Category: Books

Who And What Inspires Me

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

The other day I dropped one of those Question boxes onto my Instagram story so that I could do a big Q&A style blog post, but I only got one real honest-to-goodness question, the rest were spammers and bots. I was a bit disappointed until I realized that the human question that was asked was sooooo good! I decided to dedicate a whole blog post just to it. So thank you so much Amira at @GoalSetting101

 

She asked me — Who Or What Inspires You?

 

To be honest, that answer can and has changed throughout my creative life and depends on which story or project I’m working on, but today I wanted to sit down and really think about overall, who and what inspires me on a day-to-day basis.

 

Who Inspires Me?

 

My son inspires me every day to keep trying, to never give up, even when things are hard. He makes me smile and laugh and is just the sweetest 8 year old ever!  My Mom inspires me by how hard she loves, how much she cares, and how much support she gives me. My husband inspires me by his strong work ethic, his wonderful sense of humor, and how much he wants me to succeed.  

 

For my first book, The Art of Lying, a random young woman walking through Central Park inspired the character of Rachel. Other writers, both people I know and people I just read, inspire me to keep moving forward, hands on the typewriter, butt in the chair.

 

What Inspires Me?

 

Coffee – first and forever. Modern Art. Before Corona, I would just go to MoMa or the Guggenheim and walk around soaking in the colors and lines. New York City, in general, inspires me, but Broadway and Time Square specifically. Just sitting with a coffee watching the whole city walk by was always fascinating. The energy and the electricity of the whole scene just filled me up with some kind of frenzy I can’t get anywhere else. TV and movies inspire me to write better characters, to deepen plot lines, to create more. 

 

The young adult experience inspires me in my writing – what they go through, the issues they have to face, and the decisions they have to make. Solving puzzles and figuring out the psychology of the human condition definitely inspires me to write compelling people, creating characters that my readers can fall in love with. And on a more whimsical note, tarot cards and astrology inspire me to keep reaching for the stars while keeping my feet on the ground. 

 

So, now I have to know – who or what inspires you?

 

 

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How The “New Normal” Is Affecting My Writing Life

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

“How’s the novel coming?”

 

This question, to be honest, leaves me feeling cold lately.  The writing is just not flowing. Editing feels like I’m trying to create a beautiful statue from a giant slab of marble, slow and meticulous. Kinda tiring really. 😞

 

We discussed a few weeks ago the concept of new normal, well today I’d like to tell you how that new normal is affecting my writing routine.  Before Covid-19 I was just getting into editing my novel, doing my morning stuff and then writing before coffee. Then quarantine happened, kid and husband were home, work duties, school stuff, and general uneasiness threw off EVERYTHING!

 

It took me a month of lockdown to just get back into a morning routine, figure out how school and work could happen at the same time and keep everyone happy (including my clients).  Now, I’ve got to figure out when to write – not just the time of day or week, but how much energy do I have to expend to pursue my creative projects.

 

I ❤️️ writing, but it’s not what pays the bills and feeds my family.  It’s not going to help my 3rd grader with math (but if you know what will – send help because math and I don’t always get along). It can’t be my sole focus right now. I have to find a balance. 

 

Before I valued the weekends with my family, relaxing and catching up on things around the house and playing games of Roblox, but I have found that weekends are the perfect time to get my weekly editing sessions in now.  I had to learn to be flexible and think a tiny bit of the box.  

 

Weekends are so perfect because there’s no client work to worry about, no school to think about, my husband doesn’t have to be tied to his computer all day, and my son is happy doing his own thing sometimes.  I can get a few 20-minute sessions in and still have time for gaming, household cleaning, movies, and baking.  

 

So how’s the new normal affecting you? Are you using a more flexible schedule? Can you celebrate even the tiniest of wins this week, even if you’re not getting all the things done?

 

For me, I’m celebrating writing this post and writing the new ending of my novel! 🎉

 

 

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Why I Write Coming Of Age Stories for Young Adults

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I write contemporary coming of age young adult novels.  

