Blog Tour: A Valley of Betrayal

Inspirational novelist Tricia Goyer's latest book sweeps you to the heart of the Spanish Civil War before Hitler unleased World War II upon the world.

The first in her Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series, A Valley of Betrayal tells the story of artist Sophie Grace who wants to find her love, Michael, who is a news photographer in war-torn Spain. But Michael is perhaps not all that he seems. And who is the beautiful Maria? And then there's the American soldier who comes to Sophie's rescue...

Meticulously researched and brimming with rich, historical detail, Goyer does an amazing job of transporting you to this time and place. Read the first chapter and immerse yourself in this inspiring story of love and faith.

Tricia Goyer is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books, and one children's book. Her novels include Night Song, which won ACFW's Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance in 2005. Dawn of a Thousand Nights also won in the same category in 2006. Both are set during World War II.

Visit Tricia's blog and get to know this talented gal!

A Writer's Self-Criticism

The Writer magazine had a special writing booklet you could buy for $4.95 full of interviews with well-known writers in their monthly "How I Write" section. Of course, I bought it. $4.95 for a bunch of writerly wisdom? I'm there.

While reading Chang-rae Lee's interview - author of the novels Native Speaker, A Gesture Life, and Aloft, - something caught my attention.

In his advice to writers, he said, "...be kind of stubborn about your writing and ...be very critical of it. I know immediately if the younger and beginnings writers I meet are not good writers because they tend to like their stuff. Most every professional writer I know is very critical of their material, even after it's published, even after it has won prizes, because they're constantly looking for other possibilities to push their form." (p. 6)

Are you critical of your writing? I most certainly am. In fact, while reading through my first ten chapters tonight, I kept thinking, this isn't good enough. It's just not good enough. But I've thought that about a lot of my stuff that's been published and people apparently like it (so far!).

So here's an interesting question. If you absolutely love what you've written - does that mean it's not any good?

For me, when I complete something, I usually have a feeling of general satisfaction. There may be certain parts of the piece that I absolutely love, but I generally do not absolutely love the entire piece. Does that make sense? I remain critical of it, knowing that I could have done this, or said it this way or that. But at some point, you just have to stop editing.

What about you? How do you view Lee's comment? Do you believe it is possible to completely love a piece you've written and for that piece to be good? Or do you strongly disagree with Lee and think that such an attitude is self-defeating?

"They Do Kind of Eat You"

My daughter gets into dinosaurs every once in awhile. We go through phases. For a month or so, it's Scooby Doo and she watches movie after movie of Scooby Doo. Then it could be Clifford, the Big Red Dog. Or Balto, the half-wolf, half-dog. Or tigers. The list goes on, but it always involves animals. Last week when we were into Barnes & Noble, though, she wanted a drawing book about dinosaurs. She is quite the artist, so I went ahead and found her one.

We were talking about them the other night and she told me that dinosaurs weren't very nice. I wisely agreed.

"And you know," she said, tilting her head in that I-know-all-about-dinosaurs fashion, "they do kind of eat you."

"Well, yes, I suppose they do," I said, trying not to laugh.

I wasn't laughing earlier, though. There was a strange—and very bad—smell coming from her room. I searched and searched, thinking that perhaps there was some old food hanging around. But when I opened the little cubby on her bed, I found the culprit - a huge pile of worms.

Worms. And they were still alive, wriggling around in their container of mud. Some had even fallen out. And I don't mean just one or two worms - I mean fifteen or twenty. Wow. And did they ever stink! I ran outside with the container and promptly threw them into the muddy soil (thank goodness it was raining).

That's my daughter, the nature lover. She loves to capture things and study them. I've found bugs, frogs, rolly pollies, you name it, sequestered in her room. But this was the last straw. I told her that it was fine to look at worms and other types of animals, but they had to stay outside. We'll see if she remembers. ;-)

Writing News

Figured out the ending of my chapter and I'm ecstatic with how it turned out. Now I'm delving into the "detailed synopsis" and trying to just write it and not worry too much about it.

Happy Wednesday!

The Writing Life

This is one of our four new kitties. Already a week old, I can't believe how big they are! Mama Cat (Katie) is quite the mother and even when I moved the kitties for a few minutes to try and take their pics, she would have none of it and immediately started moving them back to their spot. I did manage to snap this pic of my daughter with one of them, though.

Saturday and Sunday, I edited. And edited. And edited some more. I almost felt like I was chained to the desk on Sunday afternoon. The weather was perfect. Slight breeze, gorgeous temperatures, and sun! It was hard for me to stay at my computer - especially since I couldn't use my laptop. But darn it, I was determined to get this done.

Unfortunately, this one chapter took me both days to do. It was a pivotal moment for my characters and thus, it had to be exactly perfect - or, as perfect as I can get it. I think I slaved over each and every word. I deleted a lot, then started again. I'm still not happy with how I ended the chapter and I think I'll work on that a bit more before declaring it a done deal.

