Writing Update... My favorite character

Writing a novel is tough. I feel like one of my students; complaining that I have all these ideas in my head but can't seem to get them out onto the "digital" page.

I'm moving along and making progress:

8767 / 80000 words. 11% done!

But it is slow going with three active boys running around. I thought summer vacation was supposed to be relaxing!

I just finished writing a new scene and I'm loving the way a secondary character is coming to life!

“I’m a coming! Be right with you.” came a low, gravely voice from the back of the store. His hair entered the room before he did; like a dandelion circling his head, jet-black except for a small white streak slightly off center. “What can I do you for today?”

The gruffness of the man’s voice did not match his friendly face. Two shining eyes made contact with me from behind his glasses. He gasped as if in recognition and his feet faltered slightly as he stepped out from behind the counter. I quickly looked at the agents around me to confirm what I had just seen, but they were too busy taking in the shoddy state of the shop. Their mouths hung open in an obvious sign of disgust.

“Wh-Why hello agents.” The man said, his eyes finally registering the presence of the three agents in the room.

There was something familiar about this man. I had never been to see a Tech Mechanic before, and I am sure that I had never seen this man before either – hair like his was something one would take notice of. 

“So how can I help you today?” the man asked, looking from the agents back to me. I continued to study his face to see if it would trigger any sense of remembrance. There were small lines in the dark skin around his eyes, evidence that this man smiled often. His hands looked weathered and worn after a life of hard work. Eyebrows like woolly caterpillars crept along the thick frames of his glasses. He wore a dark blue work shirt with the name Abbit sewn neatly onto a patch on the left pocket. The man’s look was unique and worthy of remembering yet I still had no memory to attach to him. 

I just couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow I knew him.

I have this great mental image of Abbit and he has such an important role in the story. He's not the protagonist, but he is one of my favorites!

Your thoughts? Is Abbit a character you would like to know more about? 

Taco Tuesday... Pizza Rolls!

Today I am sharing my middle son's favorite weeknight dinner...

Now, as you can see, I can not take credit for this recipe. This one comes from the talented minds @ Super Healthy Kids. I found the recipe one day while looking up ways to get kids to eat veggies. My son wouldn't touch veggies with a 39 and a half foot pole! But he loves pizza!

The trick is in the sauce...

All of these great veggies get sautéed then blended with pizza sauce. It's so yummy and you can't even taste the veggies in there! I usually make the sauce over the weekend and keep it in the fridge to use during the week. It also freezes well!

Here's a peek at the process...

For the full recipe head on over to Super Healthy Kids! The recipe includes a recipe for home made pizza dough. I've never made it; I just buy the ball of fresh pizza dough from the produce section at Stop & Shop. Prep can get kinda messy on your counter, but if you make the sauce ahead, this is a quick and easy weeknight meal!

Don't forget to linkup your favorite recipes below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a great week :)

My first page - a work in progress...

I woke up with butterflies in my stomach this morning!

In my quest to make this the "summer of writing", I sent the first page of the novel I am working on to published author Dianne K. Salerni (She's the amazing author of the middle grades Eighth Day series). I stumbled across Dianne's blog last week and submitted my first page to her "First Impressions" posts. She posts an unpublished author's first page on her blog, offering up her valuable wisdom and expertise to help the writer make it the best opening page it can be.

So, this morning my first page went up on her blog (cue queasy stomach)! I knew it was far from perfect and I'm so grateful to get feedback from published authors and Dianne's fans. I've got some issues with tense to fix and a little plot editing to do, but nothing I can't handle.

I want to thank Dianne and the other authors on her team (Krystalyn and Marcy) for providing the opportunity for me to grow as a writer.

Stop by her blog to check it out and let me know what you think!

I've read the Eight Day (loved it!) and now I'm on Inquisitor's Mark!

Progress update... : )

6172 / 80000 words. 8% done!

Thanks for your continued support!

Currently July... Working on a Dream

July is here which means that it is time to link up again with Farley for her amazing Currently Party!

I've decided that this summer I will start working on a dream that has been nagging in the back of my mind for a long time now... I'm going to write a novel. YIKES!
I've always enjoyed writing and telling stories. There are tons of ideas floating around in my head, just never enough time to put them down on paper.
But this summer there are no more excuses! I am making sure I set aside time to write.

I'm off to a decent start...

4487 / 80000 words. 6% done!

I've joined in on this 1,000 words per day challenge. Hope I can keep up! Check out my new {WRITING} page for weekly updates.

The hard part comes next... sharing my writing with others. So here goes nothing! This is the paragraph I just wrote (literally 5 minutes ago):

Gram handed me the bacon and toast, neatly wrapped in a pocket of white linen. My breath caught in the back of my throat as I realized that I’d seen this cloth before. My fingers instinctively traced the edge of the fabric till they found the small embroidery along the edge. Feeling each stitch, afraid that I might miss one, I let the name “Grace Elizabeth Maple” pass slowly underneath my fingertips. “My little GEM” Dad had always called her. The pain their absence caused was boundless, but just holding this handkerchief in my hands brought back warm memories and the strength to continue on. 

Once I have more I'll be looking for some readers. Any takers?!

Happy July :)