Wisteria Lane

I owe my writing career to a lot of hard work.  I also owe it to Desperate Housewives.

Some background, before you think I’ve gone completely around the bend.  As a nine-year-old kid, my first celebrity crush was formed by watching Teri Hatcher on “Lois & Clark:  The New Adventures of Superman.”  I also still think of Dean Cain as Superman, but I digress.  Anyway, I loved that show and kinda missed Teri after it ended.  Obviously she went through some lean years career-wise but was also raising her daughter.  She had a brief role in my least-favorite James Bond movie—go figure.  Fast forward to 2004 when I’m a red-blooded college male who’s just learned Teri is coming back to TV in a brand-new show, Desperate Housewives.  The show quickly became one of my favorites, a brilliant mixture of comedy and high drama, a soap opera for the modern world.  It was also populated with other beautiful women, including Eva Longoria, who quickly became another celebrity crush.  Teri’s character reminded me of myself—hapless, accident prone, and well-meaning.  For a man, I’m kind of a klutz.  Anyway, I remained a faithful viewer of the show, which was a beacon of light in sometimes difficult college years.  Anyone who has been to graduate school can surely relate to this fact; you need at least one escape from life.

My friend Josie became my friend because of our shared love for the show Dallas (even though we “shipped” different couples).  Over time we bonded over similar interests, buoyed each other through some of life’s challenges.   Even as we drifted away from Dallas (though we always come back to it) we’d still chat about anything and everything.  Late in 2010 she told me about some movie that was going to be on, “Ricochet”, and how I should watch it because Julie Benz would be in it.  I didn’t recognize the name but I had seen her before—more on that later—and a check of IMDB let me know that John Corbett would play the male lead, and he’s one of my favorite actors.  In spite of our differing time zones we watched the movie together, well past my usual bedtime, and it was excellent.  After that we each read the book, and somehow I fell in love with both Julie Benz and the works of Sandra Brown.  It was while reading “Ricochet” that the seeds were planted for my first novel.  It’s hilarious when you consider the obvious—my novels are nothing like hers.  She has an excellent grasp of sexual tension, thrilling mystery, and sheer terror.  I write straightforward romances with happy endings (then again, so did she at the beginning of her career).  Anyway, that is how I became a writer:  Julie Benz and Ricochet.  Oh, and Josie.  But the story doesn’t end there.  Josie asked me about Julie’s role on Desperate Housewives (light bulb!) and I told her it was an amazing show and that she should watch.  Six episodes of Julie on DH was enough for Josie to fall in love with the rest of the main characters on the series and buy the seasons on DVD.  I got to reminisce as she went along, because I remembered a lot of the storylines years after viewing them.  Other stories I had forgotten, although I had a good excuse—college brain!  When the series concluded, Josie and I once again watched across time zones as the ladies completed their stories.   Now we watch at different points in the series on DVDs, reminiscing and enjoying and observing and laughing.  Now I’m a Julie Benz fan, too, and we’re always thinking of new things to try to get the other into (she’s Bones, I’m Castle).  I’m sure I’ll tackle Melrose Place next since I made her a Marcia Cross superfan.  And while this blog entry may have seemingly veered into non-writing territory, I bring you full-circle:  my coming of age crush on Lois Lane made me the writer I am today, twenty years later.

Thanks, Jo.  

Book Five

Yikes, it took a while to finish this one.  Call it a labor of love.

http://www.amazon.com/Mended-Tommie-Conrad/dp/1481295268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358178510&sr=8-1&keywords=tommie+mended

http://www.amazon.com/Mended-ebook/dp/B00AVE3K2K/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

The Write Stuff

Okay, I’ve been a total slacker on this blog—lame, I know, but it happens.  Anyway, my fifth book is out in the world being read, and I’m making great progress on book number six.  I know I always claim I’m going to take a break after each subsequent book, and I always break that promise.  This time, however, it’s (probably) the truth.  I’m going to take some time for myself, to see where my inspiration lies and get a bearing on what my future holds.  And while none of us ever knows for sure what tomorrow holds, I wouldn’t mind having an indication.

Currently listening to “Love Resurrection” by Alison Moyet

Not Starting Over

Last night I finished writing my third novel.  And I didn’t start writing another one.  I’m going to let this one ride for a while.  So far I’ve finished reading three novels and started reading two more, all the while completing one in my own pen.  Editing is always the worst part of the process because inevitably you find mistakes and things you never intended to say in the first place.  Oddly enough, I had intended to write a slightly shorter novel this time, only to wind up with another 75,000 word-wonder.  Yikes.  I suppose when you set your goal at 60,000, you then challenge yourself to see if you can get past that.  It’ll be interesting to see how quickly I can get this book out into the world.  I have no timetable for editing and no concrete ideas for a cover photo.  If anyone wants to design a cover image and allow me to use it for free, drop me a line!

