Erin Klingler

Done!

2011-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Good news! I finished my book! (I know. It's about time!)

I tossed it to my beta readers to go through, to make sure I crossed all my i's and dotted my t's, and then I'll be submitting this thing! Hooray!

I already have a book 4 in my head, so I'll start working on that while book 3 (tentatively titled Deceit) goes through the review process with my publisher. So fun!

Stay tuned for updates!

Book update!

2011-09-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

Newsflash! My next book, working title "Deceit," is almost done! I hope to have it in my editor's hands in the next couple of weeks. I'm very excited about this book! The hard part is, I had so much going on in this book, and so many characters with back stories, that it has turned out to be much longer than I'd expected, so I've got to do some serious cutting before I turn it in. Why, oh why, do I have to have so much to say? :)

I'll keep you posted!

My friend Tristi has a new mystery novel coming out!

2011-07-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Author Tristi Pinkston is excited to announce the release of the third novel in her Secret Sisters Mysteries series.

Titled Hang ‘em High, this novel takes place on a dude ranch in Montana. When Ida Mae’s son invites her to come for a visit, of course she brings Arlette and Tansy along with her. They are expecting to spend the week looking at horses, avoiding the cows, and making amends in Ida Mae’s relationship with her son. What they don’t expect is to be stuck on the ranch in the middle of a blizzard and to be thrust headlong into the middle of a mystery.

***

Help Tristi celebrate her new novel in two ways. First, come participate in the two-week-long blog contest, where you can win a book nearly every single day! All the details are up on Tristi’s blog.

Second, come to the book launch!

You are invited to an

August Authorama!

Saturday, August 13th

Pioneer Book, 858 S. State, Orem

12 – 4 pm

Games, prizes, balloons, face painting,

and Dutch oven cobbler

prepared by world champion cook

Keith Fisher.

Authors Tristi Pinkston, J. Lloyd Morgan, Cindy Hogan,

Nichole Giles, and Heather Justesen

will all be there to sign books.

This is one book launch event

you will not want to miss!

An emerging new character!

2011-06-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

As I sat working on my book early this morning, I was introducing one of my secondary characters. I have always loved creating characters, as they become such real people to me. But this new secondary character really came to life on the pages before me. Suddenly I was intrigued by this bright and bubbly young woman with the dangerous CIA background. The more I wrote her, the more she came to life and took off running. She very quickly became her own person who is (shockingly) DEMANDING her own story.

How exciting! I wasn't sure what my next project was going to be, but now I'm so intrigued by this new character that I think my next book is going to be HER story. I'm so excited I'm practically dancing! We'll see how much you all like her when this book hits the shelves. I think she'll be a wonderful next novel!

Have any of you writers had this happen? Had a secondary character just grab you so you wanted to write their own story? And this applies to readers, as well! Have you read a story and fell in love with a secondary character that you were just dying to read more about them?

I'm a huge Lynn Kurland fan, and she does this a lot in her stories--introduces a character who is a brother or sister of the main character, and they are so vividly written and so real that you just fall in love with them. I'm always first in line to buy that character's book when in comes out.

Anybody else have this experience?

Book update!

2011-05-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

I realized it has been way too many months since I've posted. So sorry!

The good news, though, is that I haven't been posting here on my blog because I've been terribly busy WRITING. And the even better news is, I'm almost done! I'm already close to 100,000 words, and I'd better wrap this book up before it becomes 200,000. :)

My hope is to turn this book in to my editor in the next month or so. And maybe, if I'm very lucky, it could possibly be out by the end of this year or early next year.

I'll keep you posted!

Off to continue writing...

Remembering why I write

2011-01-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

I had an experience lately that made me second guess myself as a writer. I did an edit for a writer, and the whole thing went south. It was not a good experience. I usually like encouraging other writers, especially fledgling writers, building them up and seeing them grow and learn in their skill. But this time, the interaction with this person left me thinking, "Why do I bother doing this? I am up to my eyeballs in work (I do medical transcription for a doctor), I am super busy with my kids, and I have a church calling that takes a LOT of time. So why do I do this if it's not fulfilling?"

