Hello readers and writers.  So glad you stopped by.   I’ve got exciting news to share. 

I visited the Library of Congress  in Washington D. C. this past week.  At this absolutely gorgeous building, I actually got to check out my own book , Row Away From the Rocks, in the main reading room.   It was SO exciting.  Sorry to toot my own horn, but I can assure you it was a grand experience.  The main reading room is a such a beautiful place with this marvelous high ceiling.  The Library of Congress gets 20,000 books each day.  They select about half of those, and most books go to various other buildings in Washington D. C. (The leftovers are donated to various libraries.)  Some books make it to the Library of Congress.  I feel so honored to have my book there. 

So you writers, keep on writing.   If you also get a book in the Library of Congress, you will need to apply for an official Library card at the Madison Building, across the street from the Library of Congress.  You will be required to fill out some forms and have official ID with you.  The card you receive is then good for two years.   You readers may go through the same process and check out a book at the nation’s library.   Try it.  It’s a fabulous experience.  And if you go, let me know what you think of this gorgeous building. 

Now that I’m back home, Tessa and Claudine, the two sisters in my novel in progress, are clamoring for my attention.  I’m still working at getting them to form a bond.  There are times when I think it’s simply not going to happen.  I start a new writer’s workshop on June 7.  I’m taking along chapters of Tessa and Claudine.I will let you know how the critiques go.  In the meantime, I wish you would let me know when you stop by.  I keep telling Tessa and Claudine I have blog fans, but they don’t believe me.  Sometimes my characters are a pain in the butt.

Lisbeth

          I love March Madness.  Here we are almost to the end of the NCAA tourney.   I’m still revising TESSA AND CLAUDINE and my main character, Tessa, has become a big basketball fan now that she’s moved to Indianapolis, a big basketball state.  In fact in a recent chapter she attended a high school tournament at the Butler fieldhouse, so in light of that I’m rooting for the Butler Bulldogs.  I know it’s a long shot, but Tessa wants me on their side.

          The fun part about writing fiction is that the characters slowly come to life as the story progresses.  At first, they are like paper dolls.  I can get them to do what I want.  But, not for long.  The characters soon start driving the story forward on their own.  I remember the time, when I was writing my first book, ROW AWAY FROM THE ROCKS, and my husband invited me out to dinner.  (I think it was because he came home from golf at dinner time and I was still working on the computer).  

          At dinner, he said, “So how’s your book coming along?”

          “Okay, I guess,” I said, “but I’m so angry at Carrie, my main character.  She always has to have everything her way.   I’m getting sick of her attitude.”  

          My husband rolled his eyes and looked at me like, oh man, she’s really gone over the edge.   As for me, I got excited because at that moment I realized that my character had become real.  

           And now my characters in TESSA AND CLAUDINE hve reached this stage.   Each time I sit down to redo a chapter, I reread the chapter before making changes and wonder just where some of the scenes came from.   I suppose I have my characters to thank for some of the fun surprises.

           Well here’s hoping we have some plenty of surprises in the tournament next weekend.  Obviously, we have four dynamite teams– Duke, Michigan State, West Virginia, and Butler – vying for that top spot.

We went on this fantastic Western Carribbean cruise  — Cayamo,  A Journey Through Song and LOVED it.  We listened to concerts day and  night  for five days- it was great.  The musicians:  Lyle Lovett, Brandi Carlisle, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Shawn Mullins, Chuck Cannon (my favorite), and a host of others wowed us.  I went to a songwriters workshop and ever since I’ve been playing with words night and day.  

TESSA AND CLAUDINE – REVISION TIPS:  I’m rolling along with my novel, revising each chapter, making sure the reader can see the scene, and cutting out parts.  I may like a certain paragraph, or scene, but I ask, “Does this relate to the  overall story?”  If the answer is no, then no matter how well it’s written, I push the delte button.  It hurts, but it has to go.  I remember a writing instructor saying, “If you’re writing about an Indian, then everything you write must in some way relate to the Indian.”

