Illustration Received for "The Angel Watches"

Just a quick note to mention that I received the illustration today for my upcoming poem, "The Angel Watches" (publish date January 6, 2014).  I think Terri Kelleher did a beautiful job.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Illustrator Link-up for "The Angel Watches"

I received the link-up today for my poem, "The Angel Watches" (publish date January 6, 2014), and I'm excited to be paired with the very talented Terri Kelleher.  Can't wait to see what she has in store on this corroboration!

New Poem to be Published! "She Continues Onward"

Great news, I'm excited to announce that another poem has just been accepted by Leaves of Ink!  This one, She Continues Onward will be published on February 4, 2014.

Remember, you can find all of my upcoming publishing dates on the upper right-hand side of my blog.

Thanks for reading!

Quote of the Day

“A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for.” 

― Albert Einstein

Quote of the Day

“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.” 

― Rita Mae Brown

What's in a Name?

Well, frankly a lot.  Especially when you're trying to figure out what to title your book.  No, no, hang on, I'm not finished it yet (actually, disappointingly far behind my projection of a 2013 completion), but as with most books, the title is worked into the story and therefore holds a special significance.   So, here I sit trying to come up with the perfect variation of my working title.  Ugh.  You see, my first thought was a title that is already in use.  It also is two words that by themselves are, well, admittedly kind of lackluster.  So, wanting to keep those two words in my title because of their significance to the story, I am trying to come up with a more intriguing variation.  Yes, I admit, I'm spending a lot of time on a just handful of words.  But as you know, marketing is an important piece of the puzzle.  Think of all the commercials you laugh at, the jingles you sing to yourself and the book titles that either grab you or make you feel something special.  So, instead of the 20,000 more words that I need to write, this morning I'm focusing on five very significant words that are about to steer me toward a bottle of aspirin.  Calgon take me away!  (See, some of you instantly knew what those four words meant, and smiled . . . . . )

Quote of the Day

Or perhaps I should say "quotes".  I couldn't decide, so here are two:

“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” 
― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

“You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. 
What mood is that? Last-minute panic.” 
― Bill Watterson

Link for "Jack"

So after a little website glitch, here is "Jack".  Happy Halloween!

"Jack" Going Live Today!

Hi Everyone,

My next story "Jack" is going live today on The Story Shack.  There will be two stories posted today, so if don't see it in the morning, then it will be on in the afternoon.  Be sure to check it out if you have a moment. And thank you again to Alankrita Jain for the wonderful illustration!  

Book Review Time - The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls

I thoroughly enjoy Jeannette Walls' books and this one was no exception.  The Silver Star is a work of fiction unlike her memoir, The Glass Castle (an excellent read).  Walls' book Halfbroke Horses is also listed as fiction although it is based on the life of her grandmother (another very good read).  

With this story, Walls takes you on a journey with two young sisters who are put in the position to make some scary grownup decisions. Some of these decisions lead them in a positive direction while other decisions have dire consequences.  

I loved the characters in this book and their quirks, and continuously felt compelled to turn the pages to find out what was going to happen next with these two girls.   This is a story of survival, perseverance, growth and change.  It is a quick enjoyable read.

Gave this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and a big thumbs up.

Illustration for Jack

Adorable little illustration from Alankrita Jain for my story, "Jack" coming out on October 31st.  There will be two stories posted that day on The Story Shack, so be sure to take a moment to check it out.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Quote of the Day

“The Lorax: Which way does a tree fall? 
The Once-ler: Uh, down? 
The Lorax: A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean.” 

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Another Poem to be Published! "The Angel Watches"

Hi everyone!

Well, I'm very excited to announce that another poem has been accepted for publication.  This one, "The Angel Watches", has been accepted by The Story Shack with a release date of January 6th.  I am excited to find out my illustrator pairing and will update the site accordingly.

Have a great weekend!

Quote of the Day

"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So . . . get on your way!"

-- Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Quote of the Day

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” 

― Ernest Hemingway

Poem to be Published! "Vehicle"

Friends,

I am excited to tell you that my poem, "Vehicle" has just been accepted by an online magazine, Leaves of Ink.  The publication date is December 23, 2013.  I know that with the holidays this will be a busy time for everyone, but if you can spare a second or two to check it out, please do.  It will be on the front page that day.

Thanks for reading!

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

The following is another article I wrote for my employer's newsletter, which is appearing today:

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

The other evening my husband and I ordered some Chinese takeout, and at the end of the meal we cracked into the highly anticipated fortune cookies to see what our futures would hold.  The message on my tiny strip of paper was this: “A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.”  As I read these words I chuckled at the irony and immediately nodded my head in agreement with this statement.  I chose to take this message as a reconfirmation of the strength and lessons I have gained from past experiences instead of a foreshadowing of any future events.  I also chose not to toss this little message, but instead decided to hold onto it as a gentle reminder for use in all personal and professional areas of my life.

So what does this message really mean?  “A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.”  I tilled those words around in my head, and to me it means this: 

Sure we all think we would love to sail through life on calm waters, myself included, but it is only when we sit back and review the tumultuous waters that we have sailed upon that we realize it is only by those trials in life that we learn.  In other words, it might only be as a result of that big career mishap that you learned a lesson such as due diligence.  Or perhaps you learned from a potentially embarrassing situation with a client the lesson of quick thinking.  Maybe you hit a quandary with a particular job task that has given you the skill of problem solving, or a conflict with a colleague that has taught you the art of diplomacy.  I bet there are many other useful skills that you have learned throughout your career that even you do not realize.  And where did you learn these skills?  I would wager that it wasn't from calm waters. 