Nose to the Grindstone

I am hard at work at my third novel, even though I promised myself I would take a sabbatical from writing. When the inspiration to write hits me, however, I have to start again.  It’s an interesting process thus far.  It’s a sequel to my first novel, Windswept, but I am working to cover different ground, to tell a story from a different angle.  I’ve explored a variety of subjects in my first two novels, things I had never really considered writing until, well, I wrote them.  So with that said, I’m still thinking about the different angles.  Many popular fiction authors will write upwards of 30 or more books during a career—how do you get to a point where everything is still unique,  and you aren’t just writing the same thing over and over again?  It requires a lot of creativity, a lot of effort on the part of the author.

Heat Exhaustion

Some random observations for today:

-I can't believe it took me so long to join the Pinterest craze.  It's like a mural of every picture I love, and the kind of thing kids have been doing for years when they cut and paste magazine pictures to a piece of paper.  Except that I've always hated the idea of cutting up my own magazines!

-Summer showed up with a vengeance on its first day.  Stepping outside this evening was like stepping into an oven.

-I finally got to see the movie Practical Magic.  Sandra Bullock is always amazing.

-My book is not selling in mass quantities, but the free Kindle version was downloaded way more times than I expected.  So maybe, slowly but surely, my name is getting out there.

-Editing my second book is pretty intense, but also kind of fun.  I'm really proud of it.

-I have likely read more books in the first six months of this year than I did my entire two years of graduate school.  Seriously.

-I want to wear cowboy boots when I get married.


Currently listening to:  Hands to Heaven by Breathe

Worry

A certain amount of worry in life is healthy.  It keeps you from making an endless series of stupid decisions.  However, I’ve always leaned way too far toward the neurotic side of worry, letting it consume me and even affect my mental state.  Currently I worry about my writing and if it will ever take me anywhere.  So far I am still waiting on reviews, if any, to come in.  Everyone with whom I’ve shared the book so far has enjoyed it.  Then again, I tend to worry about everything.  I worry when I can’t buy something I want.  I worry that my bills will never be paid.  I worry that I will never be financially stable.  I worry about too much rain or not enough.  I worry about commercials on television.  It’s a miracle I haven’t worried my hair prematurely grey (wait a minute…).  With all the said, I am still kind of on an emotional high after publishing my book.  The only thing that could make it more amazing would be to find it on a library shelf someday.

Currently listening to:  “Drinkin’ Me Lonely” by Chris Young

Published

A short five months after I first put pen to paper, my novel is published in paperback form.  It's been an interesting journey, a learning experience, and a fun ride.  I didn't really have a goal in mind when I started other than writing a story and finishing it.  It was, without a doubt, the longest thing I'd ever written.  I'm not even sure how far I was into the process when I began to explore avenues for publishing it.  The writing process was very easy for me.  I only struggled when it came time to wind down the story and let it reach its conclusion--a topic I've written about previously in other blog posts.  I have faced a similar conflict in finishing my second novel, something I also did this week.  It has been a momentous week for me when it comes to my writing.  Anyway, I write quickly but it's the editing that takes the longest.  I also had to come up with a good cover for my first book, which was another unexpected challenge.  It allowed me to get in touch with my artistic roots again.  I'd never used watercolors before so that was another learning experience.  I'm thankful to already have a cover in mind for book two, something that will speed up the process when I go to publish it. 
My foray into publishing became reality around midnight last night.  My eBook had been online for a month but now a physical copy is available to be placed in the hands of friends, family, and, hopefully someday, a library or two.  Seeing the proof of my book, unfinished as it turned out to be, was pretty exhilarating and exciting.  First of all, I was astonished that it was ordered, printed and delivered within two days.  Second, I was shocked at how many typos slipped through--I have literally read the entire work about seven times now, so any remaining typos must be really stubborn. Finally, I placed the eBook in a free promotion for a few days.  If anyone discovers my blog via the Kindle book, I thank you and hope you will stick around.  I will likely focus more on this blog now as I take a break from writing.  If my mind lets me, that is.  I didn't intend to write two novels back-to-back either.  Now that I have, my goal is to pursue this writing thing as far as I can.  I only hope there's an audience out there for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Windswept-Mr-Tommie-D-Conrad/dp/1477604987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339806408&sr=1-1

 http://www.amazon.com/Windswept-ebook/dp/B0082BQLQQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339769592&sr=8-2&keywords=tommie+windswept

