Creaking Open That Old Shed Door…

Why – hello everyone. Are you still here? Are you all really STILL here? Wow! Thank you for sticking around. It’s so wonderful to be able to engage with you again!

If you’ve forgotten, it’s me, Francine LaSala. You may remember me / my words from such quirky novels as Rita Hayworth’s Shoes and The Girl, the Gold Tooth & Everything and as the publisher and co-editor of the anthology A Kind of Mad Courage. (You may also remember me as the author whose book somehow had the same cover as one by Margaret Atwood – my biggest post to date.)

Margaret Atwood’s “ripoff” cover. (Click on image to read post.)

Actually, you may not remember me at all – or that you even subscribed to this blog – as it’s been so long since I published anything. Since I’ve written anything of my own. Somehow in the madness of the past two years, I have abandoned my poor “Shed” and somehow managed to lose track of my identity as a writer. Very Mina-esque for anyone who gets the reference.

Before…?

Well, no more or that. The past couple of weeks, I’ve been working to whack away the weeds that have grown over the “Shed” (otherwise known as my creativity). I’ve WD-40’d the hinges of the rickety old door and finally pushed it open. It’s a little musty in here, and there are some cobwebs and spiders hanging around, but give me a few weeks and I’ll have it all spic-and-span again.

I’ve already started to redecorate aesthetically – giving the blog a new look. (What do you think?) Now I’m working on “redecorating” content. I don’t think I’ll be able to commit to regular features, like Wassup Wednesday and Five for Friday anymore, but I will try and post regularly.

I still want to hear from you guys as well. While I haven’t been around all that much, I’ve really missed the sense of community having a regular blog gives a gal.

In the time that I’ve been away, I lost my mother. I became estranged from my father, and made my peace with him.

I became a dog person.

The three “musketeers” (or “stooges” – depending on the day/hour).)

I took a couple of winter trips to a California beach house with writer pals Eileen Goudge, Samantha Stroh Bailey, Julie Valerie, Jen Tucker, Meredith Schorr, and Josie Brown and enriched my soul.

I went to France with my ten-year-old daughter and left here there with her grandparents – to fly home on her own. The most terrifying experience of my life, but she was awesome!

Yep, I’ve done a lot of growing these past months. How about you? Please leave me a comment about the biggest thing that’s happened to you in the past two years. (And if you’re not subscribed, do it now – it’s so easy!)

I look forward to welcoming you all back into the Shed again – maybe when it looks like more this…?

The Goal!

Till next time,

Francine

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Let’s connect! Find me on Twitter and Facebook, and email me: francine@francinelasala.com.

The Importance of Being Edited

I talk about editing on my creative services website today. Come on by!

BAY ROAD CREATIVE LLC

***First published in Louise Wise’s Wise Words – Book Blogger, Revised and Updated***

When I tell people I’m a book editor, they generally reply: “Wow, you must be a great speller!” Well, the thing is, I’m an exceptional editor, but not the best speller. Gasp! How can that be? Keep reading, because I’m going to get into all the aspects of editing and, most importantly, why you cannot, cannot, CANNOT put your work out there without passing it under a set of editorial eyes–or several even. Even if you are able to spell antidisestablishmentarianism without looking it up. Or spellcheck. (And yeah, I needed both for that.)

First, the WHY.

Number 1:

It’s an important part of the process to self-edit, but in all truthfulness, you cannot successfully edit your own book unless you are a robot. It’s impossible for us as human beings to regard ourselves with complete objectivity. I’m…

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“The Joys of Being a Writing Mom,” by Elke Feuer

When people find out I’m a writer, they often ask me where I find the time especially with two kids and a full-time job. I tell them:

1) I have amazing kids who go to bed on time every night (mostly) and a very supportive husband.

2) Writing is important to me, so I make time for it.

When I found out I was having my second child, I decided to put my writing career on hold for a short while so I could focus on my kids, after all two is harder and newborns need a lot of time and attention. Thankfully my BFF, Katie convinced me to submit my story anyway. Lo and behold my book was picked up by a publisher days after my daughter was born. As excited as I was, I knew it was going to be a challenge.

The best surprise? It was easier than I thought. Having another child brought so much joy to our lives, not to mention I have the best baby in the whole universe (that’s not too biased). Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a walk in the park by any means, but the rewards are worth it.

Having children adds depth to my creativity, and my writing is better for it. My kids and family provide support, encouragement and lots of, “You’re so awesome, mom!” No amount of free time in the world is a better substitute. On days when I so frustrated with my story I can’t see straight, all I have to do is look into their sweet faces or spend quality time with them to be inspired. Who could ask for more?

Rich and our son, Erik can never wait to give me their presents whether it’s my birthday and Christmas time, so sure enough, Mother’s Day I got my gifts a day early. My husband did an awesome job of getting a card from our 10 month old, Zoe that was completely adorable and couldn’t have been more perfect if she’d picked it herself. Erik made me a card at school which was so fantastic that I wanted to cry. My husband’s card said what it always does. I’m so lucky that you married me. He’s right, of course. 

I love being a mom and a writer. It has its challenges, but they’re the best jobs in the world and I’m blessed that I don’t have to choose between them.

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ABOUT ELKE FEUER

I live in Grand Cayman with my husband and two kids. Reading, spending time with my family, traveling, and meeting people is my joy. Writing is my passion.

My first book, For the Love of Jazz, is a romantic suspense. I stumbled into writing suspense and loved it along with writing about serial killers. I write time travel, historical, and contemporary novels to even out my dark side.

To find out more about me or my latest story, “Deadly Bloodlines,” visit my website, or say hi on Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads. You can’t escape, I’m everywhere. 😉

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Let’s connect! Find me on Twitter and Facebook, and email me: francine@francinelasala.com