has a past. And we've all had heartaches and abuses and bad things happen to us. How we allow those experiences to shape us, is entirely up to us. Fortunately it's something that can be changed if we come to realize we've made a wrong decision. If we allow it, our past circumstances can give us the experience needed to help pull someone else out of the same dark hole we came out of.
I think I'm going to wrap it up. I'd like to write more, but I don't want to go on too long. And I'm thinking bed is in order soon. 4 AM comes WAY too soon, regardless of what time I go to bed!
Before I go, a question for you. Have any of you had a chance to read my novel yet? If not, the Kindle version will be going on sale at 8 AM Saturday morning and will be .99 cents for 72 hours. :)
Monday, November 18, 2013
A Merry Chase
Well, here we go again. I'm feeling a little more focused today. I think problems at my job have been weighing too much on my mind this past week. It's hard to see my friend hurting and struggling because the 'powers that be' made a really lousy choice in who they promoted, and didn't promote. I probably shouldn't comment on it, because this is a very public forum and I know they watch social media like hawks for crap like that. So my apologies for letting it all distract me; I may work it into a post eventually, but not today.
Today, we're going to talk about the romantic chase.
One thing that is commented on a couple times in my novel Farmer's Daughter is how the female lead Angela is hesitant to let Craig know that she likes him beyond friendship. Her grandmother calls her on it at Christmas, reminding her that 'women are bold these days'. Craig thinks about her hesitancy after Christmas and their 'almost kiss'; in fact Craig has the thought that he wishes she would just up and say 'Craig, I want to be more than just friends', as it would make it easier for him...and then realizes that in subtle ways, Angela had done exactly that.
She doesn't come right out and tell him, because she is a perceptive woman and realizes that a move like that would set Craig to running. And she herself is terrified of being 'caught' in a one sided romance. But once Craig makes up his mind, he pursues Angela with a gentle intent.
Which opens up the door to the entire question of whether that's how it's supposed to be? Is it up to the guy to do all the asking and pursuing? I once had a man tell me that a woman has no say in the matter of romance...that it's entirely up to the guy to notice her and then pursue her. And this was a very proper Christian man, and I'm thinking I'm glad that he shot me down the way he did as I'm not sure I would want to be in that restrictive of a relationship. I mean, really? As a woman, I have far more power than that! I can say NO, and then where would Mr. Proper Man be?
It's not how my own relationship with my husband began. We were both hesitant to pursue a relationship, for reasons different from my characters. Some were legit (both our previous romantic partners were cheaters!), others were just plain silly...at least in my opinion. Who cares who had a vehicle and who didn't? Who really cares that there are ten years between us, me being the older one? OK, his parents cared and that was a bit of an issue at first. But we both had jobs, we both liked each other, and we were both adults...so why not see where it could lead? And neither one of us really made the initial move...a friend/co-worker of ours gave us a good push towards each other. Five years later, we're still enjoying tormenting each other and making life interesting.
For Craig and Angela though, it was necessary. One thing I've learned from my many years as a single woman watching others relationships is: Every relationship is different and can't be approached like it's going to fall in line with a set of man-made rules. That and you can't judge someone else's romantic relationship or marriage unless you're a part of it somehow and that too is a subject for a different day...indeed, Book Two. In many ways, Craig was emasculated as a teen; indeed, it was his abuser's intent. Predators go after the weakest member of the herd, and that's what Craig's abuser did. And she wanted him to stay that way, so she could always have that power over him.
Angela figures out early on that Craig doesn't like to be touched. She doesn't understand why, but almost every time she inadvertently touches him, he withdraws physically and even emotionally. It causes more than a few hiccups in their relationship. But that doesn't mean she never shows any initiative. While Craig starts spending time with her at work on his own, to the point where he even asks her to come in on her nights off, she's the one who asks him to help her with her new karate class and she's the one who invites him to Thanksgiving dinner, an invitation which causes Craig to face his attraction and feelings for her in the face. In many ways, Craig does the chasing, but Angela's the one that does the leading.
