Showing posts with label blogfest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogfest. Show all posts

Friday, December 19

Today, I'm participating in DL Hammmons's Deja Vu Blogfest, in which we share a post from the previous year that we feel got less attention than we'd like. My recycled post is from January.

----

Anxiety of Influence


As a writer, should you be especially careful about what you read?

It's a question that's been plaguing me during a reading binge. My current read isn't an identical scenario to the one I'm currently writing, but there are numerous points of intersection. This puts me in a bit of a quandary. Will continuing to read help me work out my own story, or will it derail me?

Photo credit: dave from morguefile.com
In her nonfiction book on writing, Escaping into the Open, Elizabeth Berg makes an interesting assertion about influence I've never seen anywhere else:

"While drafting, avoid reading books on the same topic as yours." 

Her reasoning? "...no matter how aware or sophisticated or experienced you are, no matter how determined to write your own story, there's a very real danger that you will start to copy. It may be unconscious, but it can happen. And if that happens, it's a shame...because it denies the reading public the pleasure of your originality."

Part of me disagrees. If I don't know how others have tackled this topic, how do I know if my ideas are original? How do I avoid just repeating what has been said before if I'm ignorant of it? How do I not end up leaning on tired clichés? Berg seems to argue here that clichés crop up because you read others' takes on your topic. You can't help but copy.

The funny thing is, I could argue the opposite.  Knowing how others have treated a topic might constrain me to try too hard to take a new direction in order to seem original. In so doing, I risk creating an inauthentic experience with inauthentic emotion.

But either way, the conclusion would be stop reading that similar book.

But other possible good lessons could come from continuing. I can have distance from another's story I can't yet have from my own. I can more easily sense the kinds of details I might include as a writer that as a reader I find superfluous or boring.

Similarly, this other author could open my eyes to dramatic possibilities I'm not yet exploring in my work: places where conflict might erupt or alliances could form; ways of delivering, delaying, or withholding information. Berg would likely say I should learn these latter lessons from books on topics quite different from mine.

What do you think? Is it a help or a danger to read books on a similar topic?

Deja vu blogfest: Anxiety of Influence

Friday, December 19, 2014 Laurel Garver
Today, I'm participating in DL Hammmons's Deja Vu Blogfest, in which we share a post from the previous year that we feel got less attention than we'd like. My recycled post is from January.

----

Anxiety of Influence


As a writer, should you be especially careful about what you read?

It's a question that's been plaguing me during a reading binge. My current read isn't an identical scenario to the one I'm currently writing, but there are numerous points of intersection. This puts me in a bit of a quandary. Will continuing to read help me work out my own story, or will it derail me?

Photo credit: dave from morguefile.com
In her nonfiction book on writing, Escaping into the Open, Elizabeth Berg makes an interesting assertion about influence I've never seen anywhere else:

"While drafting, avoid reading books on the same topic as yours." 

Her reasoning? "...no matter how aware or sophisticated or experienced you are, no matter how determined to write your own story, there's a very real danger that you will start to copy. It may be unconscious, but it can happen. And if that happens, it's a shame...because it denies the reading public the pleasure of your originality."

Part of me disagrees. If I don't know how others have tackled this topic, how do I know if my ideas are original? How do I avoid just repeating what has been said before if I'm ignorant of it? How do I not end up leaning on tired clichés? Berg seems to argue here that clichés crop up because you read others' takes on your topic. You can't help but copy.

The funny thing is, I could argue the opposite.  Knowing how others have treated a topic might constrain me to try too hard to take a new direction in order to seem original. In so doing, I risk creating an inauthentic experience with inauthentic emotion.

But either way, the conclusion would be stop reading that similar book.

But other possible good lessons could come from continuing. I can have distance from another's story I can't yet have from my own. I can more easily sense the kinds of details I might include as a writer that as a reader I find superfluous or boring.

Similarly, this other author could open my eyes to dramatic possibilities I'm not yet exploring in my work: places where conflict might erupt or alliances could form; ways of delivering, delaying, or withholding information. Berg would likely say I should learn these latter lessons from books on topics quite different from mine.

What do you think? Is it a help or a danger to read books on a similar topic?

Tuesday, September 23

Today I'm taking part in the week-long Follow Fest, hosted by Melissa Maygrove. It's not too late to join the fun! Swing on by Melissa's blog to sign up. Melissa gave us a handful of questions to help us get to know one another, so without further ado, here's all about me:

Name: Laurel Garver


Fiction or nonfiction? 

Mostly fiction, but I'm branching out into nonfiction (writing resources)


What genres do you write?

I write young adult (YA) literary fiction with Christian themes: stories about the places where life and beliefs collide. I also write poetry and, as I already mentioned, writing resources.

Are you published?

Yes: Never Gone, a novel, and Muddy-Fingered Midnights, a poetry collection. Descriptions and links are  HERE. I also have a free, romantic flash-fiction story on Wattpad, "Sketchbook Rapunzel," a prequel to Never Gone.

Do you do anything in addition to writing?

I'm a professional editor with 20+ years experience, and I'm taking new clients. My specialty is line editing: ensuring everything is correct at the sentence level, including grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and idiomatic usage. I also can help non-US writers who write American characters to Americanize not only spelling and punctuation but also vocabulary and usage.

Contact me at laurels (dot) leaves (at) gmail (dot) com to discuss your project.

Tell us a little about yourself

This is how I look on Twitter. 

I grew up rural, but have lived my whole adult life in a city and love it. I’ve had a weird love affair with magazines since I was quite young and pursed magazine editing as a career. I currently work on a scholarly journal--a magazine for academics with literary criticism of modernist era literature by Beckett, Eliot, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Joyce, Pound, and Woolf (and lots of others you might not have read unless you were an English major). 

I met my husband, a philosophy professor, through a book club at our church, so I have C.S. Lewis to thank for meeting the love of my life. We’ve raised our twelve-year-old daughter in our geeky image of loving Dr. Who, Middle Earth, and Hogwarts. 

Last summer we spent 16 days in the UK, 11 of them in a cottage on a sheep farm in Gloucestershire, taking day trips to castles, museums, ancient barrows and stone circles, Roman ruins, and a coal mine. Our favorite sites were Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean, The Dr. Who Experience in Cardiff and the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. This summer we stayed closer to home, traveling to the Hudson Valley and Catskills, in part for my daughter to compete in an Irish dance feis. 


What are you reading right now?

As part of my 2014 "read outside my genre" challenge, I recently picked up a short story collection, This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz. It's literary fiction that explores the Dominican immigrant experience. 

Which authors influenced you the most?

Madeleine L'Engle's books most made me want to write, and I fell hard for funny narrators from Paula Danzinger's early works for teens like The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice? But my biggest influence is Susan Howatch, especially her Starbridge series. She writes deeply psychological, edgy stories with spiritual themes that feature complex, flawed characters. She does redemptive fiction better than anyone I know—fast paced, intriguing, never predictable or cloying. Her stories don’t shy away from the darker aspects of life, and because of that, the faith expressed is more profound because of its willingness to get dirty. I emulate Howatch most, though with a heart for the teen experience with touches of humor.

Where can people connect with you?

Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn

Author pages:
Goodreads
Amazon
BN.com
Smashwords

Do you have a newsletter? 

Not currently. Social media keeps me busy enough

Is there anything else you'd like us to know?

I welcome guest posts here, especially those on writing / publishing tips (tie-ins with new releases are fine). I'll happily host giveaways for contemporary fiction (MG through adult) that would earn a film rating of PG-13 or below (moderately edgy and emotionally hard-hitting is okay).

Welcome, new friends! Tell me a little about yourself...

Follow Fest 2014

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 Laurel Garver
Today I'm taking part in the week-long Follow Fest, hosted by Melissa Maygrove. It's not too late to join the fun! Swing on by Melissa's blog to sign up. Melissa gave us a handful of questions to help us get to know one another, so without further ado, here's all about me:

Name: Laurel Garver


Fiction or nonfiction? 

Mostly fiction, but I'm branching out into nonfiction (writing resources)


What genres do you write?

I write young adult (YA) literary fiction with Christian themes: stories about the places where life and beliefs collide. I also write poetry and, as I already mentioned, writing resources.

Are you published?

Yes: Never Gone, a novel, and Muddy-Fingered Midnights, a poetry collection. Descriptions and links are  HERE. I also have a free, romantic flash-fiction story on Wattpad, "Sketchbook Rapunzel," a prequel to Never Gone.

Do you do anything in addition to writing?

