ABR as of 8/29/11

ABR is moving along. Strong story - I am quite pleased with it. I was on vacation last week and took several days to do not much of anything other than relax, read and enjoy my family. So I have not written every day but I am back on schedule as of this weekend. I am sending out an email in the next few days as a request to recruit the next round of proofreaders. Feel free to volunteer prior to the email. I will need 4-6 readers. For those who need to plan, the manuscript will be available in about 2 weeks. I will either hand deliver a copy or I will mail it to you, depending on your location. I request all readers complete the manuscript no longer than 30 days after you receive your copy. All corrections, questions, suggestions should be noted in red on the manuscript. You can tag pages with those little sticky arrows or sheets. I prefer proofers who are not afraid to be honest. I need those with good grammar skills but more importantly I need readers who will let me know when there are issues with the story line, etc. I also would like to hear what you like about the manuscript. Anyway, the longer I am blogging, the less time I am writing ABR. So have a good night and remember - THREE CROSSES is available in paperback! Place your orders directly through me ($15 per book - discounted price) or follow the Blurb.com link to your left - it is $15.95 from Blurb. It is also available on the Kindle and the NOOK.
Thanks for reading C.L.LeMay:)

Reaction Line

Good morning Readers,
Please remember there is a reaction line at the end of each post. Utilize them. I love seeing reactions checked off - let's me know you are actually reading and have something to declare.
Hey! Guess what! I am soooo very excited about this - a book club has chosen THREE CROSSES as their November book! I look forward to their reaction - good and bad. I will let you know how it goes. Don't you love the concept of book clubs? I also love the idea of starting a writer's forum/group. It would be so much fun to share writing adventures and mishaps with other writers.
Have a great remainder of the weekend.
C.L.LeMay

Writing Project(s) update

ABR is somewhere around page 35. I shut down yesterday without looking at the page number. Would be happier with a faster pace but can't really complain considering I write in snippets here and there. Snipets or snippets? Thank goodness for spellcheck - snippets, in case your are wondering too. Or perhaps you already know that and are thinking "she's a writer?" Re-reading "Cherry Cola" yesterday. Needs some serious improvements but good concept. Thinking that I would fix that up and create a little book or maybe put several short stories together and make a small anthology. Sounds like fun. I'll give it some serious consideration and time once ABR's 1st draft is complete - give it a chance to brew a little bit. Plus I need to investigate the whole book cover thing. How/where do other indie writers get their book cover designs? I can't keep having THREE CROSSES artist/designer donating their time.
So I have plenty to do in the writing world. Wouldn't object to a miracle so I could spend more time on it, but then I get nervous when I think that. What kind of miracle would have to occur? One that prevents me from getting a regular paycheck or has me bedridden? Can I request a miracle with particulars to my liking or is that wrong? Can't have it both ways or all my way kind of thing? I know, brain ramblings again. Haven't shared those in a while - mostly because I figure they get to be too much. But doesn't stop it from occurring. My head is almost constantly analyzing something, everything, nothing. What happens when this happens? Why did he or she do that or do it that way? Why are people so different and so alike at the same time? Why do some people see the big picture and others don't? Why do some people suffer tragedies and come through them still in a functional state and others don't? I know there are answers to all of those questions and I even have my own answers but it doesn't stop me from thinking about them as they apply to daily situations. Not to mention, what I really think about I can't share without sounding like I am a whack job. Think about Carl Jung. That dude's philosophy was laid out in black and white time and time again for the world to review and pick apart and admire. And yet his one piece of authentic insight to his own mind's ramblings did not come to the surface until after his death. Had anyone known his inner thoughts and turmoils during his career, he would have been rejected as a fraud. And yet his professional insights were authentic too. You can have both - the intellectual insights that others grasp and appreciate and the personal insights that are simply the mind wandering into those places that most would rather not go. The complexities of the human mind, heart, soul are all so fascinating. If I were to spend the time on their analysis the way I would like, I would probably find myself in a black hole - no way to return (and I don't mean going crazy - I mean it is an amazing place to go, looking for the explanations of life, so much so that I could spend forever exploring it). Ok - probably too much for this time of the day. Let's have more coffee and shake it off so I can meander into the routine of society and its expectations.
Cheerio and all that good stuff. I'll touch base over the weekend and let you know where ABR stands. Keep your fingers crossed that momentum finds her way to my manuscript.

"Grandma's Quilt" by C.L.LeMay

Quick fingers sewing scraps

into patterns of quilted stars.

Gnarled knuckles over the years

barely slowed her pace.

No patch was ever a piece of trash.

No thread couldn’t find it’s place.

Red and gold, purple and blue,

a rainbow’s tangled mess.

With visions of color and design,

she stitched a masterpiece every time.

Order your paperback on C.L.Lemay's blog

Notice anything different on my blog? Yeah baby! You can order the paperback directly from the blog! Again remember you can send me an order request via email at lemaycathy3@gmail.com or through a comment on the blog.
I love the addition to the blog! Makes me happy!