For the first time in a long time, I seriously thought about quitting the whole writing scene. Finding something else to fill those little pieces of me that writing usually does. Because, to be honest, writing wasn't doing that. It's not that I didn't WANT to write--I did. I was just so busy with Real Life that it was starting to feel like something else to check off my to do list. So when this editing experience left me feeling frustrated and angry, I was done.

I told a dear friend of mine who is my biggest cheerleader that I was done, and why. She listened as dear friends do, sympathizing and understanding, then she wisely turned our conversation to other fun things. I can't tell you how relieved I was that she didn't tell me I was just being ridiculous, or that it was just a phase. She took me seriously, told me my reasons were justified, and then we went on to talk about other things (thus assuring me there were other things in life besides writing). I'll always love her for that.

That next week, I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was free! The time I had allotted for writing was now my own, and I spent many blissful hours reading--something I hadn't found time to enjoy for a long time. A few weeks later, I'd read a small stack of books, my days weren't quite as hectic, and I'd rediscovered some friendships because, hey, now I had a little extra time to do such incredibly novel things like...phone a friend and simply talk! :)

But then an interesting thing happened, most likely due to all those wonderful books I read.

My mind started working.

The characters of my book started saying new things. They did a couple of very odd things that I hadn't pictured them doing. My book started acting itself out like a play in my head, and in minutes, the opening scene that I had struggled with so much that I had skipped it and told myself to come back to it later had shockingly written itself and was playing out like a scene from a Bourne Identity movie in my head. It was so cool!

I found my fingers itching to type these scenes, transferring them from my head to the computer screen. I marveled at the newness of my characters, the new scenes and plot ideas leaping into my mind, the arrival of new and previously unknown secondary characters inserting themselves into the plot.

It felt like in a instant, a myriad of characters and plots were going on without me in my head. And that's when I realized, I couldn't quit. I had characters to create and scenes to write! My urge to create had returned, and all I wanted to do was get back to work.

It's funny, really--these stages we writers go through. Writing is such a solitary act. We sit at a computer alone, and words spill out onto a monitor in front of us. If we never told anybody that we'd written something, nobody would even know. And (frighteningly) often, even when we get a book published, people don't always comment on it. It's hard to keep writing for such little acknowledgement, but those of us who write...we keep writing anyway. It's who we are. It's what we do.

For whatever reason, writers are blessed with a gift to create. There is something inside of us that needs that personal fulfillment, to create another world in which something incredible happens. It's like living a dream.

I realize that now. Quitting, while sometimes feeling like the easy way out, isn't going to be permanent. Not for those of us who are true writers. Writing is a part of us, and I've rediscovered my love for it. (Thankfully.)

So now I'm at my keyboard, spilling out my latest ideas from my mind onto my computer, feeling happy to be doing it again...mostly because I discovered that I can do it for MYSELF. It makes me happy, and that's what matters the most, regardless of awards or acclaim or even truckloads of money. ;)

Isn't that why we should do anything?

Setting achieveable writing goals--the key to success!

2010-11-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited because I finally found an achievable writing goal!

Let me preface this by saying: All you writers out there--do you often feel as overwhelmed by the seemingly daunting task of sitting down to write? I know that's what often holds me back. I serve as the Young Women president in my ward, work 20 hours a week as a transcriptionist, have 5 kids, AND try to write. Yeah. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that I'm stretched pretty thin. More often than not, there aren't enough hours in the day. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way!

Sadly, the first thing that usually goes is my writing time on particularly busy days. Just the thought of pulling out my Work In Progress (WIP) and tackling scenes is enough to make me break into a cold sweat.

But thanks to my wise friend Marsha Ward, a brilliant fellow writer, I've conquered the problem! She mentioned last week that instead of setting some lofty goal of writing a thousand or more words a day (here comes that feeling of breaking out into a cold sweat again!), her goal is to write...

Are you ready for this?

...25 words a day. Yes. 25.