I'm a professional editor with 20+ years experience, and I'm taking new clients. My specialty is line editing: ensuring everything is correct at the sentence level, including grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and idiomatic usage. I also can help non-US writers who write American characters to Americanize not only spelling and punctuation but also vocabulary and usage.

Contact me at laurels (dot) leaves (at) gmail (dot) com to discuss your project.

Tell us a little about yourself

This is how I look on Twitter. 

I grew up rural, but have lived my whole adult life in a city and love it. I’ve had a weird love affair with magazines since I was quite young and pursed magazine editing as a career. I currently work on a scholarly journal--a magazine for academics with literary criticism of modernist era literature by Beckett, Eliot, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Joyce, Pound, and Woolf (and lots of others you might not have read unless you were an English major). 

I met my husband, a philosophy professor, through a book club at our church, so I have C.S. Lewis to thank for meeting the love of my life. We’ve raised our twelve-year-old daughter in our geeky image of loving Dr. Who, Middle Earth, and Hogwarts. 

Last summer we spent 16 days in the UK, 11 of them in a cottage on a sheep farm in Gloucestershire, taking day trips to castles, museums, ancient barrows and stone circles, Roman ruins, and a coal mine. Our favorite sites were Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean, The Dr. Who Experience in Cardiff and the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. This summer we stayed closer to home, traveling to the Hudson Valley and Catskills, in part for my daughter to compete in an Irish dance feis. 


What are you reading right now?

As part of my 2014 "read outside my genre" challenge, I recently picked up a short story collection, This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz. It's literary fiction that explores the Dominican immigrant experience. 

Which authors influenced you the most?

Madeleine L'Engle's books most made me want to write, and I fell hard for funny narrators from Paula Danzinger's early works for teens like The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice? But my biggest influence is Susan Howatch, especially her Starbridge series. She writes deeply psychological, edgy stories with spiritual themes that feature complex, flawed characters. She does redemptive fiction better than anyone I know—fast paced, intriguing, never predictable or cloying. Her stories don’t shy away from the darker aspects of life, and because of that, the faith expressed is more profound because of its willingness to get dirty. I emulate Howatch most, though with a heart for the teen experience with touches of humor.

Where can people connect with you?

Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn

Author pages:
Goodreads
Amazon
BN.com
Smashwords

Do you have a newsletter? 

Not currently. Social media keeps me busy enough

Is there anything else you'd like us to know?

I welcome guest posts here, especially those on writing / publishing tips (tie-ins with new releases are fine). I'll happily host giveaways for contemporary fiction (MG through adult) that would earn a film rating of PG-13 or below (moderately edgy and emotionally hard-hitting is okay).

Welcome, new friends! Tell me a little about yourself...

Monday, September 22

Thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh for coming up with this fun fest theme, "Underrated Treasure," in which we share a favorite movie, band/artist, TV show, or book (any or all categories). As my bio blurb over to the right says, I'm an indie film enthusiast, so I thought I'd talk about my very favorite indie film that I suspect many of you haven't heard of.

Film - Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Available for streaming or on DVD

A young man purchases a life-sized, anatomically-correct doll off the Internet and is convinced she is real.

Sounds like a set up for a hilarious romp involving sexual deviancy, right? Prepare to be surprised, because from this bizarre premise comes one of the most touching, insightful, profound films about love and community I've ever seen. More accurately, I'd blurb it as "A small-town community rallies to help a man suffering from a delusion." But I guess that's not as sexy.

What I love most about this film is the psychological puzzle at its core. WHY does Lars suddenly develop a delusion? How have his past and present circumstances conspired to make him need this kind of extreme coping mechanism? Little by little we're given clues, beginning from the very first scene when Lars's pregnant sister-in-law invites him to breakfast, and he answers the door wearing a baby blanket like a scarf. The visual motif of the color pink is tied to the psychological puzzle. In true indie film fashion, we get all the information we need, bit by bit, until the cause of Lars's psychological issues becomes abundantly clear without the screenwriter ever resorting to a Hollywood-style bash-you-over-the-head pronouncement.

I also love what this film teaches about how communities could (and should) act when someone is hurting--by taking the humble path of getting down into the ditch with that hurting person. The local Lutheran church, full of very ordinary, no-frills Midwestern folk are at the center, asking, "how can we help?" and, with absolutely no irony, "what would Jesus do?"

Here's the trailer:




Have you seen this underrated treasure? Have I convinced you to give it a try?

Underrated Treasure Blogfest

Monday, September 22, 2014 Laurel Garver
Thanks to our host Alex Cavanaugh for coming up with this fun fest theme, "Underrated Treasure," in which we share a favorite movie, band/artist, TV show, or book (any or all categories). As my bio blurb over to the right says, I'm an indie film enthusiast, so I thought I'd talk about my very favorite indie film that I suspect many of you haven't heard of.

Film - Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Available for streaming or on DVD

A young man purchases a life-sized, anatomically-correct doll off the Internet and is convinced she is real.

Sounds like a set up for a hilarious romp involving sexual deviancy, right? Prepare to be surprised, because from this bizarre premise comes one of the most touching, insightful, profound films about love and community I've ever seen. More accurately, I'd blurb it as "A small-town community rallies to help a man suffering from a delusion." But I guess that's not as sexy.

What I love most about this film is the psychological puzzle at its core. WHY does Lars suddenly develop a delusion? How have his past and present circumstances conspired to make him need this kind of extreme coping mechanism? Little by little we're given clues, beginning from the very first scene when Lars's pregnant sister-in-law invites him to breakfast, and he answers the door wearing a baby blanket like a scarf. The visual motif of the color pink is tied to the psychological puzzle. In true indie film fashion, we get all the information we need, bit by bit, until the cause of Lars's psychological issues becomes abundantly clear without the screenwriter ever resorting to a Hollywood-style bash-you-over-the-head pronouncement.

I also love what this film teaches about how communities could (and should) act when someone is hurting--by taking the humble path of getting down into the ditch with that hurting person. The local Lutheran church, full of very ordinary, no-frills Midwestern folk are at the center, asking, "how can we help?" and, with absolutely no irony, "what would Jesus do?"

Here's the trailer:




Have you seen this underrated treasure? Have I convinced you to give it a try?

Saturday, March 29


It might seem like I've been neglecting this little corner of the Interwebs, but in fact, I've been gearing up for a solid month of awesomeness.

Here's what's in store:
Prepare for lift-off! (photo by earl53 from morguefile.com)

A fabulous guest post about researching your fiction from Sherrie Peterson. She'll  share a bit about her exciting new MG science fiction release WISH YOU WEREN'T and has a great giveaway also!

Twenty six days of all things cool in poetry including...
  • Work by famous and emerging poets of yesterday and today that will stir your heart and soul, tickle your funny bone, and inspire you to see the world in new ways.
  • Inspiration and tools to add spark to your fiction writing and help you try poetry writing as well.
  • Informative and fun introductions to all kinds of poetry forms and vocabulary, from acrostics and assonance to spoken word and vernacular.
  • Giveaways of a poetry collection and a writing resource.
Please come back Monday for the festivities!

What does your April have in store?

Upcoming awesome

Saturday, March 29, 2014 Laurel Garver

It might seem like I've been neglecting this little corner of the Interwebs, but in fact, I've been gearing up for a solid month of awesomeness.

Here's what's in store:
Prepare for lift-off! (photo by earl53 from morguefile.com)

A fabulous guest post about researching your fiction from Sherrie Peterson. She'll  share a bit about her exciting new MG science fiction release WISH YOU WEREN'T and has a great giveaway also!

Twenty six days of all things cool in poetry including...
  • Work by famous and emerging poets of yesterday and today that will stir your heart and soul, tickle your funny bone, and inspire you to see the world in new ways.
  • Inspiration and tools to add spark to your fiction writing and help you try poetry writing as well.
  • Informative and fun introductions to all kinds of poetry forms and vocabulary, from acrostics and assonance to spoken word and vernacular.
  • Giveaways of a poetry collection and a writing resource.
Please come back Monday for the festivities!

What does your April have in store?

Tuesday, October 29

Curious about what I've been up to in my creative life? Today I talk about my current project, what sets this story apart, why certain themes emerge in my work, and how I write.

This is part of a Kidlit Blog Tour, for which I've been tagged by the lovely Melissa Sarno and Faith Elizabeth Hough. Thanks, friends!

 What are you working on right now?

