Keeping the Faith

Changes, Updates, and Alterations…

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I’m working on some changes to the blog and hopefully, will have them finished by the end of October. I’ve been trying to figure out what direction I would like to take with my Rona Shively series and after lots of careful consideration, have come up with something I think will be great! If you haven’t had a chance to get Keeping the Faith yet, by all means get over to my website and order your copy today. I have also completed the fourth book in the Rona Shively series and it is due out in February of 2010! I’ll be posting more information about this book in a few weeks.

Stay tuned to Benston Blogs for more information about the newest books in the series as well as my other projects. And remember, Tea & Mystery is not just for libraries and book clubs, it’s also a great way to spend a few hours with your mystery-loving friends. I’ll be posting some new information about Tea & Mystery on my website later today, so be sure to check it out. If you’d like to book a Tea & Mystery event, please e-mail me here.

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Writing patiently…

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I used to get so worried when I wasn’t writing every day. I had books in my head and ideas scribbled all over the place, but I was making no concentrated effort to organize these thoughts. After writing the third book in the Rona Shively series, Keeping the Faith, I realized that it was the waiting and hanging back that helped make the book into something that I am very proud to have written. If I had rushed through it, I never would have developed the story the way I needed to and I certainly wouldn’t have reached novel-length without pulling all of my hair out.

They say that slow and steady wins the race. I have to agree with that. I’ve never been a patient person and once I started writing, I learned quickly that if I am not patient, I will not accomplish what I want to accomplish. If I rush through writing a story, it won’t be any good. If I rush through doing updates to my web pages, I’ll forget something or make a big mistake somewhere along the way. If I rush through my interactions with others, I’ll miss some valuable piece of information or advice that I might need later on. So, writing and the business of writing has been teaching me patience, slowly, but surely.

What this means to me is that I see things happening much more clearly. When I do accomplish a goal, it is because I have taken all of the necessary steps to do so. I haven’t taken any shortcuts. And it seems like the more I back off of things and let them happen as they are supposed to, the more I accomplish. I’m very happy with the way things have been going and I know that even though it is taking me a while to get back into my writing groove, the day will come when I can sit at my keyboard and finish that fourth book in my mystery series. The day will come when I have the finished Women’s Self-Esteem book in my hands. I just need to make sure that I am letting things happen the way they should and not rushing to be finished.

For me, the last three years have been amazing in terms of my writing career. Although I’m not a bestseller…yet, I have met so many wonderful people and learned so much about myself and how my world works. My writing has improved over time and I find that I am giving myself more time to recharge in between projects than I did when I started on this journey. That is so unlike me. I’m still anxious to see what else I will learn, but the difference is that now I’m willing to take the time and let that knowledge make its way to me instead of hunting it down and clubbing it over the head.

How do you pace yourself and your writing? What lessons have you learned about writing patiently?

Until next time…

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Keeping the Faith…available September 25th!

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I’m so happy to announce here on Benston Blogs that my third Rona Shively book, Keeping the Faith will be released by Stonegarden.net Publishing on September 25th! This is the first novel-length Rona Shively story and I can hardly wait for the release date! Rona is going through some changes and you won’t believe what she’s up against or for that matter, whom she’s up against in this one.

Stop by my Rona Shively website for more about this book!

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Keeping the Faith…

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It’s that time of year when I start looking at my writing goals and try to determine what to tackle next. So far, I think I’ve stayed on task as much as humanly possible given the year I’ve had. In spite of injuries and other issues, I managed to finish Keeping the Faith and begin working on a couple of new projects. This year hasn’t been easy, but it has been full of wonderful new experiences and I’d like to take a moment to mention a few of these.

Although this publisher did not survive the year, I was glad to have been included in the From the Shadows Horror Anthology. I met some really nice people and was able to have my short horror story, Eleven published alongside some very talented horror writers.

I had the good fortune of being included in another anthology this year with the winning entries for the Writer’s Digest Short Shorts. My short story, The End placed (although not in the top ten)and was included as one of the top twenty five entries in the contest. I was very happy to be recognized by this publication.

Another wonderful thing that has happened this year has been my Tea & Mystery Tour. I’ve been to several libraries in Ohio and one in New York state. These discussions have been a great way to get out and meet mystery readers and talk about the two of the things I most enjoy, reading and writing. I look forward to doing more of these discussion next year.

The most rewarding thing that has happened this year in terms of writing has been that I finally finished my first novel-length Rona Shively story. Anyone who knows me, knows that this was especially difficult for me since I have a tendency toward brevity. It’s not that I don’t have alot to say, it’s just that I generally say it very efficiently. So, writing nearly three hundred pages was challenging to say the least. I still haven’t figured out what this means to me as a writer, but it wasn’t scary enough to stop me from starting my fourth Rona Shively Story shortly after finishing KTF. I’m just anxious to see where this one takes me.

In short, I have lots to be thankful for this year. As usual, things are pretty much as good as can be expected. This is my favorite time of year and I’m hoping that the next couple of months will bring more good news and lots to do for the coming year. Hopefully, the next time I blog, I’ll have some news about the status of Keeping the Faith.

Until next time…

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Waiting…

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makes me nervous. Right now, I’m waiting to hear back from a publisher about the third book in the Rona Shively series. Right now, I’m kind of nervous. For reasons I won’t go into here, I’m trying to switch publishers. I just think it’s time. Doing this means moving away from what I’m familiar with and jumping out into “Reject Me” territory. Though I know it is a fact of life, I’m not all that hot on rejection. Who is?

My third book is the first full-length novel I’ve ever written and I think I’ve done some really great things with the Rona Shively character this time around. The story has some good, some bad, and some ugly…but no Clint Eastwood unless you count Rona’s new love interest, Garrett Shaw. Rona is nearing forty and so, in the next book, you’ll see that she’s starting to mature a little. It’s about time she did. She’s held some grudges in her day and now, she’s starting to rethink her position on some of these. Still, she maintains that she’s fully justified in hanging onto the others.

One way or another, Keeping the Faith will be published. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the publisher I’ve approached will pick it up, but if they don’t, I’ll figure something out. For now, the series is in a state of literary limbo awaiting the call to be printed but keep the faith, everyone. Rona Shively will return.

Until next time…

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