And it was indeed a merry chase.
At least that's what people have told me. Well, my mother told me that there were times she wanted to reach into the book and smack the two with a two-by-four. High praise indeed.
Today, we're going to talk about the romantic chase.
One thing that is commented on a couple times in my novel Farmer's Daughter is how the female lead Angela is hesitant to let Craig know that she likes him beyond friendship. Her grandmother calls her on it at Christmas, reminding her that 'women are bold these days'. Craig thinks about her hesitancy after Christmas and their 'almost kiss'; in fact Craig has the thought that he wishes she would just up and say 'Craig, I want to be more than just friends', as it would make it easier for him...and then realizes that in subtle ways, Angela had done exactly that.
She doesn't come right out and tell him, because she is a perceptive woman and realizes that a move like that would set Craig to running. And she herself is terrified of being 'caught' in a one sided romance. But once Craig makes up his mind, he pursues Angela with a gentle intent.
Which opens up the door to the entire question of whether that's how it's supposed to be? Is it up to the guy to do all the asking and pursuing? I once had a man tell me that a woman has no say in the matter of romance...that it's entirely up to the guy to notice her and then pursue her. And this was a very proper Christian man, and I'm thinking I'm glad that he shot me down the way he did as I'm not sure I would want to be in that restrictive of a relationship. I mean, really? As a woman, I have far more power than that! I can say NO, and then where would Mr. Proper Man be?
It's not how my own relationship with my husband began. We were both hesitant to pursue a relationship, for reasons different from my characters. Some were legit (both our previous romantic partners were cheaters!), others were just plain silly...at least in my opinion. Who cares who had a vehicle and who didn't? Who really cares that there are ten years between us, me being the older one? OK, his parents cared and that was a bit of an issue at first. But we both had jobs, we both liked each other, and we were both adults...so why not see where it could lead? And neither one of us really made the initial move...a friend/co-worker of ours gave us a good push towards each other. Five years later, we're still enjoying tormenting each other and making life interesting.
For Craig and Angela though, it was necessary. One thing I've learned from my many years as a single woman watching others relationships is: Every relationship is different and can't be approached like it's going to fall in line with a set of man-made rules. That and you can't judge someone else's romantic relationship or marriage unless you're a part of it somehow and that too is a subject for a different day...indeed, Book Two. In many ways, Craig was emasculated as a teen; indeed, it was his abuser's intent. Predators go after the weakest member of the herd, and that's what Craig's abuser did. And she wanted him to stay that way, so she could always have that power over him.
Angela figures out early on that Craig doesn't like to be touched. She doesn't understand why, but almost every time she inadvertently touches him, he withdraws physically and even emotionally. It causes more than a few hiccups in their relationship. But that doesn't mean she never shows any initiative. While Craig starts spending time with her at work on his own, to the point where he even asks her to come in on her nights off, she's the one who asks him to help her with her new karate class and she's the one who invites him to Thanksgiving dinner, an invitation which causes Craig to face his attraction and feelings for her in the face. In many ways, Craig does the chasing, but Angela's the one that does the leading.
And it was indeed a merry chase.
At least that's what people have told me. Well, my mother told me that there were times she wanted to reach into the book and smack the two with a two-by-four. High praise indeed.
Monday, November 11, 2013
No Easy Answer
I was at a family get together Saturday and was once again faced with the inevitable question: so, what's your book about?
And really, there is no easy answer. Because it really is more than 'boy meets girl'. It's about battling fear. It's about letting past wounds heal. It's about finding the courage to face an uncertain future. It's about family discord and unity. It's about faith and doubting...and finding faith again. It's about the loss of a loved one and the impact it has on the entire family.
And there's a dragon in it.