The Louvre (photo by priyanphoenix from morguefile.com)
I'm about 2/3 through a sequel to Never Gone, working title Almost There. The summer after Dani's junior year, she plans to take an art-filled, family bonding trip to Paris.  But a crisis arises with her grandfather, threatening not only her trip, but her mother's fragile mental health. Dani wants to keep their involvement to a minimum, but her attempts at quick damage control only get them more stuck. When her clever schemes to manufacture happiness for herself and others fall apart, can she trust God to redeem the mess?

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Most YA fiction tends to separate kids from their families and never deals with inter-generational patterns of dysfunction. But so many kids experience this in real life. I tackle this from inside a faith tradition that calls us to have hope for the most seemingly hopeless situations. I also explore the joys and challenges of having a serious romantic relationship when you're young. Most YA books deal with starting brand-new romances rather than maintaining and growing them for the long haul.

Why do you write what you do?

I see kids struggling to be real in a culture that glorifies superficiality. When beauty, strength and charisma are idolized, all the ways we are broken never see the light, never have a chance to heal. Instead they fester under the surface, filling our lives with poison. I write about kids in crisis who learn to let go of their pretensions and falseness and allow God to remake them as people who humbly hope, believe, and love.

How does your writing process work?

So far, it has been largely voice-driven. I begin with a character who speaks to me and listen to what she tells me about her background and situation. From there, I daydream and research until I have a sketchy sense of some of the most important plot points. I write and rewrite the opening chapters until they let me go forward (and that can take a very long time). That draftivising process goes on into the story middle, which will at times call for more research until the events of the climax really gel. Then I write out notes about all the events needed to get me there and steadily create scene after scene. The back end of the book writes much faster than the beginning.

I always revise as I go, and usually begin to garner feedback from my writing group once I've gotten the opening to my liking. I find I need other voices to walk me through the story middle, and keep me from making wrong turns that are out of character, based on the opening.

Any departing words of wisdom for other authors?

Find a writing process that works with your lifestyle and temperament. There's not a one-size-fits-all way to make literature. If a process is truly uncomfortable, you'll simply stop. So find a method that's energizing and plays to your strengths. You're better able to tackle your weaknesses from a place of confidence than a place of doubt.

My nominees to answer these questions are C.M. Keller and Melanie Schulz.

Enter today to win a copy of 
my redesigned debut in paperback!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's next

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 Laurel Garver
Curious about what I've been up to in my creative life? Today I talk about my current project, what sets this story apart, why certain themes emerge in my work, and how I write.

This is part of a Kidlit Blog Tour, for which I've been tagged by the lovely Melissa Sarno and Faith Elizabeth Hough. Thanks, friends!

 What are you working on right now?

The Louvre (photo by priyanphoenix from morguefile.com)
I'm about 2/3 through a sequel to Never Gone, working title Almost There. The summer after Dani's junior year, she plans to take an art-filled, family bonding trip to Paris.  But a crisis arises with her grandfather, threatening not only her trip, but her mother's fragile mental health. Dani wants to keep their involvement to a minimum, but her attempts at quick damage control only get them more stuck. When her clever schemes to manufacture happiness for herself and others fall apart, can she trust God to redeem the mess?

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Most YA fiction tends to separate kids from their families and never deals with inter-generational patterns of dysfunction. But so many kids experience this in real life. I tackle this from inside a faith tradition that calls us to have hope for the most seemingly hopeless situations. I also explore the joys and challenges of having a serious romantic relationship when you're young. Most YA books deal with starting brand-new romances rather than maintaining and growing them for the long haul.

Why do you write what you do?

I see kids struggling to be real in a culture that glorifies superficiality. When beauty, strength and charisma are idolized, all the ways we are broken never see the light, never have a chance to heal. Instead they fester under the surface, filling our lives with poison. I write about kids in crisis who learn to let go of their pretensions and falseness and allow God to remake them as people who humbly hope, believe, and love.

How does your writing process work?

So far, it has been largely voice-driven. I begin with a character who speaks to me and listen to what she tells me about her background and situation. From there, I daydream and research until I have a sketchy sense of some of the most important plot points. I write and rewrite the opening chapters until they let me go forward (and that can take a very long time). That draftivising process goes on into the story middle, which will at times call for more research until the events of the climax really gel. Then I write out notes about all the events needed to get me there and steadily create scene after scene. The back end of the book writes much faster than the beginning.

I always revise as I go, and usually begin to garner feedback from my writing group once I've gotten the opening to my liking. I find I need other voices to walk me through the story middle, and keep me from making wrong turns that are out of character, based on the opening.

Any departing words of wisdom for other authors?

Find a writing process that works with your lifestyle and temperament. There's not a one-size-fits-all way to make literature. If a process is truly uncomfortable, you'll simply stop. So find a method that's energizing and plays to your strengths. You're better able to tackle your weaknesses from a place of confidence than a place of doubt.

My nominees to answer these questions are C.M. Keller and Melanie Schulz.

Enter today to win a copy of 
my redesigned debut in paperback!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, September 24

Today I'm taking part in the week-long Follow Fest, hosted by Melissa Maygrove. It's not too late to join the fun! Swing on by Melissa's blog to sign up. Melissa gave us a handful of questions to help us get to know one another, so without further ado, here's all about me:

Whose blog is this?

Laurel Garver, a city dweller, word nerd, Indie film enthusiast and incurable Anglophile. Professor's wife and mom to an aspiring Ravenclaw. Follower of the Good Shepherd, who is faithful when we are faithless.

Fiction or nonfiction?

Primarily fiction, but I do have a writing craft book in the works.

What genres do you write?

I write young adult (YA) literary fiction with Christian themes: stories about the places where life and beliefs collide. I also write poetry.

Are you published?

Yes: Never Gone, a novel, and Muddy-Fingered Midnights, a poetry collection. Descriptions and links are HERE.

Do you do anything in addition to writing?

I'm a professional editor with 20+ years experience in trade, association, and academic publishing. My specialty is copy editing / line editing. I make sure everything is correct at the sentence level, including grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and idiomatic usage. If you're a non-US writer who writes American characters, I can help you Americanize not only your spellings but also vocabulary and usage. Contact me at laurels (dot) leaves (at) gmail (dot) com to discuss your project.

Where can people connect with you?

This is how I look on Twitter. 
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn

Author pages:
Goodreads
Amazon
BN.com
Smashwords

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

I'm open to taking guest posts, especially those on writing / publishing tips (tie-ins with new releases are fine). I'll happily host giveaways for contemporary fiction (MG-adult) that would earn a film rating of PG-13 or below (moderately edgy and emotionally hard-hitting is okay; erotica, gore, and profanity-fests should look elsewhere). Contact me at laurels (dot) leaves (at) gmail (dot) com.

Welcome, new friends! Tell me a little about yourself...

Follow Fest

Tuesday, September 24, 2013 Laurel Garver
Today I'm taking part in the week-long Follow Fest, hosted by Melissa Maygrove. It's not too late to join the fun! Swing on by Melissa's blog to sign up. Melissa gave us a handful of questions to help us get to know one another, so without further ado, here's all about me:

Whose blog is this?

Laurel Garver, a city dweller, word nerd, Indie film enthusiast and incurable Anglophile. Professor's wife and mom to an aspiring Ravenclaw. Follower of the Good Shepherd, who is faithful when we are faithless.

Fiction or nonfiction?

Primarily fiction, but I do have a writing craft book in the works.

What genres do you write?

I write young adult (YA) literary fiction with Christian themes: stories about the places where life and beliefs collide. I also write poetry.

Are you published?

Yes: Never Gone, a novel, and Muddy-Fingered Midnights, a poetry collection. Descriptions and links are HERE.

Do you do anything in addition to writing?

I'm a professional editor with 20+ years experience in trade, association, and academic publishing. My specialty is copy editing / line editing. I make sure everything is correct at the sentence level, including grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and idiomatic usage. If you're a non-US writer who writes American characters, I can help you Americanize not only your spellings but also vocabulary and usage. Contact me at laurels (dot) leaves (at) gmail (dot) com to discuss your project.

Where can people connect with you?

This is how I look on Twitter. 
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
LinkedIn

Author pages:
Goodreads
Amazon
BN.com
Smashwords

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

I'm open to taking guest posts, especially those on writing / publishing tips (tie-ins with new releases are fine). I'll happily host giveaways for contemporary fiction (MG-adult) that would earn a film rating of PG-13 or below (moderately edgy and emotionally hard-hitting is okay; erotica, gore, and profanity-fests should look elsewhere). Contact me at laurels (dot) leaves (at) gmail (dot) com.