I believe we all need to learn to look at these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow as individuals, both personally and in our careers or vocations.  So the next time you feel as though a Tsunami is going to hit you, stay calm, take a deep breath, pull out your compass and dig deep into your bag of finely tuned skills to navigate through your next crisis.  And by all means, don’t forget to enter your new skill in your sailor’s logbook!

Quote of the Day

“It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” 
― Lou Holtz

Update on "Jack"

I just received the illustrator link-up for my story "Jack", which will go live on October 31st.  The illustrator I will be working with is the talented Alankrita.  I look forward to this latest corroboration!

New Story "Jack" Coming Soon

This October look for my next story "Jack" on the new and improved "The Story Shack".

Look for more info coming soon!

My Author Page on The Story Shack!

The Story Shack has revamped its website, and with this cool new format, comes my very own author page!  Now when you read one of my stories, if you click on my name it will take you to my new page where you can view all of my previously posted stories.  The editor, Martin, has taken much care and consideration with this new format allowing him to advance The Story Shack in great directions.  I look forward to his continual advancements.  Here's the direct link to my page which I will also post to my blog's sidebar: http://thestoryshack.com/author/christinacfranklin/

Book Review Time - The Inheritor's Powder: A Tale of Arsenic, Murder and the New Forensic Science

Categorized as science, this book to me has the flavor of Erik Larson's "Devil in the White City".  Like Larson, Hempel rotates back and forth between a true crime story and the facts, telling us about the science and history of arsenic.

I found this book informative and full of interesting tidbits about a time period I was unfamiliar with, and although it is quite heavy with scientific and historical facts, it is also entertaining.  All in all it was a good read (no pun intended).

History buffs, those interested in medicine and true crime fans may enjoy this tale.  Strict fiction readers might take issue with all of the science and find it hard to get through.

I won this ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) from a Goodreads giveaway, and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.  Thanks Goodreads!

When Characters Write Themselves

Yesterday I reread the last scene I had recently written, which is a practice I always do before moving the story on, and then I previewed my notes for an upcoming scene.  My character Samuel was just sitting there feeling lost and sorry for himself due to a couple of pretty significant events.  I didn't know exactly what to do with him, but then he did something wonderful -- he got up, walked over to the end table, pulled open the drawer, and  . . . . . wrote his own scene!  Perhaps this will sound a bit odd to some of you, but I just love when a character writes his own scene.  You see, sometimes you have an idea where you want the story to go and write exactly what you had planned, but then sometimes your character just does it for you.  Love this!  It's unexpected and truly a mystery to me where they are going until they do it.  Will that scene make the final cut?  Don't know, but I think Samuel came up with something pretty good.  Thanks Samuel!

Defining My Genre

So what do I write?  This question is asked of me whenever someone hears that I'm writing a book.  I've dabbled in several different areas with my flash fiction, but in answer to my book?  Well, when someone asks me what I write, of course I say fiction.  After all, just about everyone knows that there is fiction and there is non-fiction.  However, what type of fiction do I write?  Ah, now that has been a little bit of a challenge until recently.  I think.  I'll explain.

First off, I need to know my genre.  This is extremely important when I finally wrap up this thing and start pitching it to agents.  I must know what genre my book falls under.  I have to put this in my agent query letter. So when I started trying to define this some time ago my head started to spin like a scene out of the Exorcist.  Why?  Well, you think there are two main types of fiction, commercial (larger audience) and literary (smaller audience).  But then you hear terms such as mainstream fiction (broad audience appealing to many), upmarket fiction (a combination of commercial and literary), genre fiction (western, romance, historical, horror, thriller, mystery, science-fiction, etc.).  Oh, but it doesn't stop there.  Take for example Romance.  Simple enough, right?  Nope.  Under romance you have sub-genres such as paranormal romance, historical romance, erotic romance, adventure romance, regency romance, fantasy romance, Gothic romance, contemporary romance . . . enough?  Okay you get my point.   So after screwing my head back on I calmly pulled out the laptop and started doing some serious research.  And what did I finally come up with?  Upmarket Fiction.  Yep, that's it.  And perhaps to take it one step further, Upmarket Woman's Fiction.  Think, for example, Water for Elephants, Memoirs of a Geisha, and authors such as Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Sue Monk Kidd and other book club type authors.  It's actually quite a wide variety.   So since I am writing this book with multiple POVs (points of view) in the style of such authors as Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve, and since I think my style of writing is a combination of commercial and literary, that is how I came to this conclusion.

So there you have it, my genre defined.  Uh, maybe.  You see, things change by the minute in the literary world.  In additional to YA (young adult) I recently just found out we now have NA (new adult).  But I'm going with Upmarket Woman's Fiction.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  (At least until an agent tells me I have it all wrong.)

Cheers!

Quote of the Day

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” 
― Edgar Degas

"The Collector" Just Went Live

Check out my newest flash fiction piece, "The Collector", which just went live on The Story Shack today. The illustration was done by the talented James Brown.

Seriously?

Did anyone else catch this on 60 Minutes last night?  This story is so outrageous.  How can these people sleep at night knowing that their practices are killing people?  Shameful and disgusting.  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50152765n

National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day!

So you were wondering what to do with all of your zucchini?  Well, you're in luck.  Today, August 8th, is National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day!  Yep, now is your opportunity to ditch some of those green squashes that have been taking up space on your kitchen counter onto an unsuspecting neighbor.  A word of warning, however, don't be surprised if some of those emerald gourds end up back your front porch too.

Quote of the Day

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.” 

― G.K. Chesterton

Update: Illustration Received for "The Collector"

Hi everyone,

I received the illustration today for my next piece on The Story Shack, "The Collector", and once again James Brown did a wonderful job.  You might remember that he also provided the illustration for my story "Saving Sylvia" earlier this year.  Look for "The Collector" on August 21st.

Have a great weekend!