Just for Fun

My Summer Playlist

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As Kenny Chesney says in his song “Summertime,” “Perfect song on the radio. Sing along ’cause it’s one we know. It’s a smile, it’s a kiss. It’s a sip of wine, it’s summertime. Sweet summertime.” Though this year with all the over one-hundred-degree weather and the high humidity, I’m not so sure about the sweet.

Despite the heat, summer brings to mind certain activities. Boating on the lake (as a teenager I water skied on the Mississippi River), road trips, vacations, lazy beach days, picnics, hanging out with friends, and family reunions. And of course, summer needs a playlist. Here are some songs that are on my eclectic summer playlist.

  • “Margaritaville” Jimmy Buffett
  • “Waves’ Luke Bryant
  • “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
  • “Knee Deep” Zac Brown Band and featuring Jimmy Buffett
  • “Firework” Katy Perry
  • “Pink Sunglasses” Miranda Lambert
  • “Buy Me a Boat” Chris Janson
  • “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems” Kenny Chesney
  • “Cruel Summer” Bananarama
  • “Cruel Summer” Taylor Swift
  • “Water Brad” Paisley
  • “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” Luke Bryan
  • “Good Directions” Billy Currington
  • “Summer Breeze” Seals and Croft
  • “Toes” Zac Brown Band
  • “One Margarita” Luke Bryan
  • “Beers and Sunshine” Darius Rucker
  • “Vacation” The Go-Gos
  • “Watermelon Crawl” Tracy Byrd
  • “Under the Boardwalk” Otis Redding
  • “Wipe Out” The Surfaris
  • “California Gurls” Katy Perry

A few trends became apparent when I started my list. The first was that Jimmy Buffett features predominantly in summer songs. (I’d only noted five songs and he was part of three!) I hear you gasping. Yes, I know. I had that same reaction. Shocking that Jimmy Buffett and summer are linked. ? The other trend I spotted was various beverages being mentioned. Imagine, margaritas, beer, wine, and summer. Another huge shock.

I hope the rest of your summer is safe and filled with days that become warm memories, and I’ll leave with you a summer tip. Take some advice from the Zac Brown Band’s song “Knee Deep.”

“Gonna put the world away for a minute
Pretend I don’t live in it
Sunshine gonna wash my blues away

“Mind on a permanent vacation
The ocean is my only medication
Wishing my condition ain’t ever gonna go away

“Cause now I’m knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise there’s a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise”

To be entered in my random giveaway for an ebook of Aiming for His Heart, my book in the Pink Pistol Sisterhood series, leave a comment telling me about your favorite summer song.

 

A Writer in Her Natural Habitat

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What does a writer in her natural habitat look like? Well, I’m sure that each of us fillies has a different office space than the others. Some can work in busy coffee shops, others of us need ear plugs just to get a scene in. Some of us pace back and forth while we dictate our books, some write more than one book at a time. One of us (at least) even writes one book on computer while she writes another book on another device, switching back and forth. Some have to draft on paper, some feel that’s a waste, and go right to the computer.

Authors are strange creatures, even at our best moments.

Some of us plot out our stories, some of us write into the darkness. Some of us struggle for a few hundred words a day, others consider a few thousand words ‘not enough’. The great majority of us aren’t satisfied with our ‘normal’ and wish we were like someone else.

It goes without saying that we spend a lot of time in our own heads. That can be good and bad. We’ll remember scents and feelings from long ago experiences, but forget what day it is. We’ll remember the exact flavor of a slice of pie we ate fifteen years ago, but can’t remember what we ate yesterday.

You can tell when we’re struggling with a story (or are between stories) because our desks are clean. The great majority of us our introverted, but we love extroverts. We also love author get-togethers.

Here is a little glimpse at my natural habitat, though I am not in this photo.

I love my desk, but I wish I had more storage. I have an entire bookcase of research books that I would love to have closer to me, but at least I have a corner that’s mine. I know not everyone is that fortunate.