Welcome, new friends! Tell me a little about yourself...

Thursday, February 14



Just in time for today's "Indie Kissing" blogfest, Every Day Poets published my poem about my first kiss.

NORTH AND SOUTH

 That splish-splash summer night you chose me
with a touch of your toe and slow smile....
CLICK TO READ MORE

If you're so inclined, please rate it and like it. The editors include the highest rated pieces in an annual anthology. 

I never did see that sweet guy again. His name was Russell Mc-Something-I-can't-remember. We exchanged a few letters, which was the death of that relationship. At 14, I was only going to invest in a long-distance relationship with a guy who was eloquent (he wasn't. Not even a little). :-D

Was your first kiss a wonderful memory or a not-so-great one?


Visit others in the blogfest here:


Kissing blogfest

Thursday, February 14, 2013 Laurel Garver


Just in time for today's "Indie Kissing" blogfest, Every Day Poets published my poem about my first kiss.

NORTH AND SOUTH

 That splish-splash summer night you chose me
with a touch of your toe and slow smile....
CLICK TO READ MORE

If you're so inclined, please rate it and like it. The editors include the highest rated pieces in an annual anthology. 

I never did see that sweet guy again. His name was Russell Mc-Something-I-can't-remember. We exchanged a few letters, which was the death of that relationship. At 14, I was only going to invest in a long-distance relationship with a guy who was eloquent (he wasn't. Not even a little). :-D

Was your first kiss a wonderful memory or a not-so-great one?


Visit others in the blogfest here:


Monday, September 24

I'm over at Laura Pauling's blog today, talking about "Attraction, Repulsion, Connection: Romance is More than Hotness" and a little about Never Gone's romantic subplot. It's my first blog ramble visit, so please come say hello. Or debate my viewpoint about what makes truly memorable romantic plots (hint: it's not great hair).

Meanwhile, I've signed up for a blog hop for the first time in, er... a pretty darned long time. And because of that I've lost some great opportunities to meet amazing people.

So when I heard about the Follow-Swap Blog Hop, I thought it seemed just the ticket. The purpose of the hop is simply to meet people, read a post they consider one of their best and make new connections. Click on the grid of smileys over in the sidebar for more information.

And if you're joining me from the hop and my link was wonky, I shared one of my "editor-on-call" posts about how to avoid shifting tenses. Yes, I have more recent helpful posts too. Click the "editor-on-call" label.   And thanks for visiting!

Do you even take a peek at your stats, just to see what posts resonate with readers? I quite surprised by the posts that get the most page views: my National Poetry Month spotlight on concrete poems, the photos of my hubby's Dr. Who snowflakes, my deep analyses of Neville Longbottom and Severus Snape, my explanation of why I struggle to write autobiographical work.

Old friends, which of my posts have you enjoyed most? The grammar/useage posts? The deep characterization posts? My analytical posts? My Harry Potter posts? Some other category? 

 New friends, what do you look for in blogs you follow?

Visiting and being visited

Monday, September 24, 2012 Laurel Garver
I'm over at Laura Pauling's blog today, talking about "Attraction, Repulsion, Connection: Romance is More than Hotness" and a little about Never Gone's romantic subplot. It's my first blog ramble visit, so please come say hello. Or debate my viewpoint about what makes truly memorable romantic plots (hint: it's not great hair).

Meanwhile, I've signed up for a blog hop for the first time in, er... a pretty darned long time. And because of that I've lost some great opportunities to meet amazing people.

So when I heard about the Follow-Swap Blog Hop, I thought it seemed just the ticket. The purpose of the hop is simply to meet people, read a post they consider one of their best and make new connections. Click on the grid of smileys over in the sidebar for more information.

And if you're joining me from the hop and my link was wonky, I shared one of my "editor-on-call" posts about how to avoid shifting tenses. Yes, I have more recent helpful posts too. Click the "editor-on-call" label.   And thanks for visiting!

Do you even take a peek at your stats, just to see what posts resonate with readers? I quite surprised by the posts that get the most page views: my National Poetry Month spotlight on concrete poems, the photos of my hubby's Dr. Who snowflakes, my deep analyses of Neville Longbottom and Severus Snape, my explanation of why I struggle to write autobiographical work.

Old friends, which of my posts have you enjoyed most? The grammar/useage posts? The deep characterization posts? My analytical posts? My Harry Potter posts? Some other category? 

 New friends, what do you look for in blogs you follow?

Wednesday, June 27

Welcome to the next stop on the "Shh...it's a secret" blog hop. Participants can share a story about a secret pact they have made, a friend they are close to, or a close knit group that has helped them through hard times.

The Pub Pact (or the Anti-Saloon League gets some sense)

Welcome back to Warwickshire, long-lost cousin!
I’d been dreaming of going to England since the day Mom read me the story of Lucy Pevensie hiding in a wardrobe and landing in Narnia. Not only was England magical, but also, according to my Dad, our ancestral home. Though my Webster ancestor left Warwickshire for Connecticut in the 1600s, I was certain that going back would feel like arriving home. It would be a struggle to get there, of course. As the youngest of five, I knew college alone would be financially difficult for my family, and studying abroad? That would be above and beyond—something I’d have to make happen for myself. For seven years I worked a string of terrible jobs, from Avon lady to foam-head carnival character to janitor to discount store cashier. My college study abroad experience, I believed, would be my Cinderella-at-the-ball experience.

What a starry-eyed kid I was.

My college friends who’d spent a semester abroad before me gave me lists of things you couldn’t buy there (back in the pre-Internet era). I loaded up on Reese’s cups, a giant jar of Jiff and some favorite toiletries and considered myself ready.

I hadn’t prepared at all for the possibility that culture clashes would be deeper than a British dislike of peanut butter. My rudest awakening was discovering the program I’d joined, run by a consortium of Christian colleges, would be plopping us into a secular school—one with a culture built around pub crawling.

Social lubricant or demon drink?
I was old enough to drink in the US and well above legal age in Britain. But having grown up in a teetotaler household and spending 3.5 years on a dry campus, I found the idea of binge drinking a bit scary. And as hard as I’d worked to get to the land of castles, cathedrals and magic wardrobes, pub crawls weren’t high on my list of great ways to spend your time and money in England. This left me at total loss of how to not die of loneliness while my classmates went off to get wasted most nights of the week.

Fortunately, I wasn’t quite so alone. I soon discovered that about half of the other American students in our group of 18 weren’t that keen to binge drink. We quickly banded together to make the most of our time abroad actually traveling beyond the strip of pubs near campus. We shared the task of researching hostels and bus schedules, and had some great daytrips and weekends away together.

Early on, it became clear we all took our faith pretty seriously. Soon we were debating American Christianity’s taboo on drinking and whether it’s actually Biblical. Back home, there didn’t seem to be much room for debate on the topic, so it was really refreshing to re-examine my upbringing in light of another culture and try to find some middle ground between total abstinence and total debauchery. Visiting pubs to try local craft brews with a plate of bangers and mash or shepherd’s pie became as much part of the group’s identity as trying a variety of church services and praying together.

While my naïveté took a serious beating during that semester, my study-abroad buddies helped me not just survive, but change, grow and thrive.

image credits:  castles.org; realbeer.com
===


The "Shh...it's a secret" blog hop is in honor of the recent release of Poetry Pact volume 1. Blog hop host Angela Felsted is offering awesome prizes to those who participate in the hop and/or help promote the anthology. Click HERE to find out more.

Want to join the blog hop? Sign up here:

Shh...it's a secret blog hop

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 Laurel Garver
Welcome to the next stop on the "Shh...it's a secret" blog hop. Participants can share a story about a secret pact they have made, a friend they are close to, or a close knit group that has helped them through hard times.

The Pub Pact (or the Anti-Saloon League gets some sense)

Welcome back to Warwickshire, long-lost cousin!
I’d been dreaming of going to England since the day Mom read me the story of Lucy Pevensie hiding in a wardrobe and landing in Narnia. Not only was England magical, but also, according to my Dad, our ancestral home. Though my Webster ancestor left Warwickshire for Connecticut in the 1600s, I was certain that going back would feel like arriving home. It would be a struggle to get there, of course. As the youngest of five, I knew college alone would be financially difficult for my family, and studying abroad? That would be above and beyond—something I’d have to make happen for myself. For seven years I worked a string of terrible jobs, from Avon lady to foam-head carnival character to janitor to discount store cashier. My college study abroad experience, I believed, would be my Cinderella-at-the-ball experience.

What a starry-eyed kid I was.

