Oh Well!

Thanks to a lot of your prayers and good wishes, I'm feeling much better. Thank you!!!

Last Monday I made a list of 15 pressing things I needed to get done this week. The majority of these were big jobs, not the usual list of every-day to-do's. Thus far I have accomplished 13 1/2 of the tasks. The other 2 1/2 can wait until next week.

One of the greatest tasks I finished was prepping my book manuscript for uploading to the iUniverse computer. Simple, right? Well, no.

First of all, the file must be in single spacing and contain the entire book text, plus the stuff called Front Matter and Back Matter--the "half-title page" for example, the copyright page, the dedication, About the Author, acknowledgments, etc.

Second of all, my manuscript (ms) file got corrupted or something, which made Word ban it. I told it I wasn't happy with that decision, and it reluctantly let my baby out of prison, but it was scratched and bruised, missing all the italics and center formatting for vital things like Chapter Titles. Okay, I use numbers, but still!

I was able to compare my ms side-to-side with a recently saved version, and got all the italics (for direct thoughts--my characters think quite a bit--and some Spanish words) back in. Then I had to re-center all the chapter numbers and the three asterisks I use to denote scene breaks.

After agonizing for a while over whether or not I'd caught all the deleted italics, I inputted all the stuff iUniverse wanted, then finally uploaded the manuscript. It's in, folks!

Except for the photo image I bought today for the front cover. Yeah, #10 won. I bought it, downloaded it, converted it to TIFF format and CYMK (is that right? It's very late!) colorspace, then a couple of hours later, I wrangled with myself over whether to upload the original zipped file or the unzipped file. I opted for the zipped file, then when about 65% of it was uploaded, remembered that I had to send in the conversion!

Big sigh. I zipped the conversion from 17 MB to 14 MB, and started again. After two hours, at 100% uploaded, the site asked for me to sign in again. The nasty thing had timed out on me 'cause it took so long to upload!!!

Oh yeah!

If we didn't have the bitter, we wouldn't appreciate the sweet. Fortunately, the site saves what you've uploaded, so you don't have to start afresh. All I have to do is take my laptop and thumb drive to the library tomorrow and use the Wi-Fi to get that photo uploaded. I don't know what more the iUniverse site will ask of me, but I hope it's not much more. Then I can well and truly say, "The book is at my publisher's!"

Depression vs. Hope

by Marsha Ward

Creative people seem to have a gene that predestines them to live on the edge of madness, teetering back and forth between darkness and light. Many authors, musicians, artists have wild mood swings or battle the impending doom of depression. In some extreme cases, they lose the war, and we are left to mourn for them.

I've been dealing with depression lately. It's not fun, and sometimes I just want to drag myself into a hole and pull it closed behind me, shutting out the world. These feelings are crippling to an author, both to the mind, the spirit, and the body. They can be triggered by--among other things--events, powerful emotions, electrical spikes in the brain, or imbalance in brain chemistry.

The trick is recognizing the onset of the condition. I'm probably a little late in that recognition, but I hope not too late to prevent a full-blown depressive period. I need to get past this, because it's very difficult to write or even participate in life when I'm in such a hole.

Folks who have never experienced depression or mood swings have no understanding of these conditions. They tend to think depression is just a case of the blues that can be turned around with a fun outing, thinking positive thoughts, scripture reading, or fervent prayer. While I don't discount the positive effects of such actions, sometimes only medical intervention and medication will help. We don't expect a type 1 diabetic to forgo daily insulin. Medical conditions that result in depression also need medication, either for the long term, or for shorter periods.

God loves his creative children. He has given them immense powers of expression in a variety of media. He also holds out hope, though prayer, meditation, scripture study, priesthood power, the Gospel, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. These vital elements have been available to me to help me keep the darkness at bay, and I am using them. I'm also going to visit my doctor.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently gave a General Conference talk called "The Infinite Power of Hope." As I read and pondered it, and participated in a recent Relief Society lesson that was derived from it, I felt the stirrings of greater hope.

I've never doubted that God loves me and has great blessings in store for me, but external pressures, spreading myself thin, and taking on too many duties and responsibilities have almost tipped me over the edge into darkness. I'll always have to guard against that, but for now, I have hope to get me through until the darkness fades and I once again walk in the sunshine.

The Agony of Indecision

Since I'm self-publishing my novel, I have to pick something wonderful for a book cover. I'm considering the following images, and I'd like input from you all as to which ones I can toss aside and which ones are intriguing to you and would make you pick up a novel for another look. Bear in mind that the title is Trail of Storms, and my name will also need to be on there somewhere.

Row 1, 1-2

Row 2, 3-4

Row 3, 5-6

Row 4, 7-8



Row 4 (5!), 9-10



Please let me know your favorite photo(s) by the numbers indicated in the row labels.

Thank you so much!

Edited to add: ACK! I really do know I have five rows of photos. I started out with four, with three in each of the first three rows, but that didn't work when I published the blog, so I went back in, revised, and relabeled--except the last row! ~Marsha

12 Days of Christmas Contest--Winners of Days 10, 11 and 12

Due to a couple of things, I haven't posted the last three winners of the 12 Days of Christmas--Medieval Style Contest. Here they are:

Day 10 – an autographed copy of Lori Conger's children’s picture book, My Squishy Pants, goes to winner Patricia Andreasky of Arizona.

