Guest Posts Authors & Writing by Shannon Kennedy

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Denise Alicea

This blog was created by Denise in September 2008 to blog about writing, book reviews, and technology. Slowly, but surely this blog expanded to what it has become now, a central for book reviews of all kinds interviews, contests, and of course promotional venue for authors, etc

 

Every published author starts as an unpubbed writer struggling to learn their craft. Sometimes, the road we travel seems like the old joke that my grandfather used to tell. He always walked five miles to school, barefoot, uphill – in the snow. Then, he walked five miles home, barefoot, uphill – in the snow.

 

We write our books, slaving over each word. Then, we rewrite and polish each phrase until it can’t possibly be any better and then we submit to agents, editors, contests, critique groups – not necessarily in that order – only to write our story again. And one day, we get that magic CALL! Somebody wants to buy our book and then we get to write it again.

 

So, with a new book coming from BookStrand in January 2011, I had big plans for last year, and I even made resolutions. I would write every day, hunt down and capture the perfect agent, polish my young adult book, finish my next mainstream Western and even paint my bedroom. It was an overwhelming list, but I was positively ready to rock and roll! I could do anything after selling two mainstream books in four months! Woo-hoo!

I was writing almost every day – and my new young adult novel was nearly finished – five chapters to go. I was halfway through my next Western. I’d queried an agent or two or three – who actually requested my book and my bedroom – well forget about that. I did!

On Saturday, January 22nd, 2011 my new computer – I’d bought it used in October 2010 – but it was still new to me – went dark. Nothing I did could make the monitor and the tower talk to each other and I tried everything over that weekend. Of course, I felt like an utter idiot because I hadn’t backed up my young adult or the Western and I was ready to throw myself on the ground and kick and scream! That didn’t make the computer work either!

I try to be a positive person – I really do, but I was positively going to have a temper tantrum, even if it was inappropriate for a woman more than 50 years old.

 

On Monday, I planned to take the computer tower to Office Depot and have it checked. It was #1 on my list – right after feeding 37 horses breakfast. Only when I got to the barn at 7:30 am, I discovered my old Quarter-horse mare had colic!

 

A life-threatening intestinal disorder, colic kills most horses. It lasts anywhere from 2 to 72 hours – the longer the horse suffers, the worse the impaction and the more likely the animal will not survive. Horses can’t throw up, so there’s only one way for a stomach upset to end and if you’re a horsy person, you’ll do almost anything to get your beloved companion to have a bowel movement. Yes, I do mean, “poop.”

 

Five hours later, Lady seemed to be on the mend and I slipped out to run the computer to repair. I arrived home and found her in major distress. I’ll spare you the specifics on all the disgusting things one has to do to save a 40 year old, 1,000 pound mare with a bad belly-ache – but the most difficult was keeping Lady on all four hooves, walking and trotting for the next two days.

 

Thirty-two hours later, nothing had worked. The impaction was worse.

 

My best horsy friend was dying, a horrible, painful death.

 

We’d been together for 23 years. I do try to be positive, and at this point, I was positively going to have to dig a really big hole. But, she wasn’t dead yet!

 

So I opted for one more home remedy. Miracle of miracles, it worked. At midnight on Wednesday morning, Lady was well on the road to recovery and I could finally check my phone messages.

 

My computer mainframe had died!

 

But, hey my horse was alive and the technician thought he might be able to rescue my books off the hard drive. He did and Lucky Lady and I had three more months together until the veterinarian told me that I had to step up and do “the right thing.”

 

Lady’s ongoing problems with colic during the last few months of her life were due to cancer and it was her time to cross that “rainbow bridge.”

 

Today, I cherish my blessings…..23 years of memories with Lucky Lady and I have her son who looks just like his momma. Lucky Charm is in the barn eating carrots.

 

The technician was right. He saved my books. And now I back up what I write.

 

Sometimes, it feels like you walk barefoot to school, five miles uphill in the snow – and you need to remember what’s important. For me, it’s good friends – two and four-legged. It’s my job – I love going to school and being with tweens and teens. It’s my horse who whinnies when he sees me and follows me around the yard. And who goes for hugs the way his momma did.

 

And of course, it’s the writing. 2012 has been a great year for me. That young adult novel I wrote last year sold to Black Opal Books along with its companion story. I’m delighted that the Stewart Falls Cheerleaders found a home with Black Opal Publishing. I have a terrific cover and my own real puppy is on it. I still don’t know how we got him to hold still for the picture – he’s a whirling, horse-chasing, sister-puppy–attacking, cat-romping fellow at the best of times.

 

The Stewart Falls Cheerleader series is about a cheer squad at a private high school in western Washington, because “Sometimes, you have to be your own cheerleader.” And these books have a special place in my heart – I think I have a new “fave.”  In the series, selected girls overcome problems that life hurls at them.

The start of the series is Throw Away Teen. It’s the story of one of those girls, B.J. Larson. She grew up in foster care, bouncing from home to home since she was a toddler and now she’s in my fictional town of Stewart Falls, Washington living with an older couple, Liz and Ted Driscoll.  As B.J. says, they’re different – kind of what she always thought grandparents would be like, only nice. And Ted even gives her a puppy that she names, Guard-dog. Still, it doesn’t matter what anyone tells her, she knows she’s passing through and will soon be back in the group home or on the streets of Seattle.

 

The second book, Asking For It is about dating violence. The flyer of the squad, Sarah Flynn thinks she’s found the boy of her dreams, only to discover she’s living in a nightmare. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to please him.  When she disagrees with him, it grows harder and harder to explain her constant injuries. Will she even survive to Homecoming, much less the end of football season?  Can she get out of this relationship alive?

 

I have two different websites so if you like cowboys and western romances, pop in for a visit at www.josiemalone.com or if you’re ready to go to Stewart Falls, see me at www.shannonkennedybooks.com

 

Either way, it was good to meet you!

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