Monday Interview Series: Charlotte

Hi, I hope everyone's Thanksgiving break was very nice and you all got a chance to eat some good food and catch up with family and friends. This week, I was trying to think of someone extra special to interview. Then I saw someone just hanging around, and I knew I'd found the perfect person. I'm talking about everyone's favorite arachnid, Charlotte. Let's see what she had to say.

Greg:  Welcome, Charlotte. Thanks for taking some time out to talk with us.

Charlotte:  Not at all. Salutations to you and all your readers. It is such good fun to be here having a dialog with you.

Greg:  Oh yes, you like large words. You speak beautifully. What is your full name, if I may ask?

Charlotte:  Indeed you may. My full name is Charlotte A. Cavatica. It is a splendid name, don't you think?

Greg:  Yes, yes it is. I was wondering, why did you save Wilbur?

Charlotte:  Why? Because he is my friend. We became friends on his first night in thee barnyard. He was sad because his friend Fern had sold him to farmer Zuckerman. He was so lonely. I was lonely as well. He is such a dear. He befriended me, no questions asked.

Greg:  I see. How did you come up with the idea of messages in your web as a means of salvation?

Charlotte:  I knew that I had to make Wilbur famous, so famous that Zuckerman would not be able to slaughter Wilbur. People will not kill the goose that lays the golden egg is they have any sense at all. Now Zuckerman might not have a lot, but he does have common sense in abundance, so I thought it reasonable to assume that Wilbur's life would be spared if Zuckerman stood to benefit.

Greg:  A reasonable assumption, and one that turned out to be correct. But how did you learn to weave words into your web? Most spiders that I know can't even spell.

Charlotte:  Really? How odd. All spiders as a rule are exceptionally intelligent. I am dumbfounded that you have met any illiterate spiders. They weren't black widows were they? Black widows are intelligent, but they pretend not to be. It's their nature to be contrary, it comes with the name I believe.

Now, to answer your question. Spelling is one thing--most humans can do it--but spinning words into a web is quite another. Wilbur tried it once, but he did not get far. He lacked know how and spinnerets. I was lucky because I come from a long line of spellers, who are by nature most acrobatic. 

Greg:  It was fortunate that you were there for Wilbur.

Charlotte:  Yes, I suppose. It was also fortunate for me, because Wilbur gave me a very special gift.

Greg:  And what was that?

Charlotte:  Friendship. It is a gift that no one had given me until Wilbur, and it made all the difference in my life. So, naturally, I tried to make a difference in his life, too. When it comes down to it, that is the most that any one of us can hope to accomplish, to help make the lives of others a little better.

Greg:  Well, thank you for that though Charlotte. Please come back and visit us soon.

Charlotte:  Thank you. I enjoyed my time here. Now, I've got to be moving along. Templeton promised to find me some more words, just in case I need them in the future. He can be a real rat sometimes, but underneath it all, he's got the heart of an arachnid! 

A Writer's Week #46: On To Phase 3

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving filled with food, football, and even shopping if that floats your boat! I had a great holiday with the family, including a fun hike and pic-nic today.

This holiday week was also a very productive writer's week for me. I set up my table at the Run For the Turkeys this past Sunday, and had a really great time. I sold some books, got to meet a bunch of great people, and in the process raised a few dollars for the Salvation Army. So far, my donation total stands at $20. Remember, for every copy of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel that I sell between now and the end of the year, I'll donate 50 cents to the Salvation Army.

This Sunday, November 25th, I'll be at Ladies Day Out in Danbury, CT from 11 to 4 at the PAL Building. If you're in the area and want to get some holiday shopping done, there's going to be a wide array of vendors, many of whom will be selling locally handcrafted items. Come on down and say hello.

On the writing front, I have concluded all the major rewriting, otherwise known as editing Phase 2. This means that all that remains is to send The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion out to an editor to have her review. Hopefully, I haven't missed anything, or overlooked some critical plot point. If I have, though, my editor will catch it.

The audio book version of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel is moving along. Narrator Jimm Singer has completed 24 chapters, and only three remain. I'm hoping he'll be finished shortly, but the holiday week has slowed things down a bit. I'm trying to be patient, but now that we're so close to the end I'm really starting to get excited. It sounds really great, and I think you're all going to love it. I'll let you know when it's out.

