I've been assimilated...a little.

We, including Stormy, have survived yet another hurricane here in NY. Many of our neighbors are without power and some have damage from water or trees but we did luck out at our house.

Stormy lashed to the porch during the hurricane force winds.

My husband has been to a zillion fire department calls since Monday but we're hoping they calm down soon.

***  

I have joined the ranks of crazy writers for the National Novel Writing Month in November as HMGardner.

I don't expect to finish my book but I haven't been able to start the damn thing because I keep changing my mind about plots and characters and I'm not getting anywhere.

If I follow their rules and have to write a certain amount each day to hit a certain amount by the end of the month it just might spur me into a writing frenzy.

Then again, November is a really busy month and I might just have to scrap the whole damn thing.

At least I can say I tried.

***

Thank you so much for coming out to visit my special guest Nancy S. Thompson during her book tour for The Mistaken! Great turnout and great comments.

***

Well, I need to go. I should think about outlining my story or figure out where to take my kid to Trick or Treating when Halloween has been postponed here.

Hope you all have a great Halloween/Samhain!

The Mistaken Blog Tour - Nancy S. Thompson

So, I have a guest.

A very special guest.

A special, author guest. 

Nancy S. Thompson, author of The Mistaken.

Welcome, Nancy!

********** 

I’m excited to be here with Stormy and Heather.  I’m a great fan of both. 

Last spring, I was trying to decide whether or not to compromise on a key event in my novel just to acquire a publishing contract. 

I asked Heather if she would read my manuscript and tell me what she thought.  Though I posted on my blog about this dilemma, and Heather commented that she wanted “...to meet this flawed unforgivable male. People screw up. People deserve a second chance...” –after reading through to that scene, she sent me an email.  In it she said:

“You're writing is utterly fantastic. It’s smooth and flows easily. It's descriptive. It's beautiful.  Your characters are interesting, completely flawed and totally human...  But, I couldn't get over that scene...  I cried during the scene. Then I got really angry. Then I stopped reading.”

Yeah.  She stopped reading.  Not good.  Not good at all. 

Most people who read my manuscript said that, while the scene was brutal, it didn’t bother them enough that they would recommend revising it.  Trouble was, the publisher who was interested felt the same way as Heather and would only offer me a deal if I did revise it.  But I had sworn to myself early on that I wouldn’t because, no matter how brutal, that scene was at the very heart of the story.  After all, the premise was:  What could make a genuinely good man commit a violent crime, and could he ever be the man he once was?  I wanted to know how far over into the dark side this man could be pushed.  Well, perhaps I pushed him too far.

In the end, I chose to revise that scene, to bring that character to the very brink then hold him back, have him look at what he was only seconds from doing, destroying a life.  After I rewrote that scene, I realized that just having him capable of such an act was enough, that having his victim open his eyes while on the very cusp of losing his own humanity was perhaps even more thought provoking, because it meant that he would never truly know the kind of man he was down deep inside, a monster or simply a man driven too far.

Some thought it was wrong to compromise, especially when I said I never would.  Some thought it was just to get published.  Well, you know, they’re right in a way.  I did desperately want to get published.  I wanted this story to be published.  And this was a way to do that.  But compromising taught me a lesson.  It taught me to listen, to be less rigid, which, in the end, was the moral lesson of the book, what the terribly flawed protagonist learned from his own mistakes, to be less rigid.  So I’m glad I compromised.  That’s how things get done, how progress is made.  I just wish someone would tell that to the US Congress. 
   

Visit Nancy’s blog, follow, and leave a comment during her book tour for a chance to win an ARC of The Mistaken.  Plus, 5 runner-up winners will each receive an ebook. 

You can also find her on her publisher’s website, Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook. 

Purchase here:

Amazon

Kindle

Barnes and Noble

Nook

Also available at Sony, Kobo, iBooks, Diesel Bookstore, and Baker & Taylor in 2-3 weeks

Praise for The Mistaken:

“A deliciously slow burn that builds to a ferocious crescendo, Nancy S. Thompson's THE MISTAKEN kept me riveted until the very last page. Tyler Karras is a complex and flawed protagonist, and his redemptive journey makes him the perfect anti-hero. This psychological suspense is a standout, and I can't wait for Thompson's next book.”

