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Lessons in Love…from My Dogs

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Last week I wrote a guest blog for Huffington Post columnist Sarah Fader titled, Dogs are A**holes, a parody of her article, 3-Year-Olds are A**holes. Well, it seems my dogs are intent on having the last laugh. Feeling that I misrepresented their sensitive nature, they are insisting that I write a book that tells their opinions about love and romance. In short, a book that details lessons in love…from my dogs. The nerve.

My first reaction was to roll my eyes skyward and remind them that I’m the romance author around here. But then, I took a closer look and seeing them cuddled up against each other, their preferred sleeping position, I realized, my dogs are onto something. People could learn a thing or two from them.

My husband is used to the fact that I regularly talk to my dogs. Although occasionally he listens in on the conversation, he’s learned that the dogs are somehow more equipped to help me work through plot points and critique the dialogue in my books. They even know a surefire cure for writer’s block. Without fail, they’ll roll onto their backs and graciously allow me to scratch their tummies. Just as fast as a flea can jump, I begin to feel better about any procrastination. Yep, my dogs know where it’s at.

So I realized that perhaps it’s time that I not only talk to them, but also observe — listen, so to speak. As a romance writer, I’ve written about good relationships and bad ones, flawed heros and perfect demons. Each story and relationship stemmed from my imagination…or did it? Could it be that I’ve learned a few things about love from my dogs? After all, they never stay angry, always enjoy each other’s company, and will remain loyal until the day that they die.

Coming this fall…”What a Bitch! Lessons in Love I Learned From My Dogs.” Sign up for my newsletter to learn more.

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Change It Up

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This post originally appeared on the blog, “Writing on the Sunny Side,” when I was asked to guest post. I’m a regular blogger, but writing for someone else’s site…that was new to me. I realized that it’s good to change it up every once in awhile. As writers, we are always in danger of taking the comfortable route, following a format that we know, even letting our characters mirror each other from one book to the next.

It’s easy for me to create a blog for my own site. I can talk about my characters, upcoming projects, or include a recipe in my regular, “What’s Mia Making” column. But when I guest posted, I had to put extra thought into how to write for an entirely different audience. It felt scary and liberating all at once as I realized that I’m quite a creature of habit.

My writing place is my office with my dogs lying under my desk. Today, I ditched my computer and my office for an old-fashioned pen and writing pad. I said goodbye to my wi-fi and left to get my car brakes fixed. (I know, I lead an exciting life!)

I could’ve returned home, but I decided to hang out and try to write in their waiting room. Let me tell you something, in the forty-five minutes that I was there, I got more accomplished than I have in a long time. There was no incoming email to distract me, no temptation from Facebook or Twitter. Just me and a writing pad.

Was it comfortable there? Not at all. The coffee was warm at best and bland. The chairs were worn with suspicious stains. But, this waiting room also came with a new perspective and new faces. Seeing the people come and go, hearing tidbits of conversation…it sparked my imagination and I wrote in a way that I hadn’t in long time. I let the writing flow from me. I gave myself permission to break away from my outline as well as my habits.

You may relish your routine, but dare yourself to try something different. Changing it up is work and often scary, but it makes us better.

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Why are You a Writer?

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Why are you a writer? One time, my daughter asked that question and it didn’t take me but a second to come up with the answer…because I love it!

I knew what she was getting at. She has seen me suffer for my art. With no particular order or value, here are some of the less glamorous things that she notices about my writing life:

* Sometimes a good writing roll takes the place of a shower.
* I admit to worrying about bad reviews.
* I occasionally pound my hands against the desk when my characters decide to say the stupidest thing ever.
* Even more often, I pound my head against the desk when my characters refuse to talk to me.
* I’ve come to accept that some of my books have found a loyal and devoted audience of three.

I don’t write for the money because let’s face it, I’m not Nora Roberts. I don’t write because it’s an easy job. In addition to writing, there are countless hours spent on social media, promotions, editing, and proofreading.

I write because I love to read and I love taking my readers (and myself) away to another world. I love planning my next book. I’ve even taken to becoming a location scout. When I have an idea for a book, I’ll visit some place close to my home where my characters might hang out and snap some photos for inspiration. This and planning the covers is what I call mind candy. It’s fun and it makes me say, “I’ve got the best job ever!”

That’s why I write.

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Can You Read Someone’s Emotions?

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As writers we are accustomed to describing the emotions of our characters, but describing and doing are two different things. Can you read someone’s emotions accurately in real life?

A new study published in the Journal of Science found, “that after reading literary fiction, as opposed to popular fiction or serious nonfiction, people performed better on tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence.”

This study even went so far as to suggest reading Chekhov or Alice Munro as opposed to lighter reads such as Danielle Steele if you want to improve your abilities “to read” people. The reasoning was that literary fiction leaves more to the imagination and encourages readers to deduct what the characters are feeling and thinking.

If you’re interested in taking the quiz to determine how well you can read someone, the link is here.

Personally, I love reading it all…I often have two books going at the same time, one more “literary” and one that is a lighter read. I think to be a well-rounded person one should get their hands on as many books by as many different authors as possible, and of course…I’m a bit biased toward indie authors!

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Fatal Abduction by Julia Crane

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Fatal Abduction
So excited to reveal the long awaited details of “Fatal Abduction” by Julia Crane, book 3 in the IFICS Series, a New Adult Sci-Fi.

There’s a serial killer at large. His victims just happen to resemble Kaitlyn—dark haired, pale skin and athletic build. Kaitlyn goes undercover, attending a prestigious high school to try to lure the killer into a trap and save the lives of other potential victims. Will she be able to catch the killer before his body count rises? Or will she become the next victim?

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Don’t forget to check out the other books in the series…”Freak of Nature” (books 1) and “Fractured Innocence” (book 2).

About the Author
Julia Crane is the author of the Keegan’s Chronicles, IFICS and many more. She has a bachelors degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination.
 

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