Still thigh deep in preparations for the end of the school year, so I can only post quickly, but I did want to let your know my story The Steps My Lover Built was included in Flash Fiction Chronicles’s 102 Story Links in Honor of Short Story Month 2011. It’s number 34 on the list, and you may recognize the name of the person who nominated it!
Author Archives: Michelle Garren-Flye
Don’t forget to check out my guest blog gig!
Here’s a link: Everything I Know About Writing Romance I Learned From the PTO. See you there!
Breathing in the heat
Have you ever really tried to breathe in 90 degree humid heat? I’m relearning the technique. Today I walked outside to check the mail and was a little stunned by the utter stillness. I think the heat at that time was about 92 degrees Fahrenheit. And while it’s not as muggy as it will be later in the summer, it didn’t take me long to break out into a sweat. In spite of this, I stood for a minute listening to the silence. A big fat black bumblebee buzzed my head, then buzzed back, probably attracted by the sun glinting off my silver hairs. But other than the bumblebee and me, there might have been nothing else alive for miles.
And I breathed.
I’ve been breathing all along, although I haven’t updated my blog in a while. My daughter’s birthday was yesterday and we had a blast celebrating with her. And today was her last day of preschool for the year. Caught me off guard and I was just a little stunned to realize another school year (her first) is drawing to a close.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Of course, the end of the school year brings with it all the kids activities and projects and parties that make memories special later on. I’m loving it. I’m enjoying it. I’m breathing.
Through all this, I’m attempting to get myself ready for the RWA Nationals in New York (yippee! Can’t wait!) and proof the galleys of WINTER SOLSTICE. (I’ll have some thoughts about WINTER SOLSTICE and what I’m learning about my own writing next week.)
And to top it all off, I am the guest blogger on Lyrical Press, Inc.’s blog this Friday! If you’d like to stop by and say hello, I’d love to “see” you there. I’ll post a link on Friday, but that may be the last you’ll hear from me. What will my topic be? I’m thinking of doing something about my experience as PTO president this year.
Keep breathing!
The Day and the Hour
Like many folks, I’ve been a little fascinated by the recent prediction of the end of days. Although I don’t subscribe to the belief that you can calculate the day and time of what some call the Rapture and others call Judgment Day, I can’t say I exactly approve of some of the things that are being done. Rapture parties and sales of services for those “Left Behind” seem a little too in-your-face to be addressed to the Great Power That Is. I think maybe some people have forgotten who they’re dealing with.
Suppose for instance God is watching. (That’s what we’ve been taught, right? He sees everything?) So, Harold Camping thinks he’s calculated the exact day and time of the return of Christ. He’s studied the Bible closely, he’s prayed and he’s thought hard about what God is trying to tell us. So far, I don’t see anything there that God might do more than shake his head and smile over. On the other hand, there are all those non-believers who are offering to take care of pets for those lifted by the rapture or to transfer electronic files to relatives and friends of those taken tomorrow. Of course, such services should be paid for ahead of time. Well, really, that might almost be enough for God to decide maybe May 21 isn’t such a bad date for the end of the world, after all. But maybe May 22 would be even better. You know, to catch us off guard and avoid those last-minute Rapture hangers-on.
So instead of attending a rapture party, I’ve made my plans. Like any other Saturday evening, I plan to be with the people I love the most and with the ones I can’t be with held close in my heart. And hope I’m ready for whatever happens then or any other day.
A Message from the Royal Couple and other news
Since HONEOWP is a group effort, I thought I should share the thank you email I received from Prince William and Princess Catherine (Kate).
Dear Ms Flye,
We would like to thank you so much for your charitable gift. We are immensely touched by your thoughtfulness and generosity.
Your donation will be a great help to the work of those charities you have chosen.
We are very grateful for all the support that has been given to the Charitable Gift Fund and it is our hope that we can use the occasion of our Wedding to make a real difference for these very important initiatives.
Thank you again for thinking of us,
With our very best wishes,
Prince William & Miss Catherine Middleton
Very nice. Sort of made me feel like part of it all in a very, very small way. Of course, this is a computer-generated form email, but still. It was nice to get it. Reminded me a little of the thank you notes I had to write way back when I got married. Despite my aching fingers, I remember feeling good that so many people wished us well. I’d love to know how much the royal couple’s charitable effort has produced.