I was so excited because I finally found a goal that doesn't overwhelm me! Heck, 25 words is like...two sentences! Even *I* can do THAT. So, with that very doable goal in mind, I have actually gotten a few thousand words done over the past ten or so days! Before that, my daily amount would have been ZERO. And the interesting thing is, with the pressure off, knowing I only need to write 25 measly words to make my daily goal, I have often sat down to write those 25 words and ended up getting inspired and written a thousand! But by setting a small goal, it is at least accomplishing *something.*

What I think accomplishing writing goals in our busy lives boils down to is setting ACCOMPLISH-ABLE goals. Now I'm actually getting things done in my WIP, thanks to Marsha's suggestion.

So, all you writers out there, if you're having trouble sitting down to write because the task seems daunting, give it a try! Twenty-five words is a piece of cake. And you have to start somewhere. So, thank you, Marsha!!

Anybody else have something that has worked for them? I'd love to hear it!

Superheroes=Bringing Out the Best in Us

2010-11-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I fall fast and hard for superheroes. Particularly Superman. Superheroes are generally good men, often misunderstood, and need somebody to look beneath their exterior. Such a great foundation for a great story, isn't it?

Back in 1993, I fell in love with the then latest Superman show, "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures in Superman." Clark was perfectly portrayed, a decent guy raised by goodly parents who was just trying to find his way in the world. He had doubts and insecurities and dreams like every other person in this world. It made this normal man who could do incredible things seem so relatable. I think that's what I loved most about that Superman's incarnation. The show took Lois and Clark on a journey that had them discovering the best of themselves and each other, showed the ups and downs of their lives, and even brought a little ugliness to their characters and circumstances. It made for a wonderful story.

And then there's Spider-Man, with Tobey Maguire. Incredible! I am particularly a fan of the second movie. The train scene with the people he saved promising to keep his identity a secret particularly touched me.

I think the thing I love most about these movies is they are just normal people choosing to do incredible things with the gifts they are given. They inspire me to want to do incredible things!

As I've watched some of these superhero shows in recent days, the thought occurred to me: We don't have gorgeous men flying around in tights (more's the pity :)) or men swinging from street lights and building tops, but we do have superheroes of a completely different kind.

Here's one example: A dear friend had an "in" at a local restaurant and took me and my husband on a double date with her and her husband for dinner. A night out is a very rare occurrence for us, so did that night mean something? Probably more than I could ever tell her. Instant superhero status in my eyes.

Or just prior to that: I had had a particularly horrible day, and I decided to drive my cute little yellow 1979 convertible VW bug in to work that evening. The weather was perfect, so I hoped that little indulgence would cheer me up. To further indulge, I stopped by the McDonald's drive-through on the way home to get a McFlurry. (We've already established I'm addicted to those. :)) Well, the very cute teenaged boy at the pick-up window held up the line after handing me my food to tell me how much he loved the car, asked about restorations I'd done, etc.

Made. My. Day.

I was worthy of conversation in a busy drive-through lane. I'm sure he'll never know how much his words of enthusiasm helped brighten the bad day I was having. He was my superhero that day.

Or how about those dads who work two jobs in order to provide for their families? Or that busy mom who puts aside the cleaning, cooking, and laundry to spend quality, memorable time with her child?

I've come to learn that we don't have to have been bitten by a radioactive spider or come from a planet called Krypton to make a difference. We can all be superheros to those in our lives right now.

What are you going to do to be a superhero in somebody's life tomorrow? You don't have to plan something. Just offer a kind smile or laugh with a friend. Or even with a complete stranger. You never know who you'll touch--or become a superhero for in an unexpected way.

Superheroes are the best, aren't they? :)

Writing Comic

2010-11-10T07:33:00.001-08:00

I love this comic because it makes me laugh--mostly because I've been there/done that. :)

Feedback: The Writer's "Drug"

2010-11-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

I was talking with a friend this morning about the power of feedback. Yes, for writers it's like an addictive drug! We crave it, we need it--almost as if it were air to breathe.

