Corinne Bowen

I decided to get creative last night and turn my website/blog from dismal to delightful. I’m quite pleased with the result! Photo collage is one of my favorite things in the world, so I smile every time I see my new header, which is filled with things I love. I also adore the colored lights at Golden West Cafe, which were twinkling overhead when Steve and I visited last week to celebrate a day filled with good news. There may have been garlic fries and wine involved…

I’ve continued to note things that I am grateful for with my iPhone Happytapper.com app this week. It’s amazing how uplifting it is to pause, observe and give thanks, and then continue with your day. You can’t help but smile a little more. A trend that I’ve found in my handy journal of thanks is lots and lots of books and bookstores. Baltimore is packed with bookstores:) Recently, I’ve visited Normal’s, Ukazoo, Atomic, breathe (don’t miss their $6.99 per pound book sale!), and Barnes & Noble. I can’t help but peek at the shelves in each store and see where my book will (hopefully!) sit one day…

I just joined Laini Taylor’s mini-NaNo group for March. I’ve been moving along quite well with my second novel, but this added inspiration can’t hurt! How do you stay motivated while working on a long-term project? Although twitter and blogs can be distracting, I am often inspired by reading about the triumphs, challenges and lessons learned by fellow bloggers and tweeters:)

How cool is this kettle? I drink about ten cups of tea a day, so this is one of my most treasured Christmas gifts. The past couple days have constisted of reading, writing, editing, and researching literary agents. Since I’ve come down with the first cold I’ve had in years, all of these activities work well while tucked in bed or lounging on the couch.

I’m also thankful to finally have a bookshelf in our living room! We’re packing it with our favorite books and have been on somewhat of a book-buying spree. On Friday we visited Ukazoo Books and took advantage of their “Buy 3 Used Books, Get One Free!” I also picked up a new copy of Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker. Steve found a copy of Margaret Atwood’s book, Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing. This is yet another example of how well he knows me. Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale was a huge influence on my novel, so her writing advice is like a goldmine.

On Saturday, we stopped at Atomic Books, since I couldn’t go another day without Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, book 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy. I’ve learned a lot from Collins. Especially: Set the stakes HIGH. The stakes could not be higher for Katniss Everdeen and that’s why I can’t stop reading it. Plus, it seems like there’s no way out of her predicament, so I’m desperate to find out how she manages to survive her conundrum. I’m sure not everyone likes to read stories like this, but I can’t get enough. At least at the moment, if it’s not life or death, I probably won’t get through the book.

What are you reading?

On my way to pick up a delicious piece of vegan cake (and get some fresh air!), I decided to take a detour and check out Atomic Books this evening. Even though the fiction section is tiny, the shelves are packed with my favorite writers! It’s such a joy to stand in front of one bookshelf and be overwhelmed by how many you want to pull down to read. Even the minuscule YA section (yes, I love YA) was packed with gems.

I picked up The Uglies by Scott Westerfield, which I’ve wanted to read for months! I love that is part of a four book series. Starting a new book is like beginning a new relationship. I’m in the honeymoon phase right now. I’ll keep you posted. I hope it’s true love.

A slice of vegan pumpkin spice cake with cream “cheese” frosting and a cup of ginger-peppermint tea topped off the perfect evening. Now it’s time to dive back into my manuscript. There is a monster of a section that hasn’t been written and I’ve been hiding in revision land a little too long…

ps-I could procrastinate all night long watching True Blood behind-the-scenes clips and interviews with Alan Ball on iTunes. Did you know you can watch tv series on iTunes? This is dangerous. Alan Ball is pure genius. The characters on that show (and most importantly Charlaine’s books) and phenomenal. They inspire me to take my characters to the next level. And since I’ve watched all the specials out there, I will now open that word document and get down to business.

I am lucky enough to be a part of a fantastic writer’s group. Monday was my first meeting in over a year (I joined the first time in 2006). There were many familiar faces sitting in the cramped circle of folding chairs, tucked into the corner of Barnes & Noble. Attending a meeting is like going to the first day of school, except it happens every month. I was nervous, excited, self-conscious, and of course my work was the first up for critique.

Each member (there were about ten at the meeting) shares positive feedback on the first trip around the circle. The second circuit is reserved for the “dark side”. Luckily, these people are diplomatic and objective, although they aren’t softies! The feedback is invaluable and at the end you receive ten line edited copies of your submission. I felt like it was Christmas when I arrived home, jumping into bed with Steve and pouring over the comments.

I’ve already made a ton of changes based on their reflections. It’s difficult to weigh readers’ comments against your own feelings about the book, but at the end of the day (if you want to be published), your writing is for others to enjoy. Once I started to dig in and cut, cut, cut, I realized how much better, cleaner, and tighter the story is becoming! It’s so exciting to watch the novel shift into focus.

If you have a friend working on a book, the biggest gift you can give them is reading their work and giving honest (and kind) feedback! Thank you LaMarsh for lending me your eyes and ears over the past couple days. Your feedback is fantastic and discussing the story brings it to life. Hope you see more of Frankie in your dreams!

My novel is set in Bar Harbor. Some of it takes place in the present, other parts in Eden, which was the actual name of Bar Harbor before 1900. A few moments ago, I was working on the second draft (about to type the 24,222nd word) and the memory of a bookstore in Bar Harbor flashed in my mind.

In August 2008, I visited Bar Harbor with my husband and in-laws. I had been on a reading hiatus. Well, not really a hiatus, but one of those long stretches of time when I pick up book after book, read the first couple chapters, get bored, and then stay away from it for so long that I never finish it. It’s a bad habit, but one that I’ve never outgrown.

Steve and I were perusing the shelves at Sherman’s Bookstore (which has been there since 1886) and I wasn’t finding anything that I wanted to read. Bookstores are more like art galleries for me (I am actually happier looking at shelves filled with book covers than anything hanging on the walls in the Louvre). Usually, I only buy books that I’ve read about or have been recommended to me. I’m not one to take a chance on a random novel. I had just about given up when Steve pulled a book from the shelf, read the synopsis, and encouraged me to give it a chance. So, I did. And I was pleasantly surprised.

This sparked a long (obsessive) love affair with books. I was insatiable. I went so far as to buy a flashlight for the car, so that during long trips I could read while Steve drove. It was heaven. Currently, I’ve fallen into my unfortunate book abandon habit again, but I’m hoping my vacation next week has an intoxicating read in store for me. I would love nothing more than to get lost in a book right now.

Point being, I just realized that the setting of my novel happens to be the place that my love of books was rekindled most recently. And the bookstore was founded in 1886, which means it was around during the time that most of my novel takes place. I think that’s pretty fantastic…now back to editing!

ps- The book I picked up at Sherman’s was The Book of Joe, by Jonathon Tropper. Maybe in honor of this post, I’ll pick up This Is Where I Leave You. Anyone read it?