It's funny how the writing process works. In writing the novel, we're supposed to ignore our inner editor, to not worry over whether or not what we write is crap - after all, we can fix crap, right?

Well, when it comes time to fixing that crap, it's hard. I told my husband today that the scene I was working on was extremely difficult. All the elements had to fall together in these few pages - emotions, characterization, pacing, etc. And if they didn't, the reader wouldn't be satisfied. But until I'm satisfied - i.e., I'm feeling what my character's feeling and holding my breath while I read it - it's not done.

But, even though it is hard when it comes to editing, I love it. This is the time when I can play, where I can tinker and make it exactly how I want it (but not tinker too long, or else I run the risk of over-editing!).

In fact, this whole writing process is hard. Very hard. If you want to get it right, you have to do your work, put in your time, study the craft, write, write, write, then write some more. It's not easy. It's nerve-wracking. It takes away time from your family and friends. It gives you back aches. It makes you drink loads of Diet Pepsi and eat dark chocolate (funny - I now prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate). But oh, the rewards! I wrote a piece tonight for this scene that I thought was so good, I couldn't believe I'd done it. And you know what I did? I emailed it to myself - just that little scene - just in case something happened to my file. How bizarre is that? I also used to stuff my hard copy of my first novel in my freezer - that was before my Mom bought me a fireproof safe - to make sure it survived any calamities.

If you're a writer, celebrate! Embrace your calling! Yeah - it's a strange, difficult, wonderful, awesome job. But really - would you have it any other way?

Not me!

"God created me to write. I will write no matter what."

~Madeleine L'Engle

The Weekend

Sorry I disappeared for a few days. Work was brutal this week and that could very well have contributed to the massive headache I suffered on Friday. My ears even hurt. In fact, it still hurts, so I'm not sure if it's just a headache or something more. Guess we'll see.

On the agenda for the weekend - editing and more editing. I have to also work on a "detailed" synopsis. Ugh. Funny how different agents are. Some ask for a one to two page synopsis, others want something much more. Well, I've got the two-page synopsis, but not the ten page! So will need to do that next.

Another idea hit me for my Italian-set novel. I had originally wanted it to be a very breezy, fun novel. But then this idea appeared and it's not even close to being breezy and fun, but it would work very well with the story. So I'm not sure what I'll do. It may be that I will write two novels set in Italy - maybe a sort of "duet" of novels. Hmm...can you hear the wheels churning?

Success!

As the esteemed Brain from Pinky and the Brain would say, "Yessss!" (In a "I'm-going-to-dominate-the-world type voice).

Remember the last part of my novel that a few friends of mine felt was "tacked on"? Last night I figured out how to fix it. And it works perfectly.

Sigh of pure, utter bliss.

Hubby also was in charge of the children last night, allowing me to work on my edits. More bliss.

Today is a rainy, cloudy, and cool day. Perfect for staying at home and writing, but unfortunately, there's that new toy sitting in my driveway that requires payments, so the day job has to come first.

Have a great Wednesday!

Italy

You may remember the winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy. Nearly a hundred years ago, my great-grandparents came from this area, got on a ship in Le Havre, France, and came to America. They left the village of Volpiano behind and started a new life on the prairie of western Nebraska.

Pietro (Pete) and Domenica (known as Minnie) Amateis didn't have it easy. They spoke no English and farming was a tough life to live. But they went on to have eight children - three girls and five boys - owned their own farm, and built their own house.

I've always been fascinated by my Italian heritage. My grandfather and my great uncles used to sit around the table after a cattle branding at my house while I was growing up (the homestead where my great-grandparents settled) and tell stories about their childhood. I listened, fascinated by the antics of my great-grandfather in chasing a thief from the chicken coop or how he used to eat eggs and bacon every morning for breakfast, but never worried about his cholesterol.

I have pictures of my great-grandmother, but she never looks very happy. I think she had a hard life here in America. When she was a girl in Italy, she worked in a silk factory, tying thread. My great-grandfather used to take marble across the border into France and have to watch out for attacks from the gypsies. They wanted a better life, so they left everything they knew behind and came here where they knew nothing - not the language, the customs, or even how vast this country was. But they especially didn't realize how tough life would be.

When my father was in the air force, he had an officer tell him that our last name - Amateis - was an old French name. We were puzzled by this for awhile since we are an Italian family. But it turns out that we come from the Piedmont area in northern Italy, an area that used to be under the French House of Savoy.

I still have plenty of relatives in Italy - especially in Volpiano. And I can't wait to meet them, which is why I'm tentatively planning a trip to the "mother country" with my two brothers and my father for next year or the year after. We've all wanted to visit for a long time - and I think now the time has come. Not only will I be able to research my roots, meet my family, and bask in the Italian sunshine, but I'll also be able to soak in the culture of my ancestors and hopefully be able to transfer that experience into my novel. It's the perfect combination!

