Sweet Saturday Sample

Here's another scene from my still unnamed Greek Island story:

"Dimitri said he had planned to make spetzofai tonight. All the ingredients are here, so we’d better get started." He glanced at her, and she nodded in approval. He hauled the sausage and vegetables out of the refrigerator. "I can handle the main dish. Would you like to make the rice and perhaps a salad to go with it?" Without waiting for her answer, he went to work, oiling the large saucepan and chopping the peppers and tomatoes for the savory sausage dish.

The man definitely knew his way around a kitchen. His movements were efficient and precise. She turned and measured out the rice, putting it on to boil.

"Were you a chef in another life?" she asked.

"My father’s family owned a restaurant on Santorini. We all helped out in the kitchen."

Francie thought about her father, so brilliant in many ways, but utterly helpless in domestic affairs. When he remembered to eat, he depended on someone else, or he went out. Alex didn’t seem to be helpless in any situation, but most of the men in this country had definite ideas about division of labor between the sexes.

"Francie?"

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"Are you planning to do anything with that knife?"

She looked down. Her right hand was wrapped around the handle of a large chopping knife, but nothing was on the block in front of her. She had been caught daydreaming. Her mother would often say living with her and her father was like living alone. "You both get so caught up in your other worlds," she'd say, "that I might as well not be here." And then she would leave. Again.

She shook herself, mentally. "Sorry, I was somewhere else."

"Wherever you were, I hope it was a pleasant place. I’d hate to see you wield that knife when you’re angry." He went back to tending his grill.

Francie stared at him a moment. There had been no censure in his voice, only mild teasing.

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The BIC Method

This week I'm getting a lot of BIC time. That's a technique I heard about from another writer. The acronym stands for "Bottom In Chair". The B actually stands for something else, but that's what I'll call it. Anyway, the BIC technique is crucial for finishing my writing projects. Unfortunately it's also an easy way to waste time.

I'm participating in a Writers' Retreat at Grand Valley. It's offered for faculty members three times a year, and even though I'm an adjunct, I've managed to snag a spot every year. First priority is given to full-time faculty who are writing their dissertations or other scholarly writing projects. If there aren't enough takers to fill all the spots, the opportunity is opened to the rest of us. We're each given a six foot table, a place to plug in our laptops, fed lunch, and given all the coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and snacks we can consume. It's a wonderful opportunity!

So far this week I've finished a short story, revised two chapters on my six-year-old work in progress, and started a new project. Just like at home, where I have a dozen craft projects in various stages of completion, I tend to jump from manuscript to manuscript. I always thought I was ADD!

On the down side, with internet access here, I've also racked up a lot of facebook time, as well as game time. I have to really watch that. But I try to limit myself - I don't allow myself to play a game until I've written at least five hundred words. Or I don't check facebook more than once every few hours. That seems to help. And my compulsion to write every day at 750words.com helps to ensure that I do actually write SOMETHING.

So I guess the BIC method works for me, as long as I put limits on myself.

Please come back tomorrow for my Sweet Saturday Sample! I'm joining over two dozen writers who will offer a glimpse into their works.

Sweet Saturday Sample

Thanks for stopping in! This week I'm sharing a scene from my Yet-To-Be-Named Work in Progress. It's a contemporary short story, taking place on the Greek Island of Paros:

The music stopped, and the dancers paused as an elderly gentleman made his way to the head of the men’s line. His gait was slow and unsteady, but his face was determined. She saw the doubtful looks on the faces of the other dancers, but tradition dictated the eldest person would lead the dance, and the rest had to follow. Would this man be up to the task?

And then he was there. Alex stood next to the old man, but instead of taking the man’s hand, he wrapped his right arm around the man’s frail body, holding him upright. The other men wordlessly fell into place behind Alex, and the music began. The line moved, Alex supporting the patriarch’s weight with one arm. Up and down the street they went, cheers and applause coming from those not dancing. The music soared, and the old man's wide, toothless smile tugged at Francie’s heart.

When the dance was over, Alex guided the man back to his seat in the tavern. Several of the villagers patted his shoulder in acknowledgement. A woman pressed a huge piece of baklava, wrapped in a napkin, into his hands. "Efharisto - thank you," she whispered to him before she returned to her seat beside the old man.

Alex Leonidis was a special man. But he was Greek, he was powerful, and he was charming. Francie knew if she weren’t careful, she could fall in love again with the wrong man. Doing so would be sheer stupidity.

Too bad her heart didn’t want to listen.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a comment. You can return to the Sweet Saturday page by clicking here.