Currently listening to:  Come Wake Me Up by Rascal Flatts

Advertising

Now that my book is completed and published to Amazon’s eKindle Publisher, I have to figure out an effective method of advertising.  I like to think this blog is one of those avenues.  I suppose my ultimate fear is apathy and dislike for my work, although at least dislike means someone read it.  There are truly works written for every taste, which is why the book aisle in any store is so full of novels and non-fiction titles.  I’m still not entirely comfortable with my self-drawn cover but since it was done on a limited budget I guess it’s better than the placeholder cover Amazon provides.  Later I’ll try to create something better.  Ultimately I’m not sure how long it takes to read the book, but I do know it took me close to six hours to finish each time I edited it.  If anyone has any comments, hopefully positive, feel free to share them with me.  I look forward to hearing from fans, no matter where they may be.

http://www.amazon.com/Windswept-ebook/dp/B0082BQLQQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336857034&sr=8-1

Fin

I have no doubt posted this here before, but my first novel is finally complete.  It took more a month to edit, which is remarkable but not surprising.  The editing process was much more difficult than the conception and writing of the book.  As I read over it one last time, I started to question a lot of my decisions and my writing process.  At the same time, though, it is my work, something that came entirely from my head and my heart.  The entire process, from beginning to end, has been a learning experience.  Any time you begin an endeavor, you are required to push yourself, to give yourself motivation to clear hurdles and complete your journey.  Along the way you must face doubt, all the while second-guessing yourself, and entertaining thoughts of quitting.  This has been an added benefit of sharing my goals and my writing; had I quit several people would have hounded me until I actually finished my novel.  I thank each and every person, multiple times over, for the encouragement they’ve provided, no matter how great or small.  Had I been writing in a vacuum, unable to share my thoughts and feelings, I may never be where I am now, on the verge of publication. 

Immersion

I am not sure of the process which other authors use; I can only speak to my experience.  When I write, I find myself immersed in the setting.  I picture it in three-dimensions, imagining that it is unfolding in front of me.  I see the characters and settings in my mind, as though they were a movie playing on my brain.  I try to feel what they feel as I write, whether it is love, anger, happiness, or sadness.  Visualization is my greatest gift, one that I'm sure many others share.  I create in my mind things that seem real even though they are not.  In my real life this can sometimes be a problem--no store has yet discovered how to stock items that are merely in my head--but in the creative process it allows me to expand my horizons, push my boundaries, and step outside my comfort zone to see how a story should flow.

Rejuvenation

I don't often think of myself as a problem solver, but perhaps that's exactly what I am.  I look at things; focus on them, study them until I come up with a solution, a way to make them better.  Usually these things are mundane and involve storage and household tasks; however, they leave me feeling rejuvenated once they are complete.  In some ways it's about appreciating the minutiae of life, the small moments that add up to create one day.   When I narrow down the items on my to-do list, I start to feel as though I have been freed or something.   When there is less on my plate, I feel infinitely more creative.  When I see products that are loaded down with caffeine (I love soda as much as the next person, but I digress), I start to realize that, as a society, we don’t need more energy—rather, we need less stress.  I need to prioritize and decide what is important to me, what is necessary to make me the best person I can possibly be. 

There is definitely a reason behind the phrase, “take time to stop and smell the roses.”  Flowers are a fleeting thing, like so much of life—they come into our lives, then leave, and we are left to hope they will return again someday.  Flowers, if tended, usually come back year after year.  Friendships and relationships must also be tended if they are to grow and thrive.  I have never been great at maintaining friendships—I am an introvert and life and its circumstances always seem to get in the way.  But I’m trying. 

Currently listening to:  Rumour Has It by Adele

Completion

I have completed my first novel, Windswept.  While I consider myself a perfectionist and will need to give it yet another read through, it is done.  It's amazing to think that this journey began barely two months ago when I was cold, bored, and tired of not having anything to do.  The scariest part of all of this is that, eventually, I will have to put this product out to have it potentially dissected by perfect strangers.  Then again, that's also my goal--to have others enjoy my work.  I have already gone through and formatted it properly so hopefully when I submit the draft all goes well.  I can't give enough thanks to all of those who provided encouragement to my writing--I am forever in debted to you.  I also have to
thank in advance anyone who is willing to take the chance to follow my work, either in book form or on this blog.  I appreciate your time as well as your eyes.  Everyone's words and advice was so beneficial that I am now deeply into writing my second novel.  Not sure how long it will take as the story, thus far, has a little more depth than I expected.  It will be interesting as I try to push my own boundaries and look outside myself throughout the writing process.  I also hope that both books will be worth the wait!


Currently listening to:  "All By Myself" by Celine Dion