Let me preface that a bit by saying: Writing is one of the loneliest professions. Have you ever heard that? I heard it years ago, and it certainly didn't take me years to realize it was true. When you write, it's just you, your computer monitor and keyboard, and all those voices in your head. And this solitary work can last for months, even years. Ask any writer, published or unpublished. Between the character sketches, the rough drafting, the outlines, the writing of the actual story, the RE-writing, the polishing, the editing... Good grief, it can go on for months and months before another living soul even reads your work.

Then comes the anxiety attacks and nail biting. Will she like my story? Will all my work be for nothing?

That's another thing about us writers: We're an insecure lot. I'm sure we have enough insecurities to keep a psychologist busy for years. (And pay for that new cabin or yacht, I'm sure. :))

So when we hear back from some reader that they loved our stories, that our stories were able to help them make somebody's day better by helping them escape into a world we have created, the elation and adrenaline rush we feel is, I'm positive, comparative to that of just having scaled Mt. Everest. What a glorious feeling!

I've been writing for more than a decade now, and I'll tell you just how much feedback means to a writer.

I have a binder exclusively for it.

Over the years, whenever I've gotten emails or online comments thanking me for writing something that helped somebody get through a tough day, or somebody who was able to connect with a certain character, or read a scene that moved or touch them in some way, I printed those emails off and put them in this binder. Those kinds of feedback are the true rewards we writers get for writing.

So why do I keep those treasured emails in a binder? Because whenever insecurities surface (refer to previous mention of those) or I get harsh words from a reviewer, or I --heaven forbid--get a rejection from a publisher, it's wonderful to pull out that binder and read some nice words and remember that I'm NOT actually useless as a writer. ;)

What's my point in telling you all of this? I had an experience not so long ago when I emailed a writer to tell her just how much I loved what she'd written--and not just that I loved it, but WHAT in particular I loved about it: her characters really
came to life on those pages, the romance made my heart happy, and I felt full of hope and happiness when I turned that last page. Little did I know when I wrote to her that she'd been suffering a crisis of insecurity, and had just that morning decided to quit writing.

You can imagine how shocked I was to hear that. Somebody who wrote as brilliantly as she did should have been chained to her chair and forced to write 6 books a year. At least. :) Nevertheless, she confessed to me later that my email had almost single-handedly forced her to rethink that decision to quit writing. I was both touched and relieved that my little email (which took me all of 5 minutes to write) was pivotal in her decision to keep writing.

So, I am using this post to encourage all of you: Did you like something somebody wrote? Was there an article that moved you? A speaker at a fireside or in a ward meeting that said something that touched you?

TELL THEM!!!

You'll never know when it might alter somebody's life. My teenage daughter took me up on this a year or so ago, and emailed a national market writer whose books she LOVED. Imagine her shock and surprise when she got a long, chatty email back from this author (who my daughter originally thought would be "above her" and too busy to respond to the likes of her), and told her just how much she appreciated her email.

We live in a world where getting in touch with people we like and respect are just an internet away: Facebook, blogs, internet websites... All it takes is 5 minutes, tops, to do what your mother taught you to do and say "thank you." :) I'm sure the object of your appreciation will be forever grateful.

Have any of you other writers out there had an experience with feedback that helped you in some way? If so, comment and tell me how!

Guilty Pleasures!

2010-10-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

I've learned this week that I can be bribed to write. :)

My good friend Jaime brought me an M&M McFlurry this week. She knows they are my guilty pleasures! I am positively addicted to those, I'm (sort of) embarrassed to admit.

So what does this have to do with writing? Well, over the past few months, she has become my #1 cheerleader for getting my next book written. Almost every time I see her, she asks, "Are you writing? Are you writing?" (Every writer dreams of having just such a cheerleader in their corner. :))

After she showed up at my house with that M&M McFlurry this week, I made the mistake of teasing her that she could use those as bribery for me to get my writing done.

Hmmm. I wonder if it works both ways. Do you think she'll blacklist me at all my local McD's, telling them to refuse to sell me any until certain chapters are done? (She could probably do it. Her husband is the manager at one of those local McDs.)

