Christina Suzann Nelson

Tomorrow is the big day. I’ve been planning for November 1 for a couple of months now. So why is it that I find myself nervous? Last year I jumped in without too much thought to what I was getting into. This year, I’ve spent a great deal of energy learning more about plot and story structure. The story that I’d been planning to write for the last six months has been tabled until February. Pushed aside for something more marketable. Don’t get me wrong. I love the new idea, and the characters are coming together in my head, it’s just a newer idea. It hasn’t had the time to become so fully ingrained in me.

Enough of my rambling. I need to save all my spare words for tomorrow.

If you’re participating in Nanowrimo, add me as a writing buddy. “Christina” is my username. Very original, huh?

Happy November,

Christina

Catching a relatively dry and not too windy day on the Oregon coast is amazing anytime of year, but at the end of October when we’ve been drowning in the valley, I didn’t think we had a chance. I took my girls and one of their friends over yesterday. Rain poured down on us as we drove. Somewhere before that last hill crest, the weather cleared. After a little shopping, we went for a walk on the beach. No coats needed.

After that we took off to a tea house. When we arrived we found that it had closed and a new shop opened. A chocolate shop. How could that be wrong? They served us samples of their clam chowder, made with coconut milk and chocolate. Seriously yummy. The girls each had hot chocolate, and I had limeade with huckleberry and dark chocolate. We ate bread with dipping oil (and chocolate), chocolate beanies and weenies, and chocolate bread pudding. They had chocolate macaroni and cheese, but we left that one to the imagination. If you’re in Newport, stop in and give it a try. Donya Marie’s Beyond Chocolate is the name.

With our tummys full, we headed over to Newport High School to watch Ryan’s soccer game. All the boys played great, and the Warriors won. The game went on until the sun had sunk so low that the refs called it. Not a drop of rain, and barely any wind.

You can’t read this story without finding yourself longing for an adventure in Alaska. Ms. Leon’s creates a main character that acts as a reflection of the land she loved, both wild and beautiful. The story takes the reader along on a ride with Kate, an adventurous young lady pursuing her dreams to be an Alaskan bush pilot during the Great Depression. The author has done an amazing job of research. Details enhance the story and open the reader’s mind to experience they may never have explored before. Sprinkled within Kate’s story are the struggles of Paul, a man using Alaska as an escape from his past. The characters are vivid, as is the setting. I enjoyed the secondary characters as much as the main characters.

For many writers, the conference appointments are a time of anxiety. Until recently I fell into that category too. I’ve come to the place where I enjoy the opportunity to share my passion for my stories. Conference provides many chances to chat with like-minded people, but during those precious 15 minutes, the agent or editor across the table is somewhat your captive audience.

My goal this year was to find an agent with whom I would fit well. I asked other authors this brilliant question, “How did you know your agent was right for you?” Each time I chuckled, because I sounded like my dear friend Gretchen when each of our friends got married. You could always count on Gretchen asking, “But how did you know he was the one?” And we’d answer, “You just know.”

Well, I had the appointment with the agent I’d carefully chosen months before, and wouldn’t you know it, I just knew. After only 15 minutes, I felt completely at ease with this person. I guess God had it all in His control. This agent, the one I really want to sign with,  may not feel the same about me. I’ll have to do what writers do. Wait, pray, drive my critique partners nuts, and I continually check my email for that request or rejection. Regardless of the answer, I’ll keep writing. God knows what I need, and He cares enough to take care of me.

By the way, my other appointment was mentoring with Deborah Raney. Writers, if you have the chance to do this, take it. In 15 minutes, I was encouraged, we talked out future plot ideas, and she gave me great pointers to strengthen the endings of my stories.

Hope the suns shining on you today,

Christina