 

It’s a mouthful and it might not even be the correct terminology – I have no idea – but it’s what I write. I write books set in the now, in a real city in the real world with fictional characters going through things that real people would and do go through.  

 

They are not set in space (although I have a crazy idea for a police series about a human cop on an alien space station…but that’s for another time and place). There’s no dragons or witches…not the kind that fly on brooms anyways. My characters don’t travel through time, battle demons with swords, or play sports in mid-air. They go to school, deal with first loves, and have really big decisions to make.  I write about the small everyday things that are huge for that person and character.

 

And I love it!

 

I recently filled out an Author Business Assessment sheet for a class I’m taking and one of the things we worked through was our mission statement.  Who are we writing for and why? 

 

I answered that I write realistic, relatable characters for young adults who feel misunderstood, lonely, are bored sometimes, love their families and friends, and wish they had all the answers. 

 

My mission is to let them know they are not alone, that everyone goes through heartbreak, laugh so hard they cry, fear people laughing at them, and that horrible sick feeling in their stomach when they lose.  My books are pure escapism and entertainment, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make my readers feel something – they should…if I’ve done my job right.

 

Writing YA takes me back to when I was young and had decisions to make that would change the course of my life. To when I was first living on my own in Manhattan and I felt alone and scared, but also feeling hopeful and alive and loving the pulse of the city. Creating these characters keeps me young, keeps me up on what’s cool and what’s in – I mean, I can’t really figure out TikTok, but I know it’s a THING! 

 

Why do you like reading Young Adult novels? Do you stick to one niche or are you a voracious reader across multiple genres? I pretty much stick to YA at this point, but I was also in love with Stephen King for a while and James Patterson’s Alex Cross series.  I would love to know your answer so let me know in the comments below.

  

 

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An Interview With Etta And Gina

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Today I would like to introduce you to Henrietta and Virginia, the two main characters in my current novel.  I thought it would be fun to do a little interview and see what these two are up to.

 

“Excuse me, did you just call me Henrietta? Only my Mom calls me that,” Etta says as she sits down across from me.  

 

“Yeah, we go by Etta and Gina.  Virginia? Wow, only my twin calls me that and only to annoy me,” Gina says and she sits down next to Etta.

 

“I’m very sorry.  I will remember from now on.  Shell we start with an easy question first?” I ask them.  The nod and giggle. “Etta, what is Gina obsessed with?”

 

“Oh, that’s easy — boys.”

 

“That’s not true,” Gina says, interrupting. “Cute boys!”

 

“Sorry, cute boys,” Etta says. “I forgot.”  

 

They playfully bounce against each other.  “Gina, what is Etta obsessed with?”

 

“Duh…baseball!” Gina answers.

 

“That’s right. I’m going to play pro, you know? The first woman to play for the St. Louis Cardinals!”

 

Etta raises her hand for a high five, Gina responds with a hard slap. “She’s amazing…we play together and I’m okay, but Etta is just phenomenal – I have no doubts she’ll play pro.”

 

“What do you want to do when you grow up?” I ask Gina.

 

Gina looks up at the ceiling and then down at the floor, “I have no idea. What do you think?” she asks Etta.

 

“Probably run a whole country,” Etta says, throwing her arms around her friend’s shoulder. “This girl is organized, brilliant, and can basically tell anyone what to do.”

“Wait, are you calling me bossy?” Gina says, giving Etta some serious side-eye.

 

“Yeah, kinda.”

 

I’m worried they are going to start fighting so I interject, “Etta, is it easy for Gina to admit she’s made a mistake?”

 

“Sometimes. It depends on the mistake. She owns up when she hurts someone’s feelings, she apologizes and tries to make things right.”

 

Gina leans forward and says, “Etta is stubborn though, she won’t admit anything.”

 

“That’s not true!” Etta yells.

 

“Remember when we were 10 and you accidentally broke my favorite plate and you tried to blame it on our dog?”

 

“It was the dog!”

 

“Etta,” Gina says slowly, “we didn’t have a dog!”

 

“That’s not my problem,” Etta says and then they both start laughing.