It’s nice and clean in this picture, but don’t let that fool you. It’s not that way right now. It’s covered in research materials, bills, water cups, pens (I somehow have a million), notebooks, and my planner which is always on the corner of my desk and FULL.

Even though we have a lot of things in common, I really think the only thing that every author does, is write.

Believe it or not, I’ve even met a few authors who don’t enjoy reading all that much. You’d think that would be universal, but it’s not.

Some of us love marketing our books, but most of us didn’t become authors for that part. In fact, many of us would much rather do the work of writing, editing, compiling, and loading the book onto retailers…and then pray people find it so we don’t have to market.

I’ve met a lot of authors who secretly (and maybe not so secretly) feel this way:

Forgive the language, but that is how many of us feel. Sometimes, even talking about what we write feels like sales, so we don’t do it. Talking to friends can feel awkward. Do they really want to know about writing, or am I an oddity (Don’t answer that)?

Here’s what a typical day looks like for me. I’d bet you’ll be surprised at how…boring…my life is.

I get up, make my coffee and read my daily Bible reading. This is the only quiet time I will get all day. It’s summer, so I have all three children home (one of mine has flown the nest already). Once they are all up, the house will be loud even after I go to bed.

Once I finish my coffee, I move back to my bedroom. My office is currently in a corner of my bedroom. I’d like my own space, but that’s still a someday dream. I have a part-time job where I manage ads for people. I do that 3-4 hours every day, Mon-Fri. When I finish that, I need to mentally switch gears. I’ll often take a quarter-mile walk to clear my mind.

After that, I hit Facebook, this blog, and my ads to see how things are doing. I’ll respond to emails, or write my newsletter if its Friday. Admin tasks can take as little as twenty minutes, but sometimes as long as a couple hours. I’ve been trying to get more admin tasks done than I did before. I used to write for literally six hours a day.

After I finish that, I’m ready for my creative work. I will turn on Youtube and listen to water sounds so that I don’t hear what’s going on in my house around me. Crashing, cats, and video games don’t help me get in the zone to write a book based in 1890.

Often, I will log on to Discord with other authors and sprint to make the most of my time. If you’ve been keeping track, I may not actually get to writing until late afternoon, so I have to make the most of the hours that I have. When I’m editing, I’ll use this time for edits instead of writing.

And that’s how we write books. What is one thing you’d like to know about the life of an author? And maybe some of my fellow fillies would love to answer any questions, too.

A historical and contemporary release, all in one month

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May was a busy month for me.

I had 2 very important book releases (and another coming at the end of this month)

The first was, of course, Bullseye Bride. That is my Pink Pistol Sisterhood book. I hope you all had a chance to read it and enjoyed Kitty and Thad’s turn with the pistol. It’s getting some wonderful reviews, so that is exciting. That story is an “across the tracks” romance where Thad is an influential member of the community but Kitty has struggled her entire life, buried under the weight of her father’s poor choices. But Kitty is no damsel in distress, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to pull her family out of poverty. Honestly, so many people emailed and told me that they want the brother’s stories, I’ve already planned those for sometime next year.

Release 2 was a contemporary. Operation: Return is the sequel to Operation: Restoration. We’re back on Wayside Ranch, where victims of human trafficking can heal and find their way back to some semblance of normal life. However, this romantic suspense also has a secret baby. Cole didn’t realize his girlfriend was pregnant when he left for the military. When the government accidentally counted him as dead after going undercover, Erica moved on as a single mom, never dreaming that the child’s father was still very much alive and about to show up on her doorstep.

If you like second chances, thrilling suspense, and slow-burn romance, that book is for you.

Now for book 3 (I’m already tired just thinking about another release so soon!) Get ready for Rodeo Sabotage in the Sizzling Summer collection! I’m part one of three boxed sets, each releasing a month apart. Each set is on a special preorder price that will go up after release. Just look at these covers!

