PLAYLIST

 Hi all! Recently, I learned something new in the publishing field: How to create a playlist for my finished novel, Beyond Impact. This was a new concept for me. It involves using songs to describe the book. Some people have a song for every chapter, some for the whole story. I chose to break the book into sections and suggest songs I love that, in my mind's eye, match the events happening in that section of the story.

It was a time-consuming job, but I had a lot of fun creating my playlist. Music has always been a part of my life. When settling in to write, I always listen to music. It stimulates my creativity. 

I also love to sing, and at one point in my life, sang in a local group called Nostalgia. We sang as a group of eight, sometimes shared duos, and we all had our moment to shine and sing solo songs. The idea of using songs to describe my books as a whole has been with me for a while. I planned to create videos for my online accounts that described the story, and sing a song that best reflects the book's overall plot.

Author playlists for books have validated my original thoughts for creating these videos. All I need to do now is find the time to produce them. If you are wondering what these playlists are used for, some authors include them in their books, use them as a marketing strategy, and some agents request a copy of the playlist when querying them for representation.

So, here's my Author Playlist. Enjoy, and if you see a favourite song of yours in my list, take a break, look it up and let the music soothe your soul. 

Beyond Impact Playlist

 

Opening & Impact (The Accident & Immediate Aftermath)

1. "Eye of the Tiger" – Survivor (Chaotic, adrenaline-fueled energy)
2. "All by Myself" – Celine Dion (Raw vulnerability, emotional wreckage)
3. "Everybody Hurts" – REM (Desperation, fate, and unintended consequences)

The Journey Begins (Escape, Uncertainty, and Bonding)

4. "Fight Song" – Rachel Platten (Movement, escape, and the weight of trauma)
5. "Way Down We Go" – Kaleo (Dark, brooding, inevitable descent into truth)
6. "Gravity” – John Meyer (Survival, tension, and the fight ahead)

Unveiling the Secret (Family, Betrayal, and Discovery)

7. “Memory – Barbara Streisand” (Regret, longing, and the past catching up)
8. "Mr. Cellophane – John C Reilly (Exposure, and emotional reckoning)
9. “Hallelujah” – Leonard Cohen (Power struggles, hidden truths)

The Climax (Breaking Point, Courage, and Transformation)

10. “Dark Side of the Moon” – Pink Floyd (Despair, and depression)
11. "Lose Yourself" – Eminem (High stakes, seizing the moment)
12. "I am Woman" – Helen Reddy (Resilience, determination, and facing the odds)

Resolution & Reflection (Healing, New Beginnings, and Change)

13. “That’s how the Light Gets In” – Leonard Cohen (Letting go, moving forward)
14. "Up Where We Belong” – Joe Cocker/Jennifer Warnes (Finding belonging, new bonds)
15. "Imagine" – John Lennon (Unbreakable connections, fate)
16. 
    

Until next time, cheers!

NEVER FORGET THE MAGIC!

I have tried to live my life by the above heading. I've used it in many aspects of my life, but more so in these latter years of my writing life. It's something I learned from my mother. Her life, in a lot of ways, was certainly different from mine, but it's all about how you determine the meaning of  'magic'.

I was fifty-four when I started writing my first novel, which took nine years to complete, and sixty-three when my first novel was published. I was a late bloomer. Looking back on my life, everything seemed to happen to me later than everyone else. But I do believe, it all played out how it was supposed to. We are products of our life experiences, and I'm who I am because of my choices and perhaps a little fate. Or is that a little 'magic'?

And here I am, finishing edits on my latest and ninth project, Beyond Impact. This story took me almost three years to write, and I'm reaching the point where one must say, "Okay, it's done, put down your blue pencil and get it published." My gut is telling me it's done.

Beyond Impact is a genre-blended tale of mystery and suspense with a supernatural theme that binds two female strangers together over a fast-paced, action-packed seven-day period. This is a character-driven story with strong female protagonists who keep the reader sitting on the edge of their seats and keep them guessing. Think Misery meets The Sixth Sense or Gone Girl collides with The Dead Zone.

My tag line:

A tragic motor vehicle accident brings two female strangers together, propelling them on a journey far beyond impact, unveiling a hidden family secret and a bond that will forever change their lives.

The point of this blog, besides blatantly promoting my next-to-be-published novel, is to emphasize the point that it is never too late to accomplish your dream. As long as you are breathing and stay a dreamer, anything is possible. So just do it. 

KEEP ON KEEPING ON WRITING! NEVER SAY NEVER! AND 

NEVER FORGET THE MAGIC!

Writing in a World of Uncertainty

Being a writer today, regardless of the genre conventions has its challenges and is associated with a lot more negatives than in the past. Once upon a time, writers were celebrities and revered for their talent. They could make a decent living working in their chosen profession. They could diversify their writing talent and one convention such as journalism or magazine articles could support their needs while writing the next novel. 

There has been a shift in available venues for writers these days. Journalism has taken on a new face with news outlets all but disappearing. Online self-publishing, although an innovative tool for those talented and blessed with the ability and means to market their stories, can be overlooked among the wanna-be writers who give publishing a tarnished reputation. Everyone is a writer and the reader is forced to search through the many choices available for quality writing. Most writers today work at other jobs, while their love of writing takes a secondary place.

Add to that the current practice of inundating readers with false news and ads for private monetary or political gain. In these troubling times. writers have taken a hit. Their legitimacy is questioned, their commitment to truth is tainted with lies, and their integrity is smeared. 

What happened to our moral balance? Fact-based truth?  And mutual respect? It all boils down to people. Greedy people, who crave power and confuse success with materialism, instead of becoming the best loving and caring human beings they can be. This isn't new, it's been around since the beginning of humanity. However, the world has become a smaller place where like-minded can connect easily through technology to spin their evil on the dark web or to the gullible, right in front of our noses. 

But a true writer writes for the love of the craft, and will not give up, regardless of the hurdles. The world needs writers not only to speak truth but in the case of fiction writers, to create worlds for people to escape into and ease their everyday stress. As someone who writes fiction, I can escape into the lives of the people I create, relieving my stressors. I'm one of the lucky ones in a position to dedicate my time to my craft and I promise to continue authoring my stories.

 

To all my readers, please stay the course, keep the faith and believe in the magic.

Still here and writing up a storm...

 
Well, who knew life would take me away from my love of writing for so long. Life got in the way and my priorities had to change. My husband has had a couple of years of medical issues which came first and together we have come through it all. His health struggles are behind us right now and we are resuming life as we knew it before this unexpected crisis landed at our door. His strength and perseverance brought him through and we have reached a place where we appreciate life one day at a time and are grateful to be in a stronger place.

 

Since my last post, my final book in The Crossing Trilogy, Storm Dreamer, 

              Book 3 was published in 2021.

         

 Pieman, The Papa D story, was published in August 2022. It is a nonfiction memoir about a period in my husband's life that we wrote together. 

       

Also, my publisher published a complete book for each of my series, The Georgia Series 

and The Crossing Trilogy.

      

  

Since then, I've been working on a new story and series, Beyond Impact, A Salish Sea Mystery, which is finished and in the editing stage. It took me off and on, for two and a half years to complete this project and I'm excited to see it in print, hopefully sometime this year. That's my life for the past three years in a short blog. Hope yours has been healthy and happy. 

In these changing and challenging times, remember to put YOU first and do something that you enjoy to take away the trials and stressors of your day. 

Until next time, cheers!