Another ABR update

I have just a minute but wanted to check in. Page 29. Not quite the clip I would like to be progressing at, but I didn't have any time yesterday to write. But I will stay encouraged because I managed to squeeze out 2 pages today and it's only 7:30. If I can get another couple of pages tonight, that would be perfect. I try to keep a goal of 3 pages a day when working on a draft - not too much pressure but rather a consistent clip (yeah, I'm using the word again). Besides, I spoke to a reader of THREE CROSSES yesterday and she was sooo very excited to receive her copy of THREE CROSSES. She borrowed one of the proofs and told me that she looks forward to going home every day to read it. She made me autograph her copy. Very cool and scary at the same time this whole being asked for my autograph. Anyway, gotta run. ABR is sounding and looking good. Happy with it despite that its a bit different than I envisioned - but a better different, so that's good.

ABR update

Minutes after last evening's post, I did not write on ABR anymore for the day. So last night, I was at page 23 and it is at a setting change so I stumbled a bit - a little lost as to what I wanted to convey. I set my alarm to get me up an hour earlier this morning. It paid off. I found the voice again and in addition to writing thru page 25, I started a list of situations and details to be aware of that could affect COVET. Tricky thing this writing multiple novels that are linked.
I continue to feel good about ABR. I received a couple of emails yesterday - the topic in both being, "when is the movie (THREE CROSSES) coming out?" Mark and I discussed the pros and cons of looking for an agent last night. Just the fact that he takes all of this seriously despite the fact that I have not reached a large audience yet is extremely encouraging to me. He is not a novel reader and we don't discuss story content but he believes in my skill/talent based on responses I have gotten and my desire to succeed. Makes for a happy writer!
That's it for now - getting ready for work is next in line. I will try to put writing time on the schedule for tonight. Every page I write is one more page closer to being done with the 1st draft.

ABR update - as promised

Taking a quick break to let you know, I just typed "3" on page 23, meaning chapter three is commencing. I wonder if I could feign sick for a week and stay home to write. I think at this clip and this clarity of the story, I would have the whole first draft done come Friday afternoon. I know 23 pages doesn't sound like a lot but you have to remeber that I am squeezing writing time in between all kinds of other activities. I"ll try to check in before I go to bed to give a page count for the day. And BY ALL MEANS PEOPLE, I am up for a cheering squad to encourage me. Throw me a comment, a text, an email (use the gmail account - lemaycathy3@gmail.com as my yahoo account is acting up)- GO! GO! GO! I promise you won't be disappointed. This story is beyond what I could imagine. I'm getting the sweats just reading/writing it! I am so engrossed that I could stay up all night on this thing. Ttyl. P.S. As a reminder, I will need volunteers to read 1st draft for editing and content. I know it's not "proper" to have people read 1st drafts, but as those of you read 1st drafts of THREE CROSSES can attest to - my first drafts are damn close to the final product. It's more explicit than THREE CROSSES and definitely has a disturbing theme, so if you are squimish about interpersonal shit that might trigger an anxiety - don't read it. But at the same time, characters are well developed and much of the story is about redemption, forgiveness, suspence, and plan old fashion love. Hope you enjoy it when the time comes:)

Writing Update

Good Morning! To say that I am in a good mood is a complete understatement. I found the voice to ABR last night. It's actually been coming for a couple of days. When I drive to work in the morning, I start to hear the voice coming in spurts. And yesterday evening and last night, it took on life. Not quite what I expected but then again, I really wasn't expecting anything. The story already exist but the details were lacking. Now it all makes sense. I can see the whole story from beginning to end. What an exhilarating experience! There was always a piece missing that connected the why of the story, but that is no longer the case.
I am certain this is directly linked to the fact that once again I have had a request for another of my novels. One of the readers of THREE CROSSES asked where she could get another one of my books. She is anxious to read more of C.L.LeMay. Boy, does that feel amazing. To think that what I soooo love to do actually makes people happy. Even if there are only a few people who take joy from reading my books/stories, the fact is I have a "fan" base building and they want more. It's not just for my enjoyment anymore. Can you tell I am in a semi-state of sheer joy/shock?
I always knew that ABR was Jackie's story but that missing component that I talked about - it's gone. It's as if I found the bridge and have crossed it. And if I could spend all of the next two weeks writing ABR, it would be completed. But alas, two weeks of nothing but writing is not in the cards (just yet anyway) so I will keep you updated on my progress and hopefully I will have the 1st draft completed no later than the end of September. At which time I will once again need volunteers to proof/edit. Sorry - it's a non-paying position but I would be more than happy to give you a paperback version of it when it comes out. If I keep the momentum going, perhaps I will have copies and e-books out before the end of the year. I will try not to get ahead of myself but I guess there is nothing wrong with having a goal.
Ok - going to walk the dog, punch out a few more pages of ABR, and then start on several projects I have listed for myself for the day. Ciao for now.

THREE CROSSES - Papberback available on Blurb.com

Hi All,
If you would like to buy the paperback version of THREE CROSSES directly, you can visit Blurb.com and type C.L. LeMay or Three Crosses or "recently published". It is for sale for $15.95 plus whatever they charge for s & h.

Thought you would like to know.

C.L.LeMay

THREE CROSSES now available in paperback!

I received the proof copies of THREE CROSSES last week and they look fabulous! I am taking orders at this time. They are $15 (just to cover the expense of having them printed) and any shipping cost that applies if I have to mail it to you - which is probably around $5.
You can request your paperback order on the blog via "comment" or you can order directly through lemaycathy3@gmail.com or call/see me.