He’s a champion, about to lose it all.

 

Bull riding just became even more dangerous.

 

Jase Wheaton has one thing on his mind, a perfect 8 second ride—until someone in the crowd sends his bull into a fury. Twice. No one believes his life is in danger except the EMT who saved him. The clock is ticking before his final ride of the season, but will it be the last of his life? Everyone’s a suspect when the threat could come from anyone in the crowd. Even his best friend might be his worst enemy.

For a chance to win an ebook copy of any one of my three books above (Bullseye Bride, Operation: Return, or Stay With Me), comment how much suspense do you like with your cowboy romance (all three have a little). 

 

If Not Now, Then When?

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The if not now, then when question has been on my mind as I grow older and played into why I’m writing this while waiting for the remaining passengers to load on my flight to Los Angeles. More about how this unexpected trip came about later. Great teaser, huh? ?

I think I’ve mentioned I’m not big on change. I’m a routine gal. It’s called a comfort zone for a reason, after all. When plans get thrown off, I get stressed. I’m not the most spontaneous person either. As Alison in one of my favorite movies, The Sure Thing says, “Spontaneity has its time and place.” Yup, that’s me.

When I travel, I start thinking about what to take weeks in advance. I consult the weather repeatedly, pull outfits with coordinated jewelry, and plan for contingencies. Because I hate waking up and having to wear something, I take more clothes than necessary. I worry I’ll forget something or have the wrong clothes. I love traveling once I get on the plane, but everything before stresses me out.

For 2023, I’m working on these issues. I want to be more spontaneous and live without regrets. I refuse to let fear or stress hold me back. I’m also tired of putting things off, of saying someday I’ll do _____. Fill in the blank. Visit dear friends who’ve moved away. Travel to Hawaii. Whatever. I’m saying no to things I don’t want to do. That gives me more time for what I love and what brings me joy. Too often we forget how limited and precious time is. We say if only the timing were better. If only I had the money. If only ___. Again, fill in the blank.

Which brings me back to flying to LA. My youngest received a week’s notice he’d been selected as a contestant for a game show taping in LA. Even before we learned neither his boyfriend or best friend could attend, my hubby and I wanted to go. But it wasn’t a good time. Flights would be expensive. My bff, Lori, was to arrive two days before we’d leave for LA. After a long phone conversation, she decided not to go with us to LA, but insisted I go. Her exact words were, “This is a once in a lifetime thing. You are going.” (Thankfully, Southwest would issue a voucher to reschedule if she cancelled her flight.)

So here I am, flying to LA. This trip helped me work on the issues I mentioned earlier. I had to pack with little notice. (I’m impressed how efficiently I did considering if Nathan gets to the final round we will be seen on TV.) Leaving Tuesday and returning Friday threw my work and life routines out the window. The cost was more than we should’ve spent, but hubby and I don’t care. We would have no regrets the way we did when we missed Nathan’s first once in a lifetime experience. Yup, that’s right. Nathan, at 25, has had two once in a lifetime experiences.

While Nathan was in college, Tony award winning actress Kristin Chenoweth sang at Rowan University and needed backup singers. When no baritone students auditioned, the professor charged of selecting the singers contacted Nathan . Between the super short notice—maybe two days—and it being December, tickets prices were insane. (More than double the LA tickets.) We didn’t go, and I’ve always regretted not being there.

I’m trying to ask myself “If not now, then when,” when I have decisions to make. If I may never get this opportunity again or I’ll have regrets, I’m saying yes.

I’m writing this last bit on the plane home. While I can’t share how the game went for Nathan until after his episode airs, I can say hubby and I were incredibly blessed to have shared this experience with him because if not now, then when would we ever have a chance like this again?

Giveaway: To be entered in my giveaway for the Valentine’s Day heart shirt and a signed copy of Family Ties, tell me what’s one spur of the moment decision you’re glad you made. 