I’m sharing chapters with a cousin who’s writing a memoir.  We read and critique.  It works well.  She catches things I can’t see.  I recommend this type of back and forth critiquing with one person you trust to do a good critique.  Sometimes we get too close to our work that we can’t see the small mistakes.  Knowng my cousin is going to want to touch, taste, see and feel what is going on is helping me to make sure I appeal to the senses.

On the cruise, I saw lot of families.  I visited with sisters traveling together.   Often the sisters seemed so different in personality, but there they were laughing, singing, having a great time together.  It gave me hope that I could get my two characters back in touch with one another.   

My sister, Charlotte, and I had our many differences, but we both liked to cook.  She loved my chicken enchiladas.  I’m going to add that recipe today.   Let me know if you like it.  (Look under Recipes for the chicken enchilada recipe.)

Any other Cayamo fans out there?

Well here it is Abe Lincoln’s birthday, a significant day indeed.  I grew up in Vandalia, Illinois, the Land of Lincoln.  Our small town of 5,000 was the first state capitol of Illinois, so in grade school we studied former President Lincoln like he was part of the family.  My great-grandmother, Lydia Mae, lived in our house when I was a child, and her claim to fame was that her grandfather, a member of the Illinois legislature, got an invitation to Lincoln’s funeral in Springfield.  She let me take the invitation to school for show and tell.  The other significant fact today is that it is grandson, Blake’s first birthday.  

TESSA AND CLAUDINE UPDATE: I am revising Chapter 9 at the moment.  Tessa, a high school junior, just received a letter from a boy she’s dating, a college freshman.  My story’s fiction, but I use some  autobiographical tidbits –as is the case with Tessa’s letter from Bill, her college beau.  He writes Tessa and also his parents, but he puts the letters into the wrong envelopes.  Tessa gets the letter intended for his parents, and they get the letter he’s written to her.  Writing this scene took me back to that day when I read the letter my old boyfriend wrote his parents.  It was pretty darn funny.  Little did I know it would one day end up in a novel. 

ECHOES UPDATE:  Our poetry book is doing well.   The Eden Prairie, MN, newspaper had a great article about ECHOES and Rachel Nelson, my granddaughter and 12 year old co-author.  They had a photo of Rachel, who lives in Eden Prairie, information about the poetry book, biography information about both of us, and a couple of our poems. 

Stay warm.  Snow is expected in Savannah tonight, not much, but it’s a big deal here in the South where it hasn’t snowed for many years.  I guess it’s time make one of my soup recipes. 

By the way, I now have a google and yahoo connection to my RSS feed in case you’d like to subscribe to my blog.  Come back for a visit.

Did you ever send the wrong letter to someone?

Lisbeth

It’s  high time for another recipe before I catch you up on Tessa and her sister and also happenings with ECHOES.  January has always been my favorite soup month.   Many years ago while traveling with my husband, Al, a good friend shared his recipe for Manhattan Supper Soup and we enjoy it often.  The good news — it is super easy to make.  It’s a form of vegetable soup.  Check out my modified version of Al’s recipe in my recipe section.   I promise you will love it.  Serve it with French bread and a green salad and – get ready for lots of praise.

TESSA AND CLAUDINE:  Tessa is bummed out in chapter three.  She’s in the hospital after a car accident.  Her sister, Claudine, comes to visit, as does her boyfriend, Ben.  Claudine has the nerve to flirt with Ben in Tessa’s hospital room and leaves minutes after Ben makes his exit.  Tessa is sure Claudine’s chasing after him.   Not only is Tessa a bruised, banged up mess.  Now, her sister is after her boyfriend.  Can things get worse?  Count on it.

ECHOES:   The reviews for the poetry book my granddaughter, Rachel, and I collaborated on, are positive.  We are pleased to say the least.  Readers love the concept of our parallel poems.  A teacher friend is using our poetry book as a  teaching tool for her poetry unit.  My sister Deb ordered a copy for her school library, which is great.  I hope to get it in a lot of schools.  I’m out on the marketing trail.  Today I took an ECHOES press release to a local magazine hoping they will publish an article.