I hope she didn't take me seriously. I'd miss those M&M McFlurries. Maybe I'd better get cracking...

The Writing Process--How Writing is Like Being Pregnant :)

2010-09-30T09:09:00.001-07:00

I had a friend ask me recently how my book was coming. As we talked about that, our conversation turned to the writing process and how hard it can be to get started. One of her questions really made me stop and think. She asked, "When you're writing a book, does it always feel like work, or is there a point when it becomes fun and exciting?"

An astute question. I had to think about that for a minute. Knowing she had recently had a baby, I latched onto that for my explanation. I told her that starting a new book was like being pregnant. (And all you moms out there will "get" this, I think.)

When you first hear the news that you're expecting, it's somewhat of a shock. There are so many things going through your mind. You're excited, nervous, uncertain. But during those first few weeks (and sometimes months), it doesn't necessarily feel "real" to you. Yes, you understand that you're having a baby and all that that entails--diaper changes, late night feedings, a houseful of new "stuff" (strollers, cribs, clothes, blankets, bottles...). You know what having a baby *means,* but it took me a long time during my pregnancies to realize that this was a little person growing inside of me, one who would be complete with personality, thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams.

That's how starting a book feels to me. It feels exciting, but you're nervous and uncertain. It can feel terribly daunting. But just as you do research when you're pregnant ("What to Expect When Your Expecting" anybody? :)), you start researching and thinking about the end result. When you write, you gather ideas and consider plots, characters, settings, and conflict.

When an outline is done, you see the story starting to take shape. But it doesn't feel real yet. Once the foundation is laid (which I consider to be the biggest work involved), and I can let myself dive in to the actual writing process, it starts to feel real to me.

Just like that realization that your pregnancy isn't just about weight gained, cravings, etc., but is in fact about a real person, these story characters start to come to life in this next process of writing. These characters become "real" people to you, complete with personalities, thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams. These "people" take on a life of their own. They start yelling at you in the middle of the night, demanding you wake up and write something new that just happened to them. They have adversities that take you by surprise, just like they do in our every day lives, unsuspected and often overwhelming. Then I have the sheer pleasure of watching my characters overcome these adversities as I just sit and type, their thoughts and actions appearing on the page as if I am only their medium. It's something truly thrilling indeed.

For example, in my most recent book, Between the Lines, I was writing the scene in the San Francisco park when Sydney and Justin are eating lunch, and she tells him that her family (father, mother, and only sibling) died in a car accident when she was in high school.

Whoa.

I remember sitting back from my computer at that point and staring at my computer in shock. "Where did that come from?" I remember thinking. I hadn't planned for Sydney to have her family die in a car accident, leaving her all alone. It just came out of nowhere. Suddenly there was this whole new dimension to my character that I hadn't even known about. I LOVE that about writing! When a story and your characters take on a life of their own, they often do things that surprise you. It's like watching a play unfold, and you're doing just that--watching.

Bringing us back to the baby analogy, I think that writing is so much like pregnancy and having children--when they finally are here, we see them as real people, not just some blob on an ultrasound screen. We get the pleasure of watching them grow and become who they are meant to be. It's thrilling indeed.

I had to admit to this friend of mine that I'm not quite to that stage of my book yet. I'm still fleshing out characters and scenes, creating the mold. But I can't wait until I'm to that stage when my characters become "real," and start taking on a life of their own, saying things that make me laugh and struggling through things that make me cry. It makes the writing process something truly special.

My Next Work in Progress!

2010-08-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have news! My publisher is still iffy about whether or not they want the sequel to Between the Lines right away, so right now I am going full steam ahead with my next book, tentatively titled "Deceit"!

I am SO excited about this book! Here's the basic plot:

Cambry arrives on the scene just after her father--an engineer and developer with military and private contracts amounting to millions--is brutally attacked and left for dead. Only moments after her arrival, the police respond to his earlier 911 call and find Cambry standing over his body. Because of her very public falling out with her father years ago and subsequent estrangement--and the discovery that her father has willed his multi-million dollar company to her upon his death--the local authorities list her as a "person of interest" in the case.