An Impromptu Game Day

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I am a sufferer of random migraines. It’s not much fun and it also wouldn’t matter if I’d found the time earlier to do my post for today.

 

However, I did not. And now, it’s 9PM and I’d actually already climbed into bed before my bleary eyes flew open, remembering today was my day to post!

My lack is your gain.

 

Here is how this will work.

 

I will say a cowboy word and you post the first word that comes to mind when you hear it (PG 13 please) I’ll throw all names of those who respond into a hat (cowboy, of course) and the winner will get a print copy of Belle Fourche Legacy when it releases in a week. I’ll even sign it.

  1.  purdy
  2.  cowpoke
  3.  herd
  4.  trot
  5.  ranch
  6.  acreage
  7.  palomino
  8.  bandana
  9.  lariat
  10.  pistol                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Good luck to all who enter and thank you for understanding. Ah, the glamorous life of an author.

Saying Goodbye to Summer

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At least here on this side of the planet, we just said goodbye to summer (perhaps not officially for a few more weeks, but most consider the end of summer to be Labor Day).

I’ve sent one daughter off to college. I’m ordering the books for my other daughter whom I homeschool. My boys will be on the bus headed to their first day this morning. That’s it, the end.

And part of me is super jealous that a bunch of my friends are going to St. Louis to meet for the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference. I haven’t been to one since 2017 and would love to go. Perhaps next year is my year. But, alas, I can’t this year.

However, I was able to do a lot of wonderful things with the time I had.

I saw my first child graduate high school and along with that, had the first big party in our new house (and finally planted grass).

We put a garden in for the first time in four years. My gracious that was a lot of work all summer and now as we head into the fall. I have more zucchini in my freezer than I know what to do with and it’s a very good thing we go through about a jar of pickles a day.

Summer was full of shopping trips to outfit my daughter with everything she would need for her first year away from home, and making sure we did memorable things as a family. We even visited the World’s Largest Ball of Twine (I live within an hour of it).

It was also my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. So, after dropping my daughter off, the Hero and I bopped on over to Duluth where we spent a few precious hours on Canal Street and wading in the Great Gitche Gumee. I also got to eat at Grandma’s for the very first time (the namesake of the marathon). I also spoke last month about the writing retreat in July that was so refreshing. I plan to do that next year as well, and may be an ongoing thing.

As I list what I’ve done, I know that I’m forgetting things, because I’m trying to look forward. What have I got coming up? Deadlines? Jobs? Conferences? Interestingly, I’m one of those people who forever think, ‘in this next season of my life, I’ll have more time,’ and I’m always wrong. Something always crops up and I have just as much time (or less) to do what I’ve always done.

 

But each and every day is a blessing.

For a chance to win an ebook copy of Battle For Her Heart, my most recent release, tell me one fun thing you did this summer.

Stories from My Winery Visit

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Photo: Kiepersol

My husband and I recently visited Kiepersol Winery and Bed and Breakfast in Tyler. Our room at the Bed and Breakfast was in the building with the restaurant. Not only were the surroundings quiet, calm, and serene, the wine was wonderful, our room beautiful, and the restaurant defied description. They feature great steaks and seafood, with incredible sides. My favorites were the sauteed mushrooms and garlic potatoes. And the desserts…I had cherries jubilee, and I swear I gain a pound thinking about it, but it was worth every calorie.

But the stories of the winery’s history our wine tour guide, Ron shared captured my writer’s sentimental heart. Founder Pierre de Wet’s story would do any hero proud. Born in South Africa, in 1984 after the death of his wife from skin cancer, he and his young daughters, age two and four, moved to America. Pierre worked as a farm laborer until he could buy acres in Tyler, Texas. Though in 1996 there were no wineries from Austin to Florida, Pierre was sure he could make a winery work.

The winery’s name comes from the Kiepersol farm where Pierre grew up. Legend has it soldiers running from a lion toward a lone tree, shouted, “Kiepersol! Kiepersol” as they sought safety in the tree. (Later it was learned the soldiers yelled, “We hope this tree will keep us all!” Pierre named his winery after that Kiepersol tree, hoping everyone who visited the winery would find that same comfort.