It’s rather chilly in Savannah as I know it is in many parts of the country.  It’s time to read some good books, get some exercise, and make some of that yummy soup.

If you try out the soup, let me know if it’s a big hit.

Lisbeth

Happy New Year.    May good things come  your way in 2010

It’s time to introduce you to ECHOES

Here is the blurb I helped write for the catalog description for the American Library Association conference which will be held next June:   “From a grandmother – granddaughter tandem comes a poetry book, ECHOES, authored by Lisbeth Thom and her granddaughter, Rachel Nelson. This collection presents a collaboration of parallel poems, written on similar subjects.  Both spent the summer bouncing poems back and forth, turning their dream of creating a book together into a reality.  Enjoy their poetic banter and differing thoughts on life in this unusual book.”

Rachel and I kept our poetry book a secret  so we could give it as a Christmas gift.  We had such fun over the summer working on our project.  I love writing poetry and now that I am back working on TESSA AND CLAUDINE, I still find time to take a break and work on poems.

I’ve recently written several poems that relate to stay at home moms and plan to continue that trend.   My next poetry book maybe titled STAY AT HOME MOMS.   For years, I kept a journal, and now looking back through those journals gives me ideas.  Sometimes all I have to do is let those memories fall off the shelf.  After all, those days of staying home with small children are still vivid in my mind.  I well remember those days.  I had three little ones under the age of four.  I had to remind myself not to have negative thoughts about things I could not control.  Instead I tried to focus  my energy on the positive present moment.  THAT DID NOT ALWAYS WORK…. sometimes I whined.  I tried to keep a smile on my face or at least stick my face in a book as often as possible.  I kept an open book in every room in the house.  That was my escape.  Like,  go ahead and have a temper tantrum.  I am going to the Trevi fountain with…

I often get reminders of those fun and frustrating days from reading blogs about moms who write.  Kate Hopper, a young mother, teacher, and writer has a great  blog. Check it out at:  www.motherswhowrite.blogspot.com

Let me hear from you other writers, poets, and moms out there.

Happy writing.   Lisbeth

I know, I know.  Everyone is hustling and bustling around this week getting last minute things done in readiness for Christmas.  Me too.  We head to Minneapolis on 12/23 to visit family.  And yes, we have  read the weather reports — a big snow storm is on the way.  I haven’t been dreaming of a white Christmas, but guess what?  I’m getting one anyhow.  I think the grandkids will be building giant snowmen, or is it better  to say snowpeople?   We certainly don’t want to get stuck in an airport.  Just in case, I’ll have my Kindle with me  and a notebook for jotting down people-watching observations and whatever else pops into my head.

I’ve been busy reworking my novel in first person, present tense, and it sounds more natural.  The good news is my characters are happy with me.   I hated that guilty feeling when they were sitting across the room, breathing down my neck.  Now, they come with me to holiday parties, to church, out to dinner, shopping, on walks, into the bathtub.   We ‘re back in synch — they march around in my head giving me tips on what they would like to do or NOT do next.  Tessa, my main character, had the nerve to ask me what I got her for Christmas.   I told her to simmer down.  What I got her was a new lease on life.  I put her back in action, as if that wasn’t enough.  She acts like a goody two-shoes.  But, I can assure you, she is not all perfume and roses.  Like everyone else, she has her devious moments.  Everyone knows her older sister, Claudine, has a bit of the devil in her, but Tessa puts on this nice-girl front.

As many a writing instructor has told me, a character cannot be all good or all bad.  Everyone is made up of a little of both.   That’s always a good thing to remember.  My sister used to be the one who got in the most trouble.  She argued with my mom a lot, which got her in  hot water.  As for me, I often behaved poorly, but didn’t talk back.   Acting innocent saved my skin.  Mouthy Charlotte often got blamed.  (Sorry Charlotte.)

Here’s hoping all of you have a blessed Christmas.  I wish  you peace and joy in the coming New Year.  I’ll check back in with a report after we return from Minnesota.

Do you have sister stories to share?  Did you let your sister take the blame?  Feel like confessing?