My college friends who’d spent a semester abroad before me gave me lists of things you couldn’t buy there (back in the pre-Internet era). I loaded up on Reese’s cups, a giant jar of Jiff and some favorite toiletries and considered myself ready.

I hadn’t prepared at all for the possibility that culture clashes would be deeper than a British dislike of peanut butter. My rudest awakening was discovering the program I’d joined, run by a consortium of Christian colleges, would be plopping us into a secular school—one with a culture built around pub crawling.

Social lubricant or demon drink?
I was old enough to drink in the US and well above legal age in Britain. But having grown up in a teetotaler household and spending 3.5 years on a dry campus, I found the idea of binge drinking a bit scary. And as hard as I’d worked to get to the land of castles, cathedrals and magic wardrobes, pub crawls weren’t high on my list of great ways to spend your time and money in England. This left me at total loss of how to not die of loneliness while my classmates went off to get wasted most nights of the week.

Fortunately, I wasn’t quite so alone. I soon discovered that about half of the other American students in our group of 18 weren’t that keen to binge drink. We quickly banded together to make the most of our time abroad actually traveling beyond the strip of pubs near campus. We shared the task of researching hostels and bus schedules, and had some great daytrips and weekends away together.

Early on, it became clear we all took our faith pretty seriously. Soon we were debating American Christianity’s taboo on drinking and whether it’s actually Biblical. Back home, there didn’t seem to be much room for debate on the topic, so it was really refreshing to re-examine my upbringing in light of another culture and try to find some middle ground between total abstinence and total debauchery. Visiting pubs to try local craft brews with a plate of bangers and mash or shepherd’s pie became as much part of the group’s identity as trying a variety of church services and praying together.

While my naïveté took a serious beating during that semester, my study-abroad buddies helped me not just survive, but change, grow and thrive.

image credits:  castles.org; realbeer.com
===


The "Shh...it's a secret" blog hop is in honor of the recent release of Poetry Pact volume 1. Blog hop host Angela Felsted is offering awesome prizes to those who participate in the hop and/or help promote the anthology. Click HERE to find out more.

Want to join the blog hop? Sign up here:

Friday, June 8

To celebrate the release of Poetry Pact volume 1, the awesome Angela Felsted (anthology contributing editor) is hosting a blog hop that will run June 27-29.

In this hop, participants can share a story about a secret pact they have made, a friend they are close to, or a close knit group that has helped them through hard times. Post on any of the three days.

Angela is offering a host of awesome prizes, too. Click HERE to find out more.

Won't you join us? Sign up here:




Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win the anthology Poetry Pact Volume 1.


Shh...it's a secret!

Friday, June 08, 2012 Laurel Garver
To celebrate the release of Poetry Pact volume 1, the awesome Angela Felsted (anthology contributing editor) is hosting a blog hop that will run June 27-29.

In this hop, participants can share a story about a secret pact they have made, a friend they are close to, or a close knit group that has helped them through hard times. Post on any of the three days.

Angela is offering a host of awesome prizes, too. Click HERE to find out more.

Won't you join us? Sign up here:




Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win the anthology Poetry Pact Volume 1.


Friday, December 16

Today is D.L. Hammons's Deja Vu blogfest, when we were invited to repost something we wish had gotten a little more attention. Swing by DL's blog Cruising Altitude to check out the other participants. (And if you want to know why the possessive of D.L.'s name looks like this, check out THIS POST to get up to speed about creating singular possessives correctly.)

My repost, "Gene pool: fun with secondary characters" went up in August 2010, arguably a bad time of year for garnering comments, when everyone is on vacation.

====

Creating a fully realized cast of characters is for me one of the most fun aspects of writing. Part of what makes fictional characters seem real is their webs of relationships--including relatives.

Unless your main character is adopted, she will share certain characteristics with other members of the family. And this is where some of the fun comes in. As Bill Cosby joked in a comedy sketch, having children is like conducting a chemistry experiment--you mix a little of each parent and see what you get. Some kids are strongly like one parent, while others are an amalgam.

Now imagine working backwards. You have a main character. What do his parents look like? Is he a younger version of his dad? A male version of his mother? Or have the sets of genes combined in an interesting way? The genetic combo is, of course, the most fun to extrapolate ancestors for.

One thing to keep in mind when dreaming up your character's genetic heritage: you need a grasp of heredity basics (remember high school bio?). Certain traits are dominant and will most frequently reappear in offspring. Others are recessive and won't appear at all unless someone in the line has the trait. Tone deafness, for example, is a dominant trait. Your piano prodigy character must have ancestors who can carry a tune (a recessive trait).

Here's a good refresher on the basic science of heredity.
And here's a list of traits (and also here) known to be dominant and recessive.

How might heredity shape your character building? Have any characters you might alter to make your protagonist more plausible?

Deja vu: Gene pool--fun with secondary characters

Friday, December 16, 2011 Laurel Garver
Today is D.L. Hammons's Deja Vu blogfest, when we were invited to repost something we wish had gotten a little more attention. Swing by DL's blog Cruising Altitude to check out the other participants. (And if you want to know why the possessive of D.L.'s name looks like this, check out THIS POST to get up to speed about creating singular possessives correctly.)

My repost, "Gene pool: fun with secondary characters" went up in August 2010, arguably a bad time of year for garnering comments, when everyone is on vacation.

====

Creating a fully realized cast of characters is for me one of the most fun aspects of writing. Part of what makes fictional characters seem real is their webs of relationships--including relatives.

Unless your main character is adopted, she will share certain characteristics with other members of the family. And this is where some of the fun comes in. As Bill Cosby joked in a comedy sketch, having children is like conducting a chemistry experiment--you mix a little of each parent and see what you get. Some kids are strongly like one parent, while others are an amalgam.

Now imagine working backwards. You have a main character. What do his parents look like? Is he a younger version of his dad? A male version of his mother? Or have the sets of genes combined in an interesting way? The genetic combo is, of course, the most fun to extrapolate ancestors for.

One thing to keep in mind when dreaming up your character's genetic heritage: you need a grasp of heredity basics (remember high school bio?). Certain traits are dominant and will most frequently reappear in offspring. Others are recessive and won't appear at all unless someone in the line has the trait. Tone deafness, for example, is a dominant trait. Your piano prodigy character must have ancestors who can carry a tune (a recessive trait).

Here's a good refresher on the basic science of heredity.
And here's a list of traits (and also here) known to be dominant and recessive.

How might heredity shape your character building? Have any characters you might alter to make your protagonist more plausible?

Thursday, December 15

Tomorrow is DL Hammons's Deja Vu Blogfest, a chance to recycle a post you love, or one you wish would've gotten more attention the first time around. I hesitated signing up because tomorrow is my daughter's school program, and I'll be away from the computer all morning listening to cute kiddos singing. Hopefully I can manage to catch up in the afternoon!

To me, the holidays are incomplete without music. Participating in choirs (and also band in high school) meant months of practicing, practicing, practicing words and tunes that always shifted something inside me. I can live without the lights, the sweets, the gifts and cards. What I can't live without is that resonance of joy and mystery, the mighty made weak and rich made poor for our sake.

And speaking of things I can live without--one of my biggest holiday pet peeves is the misuse and misunderstanding of the Twelve Days of Christmas. People, these are NOT days PRIOR to Christmas day, they are AFTER Christmas day! The twelve days are the period between Christmas and Epiphany (Jan 6; also called Three Kings Day, in remembrance of the Magi's arrival and gift-giving). During this period, the liturgical colors switch from advent purple to white. You can read more about them HERE (includes an interesting explanation of the song, too).

It's the third week of advent right now, not the "second day of Christmas." OK? Thank you. I needed to get that off my chest.

What do you consider a holiday essential? Do you have a holiday pet peeve?

Festing, holiday essentials and gaffes

Thursday, December 15, 2011 Laurel Garver
Tomorrow is DL Hammons's Deja Vu Blogfest, a chance to recycle a post you love, or one you wish would've gotten more attention the first time around. I hesitated signing up because tomorrow is my daughter's school program, and I'll be away from the computer all morning listening to cute kiddos singing. Hopefully I can manage to catch up in the afternoon!

To me, the holidays are incomplete without music. Participating in choirs (and also band in high school) meant months of practicing, practicing, practicing words and tunes that always shifted something inside me. I can live without the lights, the sweets, the gifts and cards. What I can't live without is that resonance of joy and mystery, the mighty made weak and rich made poor for our sake.