Okay, she's just in Craig's dreams, but she's still there. And she is one of the antagonists in the novel. Although we never meet the woman the dragon represents until late in the novel, her influence over Craig even as an adult is undeniable. His friend/shrink Kevin calls him on it more than once in the novel, telling Craig that he needs to stop comparing every woman he meets to his stepmother. He denies it, but Craig does indeed compare Angela and his stepmother Veronica...and he can't help but notice the differences. How Angela doesn't push herself on him, how she tries to consistently put others above herself, how her touch doesn't do the same thing to him that his stepmother's did. Oh, it definitely arouses him, but it doesn't disgust him.
As an adult survivor of molestation, one of Craig's biggest struggle is with his own sexuality. While the community in general thinks he is homosexual and he doesn't do anything to change their minds, the only thing about Craig that is in the closet is his romantic streak. He's content as he is, for the most part. At least, he thinks he is. The truth is before he formally met Angela, he was a lonely recluse. Oh, he was friendly to all but he made no real friends in the time he lived in Tyler's Grove. Afraid that all women were like his stepmother, he not only shut women out...he shut men out as well because of the father that was unable to protect him and blind to what had happened.
The sole exception would be his friend Kevin, but even that is on his own terms. He calls Kevin sporadically, usually only when something has sparked the dream sequence they both refer to as The Dragon Dream. Kevin's wife Sherry is considered a friend, but mostly by association. Kevin and Craig's relationship is probably seed for another post at a later date.
In the prologue, which I will forever question whether it was a good literary move or not, the comment about Craig is made: he no longer tried to escape the nightmare he was caught in. He made the mistake of accepting what he had been told, of accepting that the nightmare was never going to end. And then he caught a glimpse of sunlight in his darkness and he was faced with a whole new dilemma. At once afraid to embrace the sunlight, and yet afraid to lose it.
But once he had a taste of happiness, he gave himself to the chase with his whole heart.
More on the 'chase' on Thursday...
And really, there is no easy answer. Because it really is more than 'boy meets girl'. It's about battling fear. It's about letting past wounds heal. It's about finding the courage to face an uncertain future. It's about family discord and unity. It's about faith and doubting...and finding faith again. It's about the loss of a loved one and the impact it has on the entire family.
And there's a dragon in it.
Okay, she's just in Craig's dreams, but she's still there. And she is one of the antagonists in the novel. Although we never meet the woman the dragon represents until late in the novel, her influence over Craig even as an adult is undeniable. His friend/shrink Kevin calls him on it more than once in the novel, telling Craig that he needs to stop comparing every woman he meets to his stepmother. He denies it, but Craig does indeed compare Angela and his stepmother Veronica...and he can't help but notice the differences. How Angela doesn't push herself on him, how she tries to consistently put others above herself, how her touch doesn't do the same thing to him that his stepmother's did. Oh, it definitely arouses him, but it doesn't disgust him.
As an adult survivor of molestation, one of Craig's biggest struggle is with his own sexuality. While the community in general thinks he is homosexual and he doesn't do anything to change their minds, the only thing about Craig that is in the closet is his romantic streak. He's content as he is, for the most part. At least, he thinks he is. The truth is before he formally met Angela, he was a lonely recluse. Oh, he was friendly to all but he made no real friends in the time he lived in Tyler's Grove. Afraid that all women were like his stepmother, he not only shut women out...he shut men out as well because of the father that was unable to protect him and blind to what had happened.
The sole exception would be his friend Kevin, but even that is on his own terms. He calls Kevin sporadically, usually only when something has sparked the dream sequence they both refer to as The Dragon Dream. Kevin's wife Sherry is considered a friend, but mostly by association. Kevin and Craig's relationship is probably seed for another post at a later date.
In the prologue, which I will forever question whether it was a good literary move or not, the comment about Craig is made: he no longer tried to escape the nightmare he was caught in. He made the mistake of accepting what he had been told, of accepting that the nightmare was never going to end. And then he caught a glimpse of sunlight in his darkness and he was faced with a whole new dilemma. At once afraid to embrace the sunlight, and yet afraid to lose it.
But once he had a taste of happiness, he gave himself to the chase with his whole heart.
More on the 'chase' on Thursday...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)