In other news, I sent back the final line edits of WINTER SOLSTICE today. If you missed the cover art for WINTER SOLSTICE, well, what the hey, here it is again:
He looks a little cold, doesn’t he?
And in other news, I’ve officially retitled my latest book (the one I’m shopping around now). ALWAYS FAITHFUL is now titled THE SIXTH FOLD. The title is a little more ambiguous than ALWAYS FAITHFUL, so here’s the explanation: when a military officer is buried and the flag on top of his coffin is folded, it is folded exactly thirteen times. Each one of those folds has come to mean something, and the sixth fold represents where the heart lies. My main character Alicia had to bury her military husband Ty and she starts her new life in his old hometown. Was that where his heart was when he died? Was it with her? Or was his military service so important to him that his duty didn’t allow him to think of her in the moment of his death? As she confronts these doubts and carries on with her dead husband’s plans, Alicia has to figure out where her own heart lies.
Announcing: WINTER SOLSTICE Cover Art!
The cover art for Winter Solstice, due to be published by Lyrical Press, Inc. in August, just arrived. Have a look:
A discouraging (but exhilarating!) day in the world of one writer (me!)
It has been just such a day in the world of Michelle Garren Flye’s literary ambitions. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “silence is deafening.” I can’t hear a damn thing when it comes to my writing.
Most days I soar on wings of expectation. SECRETS OF THE LOTUS is my first novel. I know it’s good. Who cares if it’s only sold a few copies and the three AMAZON reviews, while favorable, are easily recognizable as people I know (and I love all three of you!)? It’s a tough market. I’ll break through. Maybe with my next one, WINTER SOLSTICE, slated to be published by Lyrical Press, Inc. in August 2011.
If not that one, surely ALWAYS FAITHFUL (working title) will do it. I’ve already sent this one out to agents. The story of this one is significantly meatier (meaning there’s more to it, more to sink your teeth into) than either SECRETS or SOLSTICE. You might even go so far as to call this one Chick Lit instead of just Romance. And what have I heard from the agents I’ve queried?
……………….. (crickets chirping) ……………………..
And yet, in spite of all this, I can’t help but hope. I believe in my books. I believe in my writing. I believe I’m writing what I’m meant to write (sex scenes and all!).
To top it all off, I’m reading a perfectly marvelous book. MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson. Now, I know I’ve been known to plug authors I know on here (although never undeservedly). I don’t know Ms. Simonson, but I’m adding her to my favorite writers, a list which includes Alice Hoffman and Barbara Kingsolver, among others. Understand that these are not just writers I like or even love. These are writers who write the way I will always strive to, though I have no real anticipation of getting there. Surprisingly — maybe — most of the authors on this list are female. And I don’t know any of them.
I’m not really sure why reading such excellent writing from somebody else should give me such hope. Turns out MAJOR PETTIGREW’S is Simonson’s first novel. Shouldn’t I be jealous that she achieved so much with her first novel when mine has sold just a handful of copies?
Nah. I think I can compare this joy of reading something truly wonderful somehow to the Major’s rediscovery of how to “enjoy listening” (page 103). The Major claims his ears became numb listening to students read in a monotone. I become somewhat the same reading books that are “good” (like my own). Good is fine, good is great, but it’s not inspirational unless we strive to achieve more. My thanks to Helen Simonson for reintroducing me to the joy of reading, waking my numb reader’s ears and giving me hope.
Happy birthday, Lyrical Press!
I think I’ve mentioned before what a wonderful publisher I have. Haven’t I? Lyrical Press, Inc. threw me a lifeline when I was about to give up on ever getting a book published. In today’s extremely competitive market, it’s not enough to just be a good writer. Sometimes you’ve got to be willing to put aside the dream of seeing your book with a nice shiny cover and look at the small publishers out there doing what they can for the rest of us. And of those small publishers, Lyrical Press is undoubtedly one of the best. It’s run like a bigger publishing house in the hopes of growth, but the publishers honestly seem to care about the writers and editors.
In keeping with the familial feeling of things, we’re all celebrating Lyrical’s third birthday this month. If you check out Lyrical’s blog, you’ll find book and author spotlights from my fellow Lyrical Press authors. And if you follow Lyrical Press on Twitter, you might just get an opportunity to win a free ebook (including SECRETS OF THE LOTUS)!