And speaking of things I can live without--one of my biggest holiday pet peeves is the misuse and misunderstanding of the Twelve Days of Christmas. People, these are NOT days PRIOR to Christmas day, they are AFTER Christmas day! The twelve days are the period between Christmas and Epiphany (Jan 6; also called Three Kings Day, in remembrance of the Magi's arrival and gift-giving). During this period, the liturgical colors switch from advent purple to white. You can read more about them HERE (includes an interesting explanation of the song, too).

It's the third week of advent right now, not the "second day of Christmas." OK? Thank you. I needed to get that off my chest.

What do you consider a holiday essential? Do you have a holiday pet peeve?

Thursday, December 1


Today is Vicki Rocho's "Well, I Never" blogfest. She invited us to share something we'd never done, never thought we'd do (but did) or something that simply puzzles us. Go swing by Rambles and Randomness to see the other participants. Rather than a list, I'll share one quick story...

I never went to the prom. It wasn't because I wasn't asked. No, it was largely because I didn't want to go with the guy who asked me. We had a history, one I didn't care to repeat.

I briefly considered asking a friend who went to another school, but as fun and cool as he was, the fact he was a freshman and I was a senior gave me pause. Too much potential to get really awkward. I was also kind-of-sort-of seeing someone at the time, a junior from my own school. Our daily walking-home-from-school flirtation would really go nowhere if I asked someone else to the prom--someone even younger than he. I had a real knack for relationship muddles like this at 17. Is it any wonder I write YA?

From what I could tell, the prom would be just like the school cafeteria but with formalwear--every clique keeping to themselves, everyone carefully guarding his or her established image. Honestly, why bother? So I decided to throw an anti-prom party instead. I had a fantastic night watching movies and hanging out with my favorite underclassman and a senior or two, who, like me, decided the prom was one of the "high school necessities" we could happily live without.

Funnily enough, my friends who did go to the prom ditched early and came to my house instead. Apparently, annoying classmates become even more so under the influence of cheap beer and Jack Daniels. More genuine fun was to be had with us sober, soda-sipping geeks.

====

In other news, there's a wonderful new e-zine now accepting submissions: Vine Leaves Literary Journal. This publication features vignette writing--short pieces that deeply explore character, setting or description rather than being a traditionally plotted story. You can read more about the editors' vision and submission guidelines HERE.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal is the brainchild of Jessica Bell (author of String Bridge) and her critique partner Dawn Ius, a Canadian writer and marketing/communications pro. They felt this subgenre of literary writing deserved a venue of its own.

I'm thrilled to have a piece accepted to the premiere issue (January 2012). I'll post a link when the issue goes live.


Did you go to the prom? Tell me your story!

Well, I Never...

Thursday, December 01, 2011 Laurel Garver

Today is Vicki Rocho's "Well, I Never" blogfest. She invited us to share something we'd never done, never thought we'd do (but did) or something that simply puzzles us. Go swing by Rambles and Randomness to see the other participants. Rather than a list, I'll share one quick story...

I never went to the prom. It wasn't because I wasn't asked. No, it was largely because I didn't want to go with the guy who asked me. We had a history, one I didn't care to repeat.

I briefly considered asking a friend who went to another school, but as fun and cool as he was, the fact he was a freshman and I was a senior gave me pause. Too much potential to get really awkward. I was also kind-of-sort-of seeing someone at the time, a junior from my own school. Our daily walking-home-from-school flirtation would really go nowhere if I asked someone else to the prom--someone even younger than he. I had a real knack for relationship muddles like this at 17. Is it any wonder I write YA?

From what I could tell, the prom would be just like the school cafeteria but with formalwear--every clique keeping to themselves, everyone carefully guarding his or her established image. Honestly, why bother? So I decided to throw an anti-prom party instead. I had a fantastic night watching movies and hanging out with my favorite underclassman and a senior or two, who, like me, decided the prom was one of the "high school necessities" we could happily live without.

Funnily enough, my friends who did go to the prom ditched early and came to my house instead. Apparently, annoying classmates become even more so under the influence of cheap beer and Jack Daniels. More genuine fun was to be had with us sober, soda-sipping geeks.

====

In other news, there's a wonderful new e-zine now accepting submissions: Vine Leaves Literary Journal. This publication features vignette writing--short pieces that deeply explore character, setting or description rather than being a traditionally plotted story. You can read more about the editors' vision and submission guidelines HERE.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal is the brainchild of Jessica Bell (author of String Bridge) and her critique partner Dawn Ius, a Canadian writer and marketing/communications pro. They felt this subgenre of literary writing deserved a venue of its own.

I'm thrilled to have a piece accepted to the premiere issue (January 2012). I'll post a link when the issue goes live.


Did you go to the prom? Tell me your story!

Thursday, November 17

It's been a very long time since I participated in a blog fest. I think the fatigue from my severe anemia had a lot to do with it. But now that I'm power-loading iron and feeling more perky, I'd love to get folks together for another fest.

The question is, what theme? With the holidays fast approaching, it can't be something requiring participants to invest gobs of time. And I've seen a growing reticence to share bits of one's works-in-progress, for all sorts of reasons.

Here are a few possible topics I've brainstormed:

A: Making a list
Write a wish list for yourself or for one of your characters. Think especially of experiences (restaurants, vacations, concerts) and gifts of service (babysitting, book trailer creation) pined for. Be as practical or as fantastic as you like.

B: Writers in Toyland
Describe the coolest toy from your childhood, or a creation you wish existed. Or post a favorite fictional quote about toys (e.g., 1-year-old Harry Potter's toy broomstick).

C: Holiday help
Imagine you had a house-elf's services for a day. What would you ask Dobby or Winky to do for you?

Which one of these ideas appeals most to you?

Feeling festive?

Thursday, November 17, 2011 Laurel Garver
It's been a very long time since I participated in a blog fest. I think the fatigue from my severe anemia had a lot to do with it. But now that I'm power-loading iron and feeling more perky, I'd love to get folks together for another fest.

The question is, what theme? With the holidays fast approaching, it can't be something requiring participants to invest gobs of time. And I've seen a growing reticence to share bits of one's works-in-progress, for all sorts of reasons.

Here are a few possible topics I've brainstormed:

A: Making a list
Write a wish list for yourself or for one of your characters. Think especially of experiences (restaurants, vacations, concerts) and gifts of service (babysitting, book trailer creation) pined for. Be as practical or as fantastic as you like.

B: Writers in Toyland
Describe the coolest toy from your childhood, or a creation you wish existed. Or post a favorite fictional quote about toys (e.g., 1-year-old Harry Potter's toy broomstick).

C: Holiday help
Imagine you had a house-elf's services for a day. What would you ask Dobby or Winky to do for you?

Which one of these ideas appeals most to you?

Monday, May 16

Thanks to Leigh T. Moore and Lydia Kang for hosting today's "Laughter is the Best Medicine" blogfest.

We all love bad metaphors and similes as much as...a cow loves yesterday's half-chewed grass sloshing from one stomach to another. Yes indeedy do.

Here are a few more genuine faux gems:

~Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

~It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had ever seen before.

~His cover was blown like a man with a neat comb-over turning a windy corner.

~Her eyes were the mesmerizing green of a moldy cucumber liquefying in the vegetable drawer.

~It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

~ With each breath, her chest heaved like a bulimic after Thanksgiving dinner.

~He looked at her with the warmth of roadkill on an Arizona highway.

And for those who prefer jokes with punchlines:

A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him.

So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can
prevent florist friars.

Your turn! Give us a good groaner pun, or finish this sentence: Bob was a funny as ____.

Laughter is the best medicine blogfest

Monday, May 16, 2011 Laurel Garver
Thanks to Leigh T. Moore and Lydia Kang for hosting today's "Laughter is the Best Medicine" blogfest.

We all love bad metaphors and similes as much as...a cow loves yesterday's half-chewed grass sloshing from one stomach to another. Yes indeedy do.

Here are a few more genuine faux gems:

~Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

~It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had ever seen before.

~His cover was blown like a man with a neat comb-over turning a windy corner.

~Her eyes were the mesmerizing green of a moldy cucumber liquefying in the vegetable drawer.

~It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

~ With each breath, her chest heaved like a bulimic after Thanksgiving dinner.

~He looked at her with the warmth of roadkill on an Arizona highway.

And for those who prefer jokes with punchlines:

A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him.

So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can
prevent florist friars.

Your turn! Give us a good groaner pun, or finish this sentence: Bob was a funny as ____.

Saturday, April 2


Thanks to Vicki Rocho at Rambles & Randomness for hosting today's blogfest! Vicki asked participants to answer the following questions.