Putting Myself Out There

I'm continuing to network and meet other authors. Most of the meetings are virtual. I joined a facebook group of authors from my publisher, Astraea Press. It looks like I joined at a great time. Someone came up with the idea of posting short excerpts of our writing on a regular basis, and linking our blogs together so that readers can hop from blog to blog, sampling our writing and perhaps finding an author or two that they like. The idea is that readers will purchase some of our publications. And our blogs will get more readers, too.

The discussion resulted in the creation of "Sweet Saturday Samples". Each week we sign up to join, and each Saturday we post our samples. You, as a reader, can go to the "Headquarters" from which you can choose an author (either a familiar one, or one at random) and read the sample from her blog. When you're finished, leave a comment if you like, close that window, and then you'll be back at the main page from which you can choose another author's work. Last week twenty-four authors participated. I know I got more traffic than usual at my blog, because I had nine readers leave comments!

I'm excited about this new adventure. Since my body of written work isn't large, it's going to keep me on my toes. I'm going to have to share excerpts from things that haven't even been submitted, let alone published. But I'm hoping to get a lot of experience form this. It's going to keep me accountable, and it's definitely going to keep me writing! And that's what it's all about.

Give it a try tomorrow! Go to www.sweetsatsamples.wordpress.com and enjoy a great weekend of reading. All the excerpts are supposed to be G-rated, and should contain a warning if the book itself is not. Have fun! Be sure to leave comments if you enjoy what you read.

Sweet Saturday Sample

Here's a scene from my The Legacy, my new release at Astraea Press!

Seated at his desk in his home office, Frank Becker turned on his computer. While waiting for it to boot up, he poured himself a stiff drink. He stared at the screen, his mind blank. What was the use of sending out his resume to more places? No one was going to hire him.

Nobody wanted him. Even his wife didn't want him. She found excuses to be out of town, even out of the country, whenever she could. No errand was too small or too out of the way for Kirsten Becker. Twenty years ago, her ambition was what had attracted him to her. She could do anything—win a case in court, come home and fix a gourmet meal, and then go out and party. It had been such a boost to his ego when she had agreed to marry him. Her cute little five year old had come with her. And now the daughter was looking more and more like her mother. Like her mother had looked. Except without the cutthroat tendencies. Leigh was a softer, gentler version of her mother.

Too bad he couldn’t have waited to marry the daughter instead.

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It's Here!

My short story, the Legacy, is now available at Astraea Press! The link went live late last night. I am so excited! It's a great feeling to see something I created, with validation from a publisher. It's such a high.

Another reason I'm eager to have people read it is the fact that it's a fund raiser for a cause close to my heart. Proceeds from the sale of the story will benefit people far away, in the land where I was born. I'm not able to contribute much in the way of funds, but I can write, I love to write, and I did write! So please read! It's online at Astraea Press and it's only $3.00. It will be a pdf. format so you can read it on your computer screen.

Here's an FAQ:

Q: I want to read it. Where/how can I get it?

A: Go to www.astraeapress.com and select "New Releases" from the left hand menu. Then click on my book cover (the book is titled The Legacy), then click "Add to Cart" and go through the screens where you have to pay for it. Then you'll get instructions for downloading it. You have to have Adobe Reader on your computer to open the file.

Q: Does it have a bunch of yukky romantic stuff in it?

A: Two people fall in love. They kiss and hug and talk about falling in love, but they don't do anything else.

Q: Is it long? I get tired and bored reading long books.

A: The file is 37 pages long. There is a title page, a dedication, and an author bio. So the story itself is only 34 pages of reading.

Q: I don't like to read. Can I buy it anyway?

A: Absolutely! Go for it! And thank you!

If you have any other questions, please put them in the comments box and I will get back to you!

New Website

This week, I set up my website. What fun! I've tried to model it after other authors' websites, but with a bit of me showing. I had to call tech support for both GoDaddy (from whom I bought the domain name) and Vista Print (where I get hosting - I wanted to use their template), but as soon as I got the answers I needed there, I was content to work on my own. I got my five pages set up, and put the content I wanted on them. Since I've only got one short story published, there isn't much content, but hopefully I'll be able to change that soon.

I let my daughters know about my success. My younger one, the one who reads and answers her messages, let me know that she was proud of me. She says I'm not going to be one of those grandmas who's always calling her kids and grandkids for tech support. What a high compliment! I probably will have to call them once in a while, but as long as I'm working with programs that have "help" options and phone numbers to call, I'm good.

In other news, I'm up to walking 2.7 miles! The 5K is next weekend, so I need to be in shape for it. I've been walking fairly regularly, and as long as it's not a scorcher, I should be okay. I'm so thankful I was talked into walking this. I've never felt better and more motivated! Just goes to show that having goals makes it easier to get things done.

So now, I'm going to write. I have to sell something that pays, so I can pay for that website! Check out patriciakiyono.com and see what you think. I can't wait have more stuff to add to it!