Jamie S. Hill -Romance Writer

This is not a new book on the shelves at Barnes and Nobles but a writer friend recommended it so while at my bookstore, enjoying the smell of my mocha blending hypnotically with the smell of books I searched the sale section and found this little treasure.  From the first page the author grabbed my attention, as if she reached out and grasped my shirt in her fingers... jerking me...forcing me...making me follow.

I'm a mother of three with all of the responsibilities that go with that but I finished it in a day and half.  Though I must confess; for one day my household chores suffered but it was out of my control.  Annabelle and her life on the run were gripping.  Who was chasing her?  What did they want?  Would she survive?  And how could one of the six bodies found be wearing her locket?(Nope, I'm not going to tell you.  You need to read it.)

I give Hide five out of five stars.  It's a fun read and now I want to read more from Lisa Gardner.

I judged for the first time this year and read six unpublished manuscripts. I tried to read them with the eye of a reader and an editor; as you know, they often want different things. First, I want to know if the writer hooks me. Do I want to read more even though I've run out of pages...that's always a good sign. Then I look at their writing; is their voice fresh, are there speed bumps (writing that slows down the reader-points off for that), too many POV shifts (points off), spelling or typing errors (points off-come on...it's a contest, clean it up), and formatting issues(you have to follow the rules). I was thrilled by the manuscripts I received. No perfect scores but a few really good ones and the others were sound writing that with some deep editing (Margie Lawson's classes) they should get published. I loved the experience. It helps to focus my writing because I use the judges hat when I read my rough draft now. Very helpful.

If you've judged a contest please leave a comment on what your process is and what you gain from doing it.

Well it happened yesterday, the first of my three children turned 16. How is it possible that time has flown by so quickly? Seems like only yesterday I was telling him to stop touching live wires...oh, wait, it was.    If you know my son you know he loves fixing things, taking things apart and figuring out how to make them work again. It's a regular occurrence to have a yelp come out of his room and him following, sucking on a sore finger.

"It's ok mom, I just got a shock."

"Son" said with exhausted concern, "Please don't burn down my house."

"Oh I won't, I just forgot to put electrical tape on the wires and it got me."

Yes, my precious boy has a bright future for himself...whoops, didn't mean that play on words, but it works. We hope he focuses on electrical engineering, though with what a good electrician charges, I'm sure he will do fine in life.

Sorry, I got off track.

Yesterday was his birthday and we had plans to have a nice family dinner and the cake ordered to his specifications; vanilla cake, raspberry filling, and butter cream icing.

Unfortunately, the celebration was overshadowed with the discussion of a young friends funeral arrangements. We tried to be cheerful and focus on the joy of a son we are proud of, but the sadness seeped in like a cold wind under a door frame.

My husband, who had been one of this young man's college Professors and friend, couldn't fight the wave of grief any longer. He apologized to our son, but then said something profound. He told our children that life is like that. In one family they are celebrating the birth of a child while in another they grieve the loss of a child. "That's why the Bible tells us to laugh with those who laugh and to weep with those that weep. God allows for his people to experience both joy and sadness, sometimes at the same time, on the same day, with different people." Encouraging and celebrating with one another on this journey of life is what God calls us to.

Look around you today and see who you can celebrate with or who you can weep with. Most often your presence beside them and your honest sharing of their emotions is all they need, and of course to be reminded that God is with them in all situations, loving them and drawing them closer to himself.

Have a Blessed day and be a vessel to Bless others.

Jamie

Can you believe it...still no word back from the agents who have requested my manuscript. I had not updated my blog because I thought I would wait to report back to you with the great news that they both loved my writing and had publishers excited about a publishing date. Unfortunately, the old phrase, No new is good news...I'm not sure it apply to this situation. Regardless, I am still hopeful that I will find an agent looking for my genre and voice, until then I will polish my book, Love at Rainbow Lake (which is now finished) and send it to my freelance editor.

I have a project I'm working on; Stagehands, about a country music singer and a massage therapist. Juicy? You'll just have to wait to find out. 

Well, I must be off...my son has a meeting he forgot about. Such is the life of a mom.

Blessings!

Jamie