Creativity is Cooking

I have often thought that writing is like cooking.  It takes a while to perfect the recipe.  I have gone from working on the ever evolving novel to short and sweet kids picture books.  I needed to have some sense of completion as I perfect my writing style.  The moment where the text meets the pictures is simply thrilling as my little picture books come to life.  Knowing that my ideas are influencing art is almost intoxicating.

Cooking up a batch of books is only half the battle.  Knowing my audience is the other half.  After viewing the works of other recent e-book authors, I have decided to distinguish myself as the one who keeps in mind the 'every child'.  Every child is unique and different.  But all too often, most of the writings appears to be catering to a select group.  Things are white washed as character after character emerges as a white child. 

My goal is to create a collection of original picture books with the 'every child' concept in mind.  I am cooking up a batch of books at this very moment.  Now, if I could only find an illustrator willing to work just as hard to help me fulfill this dream.      

Feeling Better

The fog is lifting and the heavy burden in my heart is just a little more bearable.  I think I'm in a writing mood.  It's about time! 

Kasey your hugs are pure magic.   

Doing the right thing ...

We live in a world where doing what's right has become a thing of the past.  All across America, children are learning the hard way that they are not truly free.  Children are coming under attack by the very system that has helped form their foundation.  And somewhere in North Carolina, Cole Withrow is experiencing that in a very real way.  Cole was recently suspended from a North Carolina high school just weeks before graduation.  He's an honor student and an Eagle Scout.  He had the extreme misfortune of exercising one of our Constitutional rights and had been shooting the weekend before.  When he got to school he noticed his gun had been left in his truck and immediately went to the front office to contact his mother.  A zealous school official, caring less about doing the right thing and more about making a name for herself at the expense of a child, overheard his conversation with his mom and immediately contacted authorities.  Poor Cole was arrested shortly thereafter.  This is politics at there worst! 

Cole Withrow happened to be wearing a Liberty University t-shirt when fate smacked him in the face with felony charges.  A college official decided to do the unthinkable and offer him a scholarship.  Doing what's right in a politically charged environment is never easy and rarely happens in today's modern era of extreme political correctness.  But this is why I love Liberty University.  Having attended their Christian Concert series during Winterfest, I can honestly say they walk the walk.

As I thought of this latest attack on our children, I discovered the following worksheet in my son's homework for the week.  As a parent of 4 boys, I get mixed messages from the school system all the time.  If parents are confused, imagine how our children must feel!     

Picture of gun on worksheet sent home by school ~ ok by me!

Let's get back to basics and understand what it is to be an American.

Do the right thing!

Liberty University you ROCK!

Chronicals of a Born Loser

Can you tell the winners from the losers? Sure can and it's a snap decision in most cases.  Well, I was one of the unlucky ones born to fail.  The only problem is that I've made it my mission to succeed.  And that has led to some pretty uncomfortable confrontations. 

I'm a paper doll that gets shredded to pieces by the simplest look.  The most innocently benign comment has this cowardly claw quaking in her boots.  A fearless lion, I am not.  That's the way it was on Friday.  When the wolf bared his teeth and said 'don't worry I'm not going to eat you'.  Well anyone and everyone knows when someone says 'don't worry' it's the perfect time to panic. 

The good thing about being a paper doll is that I'm easily recycled when I get destroyed.  And another version of myself appears.  The cowardly clam can still make a pearl from the tiniest of irritations. 

So long story short, I'll pick myself up and wipe the dust from my shorts.  While keeping one eye trained on the wolf lying in wait.  And if lady luck makes an appearance, I'll try my darndest not to scare her away.       

A Tiny Light at the End of the Tunnel

I know this is totally off subject, but I just had to dish.  That headstrong, stubborn, pain in the butt, son of mine, whom I love with all my heart, has just received notice that he was selected for an Air Force Scholarship ... and I couldn't be prouder!  

For all the moms and dads, aunts and uncles, parents and guardians ~ there is a tiny light at the end of the tunnel and it's called hope. 

For Kevin, good job!  I am sooooooooooooooooooooo relieved.  It has been a journey.  You have struggled with every step, persevered through the pain and driven yourself to succeed.  And while you may be a tad brash and a bit bold, you are my first ever loving son.     

Did I mention how proud I am? 

Little Miss Mary Medley, The Garden Girl

Ok peeps, I've completed the little tale about my garden girl and sent out a query letter regarding this prospective picture book.  Well this one and Noknow, the know nothing boy.  Can't hurt to make as many waves as possible.  My motto is to never give up.  If writing is your dream ... do what it takes to make yourself known. 
 