~ Jennifer Hillier, author of CREEP and FREAK

“Nancy S. Thompson's debut novel, The Mistaken, is a first-rate thriller full of hair-raising twists and turns.  Pursued by the police and the Russian mafia in San Francisco, brothers Tyler and Nick Karras are fascinating, fully-drawn, desperate characters.  The action is non-stop.  Thompson's taut, intriguing tale of revenge, mistaken identity, kidnapping and murder will keep you enthralled and entertained.” 

~Kevin O’Brien, New York Times Bestselling Author of DISTURBED and TERRIFIED

“Fast-paced and emotionally gripping - once the ride begins, you won't stop reading until it ends."  ~Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of CASSAFIRE and CASSASTAR

Next stops on The Mistaken Blog Tour:

10/30:  Lisa Regan & Falling For Fiction

10/31:  Jennifer Hillier

11/1:    Angela Peart & Livia Peterson

11/19:  Arlee Bird

**********

  

Thank you for stopping in on your book tour, Nancy! I wish you the best of luck!

Happy Halloween!

One pint low - chocolate high!

No, not that kind of pint!

I've been scarce this week and I apologize for that.

It's been crazy busy. 

The Auxiliary hosted a blood drive yesterday where we collected 44 pints of blood and gave out bags and bags of candy.

(I donate just for the little packages of Lorna Doone's.)

We've just begun planning and booking our Auxiliary holiday shopping spree we hold each year. 

At least another ten days before we hear anything about the contest and I'm eating chocolate like it's keeping me alive.

Husband is coming home from a three week trip tonight.

And we are preparing for the 'Perfect Storm' here in New York State...again.

I can't decide if rain or snow would be better.

Guess I will have to dust off Stormy so he can report from the front porch.


Not much writing accomplished this week but I've spent a lot of time thinking about my characters and what kind of people they are.

I've taken some notes which is different for me but with so much going on I didn't want to forget my ideas.

How's writing going for all of you?

Will you be participating in any of the cool blogfests and hops coming up?

Donate blood lately?

Come back on Monday when Nancy S. Thompson joins us for her Blog Tour of The Mistaken! 

The Mistaken Blog tour:

10/18:  Mark Koopmans & Nancy S. Thompson

10/19:  Alex J. Cavanaugh & Arlee Bird

10/22:  Carrie Butler & Jeff O’Handley

10/23:  Julie Musil

10/24:  Donna Weaver, Melissa Maygrove & Hope Roberson

10/25:  Matthew MacNish

10/26:  LG Smith

10/27:  Aimee Jodoin

10/29:  Heather M. Gardner

10/30:  Lisa Regan & Falling For Fiction

10/31:  Jennifer Hillier

11/1:    Angela Peart & Livia Peterson

11/19:  Arlee Bird

      

Enough about me...check out these people!

I know...it's unusual for me to NOT talk about myself for five minutes...BUT...I have news from many fronts to share with you!

Friends...countrymen...other, people I may know...

Tara Tyler from Tara Tyler Talks has signed a book contract! She's on her way to being...duh..duh...duhhhhhh...a published author!!!

Let's give her all the support we can.

***

And then...the lovely and talented, Nancy S. Thompson! She's in the midst of her first Blog Tour for The Mistaken!

The Mistaken Blog tour:

10/18:  Mark Koopmans & Nancy S. Thompson

10/19:  Alex J. Cavanaugh & Arlee Bird

10/22:  Carrie Butler & Jeff O’Handley

10/23:  Julie Musil

10/24:  Donna Weaver, Melissa Maygrove & Hope Roberson

10/25:  Matthew MacNish

10/26:  LG Smith

10/27:  Aimee Jodoin

10/29:  Heather M. Gardner

10/30:  Lisa Regan & Falling For Fiction

10/31:  Jennifer Hillier

11/1:    Angela Peart & Livia Peterson

11/19:  Arlee Bird

 
What's that? You see my name on the list? YES! That's because she's coming here to visit with us a week from today!

*** 

And then...I went to visit Sir Alex this morning and he has a new Blogfest in the works for November!

Check out Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog for more information and to sign up!

***

All kinds of things going on that I've posted on the right hand sidebar. Please check them out. It's a great way to make friends.

***

Weekend is over. I had some much needed down time and then last night my head began to fill with new story ideas for the second book in the Maguire's Corner series.

It's not where I thought I was heading but I'm certainly not going to argue with my head. I'd sound like a crazy person if I did. So, I'm just going to go with it and see where it takes me. 

Hope you all had a lovely fall weekend. The leaves are dropping like...well...like leaves do in the fall around here.