A Live, Read, Write Update

When it comes to creating fiction, I live by a three-ingredient recipe: revel in experiences, devour books, and daydream. Stir them together in a bowl, preferably with a wooden spoon. Instead of popping the mixture into an oven, pour it over a computer keyboard, which brings us to the “write” part.

The following is an update on what’s been happening with that “live, read, write” recipe:

Live:

This is a live/laugh situation in the form of a multiple-choice question. Does this “tree” look like this because:

A. The artist forgot what a tree looked like.

B. The person who gave the artist the paper miscalculated the paper’s width with respect to the width of the door.

C. The decorator forgot to measure twice and cut once. (This tree is from the HVAC class, not carpentry.)

D. It looked a lot different before the helper elf taped it to the door and had to trim the “branches” on the right side because the door hinges got in the way.

Either way, I absolutely LOVE this tree! I laugh every time I see it. Although, I saw it before the students did and worried they might be a little miffed that it turned out this way. Fortunately, they laughed and set about decorating it just the same.

Read:

Thanks to the second half of my good friend Gemma’s blog, I was inspired to download the first Enola Holmes book by Nancy Springer. I loved it! Then I downloaded books two and three, followed by four through six. They’re that good! All that reading took me away from my writing for a bit, but that can be a good thing. Reading can “cleanse” the writer’s palate. So to speak.

Write:

This is the real reason behind this update. A few posts ago, I mentioned my non-fantasy novel, Nickie Dorrin Believes. In early November, I submitted it to my editor at the Wild Rose Press. We weren’t 100% sure if the religious/spiritual/inspirational theme fit with what they publish. I heard back about a week or so ago. Here is Jo’s response:

I look at it this way: if you have to get rejected, this is definitely the kind of rejection to get. And that means the search is on for just the right place. I’ve been looking but haven’t quite found it yet.

In other writing news, I got the Kirkus Review of Hutra. It’s always with great trepidation when their review comes in. I still have to breathe into a paper bag when I think about how I felt just before I read the review for Frama-12. The Hutra review begins with a few sentences about the plot. Fortunately, unlike the Frama-12 review, this one doesn’t give any spoilers. Jumping past the plot, here are a few lines that absolutely floored me:

Supplee employs an omniscient, past-tense narrative, mostly from Winnie’s or Nor’s points of view. The easily digestible prose moves at an effective pace, lingering overtly on character moments but never to the adventure’s detriment. …Supplee shows a deft hand at worldbuilding, and Hutra’s intriguing mix of SF and fantasy elements suggests a setting that could sustain additional stories beyond Winnie and Kip’s involvement. Indeed, Nor’s coming-of-age and associated troubles seem more likely to stoke readers’ interest than Winnie and Kip’s straightforward rescue mission. That said, the combined storylines work well together and will keep young readers engrossed to the end. A safe but sophisticated teen quest fantasy brimming with magical ideas. The Kirkus Review

For the full review, click here. My only complaint with the published review is it doesn’t give the publisher’s name or the publication date (February 20, 2023). I’ve written to Kirkus to see if that can be corrected.

After “penning” this update, I realize there is another important ingredient to this recipe: readers like you. Thanks for joining my characters’ adventures!

Happy reading!