But more potential suspects come into play when the investigation reveals that her father's most recent project--a breakthrough with nano-technology with new weapon applications that have apparently been sought after by the Military and private underground organizations alike.

As Cambry struggles to try to hold up her father's company in his absence and clear her name, an unwelcome face arrives on the scene--Cambry's ex-fiance, Ethan.

A former counter-intelligence agent, Ethan now works for the FBI and has secretly been sent in to investigate Cambry and the case of the missing technology under the ruse of wanting to re-initiate a relationship.

But as it becomes clear to Ethan that Cambry is innocent and in danger from the group behind her father's attack, he forms an alliance with her, and together they enter into the race to find the technology before it falls into the wrong hands. Sparks fly, and old feelings are rekindled as they try to keep themselves alive and discover who is behind the treachery.

I am shooting to have the manuscript done by November, and hopefully, if my publisher accepts it for publication, it could be out by spring 2011. Cross your fingers and toes!

Erin

San Francisco fun!

2010-06-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

As many of you probably already know, a large part of my book takes place in San Francisco. I have fond memories of the City by the Bay, because I grew up just south of there. It's an amazing city, rich with history and easily recognized by its unique landmarks. I mentioned quite a few of these in my book, including Lombard Street. Which brings me to the reason for my post!

I was going through some files on San Francisco this morning that I have on my computer (while doing some more research on my next book), and I came across this news footage from August 2009. Remember the beloved childhood game "Candyland"? Well, for those of you who haven't seen this news footage, you'll get a kick out of it! Nobody can say the people of San Francisco don't know how to have fun!

Lombard Street Turned into 'Candyland'
(click this link to view the ABC7 news article and video!)

Working on my next book! (well...one of them :))

2010-06-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, Friday I organized my outline for the possible Between the Lines sequel and got it printed off. I always find it easier to organize the mess of a first outline if I can see it printed out. It's easier for me to spot discrepancies and duplicate scenes that way, so I'm planning to take a pen and highlighter to it today. I always love this stage of writing a book! It's so exciting to look at an outline and see all the possibilities.

My question to you is this: For those of you who have finished reading Between the Lines, tell me who you loved and would like to see more of in this potential sequel? Any favorites?

Writing is such a solitary task. Unless somebody gives you feedback, you never know what worked and what didn't! So feel free to chime in. Who did you like and want to see have more "screen time"? :)

Exciting book news!

2010-05-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, I had a wonderful chat with my editor today, and I let her know about the book I'm currently working on, tentatively entitled "Deceit." But here's the quandary.

When I first started "Between the Lines," I had thought to write a sequel. But what many of you might not know, a sequel rarely sells as well as the first book does. So, knowing that, I kind of shelved the idea of writing the sequel and turned my attention to writing "Deceit."

But here's the thing. When I talked to my editor, she said that if BTL has impressive sales numbers come July, it's possible that they could green light the sequel for BTL. So for those of you who would like to see a sequel and read more about Justin and Sydney (and Agnes and Jennifer!), tell everyone you know about BTL and get them to buy a copy! Good sales will give a sequel a much better chance! And for those of you who have read BTL, and you really think about it, you'll notice there are some things left a bit open so I can take off with those in the sequel. (Including more of Justin and Sydney's romance!)

So that's where my quandary comes in. Which book do I work on? Deceit? Or the BTL sequel? My editor suggested that I spend some time working on both books until July when the sales numbers are in, and we'll know which book my publisher will green light.

Nice problem to have, right? Two books that my publisher may want? Cooool. :)

Erin Klingler

Done!

Book update!

My friend Tristi has a new mystery novel coming out!

An emerging new character!

Book update!

Remembering why I write

Setting achieveable writing goals--the key to success!

Superheroes=Bringing Out the Best in Us

Writing Comic

Feedback: The Writer's "Drug"

Guilty Pleasures!

The Writing Process--How Writing is Like Being Pregnant :)

My Next Work in Progress!

San Francisco fun!

Working on my next book! (well...one of them :))

Exciting book news!

Top 10 Reasons to Read!