I am currently roughing out the idea that I've been working on for The Deliverers 3. I am hoping that I'll be able to start writing next week. The idea is a good one, I think, but I still have a lot of things to work out. A lot of the details usually iron themselves out as I write and the characters put their two cents in, but I still have some of the major ideas/themes to hammer out before I start writing. If I can do that this weekend, then I should have a green light to write. I'll let you know how it went next week!

What's Abigail Reading? My Extra Best Friend

My editing has been going very well. I'll give you a complete rundown on Friday. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving and I'd like to wish all of you a very happy, healthy Turkey Day! When I draw up the list of things that I am thankful for, you, my blog friend and readers, are right up there with my family, my health and all my blessings. Thank you all for the friendship and support you've given me over the past year!

This week, it's Abigail's turn to share a book that she's been reading with us. Abby has chosen My Extra Best Friend by Julie Bowe. Let's see what she thought about it.

Here is what Abigail says the book is about.

"It is about a girl named Ida. She goes to camp with her friends Jenna, Brooke, Stacey, Meeka, Jolene, and Randi. They go to Camp Meadowlark. When they were having a swim test, Ida fell and the boys could see Ida's underwear. Ida couldn't swim out to the dock because she had a pink wristband, which meant she was a tadpole.

"Ida meets an old friend named Elizabeth at camp. She didn't know she was going to be there. They end up wearing the exact same swimsuit, which is blue. Then Elizabeth wanted to still be friends with Ida, but Ida was disappointed because Elizabeth never wrote to her after she moved away. Ida didn't write either, but she was waiting for Elizabeth to write first.

"In the end, they all make up. There are some other things that happen that I can't tell you. You need to read the book to find out."

What did Abigail like best about the book?

"My favorite part is when they all made up, because it was happy."

Was there anything that Abigail did not like about the book?

"When they called Elizabeth, Elizabutt."

So, how did Abigail rate My Extra Best Friend, by Julie Bowe?

She gave it four and a half out of five dolphins.

Gone Editing

Hi all! I've decided to forego this week's interview to concentrate on editing The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion. I've finished with Phase I of the editing, and am now going to tear down and rebuild a couple of scenes. I'd like to get this done by Thanksgiving, so I'm spending the next two evenings editing and rewriting. I'll be back on Wednesday with someone from the Reading Crew and to wish you a happy Thanksgiving! See you then.

A Writer's Week #45: Heading Into the Holidays With a Thankful Heart

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is now less than a week away, and we'll soon be (if we haven't been already) launched into the holiday season. I don't know where the year has gone, but I do know that I have a whole lot to be thankful for--a healthy, happy family; good friends; a good job that I enjoy; and lots of good news on the writing front.

With that in mind, I've decided to give 50 cents for every copy of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel sold online between now and the end of the year to the Salvation Army. I will also donate $1.00 for every copy of the book that I sell in person. So far, I'll be donating $6 at the end of the year. I'd love to be able to donate at least $50. The Deliverers makes a great gift for the young readers in your life, so pick up a copy or two and help support a great organization at the same time.

Production continues on the audio book version of Sharky and the Jewel. Narrator Jimm Singer says recording could be finished by the end of this weekend, then I'll be giving the whole book a final listen. After I give my approval, ACX will prep it for release on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes. If all goes according to plan, it could be out as early as the first week in December. I'll keep you updated.

The editing of The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion is moving along. I've edited 195 of 265 pages. Once I get done with the first editing pass, I'll go back and make the bigger changes--fixing or deleting scenes that don't work, and any other large changes that I think may be needed. So far, I've identified only two or three areas that need to be shored up, which is great. I was worried there would be more. We'll see how the last 70 pages go.

Artwork for The Deliverers 2 is progressing as well. Daniel Vogel has sent me a rough layout of the cover, and is working on a drawing of the crystal lion. I think the cover concept is good, and I'm looking forward to a final rough with some color.

All this means that I'm on track for an end of February, beginning of March release. I'll be off work for the last week of November, so I'm looking forward to being able to devote a lot of time to these projects. I'll let you know how I'm getting on next week. Until then, may you and your family and friends have a happy, safe Thanksgiving!