Monday, April 23, 2012 
Where doth thou dwell?
Can anyone find it for me? Any suggestions? Anybody? Bueller?
If you know where inspiration has gone, please place its whereabouts in your comments.
Much obliged.
Janell
Monday, February 27, 2012 
I love to win stuff, but I rarely do. I haven't won any contest on HGTV for a room makeover or a brand new kitchen. I never won the NY lottery either even though I've only played a handful of times in the 16 plus years I have lived here....and I didn't win the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award either. The fact of the matter is, I didn't make it past the first round. There are lots of reasons why, but the truth is...I just didn't. It's not because my novel isn't good enough I mean, they never got to read it. My book's about the battle between sexuality and guilt. Abstinence and fornication. Love and hate. Who the hell wants to read about that?
Getting a liitle worked up in the head lately. Stepped on the scale to see that I am heavier than I was at the height of my pregnancy. That means I am waddling through life right now and I'm pissed. I have no desire to muddle my way in my forties. Aargh! Did anybody hear me scream or was it like a tree falling in the Amazon forest. No one would ever know.
Thought of the artist Prince last night and a moment I shared in high school. I started singing Dorothy Parker in the library one day, just the first verse. Across from me sat a football player, never thought much of him until that day. After that, I fantisized about him, but don't tell him that. Mr. Charlie P.. He picked up Dorothy Parker where I left off and then we finished the entire song together. It's something that will always stay with me. It was out of the movies. The thought made me smile. So I posted it on Facebook....
Janell
Friday, January 27, 2012 And if at first you don't succeed then dust yourself off and try again.
Don't you love it when life just gets complicated? You know, when you can't see past all the things being thrown your way, and you forget to tune in to the simplest, most mundane tasks? Man, I love it and I'm in the thick of it right now.
So I'm in the process of dusting myself off and trying again. Having a lot of growing pains. Damn they hurt.
Entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest and was once again reminded my book needs a lot of work. In a word, cliche. Loads of them. So I systematically went through my 344 page novel and tried to eradicate them. My novel is now 314 pages. Did I get them all? Were there 30 pages of cliches? No, and no. But when you get rid of a cliche, you gotta write what you mean better. I tried, don't know if I did, but I tried.
My agent submitted my novel to a bunch of publishing houses. Most replied with a standard no. Two replied with a not so standared no, Random House was one. My agent says that's a good thing. That their no was a considered no. To me, its that glass is half full argument, but whatever, still plugging along.
Gonna see how this Amazon contest plays out. See if my pitch is good enough to make it to the next round. Spent a lot of time on it. Got a lot of good feedback and nobody said it sucked, if even if it did.
Janell
Monday, December 5, 2011 
Sparkica and (her) Brainmachine
I didn't write a book in a month. I did try, though. At least for one day.
The day I announced my participation in NaNoWriMo my girlfriend and I met up for coffee. She too wanted to write a novel in a month. We talked about her idea. She had yet to truly formulate it, but it seemed she was more in love with the idea of writing a book than actually doing it. Then we talked about my idea. My 20,000 word idea that I had been working on for a couple of months. My girlfriend looked at me, and as politely as possible, told me that my idea sucked. That I needed to rethink it. She said she thought I was merely rewriting my first book and wrapping it in different paper. Uglier paper, mind you. After careful consideration.....I agreed.
Now a month later I can really dissect what she was trying to say to me. I don't think she thought my story was bad per se (even if it was). I think she was saying that it was time for me to go deeper, and she was 100% right.
I have let a few ideas percolate in me for awhile, and I now have a jumping off point. It's a much bigger task for me. But don't worry all that hard work, the 20,000 words, won't go to waste. Right now, I look at them as a collection of scenes that can be placed somewhere else. Not all will make the cut, but the thought behind them might.
I love my friend for what she did. I felt a little small as she was doing it, but hell.....that's what friends are for.
Janell
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 
Some idiot had the idea of writing an entire novel in one month. It's called the National Novel Writing Month.
An 80,0000 word novel in exactly 30 days. That's what I would have to accomplish if I was fool enough to join in on the mass delusion. That would mean I would somehow have to take care of my kid, help remodel my house, read the book that I am currently engrossed in, prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.....yada yada yada and write a book.
Sigh. I feel compelled. I want to try this utter lunacy. Even if it means that I will get absolutely no sleep.
For the month of November, I will complete my novel Witch on the Wall.
Ready Set Go!!!!!!!!
Janell
Interested in writing your novel in a month, check out the National Novel Writing Month website at http://www.nanowrimo.org.