Day 11 – Kerri Waldo of Alabama is the winner of an autographed copy of a YA time-travel novel by Kathi O. Peterson entitled The Forgotten Warrior.

Day 12 – the winner of a personalized mailbox offered by Teri Rodeman is Mary Walker of Arizona.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to all of you who participated. This was fun!

12 Days of Christmas Contest Day 9 Winner

Kristina Stiltner of Virginia is the winner of the Day 9 prize, an autographed copy of Counting the Cost, the new novel by best-selling author, Liz Adair. Congratulations, Kristina!

This is an ongoing contest, so go here to read the Rules, and then enter for a remaining day, or all of the ones left.

12 Days of Christmas Contest Day 8 Winner

Judy Cox of Louisiana is the winner of an autographed copy of Cindy R. Williams's children’s book, Chase McKay Didn’t Get Up Today. Congratulations, Judy!

This is an ongoing contest, so go here to read the Rules, and then enter for a remaining day, or all of the ones left.

Books I Read in 2008

There is a fair amount of them, and I'm still choosing mostly mysteries.

I just totalled the titles up, and discovered that I read 80 books for fun in 2008. I believe that's my personal best. I didn't include books I read as a judge for various entities or for my blog interviews.

I found some new-to-me mystery writers in 2008. I learned during the course of the year that I really, really could stop reading a book if I wasn't impressed with it/enjoying it. It took me a lot of tries to learn that. I'm hoping I'm not so OCD about finishing non-enjoyable books in 2009.

1. 1st to Die - James Patterson
2. Lawrence Block Collection - Lawrence Block
3. Dragon - Clive Cussler
4. The Lake House - James Patterson
5. Hour Game - David Baldacci
6. Total Control - David Baldacci
7. Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson
8. The Winner - David Baldacci
9. My Funny Valentine - Debbie Macomber
10. My Hero - Debbie Macomber
11. Hot Springs - Stephen Hunter
12. Desert Death Song - Louis L'Amour
13. Trap of Gold - Louis L'Amour
14. The Virginian - Owen Wister
15. Pistolero - Bill Brooks
16. Frontier Stories - Jack London
17. The Old West - Jim Williams
18. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
19. On the Street Where You Live - Mary Higgins Clark
20. The Day Before Midnight - Stephen Hunter
21. Diagnosis Dead-13 Crimes Stories - ed. Jonathan Kellerman
22. The Swiss Account - Paul Erdman
23. Nighttime is My Time - Mary Higgins Clark
24. The 5th Horseman - James Patterson
25. Hide Yourself Away - Mary Jane Clark
26. Dead Aim - Iris Johansen
27. The 13th Juror - John Lescroart
28. And Then You Die - Iris Johansen
29. The President's Daughter - Jack Higgins
30. The Conspiracy Club - Jonathan Kellerman
31. 4th of July - James Patterson/Maxine Paetro
32. S is for Silence - Sue Grafton
33. The Crayon Messages - Christine Thackeray
34. Stalking the Angel - Robert Crais
35. Honeymoon - James Patterson/Howard Raughan
36. Lord of the Silent - Elizabeth Peters
37. Black Friday - James Patterson
38. Violets are Blue - James Patterson
39. Now & Then - Robert B. Parker
40. The Watchman - Robert Crais
41. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
42. Season of Sacrifice - Tristi Pinkston
43. Heaven Scent - Rebecca Talley
44. You've Been Warned - James Patterson/Howard Raughan
45. Sam's Letters to Jennifer - James Patterson
46. The 6th Target - James Patterson
47. Dance Upon the Air - Nora Roberts
48. Heaven and Earth - Nora Roberts
49. The Summons - John Grisham
50. The Monkey's Raincoat - Robert Crais
51. Stranger in Paradise - Robert B. Parker
52. Servant to a King - Sariah S. Wilson
53. Don't Look Down - Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer
54. The Quickie - James Patterson/Michael Ledwidge
55. The Prince of Beverly Hills - Stuart Woods
56. Heat - Stuart Woods
57. Moon Silver - Ellen Gray Massey
58. The Wolf and the Dove - Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
59. Grass Roots - Stuart Woods
60. Dead Eyes - Stuart Woods
61. Swimming to Catalina - Stuart Woods
62. Cold Paradise - Stuart Woods
63. Murder Shoots the Bull - Anne George
64. The Run - Stuart Woods
65. Choke - Stuart Woods
66. Cross - James Patterson
67. The Short Forever - Stuart Woods
68. Double Cross - James Patterson
69. The Jester - James Patterson/Andrew Gross
70. Murder Makes Waves - Anne George
71. The Cat Who Tailed a Thief - Lilian Jackson Braun
72. Tripwire - Jay Brandon
73. Murder Runs in the Family - Anne George
74. The Oath - John Lescroart
75. The Hearing - John Lescroart
76. Nothing But the Truth - John Lescroart
77. Blood Orchid - Stuart Woods
78. The First Law - John Lescroart
79. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John Le Carre
80. The Vig - John Lescroart

12 Days of Christmas Contest Day 7 Winner

The winner of the autographed copy of Joyce DiPastena's Medieval Romance, Loyalty's Web, is Ronda Hinrichsen of Utah. Congratulations, Ronda!

This is an ongoing contest, so go here to read the Rules, and then enter for a remaining day, or all of the ones left.