When did you start your blog?
July 12, 2009.

What is first denomination (price) of postage stamp you remember?
13 cents. The image was something bicentennial related.

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike?
I was six. Bike riding was much easier to learn than shoe trying.

What was the first concert you attended without parental supervision?
My junior year of high school, I went to an all-city youth event featuring a bunch of CCM rock bands who performed covers of Petra and Stryper songs. I also attended plenty of school concerts without my parents. They were in their late 50s by my teen years (in other words, tired) and gave me a fair amount of freedom.

How old were you when you got your first kiss?
I was a month shy of 14, about to start ninth grade. On a youth group trip to Florida, I met a nice guy from the church that hosted us, a dark-haired, freckled, Irish-looking kid with the sweetest Southern drawl. Our two youth groups had a swim party together at a local pool and I'd spent most of that particular evening on his shoulders. We were an almost unstoppable "chicken fight" team. He decided to celebrate our victory by laying one on me during the walk back to church afterwards. I've had a nostalgic fondness for the taste of chlorine since then. ;-)

What is your earliest memory?
I remember climbing out of my crib and wandering around the house late at night searching from my rubber duckie. For some reason I was sure it would protect me from the bad thing I had dreamed about. I was at most 3 years old, because we moved from that house just before I turned four.

How should I celebrate my second blogiversary this summer? Any ideas?

Memory lane blogfest

Saturday, April 02, 2011 Laurel Garver

Thanks to Vicki Rocho at Rambles & Randomness for hosting today's blogfest! Vicki asked participants to answer the following questions.

When did you start your blog?
July 12, 2009.

What is first denomination (price) of postage stamp you remember?
13 cents. The image was something bicentennial related.

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike?
I was six. Bike riding was much easier to learn than shoe trying.

What was the first concert you attended without parental supervision?
My junior year of high school, I went to an all-city youth event featuring a bunch of CCM rock bands who performed covers of Petra and Stryper songs. I also attended plenty of school concerts without my parents. They were in their late 50s by my teen years (in other words, tired) and gave me a fair amount of freedom.

How old were you when you got your first kiss?
I was a month shy of 14, about to start ninth grade. On a youth group trip to Florida, I met a nice guy from the church that hosted us, a dark-haired, freckled, Irish-looking kid with the sweetest Southern drawl. Our two youth groups had a swim party together at a local pool and I'd spent most of that particular evening on his shoulders. We were an almost unstoppable "chicken fight" team. He decided to celebrate our victory by laying one on me during the walk back to church afterwards. I've had a nostalgic fondness for the taste of chlorine since then. ;-)

What is your earliest memory?
I remember climbing out of my crib and wandering around the house late at night searching from my rubber duckie. For some reason I was sure it would protect me from the bad thing I had dreamed about. I was at most 3 years old, because we moved from that house just before I turned four.

How should I celebrate my second blogiversary this summer? Any ideas?

Wednesday, March 30

Thanks to Michael DiGesu at In Time... for hosting today's Harry Potter blogfest.

The concept? Select two Hogwarts students you'd choose to be your best friends and describe what kind of trio you would be. Fun, right? Go swing by Michael's blog HERE to join the fun and enjoy other participants' offerings.

-----

If I were a Hogwarts student, I would be in Ravenclaw and share a dorm room with Luna Lovegood. Being creative literary types, we would dream of starting up our own publication--an underground school newspaper! Of course, we'd need help with the sleuthing and evidence gathering, so our trio would be rounded out by Colin Creevy, photographer extaordinaire.

Luna, Colin and I would be the sneakiest, in-the-know kids at Hogwarts. We'd get to the bottom of why Filch is so attached to Mrs. Norris (obviously a transfiguration charm gone horribly wrong, leaving his young widow paramour permanently feline). We'd uncover all the best secret tryst spots on campus. We'd blow that whole Chamber of Secrets wide open!

With Colin's photos and stories; Luna's creative writing and production experience; and my writing, editing and layout know-how, we'd be on our way to wizarding journalistic fame, right under the noses of our unsuspecting professors and peers. We'd call our publication The Thestral Gazette, with the tagline "Hidden Hogwarts revealed by those in the know."

Anyone want to join us as a secret reporter?

Harry Potter blogfest: Who would be your mates?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 Laurel Garver
Thanks to Michael DiGesu at In Time... for hosting today's Harry Potter blogfest.

The concept? Select two Hogwarts students you'd choose to be your best friends and describe what kind of trio you would be. Fun, right? Go swing by Michael's blog HERE to join the fun and enjoy other participants' offerings.

-----

If I were a Hogwarts student, I would be in Ravenclaw and share a dorm room with Luna Lovegood. Being creative literary types, we would dream of starting up our own publication--an underground school newspaper! Of course, we'd need help with the sleuthing and evidence gathering, so our trio would be rounded out by Colin Creevy, photographer extaordinaire.

Luna, Colin and I would be the sneakiest, in-the-know kids at Hogwarts. We'd get to the bottom of why Filch is so attached to Mrs. Norris (obviously a transfiguration charm gone horribly wrong, leaving his young widow paramour permanently feline). We'd uncover all the best secret tryst spots on campus. We'd blow that whole Chamber of Secrets wide open!

With Colin's photos and stories; Luna's creative writing and production experience; and my writing, editing and layout know-how, we'd be on our way to wizarding journalistic fame, right under the noses of our unsuspecting professors and peers. We'd call our publication The Thestral Gazette, with the tagline "Hidden Hogwarts revealed by those in the know."

Anyone want to join us as a secret reporter?

Monday, March 28

This week, I'll be straying from my usual Tuesday, Thursday, Friday routine to participate in some blogfests.

Would you like to join me? Here are the details (and my schedule):

Wednesday, March 30
Harry Potter Blogfest:
Who would be your mates?

Hosted my Michael DiGesu at In Time...

Click HERE for the sign-up widget.

Post a maximum of 350 words based on this prompt: If you were a student at Hogwarts, who would you choose for your two best friends? Describe what kind of trio you would be.


Saturday, April 2
Memory Lane Blogfest

Hosted by Vicki Rocho at Rambles and Randomness

Click HERE for the sign-up widget

Vicki has posted a set of six memory-related questions for you to answer. Easy-peasy!


Blogfests are a great way to get to know people and stretch your creativity.

Have you joined any blogfests? What did you enjoy most? If not, what's holding you back?

We interrupt our regular schedule...

Monday, March 28, 2011 Laurel Garver
This week, I'll be straying from my usual Tuesday, Thursday, Friday routine to participate in some blogfests.

Would you like to join me? Here are the details (and my schedule):

Wednesday, March 30
Harry Potter Blogfest:
Who would be your mates?

Hosted my Michael DiGesu at In Time...

Click HERE for the sign-up widget.

Post a maximum of 350 words based on this prompt: If you were a student at Hogwarts, who would you choose for your two best friends? Describe what kind of trio you would be.


Saturday, April 2
Memory Lane Blogfest

Hosted by Vicki Rocho at Rambles and Randomness

Click HERE for the sign-up widget

Vicki has posted a set of six memory-related questions for you to answer. Easy-peasy!


Blogfests are a great way to get to know people and stretch your creativity.

Have you joined any blogfests? What did you enjoy most? If not, what's holding you back?

Friday, January 28

What's life without a little spontaneity? I thought for fun I'd join in the 99th page blogfest, hosted by Alicia at Slice of the Blog Pie. Swing by her blog to check out the other entries.

In this fest, we post an excerpt from the 99th page of one of our projects without contextualizing or explaining anything and ask you, dear readers, to answer the questions following the excerpt.

EXCERPT REMOVED

Today's rough and tumble independent publishing world made it necessary to remove all snippets and previous versions of my work from the blog. The existence of such a "publishing trail" can be used to file false DMCA notices about my novels.

99th page blogfest

Friday, January 28, 2011 Laurel Garver
What's life without a little spontaneity? I thought for fun I'd join in the 99th page blogfest, hosted by Alicia at Slice of the Blog Pie. Swing by her blog to check out the other entries.

In this fest, we post an excerpt from the 99th page of one of our projects without contextualizing or explaining anything and ask you, dear readers, to answer the questions following the excerpt.

EXCERPT REMOVED

Today's rough and tumble independent publishing world made it necessary to remove all snippets and previous versions of my work from the blog. The existence of such a "publishing trail" can be used to file false DMCA notices about my novels.

