The Discovery

It's Friday Fictioneer Day, and as usual, I saw something far different than most in the photo. Thanks to FF founder http://madison-woods.com and to fellow fictioneer Susan Wenzel for this week's photo prompt.

THE DISCOVERY
by Beth Carter

The discovery was astounding. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Anthropologists, professional sleuths, and research scientists gathered from around the world. They stood in silence in the Hawaiian heat while peering at two fossilized ears. Earlier, someone had drawn swirls in the dark sand, careful not to disturb the prize find.

Sherlock scratched his head while making copious notes.

Holmes clicked his tongue as he stared through a magnifying glass.

Watson leaned forward and cleared his throat before proclaiming in a booming voice: “It has been proven and well documented. After all these years, we now know Dumbo fathered a child.”

Writers & Olympians

The Olympics games are in London right now. Have you caught the fever? Before I get into my comparison between writers and Olympians, let me explain my love for the Olympics. I am a true patriot. I love competition. And I admire athletes.

I've witnessed firsthand the sacrifices and very real blood, sweat and tears of athletes. As the mother of a professional dancer (and, believe me, dancers are athletes!) I watched my daughter give up school functions and outings with friends for YEARS to take dance classes six days a week. She had talent. She had determination. She had passion--just like the Olympic athletes who have given up so much to achieve their goals.

While watching the games, it occurred to me that writers and Olympians have more than a few things in common. Quite a few, actually, such as:

• Ambition
• Determination
• Passion
• Discipline
• Drive
• Motivation
• Teamwork
• Rejection
• Resilience
• Patience
• Talent
• Rewards

So, is writing an Olympic sport? Well, no, although writers who compete in the National Novel Writing Month challenge where they attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in November (or our own JANO challenge in January), might disagree. After drafting a novel in just one month, those writers surely deserve a gold medal.

Friday Fictioneers: Sweet Tooth

It's Friday Fictioneer Day and I'm back on board! The goal is to write a flash fiction story using just 100 words based on a photo prompt provided by Madison Woods http://madison-woods.com/ Please give it a try and leave a link to your blog.

SWEET TOOTH

By Beth Carter

Edgar perched atop a barren branch, scouting the open field. His siblings, Lenore and Poe, had long flown the nest in search of tasty carrion.

Trying to wrinkle his beak in disgust, Edgar couldn’t bear to think about that maggot-infested decaying flesh. Lenore and Poe called him a food snob. So be it. Carrion is overrated and Edgar has a sweet tooth.

Spotting a fluffy marshmallow on a graham cracker covered with gooey chocolate, Edgar got excited and flapped his wings. Dipping down, he chomped the sweet confection whole. Immediately, he gagged, choked, and fell over dead. No more marshmallows. Nevermore.

What's Your Excuse?

Excuses. We all have them. In fact, they run rampant for not finishing our novels, but today, I was inspired by a very successful author and hope you are, too. Keep reading.

Gazillion-selling, world-famous author Nicholas Sparks was interviewed by Anderson Cooper. I was amazed by his story. He is married with two children and previously worked in pharmaceuticals. He decided to "try" writing fiction "one more time" after seeing the finale of the TV show Cheers. Since he had a family and a mortgage to pay, he wanted to be realistic so he kept his day job.

Nicholas said he continued to work full time and wrote from 9 p.m. until midnight 3-4 nights per week. That's it. And he managed to complete THE NOTEBOOK during that timeframe in just six months! Unbelievable, right? The Notebook is one of my all-time favorite books and movies. If you haven't read the book nor seen the movie, do so immediately. You won't be sorry. I promise. But have a hanky nearby.

Other books by Nicholas Sparks include Message In A Bottle, Dear John, A Walk To Remember and in movies and bookstores now: The Lucky One. Nearly all of his books have been made into wonderful movies starring big-time celebrities. Sigh. Swoon. Dreams do come true.

Inspired? Me, too. No more excuses. Let's write now!

ORA Con 2012 This Saturday

ORA CON 2012 is this Saturday, June 23, at the Howard Johnson's on S. Glenstone in Springfield, Missouri. Presented by Ozarks Romance Authors which just happens to be celebrating its 25th anniversary, you won't want to miss this conference. But it isn't just for romance writers. Oh, no. We'll have authors, speakers and agents who represent westerns, paranormal, non-fiction, YA, thrillers, and of course, romance. Sigh.

Two big-time agents, Lucienne Diver, The Knight Agency, and Cori Deyoe, Three Seas Literary Agency, will be taking pitches. Breakout workshops are shown below and there's even a query letter gong show which I'm can't wait to see. Check out this link to register for Saturday's conference http://ozarks-romance-authors.com/ora-2012-conference-details/ or just pay at the door but the caterer would really like to plan enough lunches for everyone.

We begin with a booksigning on Friday, 4:30-6 p.m., at the Springfield, Missouri, Barnes & Noble. Now, where can you attend one booksigning featuring an award-winning western author, romance author of over 80 books, a paranormal author and international bestselling thriller author? I can answer that. No where. So join us! The booksigning is free. You'll have a chance to mingle with these authors, as well as local authors and win prizes.

2012 ORA CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8am: Breakfast and Raffles
8:45am: Introductions and Opening
9-12pm: Pitch Sessions with Cori Deyoe and Lucienne Diver
9-12pm: Critique Sessions with Rob Thurman
9-10am: Leigh Michaels – Workshop: Self-Publishing – Tips, Tricks, and Tripwires
10-11am: Jennifer Brown – Emotion in Writing: Beyond the Heavy Sigh
11-12pm: Steven Law – Workshop: Publishing and Publicity
12-1pm: Lunch and Raffles
1-3pm: Pitch Sessions with Goldminds Publishing
1-2pm: J. Brown, C. Deyoe, R. Thurman and L. Diver – Panel: Negotiating the Agent/Author Relationship
2-3pm: Leigh Michaels – Craft Workshop: Plotting Without a Net
3-4pm: C. Deyoe, L. Diver – Query Letter Gong Show
4-5pm- All Speakers – Q & A Panel
5-5:30pm Raffle Drawings and Presentation of Awards.

Hope to see you at one or both events.

Mt. Bliss (A Friday Fictioneer Story)

It's Friday Fictioneer day compliments of Madison Woods at http://madisonwoods.wordpress.com/flash-fiction/desolation/ Read and post your flash fiction here and on her site. This week's breathtaking photo is by Doug MacIlroy, from Hawaii.

Martha stared at the snow-covered volcano. Ethan adjusted his backpack. “Ready?” Martha patted her pocket to make sure her phone was inside--just in case. After several hours, she said, "I’m starving." Ethan fished inside his parka. "Beef jerky?" "I'm a vegetarian." Ethan shrugged and bit off a chunk. Martha glared at him. "After ten years of marriage, you still can't remember that I don't eat meat?" "Actually, I do remember. I also have almonds but you're allergic to those. Good luck, Martha. I told you I wanted a divorce but you—" Martha had a feeling this hike wasn't to make amends. She shoved Ethan into the giant pit using Catwoman-like strength.

Back In Business

Seriously, I will probably type this to no avail. After a full month of no email and not being able to sign onto my blog, it seems my email is finally working. It's a long story. Short version: I was hacked and Hughes shut me down. I was able to receive emails but couldn't reply to them. For a month. Did I mention I was down for 30 DAYS? Then, Blogger decided to go and change itself. Come on now. Be nice to this non-techy girl. It told me to download Google Chrome which I did and Google Chrome even told me I was "awesome" for doing so. Okay, then. Work. Let's see what happens.