Cat Drama

Friday morning brought a bit of drama to our household. Our cat, Katie, was pregnant and we'd been waiting for the babies to show up. Since she looked ready to explode the last few weeks, we knew the kitties' birth was imminent. (This is the proud Mama up above).

Well, one little kitty showed up at approximately 9 a.m. And then we waited. And waited some more. Katie came and entwined herself around my legs, meowing and wanting to eat. I thought, "Surely there's more than one in there!" But no other kittens were forthcoming.

Being who I am, I researched this rather unusual phenomena on the internet. Turns out a cat can be in birth for several hours. But by that evening, I grew frantic. I could feel the babies still moving in Katie's tummy, but she didn't appear to be in any hurry to push them out. After a call to the vet, they said they could either do an ultrasound or an X-ray to see what was going on, or I could just keep a close eye on her. I opted for the latter.

At about 9 p.m., Katie strolled upstairs and lay on my lap. Those of you who know me well will find this a feat in itself since I am not a cat person - not only am I allergic, but their claws have appeared in my dreams on more than one occasion - and not in a good way. But this cat has wormed her way into my heart (probably because she is an excellent mouser and very affectionate) . Fortunately, my allergies don't bother me with her anymore.

Katie promptly went to sleep on my lap and I felt her babies rolling around and kicking inside her. And still, she had no urge to go into labor. She dutifully took care of her other kitten and we just decided to let her take her time.

By the next morning, she still hadn't had them. I thought for sure she would have taken advantage of the quiet in the house during the night to pop out the rest. But no. In her typical unique Katie fashion, she waited. About an hour after I got up, I discovered another kitty had been born. And probably three hours later, two more came. We now have four adorable kitties and I'm almost ashamed to say we're all gaga over them. Why? Because we've always been staunch dog lovers. We have three monstrous dogs in the backyard outside. But this cat is special. (And don't worry! The cat is getting fixed after this! No need to add to the over-population.)

She's a good mom - all four babies are doing well. But Katie has a voracious appetite and has been eating quite a bit. I've indulged her. I know what it's like to give birth to one child - I can't imagine four. Animals amaze me - they can give birth all on their own - no human interference needed. :-)

On Writing...

In addition to the cat drama on Friday, I had a burst of inspiration for a new novel. Since it was the dead of night, I had to get up and write it all down, and now I can't wait to start researching. It's not WWII, even, but takes place in contemporary Italy. The problem? I'm worried I can't pull it off. Not the story so much as the whole Italian atmosphere. I want to get it right. After reading Peter Mayle's novel, A Good Year, I felt like I was right in Provence, France. And of course, he can write about Provence so well because he lives there. How am I ever going to write so eloquently about Italy? More on this topic later this week...

Also got back to editing the novel and it felt great. I'm hoping to be done with it by the end of April, if not sooner.

Fun Friday

It's been a great, relaxing week. Even though I've still been working just as hard as if I was in the office, there's been a relaxing atmosphere to it all. Maybe it's because I was able to take breaks sitting on my front porch swing and watching the kids play. All I know is, I could get used to this. (And yes, my daughter played dress up again - I have no idea what she's supposed to be, but notice the tiger tail? I'm thinking some sort of animal superhero...)

Since it's been a week for reading and relaxing, I thought I'd ask you all what you've been reading.

Here's my two:

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

A Good Year by Peter Mayle

You?

Recharging the Batteries

These past few days I've been recharging my writing batteries. We've had such nice weather that I couldn't stand the thought of being inside all day. Besides, I've been in my hermit mode since, well, probably December. But over the weekend, I wasn't at home much. Yesterday I ended up raking leaves on the front lawn and playing "I Spy" with my daughter on the front porch. The sun was almost hot and there was a slight breeze - it was perfect.

I've felt a twinge of guilt over not writing, but just a twinge. Why? Because I can feel the joy and anticipation start to build inside me. I can't wait to get back to the novel. I can't wait to dive into my characters' lives again. Instead of feeling a bit of reluctance to get back to work, I am excited - and I attribute that excitement to me taking a break.

In my opinion, we all need to step back from the computer or the notebook once in awhile and "recharge" ourselves. If we don't, our writing goes stale and we can get burned out. Even a few days can make a lot of difference sometimes.

Spring's Here!

I'm not sure if spring is officially here on the calendar, but it's arrived on my front doorstep. I even had to get out the spring Snoopy flag.

Weather is gorgeous. I sat outside yesterday on my front porch swing and just basked in the mild temps, the birds' chirping, and the sun. No more snow! No more ice! It has all melted, thank goodness.

I'm home all week with the kiddos - they're on spring break, so my boss graciously allowed me to work from home this week, cutting daycare expenses and maybe threatening my sanity. But hey, it's worth it.

Must run and buy Casino Royale at some point today - and you all know what I'll be doing tonight! :-)