Friday, December 24

It's Christmas Eve, so my countdown of top 2010 blogposts brings you a gift--some romance. This was originally posted on Valentine's day for the "Love at First Sight" blogfest hosted by Courtney Reese.

It's my first attempt at writing male POV and was composed purely for fun. I thought it might be entertaining to explore the guy's viewpoint on an interaction with my MC Danielle, which she describes only briefly in flashback in my novel.

= = = = =

Fletcher never told me there’d be girls at his church thing. I’d only gone along to escape another of Mom’s epic custody flip-outs after Dad announced he was moving to Switzerland with skank number 26. I thought chilling with hippie-dude Jesus sounded soothing. Mellow. Almost as good as hiding in a closet with my blanket. Not that I do that wussy baby stuff anymore, mind you.

Anyhow, I followed Fletch to this Hogwarts kind of room where it seemed like half of Gryffindor was hanging out. Well, minus the robes. Then I saw her. Art girl. One long line of lean in jeans and a snug sweater.

I knew she had a pretty French name but went by something boyish. Dom for Dominique. Mitch for Michelle. With just a plain pencil, this girl could make magic. She’d rocked the school art show with a drawing of a Central Park tree that wasn't wood, but water. It was weird. Wonderful. I couldn’t stop staring at it. The longer I looked, the more I felt sucked in. Like the real me was in there somehow, swimming in the shadows just below the surface.

At school, she was always hunched over a sketchbook, her red-brown blonde hair streaming like a waterfall across her face. Hiding away. Like Rapunzel in her tower. I’d climb a thousand thorn bushes to touch the sweep of her cheek and taste her small, soft mouth.

Art girl looked stunned at her joking friend. Then she laughed. I could feel it tug my gut with the cadence of an eight-man scull team rowing a power ten. I had to know. What was so funny? What made her happy? Would she ever smile like that for me?

I drifted across the room to the snack-laden table she was leaning against. I reached for the chips and tried to swallow back the dryness in my throat. Then something impossibly awful happened. Art girl’s redhead friend whispered in her ear and she doubled over, laughing harder than ever. The table creaked and shuddered beneath her. Then it tipped backwards. Food poured onto the floor.

I managed to grab the nearest corner and right the table before everything dumped, but the damage was done. After stunned silence would come the usual humiliation: wolf whistles, clapping and mocking laughter.

I couldn’t watch it happen. Not to her. So I knelt down and started picking up. Weirdly enough, so did everyone else in the room. Not one person clapped. The only laughter was in the group’s easy banter as they worked together. Apparently these were not your usual high school jerks.

I was scraping guacamole off the thousand-year-old church carpet when art girl scooted near me to gather scattered pistachios. She leaned so close I could smell her. Sweet and summery. Like those vines twined through our deck at the lake house. Honeysuckle.

“That must’ve been some joke,” I said.

She shook her head. “I’m such a bloody idiot.”

“You jolly well are not,” I joked, mimicking her.

“What?”

Oh crap. She wasn’t faking. That’s her normal voice.

“Sorry. I just didn’t, um, expect you to sound—” as sexy as those babes in my sister’s Regency romances. I don’t care what my stupid crew buddies say, those books are hot. “It’s not like your accent is…you know, strong or anything,” I babbled. “I mean, I barely noticed. It’s just…aren’t you the new girl who moved from Brooklyn?”

She squinted at me, suspicious.

“I’m Theo. Theo Wescott. From school? I came with a guy I row with, Fletcher Reid.” I pointed my chin in his direction, and darned if he wasn’t totally flirting with the redhead.

Art girl stared at my outstretched hand like it might bite.

“I come in peace.”

She bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. Then she grasped my hand and shook it, her strong, slim fingers a perfect fit in mine. “Danielle. Deane. But everyone calls me—”

“Dani,” I said, my voice husky. Just how I’d say it if she were in my arms.

“Yeah,” she whispered, her eyes wide. They were a soft gray, like a pigeon feather. She leaned back, wobbled, caught herself. Like she wanted to get up and run, but was too scared.

Have a very Merry Christmas this weekend! Wishing lots of love to you and yours.

Top 7 of 2010: #4 Love at First Sight

Friday, December 24, 2010 Laurel Garver
It's Christmas Eve, so my countdown of top 2010 blogposts brings you a gift--some romance. This was originally posted on Valentine's day for the "Love at First Sight" blogfest hosted by Courtney Reese.

It's my first attempt at writing male POV and was composed purely for fun. I thought it might be entertaining to explore the guy's viewpoint on an interaction with my MC Danielle, which she describes only briefly in flashback in my novel.

= = = = =

Fletcher never told me there’d be girls at his church thing. I’d only gone along to escape another of Mom’s epic custody flip-outs after Dad announced he was moving to Switzerland with skank number 26. I thought chilling with hippie-dude Jesus sounded soothing. Mellow. Almost as good as hiding in a closet with my blanket. Not that I do that wussy baby stuff anymore, mind you.

Anyhow, I followed Fletch to this Hogwarts kind of room where it seemed like half of Gryffindor was hanging out. Well, minus the robes. Then I saw her. Art girl. One long line of lean in jeans and a snug sweater.

I knew she had a pretty French name but went by something boyish. Dom for Dominique. Mitch for Michelle. With just a plain pencil, this girl could make magic. She’d rocked the school art show with a drawing of a Central Park tree that wasn't wood, but water. It was weird. Wonderful. I couldn’t stop staring at it. The longer I looked, the more I felt sucked in. Like the real me was in there somehow, swimming in the shadows just below the surface.

At school, she was always hunched over a sketchbook, her red-brown blonde hair streaming like a waterfall across her face. Hiding away. Like Rapunzel in her tower. I’d climb a thousand thorn bushes to touch the sweep of her cheek and taste her small, soft mouth.

Art girl looked stunned at her joking friend. Then she laughed. I could feel it tug my gut with the cadence of an eight-man scull team rowing a power ten. I had to know. What was so funny? What made her happy? Would she ever smile like that for me?

I drifted across the room to the snack-laden table she was leaning against. I reached for the chips and tried to swallow back the dryness in my throat. Then something impossibly awful happened. Art girl’s redhead friend whispered in her ear and she doubled over, laughing harder than ever. The table creaked and shuddered beneath her. Then it tipped backwards. Food poured onto the floor.

I managed to grab the nearest corner and right the table before everything dumped, but the damage was done. After stunned silence would come the usual humiliation: wolf whistles, clapping and mocking laughter.

I couldn’t watch it happen. Not to her. So I knelt down and started picking up. Weirdly enough, so did everyone else in the room. Not one person clapped. The only laughter was in the group’s easy banter as they worked together. Apparently these were not your usual high school jerks.

I was scraping guacamole off the thousand-year-old church carpet when art girl scooted near me to gather scattered pistachios. She leaned so close I could smell her. Sweet and summery. Like those vines twined through our deck at the lake house. Honeysuckle.

“That must’ve been some joke,” I said.

She shook her head. “I’m such a bloody idiot.”

“You jolly well are not,” I joked, mimicking her.

“What?”

Oh crap. She wasn’t faking. That’s her normal voice.

“Sorry. I just didn’t, um, expect you to sound—” as sexy as those babes in my sister’s Regency romances. I don’t care what my stupid crew buddies say, those books are hot. “It’s not like your accent is…you know, strong or anything,” I babbled. “I mean, I barely noticed. It’s just…aren’t you the new girl who moved from Brooklyn?”

She squinted at me, suspicious.

“I’m Theo. Theo Wescott. From school? I came with a guy I row with, Fletcher Reid.” I pointed my chin in his direction, and darned if he wasn’t totally flirting with the redhead.

Art girl stared at my outstretched hand like it might bite.

“I come in peace.”

She bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. Then she grasped my hand and shook it, her strong, slim fingers a perfect fit in mine. “Danielle. Deane. But everyone calls me—”

“Dani,” I said, my voice husky. Just how I’d say it if she were in my arms.

“Yeah,” she whispered, her eyes wide. They were a soft gray, like a pigeon feather. She leaned back, wobbled, caught herself. Like she wanted to get up and run, but was too scared.

Have a very Merry Christmas this weekend! Wishing lots of love to you and yours.
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City dweller, word nerd, Indie film enthusiast and incurable Anglophile. Professor's wife and mom to a young adult daughter. Follower of the Good Shepherd, who is faithful when we are faithless. My poetry and fiction explore the places where heart and soul are tested and growing up truly begins.

I'm also a freelance editor who has been editing professionally since 1991. How can I help you make your manuscript shine? Click my "editing services" tab to learn more

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