Blog Entries for Rachel Lee

I hate computers and I love Catherine Anderson

winterbanyan@live.com — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Sorry I'm so late in posting another blog. Computer problems have been developing all over the place. I can't even get to my own site sometimes, and now I'm working on a monitor so old it's giving me headaches. If I could do without these machines, I would. But then I remember the days of doing my own edits with scissors and tape, and having to retype everything, and carbon paper.... and not being able to get online to chat with you, my friends. So I guess I shou [...]

Man from Nowhere, dogs, cats etc

winterbanyan@live.com — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0100

THE MAN FROM NOWHERE has been written and submitted, so I will share a bigger peek.

A stranger comes to Conard County, driven by a psychic vision that a woman will be murdered. Because he had a vision just before his wife and child died in a plane crash and ignored it, he cannot allow himself to ignore this one. Somehow, some way, he must save this woman's life. Of course, even after she gets past her initial suspicion, our heroine finds the whole thing both terrifying [...]

Going to the dogs

winterbanyan@live.com — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Boy did we have an astonishing experience with our husky! Exactly the opposite of what we expected, and both funny and touching.

It's been about six weeks since our huskador Molly went to heaven. Kinli, our husky, accepted her passing with such relief we realized he had been suffering right along with her.

But we feel bad because he seems to be missing the companionship. Quietly, and in subtle ways, he lets us know there's a hole in his life, just as there [...]

Why register?

winterbanyan@live.com — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:00:00 +0100

I've been asked to explain the advantages in signing up for this website and newsletter, so I'm going to give you a few reasons. But before I do, I want to promise that your e-mail addresses and any personal information you might provide will be held strictly confidential. We will not use your information for any purpose other than keeping you updated.

But why bother?

Well, let me give you a little list:

1. UPDATES: about new books well in advance of public [...]

Bragging about my sister-in-law

winterbanyan@live.com — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:00:00 +0100

My sister-in-law is a remarkable woman. I've always known that. I'd love her secret for fitting 90 hours into a day, doing all kinds of hard work, traveling for the company, doing community service and still managing to be one of the world's best moms and wives. I admire her beyond words.

She is now receiving some of the recognition she so justly deserves in her professional life, so excuse me if I brag a little about my sister-in-law, a great role model for young wome [...]

Sometimes it's tough

winterbanyan@live.com — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Life shakes us all up sometimes. The old quote "Life is what happens when you're making other plans" (attributed to John Lennon but first written by a female writer in the 1930s whose name stubbornly escapes me) is apt.

We all know those times when things seem to happen one after another, barely letting us catch our breath. Between the economic news, the sad loss of one of my beloved dogs, and a bunch of other stuff, I've been panting for a few weeks now.

So [...]

Man from Nowhere II

winterbanyan@live.com — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0100

The MAN FROM NOWHERE proposal has been accepted, and the writing has begun. I'll add a bit more here...he has a horrible secret, a terrible past...and he's on a mission. But even the sheriff has trouble finding out who he is, because he doesn't seem to exist. I'm still awaiting editorial revisions to the proposal, so I can't tell you more than that. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!

A SOLDIER'S CHRISTMAS will be reprinted for the holiday season [...]

Going Green or Insane?

winterbanyan@live.com — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0100

The other day on the Weather Channel I learned one of those interesting factoids that managed to penetrate . That factoid is this: What do those recycling numbers mean? Answer: The higher the number, the harder the substance is to recycle.

Whoa! Really? That simple? Well, duh.

Yup. And it even explains why, in my county, they limit recycling to cans (any) and plastics with numbers of 1 or 2. And this little factoid wound up givi [...]

Challenge = Opportunity

winterbanyan@live.com — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Well... writing is all about what we know, right? Or so I was always told. And it's true that we reach into our personal experiences in life to create characters and stories that will feel real and resonate with readers.

But writing has a few lessons of its own to teach. The most important may be that the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity.

Writing a story should never be "easy." If it's easy, something is wrong. The characters [...]

"May you live in interesting times"

winterbanyan@live.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

"May you live in interesting times."

Old Chinese curse. And so very true. There are days I wish for boredom, but since I'm not easily bored I rarely enjoy one. But then there are the interesting times, of which I often feel I have too many. However, sometimes those "interesting times are full of good news. :)

The Man From Nowhere emerged from the darkness last Friday in a half-hour brain-storming session. Unfortunately I can't tel [...]

The Man from Nowhere

winterbanyan@live.com — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

It's time to propose a new book.

This is the hard part, especially with life swirling around me. Kids need attention, son is vacuuming for me, mate is playing 90,000 versions of "Waltzing Matilda" on YouTube, dog #1 has decided he's hungry.... And I'm still hurting all over from a fall that sprained my ankle.

Not to mention we're in the "cone of uncertainty" for an approaching tropical system, and I've got to consider things like: getting pr [...]

Comments on the blog

winterbanyan@live.com — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

There is now a place on the forum to discuss the blogs, ask questions and suggest other topics you'd like me to write about. I hope you'll join me there!

Where stories come from

winterbanyan@live.com — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

One of the questions most frequently asked of an author is: Where do you get your ideas? And the answer is invariably: they're everywhere. From the back of the mind, from news items, from the world around us.

Just as invariably, that answer proves to be disappointing.

But there's actually no magic to story-telling. Psychologists have come to recognize that story-telling is how we create our own lives. It's the way we put information together into a nar [...]

Wow! My Conard County Dream Comes True!

winterbanyan@live.com — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

My first Blog and my new site! This is certainly a long-held dream come true for me. :)

This is so exciting for me. I've dreamed of having a website like this for years, and David made it all possible by doing a heck of a lot of work.

Conard County is a real place to me, one I've seriously missed visiting over the years. I had to leave because I felt I was growing stale and didn't want to disappoint readers or, equally awful, damage Conard County permanently for [...]