You're gonna do WHAT??

This year I'm going to Take Away a gift from each of my loved ones.

In this day and age, of excess and rampant spending (okay, so not nearly as bad in years past, but...) where commercialism has overtaken spirituality, and objects are used to express love, I've bought everyone what they want for Christmas.  And now I'm going to take one thing away from each of them.

With two solid weeks before we open gifts, I run the risk of spoiling the big moment with this post, but since I don't think my kids are following my blog anyway, here goes... From my oldest son, I am (figuratively) taking away Smoking.  From my youngest son, I'm taking away take away Texting While Driving.  From the two in between, I take away their Worrying About Things They Can't Control, like what other people think about them.

As a mother/wife/daughter/sister/friend I want only the best for my loved ones.  I am not a psychologist, and I'm certainly not perfect, but I still wish I could pass on a little loving advice without sounding judgmental or preachy.  I have no ulterior motives, nothing to gain personally, I just want the best for those I love.

And, so, my best gift  to my family this year might just be the one I take away.  Let's hope they see it that way!

Best wishes, Karolyn

Heart and Soul

"I am an all or nothing person."  So says Danny King, the protagonist of my novel, That Changes Everything, and so says I.  Has it really been a month since I've written a blog?

I've been writing!  A lot.  I finished the first draft of my novel, all 73,000 words, and for about two days I was so excited and happy with it.  Then, like the devil perched on my left shoulder, whispers of doubt invaded my head.  What about this scene?  What about that scene?  Is this character entirely believable?  Totally sincere?  So even before I print off copies or send out query letters, I'm back to writing, and writing, and writing.  And reading.

A wise young man I know, also a writer, has an ongoing debate, with himself or anyone whom he can engage:  Is it better for a writer to read other great writers, or is it better for the writer in question to just get out there and live life, then write their own story in their own voice?  Ooh, good question.

The answer has many arguments, but like nature vs. nurture, I absolutely think it should be a combination.  No great stance, or position there, I realize, but how could one argue differently?

Off to read and write, not necessarily in that order.

Best wishes, Karolyn

If not

If not love, then passion.
If not passion, then duty.
If not duty, then art.
If not art, then death.

If you think I'm moody...

you should meet Lily.  Lily Frances, née Lily White.  Now she's moody.  Lily is the lead female character in my novel, That Changes Everything.  I can't in all honesty call her the female protagonist, as she's quite often the antagonist.

Lily's got issues.  As she sees it, "My parents named me Lily White.  I'm just paying them back."  As a highly successful artist, a painter, living in Brooklyn, Lily Frances has the freedom and the money to be her own person.  That freedom gets her into some big trouble.

Danny (aka Daniel King, the ex-hedge fund manager who moves to Brooklyn to rebuild his life) sees Lily one night at a restaurant, and it's love at first sight, for him.  When Danny accidentally gives Lily an invaluable piece of paper, he must find her and get it back ~ but she has seemingly disappeared.   That Changes Everything is the story of a man in search of love, happiness, and his true self.  And no, that's not too much to ask, not even in Brooklyn.

All for now,
Karolyn

Just a little bit crazy...

Kids do it, and they are people, too.  So why is it when I talk about my characters to my friends and family, they look at me like I've really lost it?  What's so bad about imaginary friends?

I wasn't born a writer (although I was born into an academic household, thank you, mom), nor did I earn a degree in Literature, but I have found my passion.  When I was a young mother, having children, one, then two, then three, then four, I thought that was the greatest miracle ever imagined (still do).  How wonderful to be able to create these little people, darling, full of life and personality.  I wanted a dozen.  But in the blink of an eye they grew into teenagers ~ holy cow, I'm glad I wasn't granted the gift of twelve of those darling little miracles.  (Hello Angelina, stop now while you've still got a chance, and money!)

BUT, now I can start all over.  I can create my own people again!  Hurray.  And dogs, cats, horses.  I can live in New York City, Los Angeles, Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, anywhere I can imagine... all from the comfort of my home office, aka the guest bedroom.  How does this make me crazy?

Some would say, "Just preface your thoughts with 'my character Danny', as opposed to 'You'll never believe what Danny did today.'"  Others say, "Show me the money, then we'll just call you eccentric."  Well, sure, a paycheck would be nice, but that doesn't make me valid.

I write because I can't not write.  Call me crazy.

Off to the looney bin,
Karolyn

Don't hate me because I'm narcissistic

Things I love (Installment #1):  Last weekend I returned from a decades-long trip to the moon, and I walked into a jazz concert rehearsal at the New England Conservatory.  Fronting the school's orchestra was a darn good quartet, whom I was soon told was the Wayne Shorter quartet.  My son explained to me that I was in the presence of greatness, and he wasn't even talking about himself.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Shorter


Ok, so I was never really exposed to jazz music (please refer to my bio... the part about having four children.)  Back when Mr. Shorter was making history with Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell, and so many others, I was reading Dr. Seuss to my kids.  But back to things I love.  If I had happened to run into Mr. Shorter that day, say at Whole Foods, I wouldn't have had any idea of whom he was, or what those lips and hands were capable of.  I love discovering the hidden talent in a person.  (Yes, I buried the lead there.)  I love it when you meet a person, and later discover that they are a famous musician, artist, rocket scientist, writer, or anything, really, this side of a supermodel.  Now, when I stand in line at the grocery store, I try to show all due respect to the nerdy man ahead of me.  For all I know, he could have invented blogging.


Off to the library,
Karolyn

Day 1, Blog 1, Followers 0

Ah, the freedom of anonymity. My first entry is like writing in a secret diary, right? If anyone out there reads this... sorry for the young winding stream of consciousness. I've had my coffee this morning, so I have officially crossed the laconic/loquacious line. That can be good or bad, depending on so many, many things.

I sit, in my usual spot, at a public library... just the homeless, the jobless, and me. Outside my window is an enormous building under construction. It is the visual equivalence to my current novel: That Changes Everything. With any luck at all, I can finish (and PUBLISH) my novel before the worker ants are done and the employees move in and spill their coffee on the new carpet. Coffee, to me, is like communal wine... if I spill it, I'm likely to get down and lick it up. Do they still have to do that in Catholic churches?

All right, to make this official, I should tell you about my novel. It's the story of an ex-hedge fund manager who goes broke and moves to Brooklyn to rebuild his life. But it's really so much more than that. He, Danny King, is searching for a new love, a new life, and answers about what really happened to his mentor who died in a suspicious car accident. Think: Wall Street meets Serendipity.

Enough for today. I need to save my fingers for the real thing.

Until next time, Karolyn