Pierre’s determination and frugality when he started his winery served him well. To lower startup costs, he purchased used equipment. In tough times he sold residential lots, eventually creating one of two wine estates in the U.S. In 2000, he harvested his first grapes. To sell his wine, he hired teenagers with signs and obtained retired Clydesdales for carriages rides that ended at the winery.

Photo: Kiepersol

I can’t share all the winery’s stories today, but I want to share one behind Flight sparkling wine. Guinea fowl have roamed the area for over 20 years as vineyard stewards. Their chatter safekeeps the grapes from deer and birds. They eat bugs serving as nature’s pesticide. Guinea fowl spotted feathers are believed to be good luck charms. Now to the name. The winery says, “We believe each spotted feather found represents a releasing of the past. Flight is grown in a place where one can feel soulfully grounded while also letting dreams soar. So. Take Flight my friends.” That sentiment makes me shiver.

I love visiting Texas wineries and hearing their stories. The minute I heard Pierre de Wet’s, I thought how I would’ve loved to create such a hero. The courage, strength, and determination he possessed to come to America with two young daughters when the only person he knew was a Texas A&M professor, astounds me. He created a winery, a bed and breakfast with fifteen rooms, an incredible restaurant, a distillery, and an RV park! But most importantly, he raised two strong women who carry on his legacy.

Pierre de Wet and his daughters
Photo: Kiepersol

I may have found a retirement-keep-busy-and-involved career. What could be better than telling a winery’s stories, meeting fabulous people, especially if I could be paid with an occasional bottle of wine and dinner?

Today I’m giving away this horseshoe decoration and a signed copy of To Tame a Texas Cowboy. To be entered in my random drawing, leave a comment to this question. What is the best story you’ve heard or best/most interesting fact you’ve learned on a trip? Or, if you don’t have a story to share, just stop by to say hello or tell me about a real life hero in your life.

 

I Wasn’t Born In Texas, But I Got Here As Soon As I Could!

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When my cousin Jacque moved to San Antonio when I was in middle school, I became fascinated with the state. After I graduated from high school, my Aunt Verna, Jacque’s mom and I drove to visit my cousin. That was when I knew I wanted to live in Texas, and sure enough, my husband and I moved to the Dallas area after he graduated from college. Today I’m sharing a few interesting facts about my adopted home state.

 

Examples of how things are bigger in Texas:

  • One Texas ranch, the King Ranch, is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
  • The Texas State Fair is the largest, longest running US state fair and boasts North America’s largest Ferris wheel.
  • Austin is home to the world’s largest urban bat colony.
  • The Texas State Capital is fifteen feet taller than the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C.
  • When you are in Newton County in southeast Texas, you’re closer to the Atlantic Ocean than to El Paso. When you’re in El Paso, you’re closer to the Pacific Ocean than Newton County.
  • If you’re in Brownsville, Texas, you’re closer to Guatemala than you are to Dalhart, Texas.

 

Tidbits on some Texas towns:

  • A town formerly known as Clark, Texas, changed its name to Dish so its 201 residents would get free TV service for ten years.
  • Decatur voted to reschedule Halloween in 2014 because the holiday conflicted with high school football. Yup, that’s how important high school football is in Texas!
  • Austin has more live music venues per capita than anywhere in the United States.

 

On Texas highways:

  • The Texas Department of Transportation employs a group of gardeners to spread more than 30,000 pounds of wildflower seeds annually to beautify the state’s highways. For generations when the state flower is in bloom, families flock to fields of the flowers to snap photos.
  • County road Highway 130 between Austin and San Antonio is the fastest road in the US with a speed limit of 85 mph.
  • The Katy Freeway at Beltway 8 with 26 lanes across is the world’s widest freeway. (I won’t be driving on that road any time soon!)