Little Miss Mary Medley

The Garden Girl

By: Donna Danielle McCartney

Across the barren fields of forgotten farms was a tiny patch of much loved land.

 

And every day Little Miss Mary Medley could be found tending her garden greens.

In a time when vegetables were as good as gold, more precious than pearls, and more delicious than diamonds, Little Miss Mary Medley grew her veggies just to give them away.

Mother Nature’s magic rested in a willow basket, swinging from Little Miss Mary Medley’s arm as she skipped down the dusty trail.

Covering many a country mile, Little Miss Mary Medley made her way to the blacksmith.

She left him with a pocket full of potatoes and a smile.

Trotting beside a black beauty, Little Miss Mary Medley kicked the dust off her heels.

The little girl offered a bunch of broccoli, wrapped in ribbons, to the rider.

Dancing to a melody all her own, Little Miss Mary Medley twirled toward a southern belle.

She slipped a pack of peppy peppers into the hands of a lovely lady.

Little Miss Mary Medley chased after a man of the law with a tin badge and a ten gallon hat.

Leaving him the most crooked squash from her garden.

Continuing on her quest, Little Miss Mary Medley raced to a one room school house at the top of the hill.

And handed out carrots like they were candy sticks, to the children who giggled as they tried to contain the crunch.

Teaching a lesson to everyone, even the one who’d come to teach, Little Miss Mary Medley shared the goodness.

The garden girl left a tasty tomato on the teacher’s desk before heading home to a tiny patch of much loved land.

As the sun slipped below the trees, Little Miss Mary Medley whispered “Mother Nature’s magic is mighty powerful … best eat those garden greens!”

Character sketch: Little Miss Mary Medley is a black girl with bright green eyes with a blown back bonnet. 

The story setting is similar to Little House on the Prairie.

From Procrastination to Inspiration

I've been procrastinating on completing the nautical adventure that I set upon and ironically procrastination has led to inspiration on several other endeavors. 

The following works are under production: Noknow - the know nothing boy AND Legend of the Lunatic Mama.  Two very different shorts.  In Noknow the child doesn't learn a thing and ends quite sadly.  I envision a beautiful story with Native American influence in both the characters and overall style of the book.  While Legend of the Lunatic Mama is somewhat scary, as most folk tales are - with bizarre twists and turns.  The mother reigns supreme and her children live to mess up another day.  Both are in the hands of professional illustrators at this very moment. 

Last night I sent a shout out to Starbucks about my recent release of Coffee in the Bottle.  This baby should be gracing coffee countertops all across the country.  Written for moms everywhere who have children thirsting to fill bigger shoes. 

At present, I'm working on my first market influenced book.  This one was a struggle because it didn't start with pure inspiration but rather research into what type of book is selling.  I'm pushing myself to fill a need in the marketplace and let's face it - every author's dream is to SELL books.  Writing them is just the beginning ... but getting them into the hands of eager readers is key.  Anyway this one is a tale about Little Miss Mary Medley, the garden girl.  I'll post the text here once completed - just working through the story concept between bouts of working in the real world. 

Noknow - the know nothing boy

I woke up this morning and wrote a poem for my beloved Kevin, whom I love and miss very much.  My stubborn 18 yr old has decided to go it alone.  My dearest Kevin, I hope that you find your way in the great big sea.
 
Noknow – the know nothing boy
By: DD McCartney

Far, far away across the emerald sea,

On the jagged isle of fantasy -
Lived Noknow, the know nothing boy.

Each night when Noknow went to bed,

He forgot everything that his mother said –
And thus, always found himself in trouble.

His mother’s voice echoed in the night,

Singing of all that was right –
In the hopes that Noknow would learn.

Never go it alone,

Never take what isn’t your own,
For escaping to the sea –
Is never what you thought it’d be.

But little Noknow didn’t heed his mother’s words,

And flew away like a bird –
All alone, on his very own.

His travels took him to the far side of the isle,

Where no one cared about the child.
 'Noknow, come back!' Mama cried.

His mother’s voice echoed in the night,

Praying that her son was alright –
In the hopes that Noknow would return.

Never go it alone,

Never take what isn’t your own,
For escaping to the sea –
Is never what you thought it’d be.

And though she didn’t understand why,

Noknow wasn’t like the others …
The ones that listened to their mothers.

Noknow hadn’t learned a thing.

His head was full of absolutely nothing.

He had ventured out alone,
And now he was taking something that wasn’t his own – The king’s sacred stone. 

Noknow hid from the vultures in the sky,

And the king’s hounds - that had taken to the ground. 
His head was swimming as his heart started to pound. 