So help us celebrate! I’m even planning a guest blog on Lyrical Press’s blog later this month! I’ll keep you posted.
My Take on the Royal Wedding, My Mom and HONEOWP
Did you watch it? Were you one of the first to see Kate’s dress? Were you hanging on to every word of their vows? Did you hold your breath until they kissed?
If you answered yes to most of the above, you’re a true romantic, kind of like me. (I was NOT awake to claim to be one of the first to see her dress.) We were supposed to leave for Maryland Friday morning, and my poor husband had to wait impatiently for Kate and Wills to kiss before he could get me out the door! I still haven’t watched the whole wedding, but I did fast forward to the good parts. I was very happy for the two lovebirds and I wish them the best. Kate has big shoes to fill, but I think she’s up to the job.
Now on to my HONEOWP charity. As you know, my April donation will be a wedding gift to the royal couple (see HONEOWP and the Royal Wedding), and I haven’t received my April statement yet. I’ve thought long and hard about this month’s charity. May is a special month for love in my heart. Sixteen years ago this month I was getting ready to start my own married life. My daughter was born in May. And this time of the year is symbolic of new beginnings.
But mostly when I think of May, I think of my mother. (You know, that little holiday called “Mother’s Day”.) If there’s one thing my mother loves, it’s animals. She always has. I remember her feeding squirrels pounds and pounds of peanuts and birdseed when I was growing up, and she’s now very sensitive to the plight of unwanted pets. So, in honor of my mother, this month’s royalties will be donated to Best Friends Animal Society. I love you, Mama!
As usual, I’ll let you know as soon as I get my royalty statement. I’m hoping for a jump in sales as a result of a Lyrical Press ad in Woman’s Day magazine a couple of months ago, but we’ll see. I’m sure Prince William and Princess Catherine are waiting with baited breath!
Update about second thoughts
I’ve been very busy this week because I no sooner began querying agents about my new finished novel than I started having second thoughts. Was it really ready? Shouldn’t I re-read it one more time? Fortunately, I guess, the first agent I queried turned it down. With a sigh of regret for lost opportunities, I decided to read over the completed manuscript, even though I still had some queries out.
I know it’s not necessarily a good thing to re-think yourself. Second thoughts are often a bad thing. And I didn’t even find anything glaring to fix in my book. I tweaked a few phrases and fixed a couple of typos (how do those escape your notice when you read and re-read a manuscript?). However, I’m glad I read the manuscript again because it convinced me of something essential for pitching and selling a book.
It’s good.
I knew it was good. It’s a solid premise for a romance and I’m a decent writer (not for everybody, I know, but hey, if you like a good romance I’m your gal). So I knew in my brain that the book was good. What my re-read did was convince my heart. I’ve worked on this story for so long at times I hated it. Anything that takes up so much of your life can excite a bit of a love/hate relationship and that definitely happened between me and my book.
But now I know in heart and brain that my story is good, I can throw myself behind its sale wholeheartedly. Here’s a little sample of the wares I’ll be peddling:
He turned toward her and placed his right hand on her hip, pulling her slightly into him, his eyes fixed on hers. She giggled and he tsked. “Now, that’s not what we’re going for here. You’ve got to feel the spirit of the dance.” And he whirled her across the walk in a mock tango that had her laughing out loud. When they finally stumbled to a stop, he smiled down at her, still holding her against him. “You have such a nice laugh. You should do it more often.”
Somewhere in the back of her head, an alarm went off, but it was faint and Alicia didn’t back away. She enjoyed the comfort of his touch even though she knew she had no business being in Liam’s arms when her heart still ached for Ty. She dropped her gaze just as he bent his head a little. Their lips just inches apart, their breathing intermingled, she spoke his name on an exhale. “Liam.”
He dropped his hand from her waist, releasing her and backing away. “I’m sorry.”
She caught his hand. “No, it’s just that I was thinking about Ty and missing him. I’m sorry. I’m sending so many mixed signals. I love being with you and it felt really good just now—too good.” She bit her lip, embarrassed but determined not to hide anything from him. “I’ve been feeling really guilty all night for going out with you, and maybe now I know why. I’m really not sure what to feel right now, but I am sure you don’t have anything to apologize for.”
He smiled a little sadly, tightening his grip on her fingers for a moment as he brought her hand to his lips. “Yeah.” He sighed. “I do.”
BREATHE: Michelle Garren-Flye 