 

Katy Highway at Beltway 8 in Texas.

 

Texas inventions:

  • Pepper was invented in 1885 by Charles Alderton, a pharmacist in Waco.
  • The frozen margarita machine was invented in Texas. (That’s definitely something to celebrate!) The original machine is on display at The Smithsonian.

 

A few miscellaneous facts:

Texas Ranchers Museum in Waco
  • The Texas Ranchers founded in 1823 by Stephen F. Austin are the oldest state-wide law enforcement agency.
  • True Texas Chili is made without beans.
  • Y’all is singular, while all y’all is plural.

 

If you visit Texas, be aware it’s illegal to do these things:

  • Milk someone else’s cow
  • Sell your eye
  • Dust a public building with a feather duster (I wonder if it’s okay to do so with a cloth.)
  • Shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel (But I guess the first story is okay.),
  • To let a camel run loose on a Galveston beach.
  • However, you can kill Bigfoot if you find him!

Since everything in Texas is bigger I’m having two giveaways today. One is for a coozie, to-go coasters with one of my favorite Texas sayings, and a cactus coaster. The other is for the Blessed and Lucky T-shirt in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. To be entered, tell me which of the facts I listed you found the most interesting and why.

Now I’m off to figure out how to use one of those odd laws to get a hero or heroine into trouble…

I’m Like, Totally Your Huckleberry

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Lots of us have had tough years personally before, but not in my lifetime have we as a human race had such a difficult year. If you’re like me, New Year’s held a new significance and you’re thankful to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. Hopeful for 2021, I tried writing about the activities I desperately miss and appreciate more since COVID-19. I hope this year to return to treating myself to a mani-pedi (I’m so relieved it’s closed toe shoe season!), getting a haircut every six to eight weeks instead of twice a year, going to lunch with friends and sitting close enough we don’t need walkie-talkies to converse, and window shopping. Somehow instead of being the hopeful post I intended, I found myself needing a break from thinking about COVID and the harsh realities it’s brought crashing down on our lives.

Also needing to laugh, I turned to a book I discovered in Glassboro, New Jersey visiting my son. When the title caught my eye, This Is Like, Totally a Quote Book, I had to open it. The dedication had me LOLing. “This book is dedicated to the eminent individuals whose words are parodied herein. We’d like to imagine each of them, living or dead, getting a chuckle out of it. We only wish we could invite them all to dinner. * That would be, like, totally an amazing party. *Except maybe Hannibal Lecter.”

 

 

The book takes famous quotes and inserts the phrase like, totally. Having been part of the generation that thought those words were so cool, I couldn’t stop reading. The next thing I knew I was reading quotes to my husband. So today, in hopes of making you smile and showing how adding two words can change a sentence, I’ve tweaked some famous quotes.

  • The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in like, totally rising every time we fall.” -Nelson Mandela
  • The way to get started is to like, totally quit talking and begin doing. -Walt Disney
  • Life is what happens like, when you’re busy totally making other plans. -John Lennon
  • To be or like, totally not to be. -William Shakespeare
  • When you reach the end of your rope, like tie a knot in it and totally hang on. -Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but like, totally by the seeds that you plant. -Robert Louis Stevenson
  • It is during our darkest moments that we must like, totally focus to see the light. -Aristotle

Here’s some modified western/cowboy sayings from grammar.yourdictionary.com.

  • Some cowboys have like, totally too much tumbleweed in their blood to settle down.
  • When you’re throwin’ your weight around, be like, totally ready to have it thrown around by someone else.
  • Always like, totally drink upstream from the herd.
  • Never ask how stupid someone is ‘cause they’ll like, turn around and totally show you.
  • The only good reason to ride a bull is to like, totally meet a nurse.

And my favorite…

  • Never like, jump a barbed wire fence totally naked.