His mother’s voice echoed in the night.
Beneath the moon’s eerie light …
 
Never go it alone,
Never take what isn’t your own,
For escaping to the sea –
Is never what you thought it’d be.
 
Far, far away across the emerald sea,
On the jagged isle of fantasy -
A mother mourns for Noknow, the know nothing boy. 

A Reading Adventure Begins ...

Each one of the books in the Nautical Mile Series will be available for free download via Amazon this Friday 2/15 and Saturday 2/16.  Be sure to get your copy and let me know what you think.  It has taken awhile to capture the elusive magic bubbling to the surface.  I'm still tweaking the storyline as it seems to be evolving from a simple story, created for my own children, into a complex world of its own. 

Stay tuned, as I am presently working on an ending befitting of the magical underwater realm of Aquatica and the legend of the Water Child. 

Query Update

Well peeps, I deleted my horrible query letter.  Like I said before, desperation is the kiss of death.  Always write from a position of power because those agents are like sharks, they can smell the fear a mile away!  Desperation can come from many places.  Wanting someone to read your story, to like your story, to acknowledge your existence ... it can even be desperation because you know yours is a story worth telling.  (I have all of these things making me feel desperate.) 

Next time, and yes there will be a next time.  Next time, I think my query letter will pretty much just be my story synopsis.  None of the 'hi' I'm the scare d'cat that'd love to have her novel published with you - crap.  Just short and sweet.  Simple.  Straight to the point and less reasons for them to throw my letter in the trash bin or hit the delete button. 

I'm also considering taking a writing course.  Now I think I can write.  But crafting a story is akin to building a house.  Just because I can nail two pieces of wood together doesn't mean I can build the darn house.  So perhaps, after this novel - a little late, I know - I will take an honest to goodness course.  Because I have thrown away about 50,000 words to get to the good part of my story.  Think of all that wasted time spent on material that'd I later carve out.  It makes me sick to think about it. 

SEA SICK!!!!!  

Storyline Synopsis

For the Seagers, the water is where it all began.  Generations later when little Sabin is selected to sit at the Circle of Trust in his grandmother’s stead, he finds himself entering the dark and dangerous waters of Aquatica. 

The untimely death of Sabin’s beloved grandmother brings about a startling revelation.  Grammy was more than a woman.  She was a Meridian, an Aqua Defender and leader of Neptune’s secret alliance, the Circle of Trust.    

Sabin gets pulled under and inducted into Neptune’s service.  Even though he is just a boy, his enemies have their sights set on blood.  Hades (Neptune’s evil brother), Dagon (Neptune’s only son), and the wicked Banshee of the Bay have joined forces in an epic struggle between good and evil.

Incredibly, the pint sized hero has Neptunium blood running through his veins.  Everyone suspects that he is related to royalty, when that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Little Sabin is secretly a unique blend between everyone fighting, from royalty to slaves.  He is the Water Child destined to save Aquatica from certain destruction. 

Family secrets surface and place a heavy burden on the young Seager.  Sabin and his brothers venture to Aquatica to discover more about their heritage when war breaks out.  The trio ends up behind enemy lines to witness the return of Neptune’s evil son, who hopes to dethrone his father. 

Barely escaping by the skin of their teeth, the Seager brothers finally make it to the safety of the city as the shields lower.  The Meridians regroup and assess the damage from rebel forces.  Sabin’s natural ability is apparent as he instinctively taps into the power within.

Never far from danger, Sabin is attacked by a traitor in their ranks and taken to the Oracle’s healing room.  The Ancestral Water Guardians have interrupted death, for the Water Child cannot be taken before his time.  During a state of unconsciousness, the nine-year-old begins his training. 

 

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Right now, my reduced version is about 35,000 words.  I took out the entire 2nd chapter where Sabin reacts to his Grammy's death.  Instead I just went straight to the funeral scene.  I deleted the two chapters about the haunted conch shell.  But I did save the scene about the Siren of the Sea traveling to the Notti's.  Instead of getting their help to deliver a message - she asks for help in protecting Sabin.  Which is a revelation in itself because it reveals that the Water Child is a groundling. (so it works)

 

I'm starting work on the ending.  I'm ready for this little saga to be over.  Pitching it as a junior novel series isn't really working.  So it's time for plan B.  Yeah, don't you know there's always a plan B ... even if it's really plan X,Y,Z!   

Photo Shoot

Jamie Parker, Photo Wizard of the Highest Order, actually made me look good during our recent photo shoot.  Which is hard to do.  Trust me.  I feel like a real celebrity!   

Jamie was just adorable, with a sweeping smile that radiated through the camera lens.  The pint sized enchantress help this semi - recluse feel normal. 

Check it out: Photo Shoot by Jamie