New Theme Song

She took my heart. I don’t know how it happened.
We took the floor and she said

[Chorus]
"Oh don’t you dare look back.
Just keep your eyes on me."
I said, "You’re holding back."
She said, “Shut up and dance with me.”
This woman is my destiny.
She said, “Oooooh, shut up and dance with me.”

"Shut Up And Dance With Me" by Walk the Moon

This also might be new my life philosophy.

Don't you dare look back. Shut up and dance with me. It's an invitation into the dance, bringing people in. Don't worry about the past. Come dance with me. Don't worry about looking silly. Don't worry about the past.  I said, don't worry about the past. Dance. Stop thinking. Stop talking. Dance with me. Take my hand. Join me. You know this dance. You've always known this dance. Now, rock it!

Don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me. Shut up and dance with me.

Wanted: Beta Readers

Seeking beta readers for a science fiction novel with religious themes. There might be magical monks and theology libraries.

What is a beta reader?
A beta reader is someone brave enough and kind enough to read a still crappy first draft and willing to give constructive, un-soul-crushing feedback.

Examples:

• What's working? What isn't? 
• Does the plot make any sense at all? 
• Where do I need more description? 
• Does the male protagonist sound like a man? 
• Do the two voices sound different enough? 
• Where are the plot holes? 
• Are their problems with continuity? 
• How bad is the theology?
• Call me out if it's the exact same story arc as The Baker's Memory

Requirements:

• Applicants must like me as a person and not seek to crush my soul 
• Must be proficient with Word and be able to write specific comments
• Must be able to complete assignment within 2 months
• Especially seeking beta readers who identify as male for help with the male character who still "sounds like a girl" according to one male beta reader

Compensation:

• Baked goods. Lots of baked goods
• My undying love
• Credit in the acknowledgements
• Reciprocation for any writing, editing work etc.

Bear Feels Scared

Bear Feels Scared is a book Little Guy and I checked out from the library. It's about a bear that gets lost and his animal friends go out to search for him, only to find that he's only ten feet from home. It has great pictures and it rhymes. One day I noticed the dedication.

Once upon a time, a writer felt scared. But standing by the writer's side was a friend who gave the writer courage. The friend's name was Sarah Lanier (who later became Sarah Goodrich). Dear friend, thank you. Write the novel. With love- Karma Wilson

A few weeks ago The Baker's Memory became available for purchase, I set up the Kindle copy, my webstie went live and I set up a Facebook author page all in two and a half hours. I'd been working towards these thing for months. The dominoes just started falling into place. Bam. Bam. Bam. I could finish things. It was thrilling. I felt so accomplished. But then my heart wouldn't slow down. I felt like I'd just blanketed the internet with Emily. I was everywhere, which was terrifying. I felt exposed. Then this bear started to feel big fears.

Then the congratulations started flooding in, the friends who said they'd already ordered a copy, the friends who said they wanted it signed. The friends gave this writer courage. I was able to feel confident in putting myself out there. My friends gave me bear hugs and they calmed my bear fears until this bear felt maybe not safe but brave. Brave enough to keep writing the next novel.

Brave

For the past four years I've participated in National Novel Writing Month. The goal for NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. One year, one of the winners' prizes was a free proof copy of your manuscript. I wanted a proof copy so I had physical evidence of what I'd spent so much time working on. I just wanted for it to sit on my bookshelf so I could admire it. I never even read it all the way through because by the time I was done with it I was too sick of my own words.

Recently I read a friend's self-published novel. It was fun and entertaining and I read it in a couple days. But it wasn't perfect. It wasn't the greatest novel ever written. But it was great. I realized for the first time that nothing I ever wrote would be perfect. I could spent the rest of my life trying to perfect one manuscript or I could work on it until it was good enough and share that.

I read the proof copy of The Baker's Memory that had been sitting on my shelf for two and a half years. It wasn't perfect but it was fun and entertaining. I'm always surprised when my writing hangs together. It's like I think I just throw words on the page waiting to see what sticks. When it works, when it actually makes sense, I'm always surprised. I shouldn't be. It's happened more than once.

My new goal is to be brave enough to share my good-enough work because good-enough is all I'm ever going to have. If I don't share that, I'll never share anything.

Hello, world! Meet The Baker's Memory!