I hope these changes to famous quotes made you chuckle. To be entered in the random drawing for today’s giveaway of the sparkly Peace sign and a signed copy of Home on the Ranch:  Family Ties share a quote and like, totally parody it in This Is Like, Totally a Quote Book style. Here’s to 2021. May your year be blessed, and wishing you like, totally the best year ever!

 

Writer Takeaways from Disney Songs

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Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. 

I’ll admit to being a big fan of Disney’s animated movies and of course the music in them is always great – be it toe-tapping, whimsical, introspective or poignant.

So I hope you won’t mind today if I indulge myself a little bit by listing some of my favorites (along with links so you can listen to them if you like) and so that it’s not entirely frivolous, tie each of them to a writerly takeaway. .

Here they are, in no particular order

  1. You’ve Got A Friend In Me (from Toy Story)

    Writer Takeaway: Writing can be a lonely, solitary business. Savvy writers will take the time to make personal connections, to be supportive of other writers and to maintain connections with friends outside of the writing community.

  2. Bare Necessities (from Jungle Book)

    Writer Takeaway: Most of us are working with limited resources when it comes to finances and time. But we all bring special resources to the table, namely our creativity and storytelling abilities. That is what the true ‘bare necessity’ is that it takes to succeed in this business. As for the rest, work with what you have and know that, if you stay alert to opportunities, you can go a long way on your God-given talent.

  3. A Whole New World (from Aladdin)

    Writer Takeaway:     Take the time in your worldbuilding to transport your reader to someplace they’ve never been before or to see the familiar in a whole new light, and make sure there are things to make them feel wonder and surprise over.

  4. Let It Go (from Frozen)

    Writer Takeaway: There are things that will come your way – story ideas, promo opportunities, project participation offers, etc. – that you won’t be able to pursue/take advantage of. Hard as it is to let them go, you have to accept that they were not to be and don’t let regrets weigh you down.

  5. Go The Distance (from Hercules)

    Writer Takeaway: No one promised it would be easy or quick – persistence is key to making it in this business. And of course you want to add in the proper training, because the best writers know that they never reach the point where they know it all.

  6. Heigh Ho (from Snow White)

    Writer Takeaway: Similar to the takeaway from the prior song, this one reminds me that there is no substitute for putting in the work. As a previous mentor once told me BIK HOK is the only way to get the book written (Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard).

  7. Reflection (from Mulan)

    Writer Takeaway: This is a hauntingly introspective song. One of my takeaways is that, whatever the cost, we have to be true to who we are, as a writer as well as an individual.

  8. Something There (from Beauty and the Beast)

    Writer Takeaway: I love this song and it is a great lesson on how to develop a love story between two mismatched people. It also provides a good example of how to show versus tell a character’s growth and transformation.

  9. Almost There (from The Princess and the Frog)

    Writer Takeaway: This song is all about having concrete goals and maintaining your focus on them. It’s much too easy to let distractions get in the way of your dreams or start looking for shortcuts.

  10. Into The Unknown (from Frozen 2)

    Writer Takeaway: As writers we sometimes get stuck in a rut of sorts, writing the types of stories that have worked for us in the past and that we are comfortable with. Or perhaps we have become pigeon holed by our editors or readers who are leery of supporting us in a new direction we want to explore. But, scary as it might be, stretching ourselves, even if we eventually decide it’s not working, is how we grow as writers and as people.
     

  11. Dig a Little Deeper (from the Princess and the Frog)

    Writer Takeaway: This is such a fun upbeat song – gets my toes to tapping whenever I hear it. But the writer takeaway is that I should always ‘dig a little deeper’ when I’m developing my characters and stories, that just being satisfied with what’s on the surface is not enough to really touch the reader I’m trying to reach.

 

I could go on and on, but as I said, I’m under a tight deadline, so I’ll stop there.

Did your favorite Disney song make the list? If so, which one is it?  If not, let me know what that missing song is and why you like it.  I’ll pick someone from the list of respondents to give a copy of one of my books to.

 

 

 

Petticoats & Pistols