 

“Ok, I have a question,” Gina says and grabs the little microphone I had sitting on the table. She shoves it into Etta’s face. “Etta, who’s your current crush?”

 

“Ew…boys are gross still,” Etta sticks her tongue out and shuts her eyes. “They are good to play against but crush? No thank you.”

 

“Seriously? No one?  We have such cute boys at our school!”

 

“Name two?” Etta asks Gina, taking the microphone from her hands and putting it into her face.

 

“Easy…Todd and Mikey.”

 

Etta rolls her eyes so hard, that I think she’s now looking at her brain, which just makes Gina laugh. Which in turn makes Etta start laughing.  She puts the microphone back on the same table between us.

“Ok, I have a question for you,” Etta says again pointing toward Gina.

 

“I’m an open book.”

 

“Does Libby sometimes annoy you?” 

 

“Of course,” Gina says, flipping her hair back behind her, “she’s family – we all get on each other’s nerves. Don’t start about Libby, not here – we’re being interviewed.”

 

“Who’s Libby?” I ask.

 

“She’s my cousin – we are only a few weeks apart so she’s always around.  Our mothers are sisters and very close. Libby is an only child and most people call us the Templeton triplets instead of twins because we’re in the same grade.  I think teachers would get us confused except that we look nothing alike.”

 

“She’s always around.  ALWAYS!” Etta says crossing her arms. She reminds me of a toddler when she does this.  Gina matches her arm for arm and huffs.

 

“Do you have another question?” Gina asks, but I’m not sure if she means that for me or Etta.  I decided to jump in and take my chance to ask something else.

 

“Okay…Etta, what do you think Gina’s favorite memory of you two is?” I ask.

 

Etta looks over at Gina, drops her hands and smiles.  “Probably last summer, we went to the movies and saw three in a row (we paid too because Gina is very honest) and we ate popcorn and drank these huge sodas and just had the best day.”

 

Gina smiles too and uncrosses her hands, “That was a good day. I think Etta would say it was the day we met. Little league baseball mixed-gender something or other – I forget what it was called but my Mom signed us up – and by us I mean me and Carl (the twin).  Carl hated it from day one, but he finished that summer up.”

 

“Yeah, you and I were right next to each other for the line-up and you said, “Hi I’m Gina, what’s your name?” in this squeaky voice,” Etta said.

 

“And you said, “Etta!” like it was a cheer. And we’ve been friends since that day.

 

“That’s right! Best friends.” Etta says and she leans over and puts her head on Gina’s shoulder.  Then they start talking about how in the world Gina can think Mikey can be cute and I realize that the interview is pretty much over. 

 

“Hey, thanks for letting me talk to you today,” I say.

 

“No prob, this was fun,” Gina says.  Etta nods and smiles and goes back to making fun of the boys of their school. 

 

 

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My Author Journey: How I Went From “Oohhh NaNoWriMo Sounds Fun” To “Self-Published Author”

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Grab a beverage, sit back and get comfy because I have a story to share.

It all started about ten years ago when I decided to try writing a novel in one month during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which gave me the writing bug something fierce, so I decided to take a writing class here in NYC and then an online correspondence course in writing and then I outlined a whole book using another course. (I love taking courses yo!)

Around this time I also had the cutest baby in the world and quit my day job. I had dreams of writing while he napped – which I sometimes did, other times I too naped because although he was adorable he was not the best sleeper.  Momma was tired. 

Let’s just say, what I thought would take 2 years tops took 8 years from start to finish.  This included outlining, writing the first draft, buying another course to teach me how to edit my novel, doing that very long process, and getting so sick of my own book that I wanted to scream.

Once I called it done or at least done for me, I started researching agents and got super overwhelmed.  I had joined a Facebook group for writers and the vast majority were starting to look into self-publishing.

I was still skeptical because the world hadn’t really changed yet and some people still looked down their noses at indie publishing thinking it was like those vanity presses where you just want to get your book made so you can hand it out to friends and family (which no judgment from me – you still wrote a freaking book, I’m proud of you!)

So, I did what I do best – research and reading and I bought a course. HA! I learned all about self-publishing and got a professional editor (who’s amazing) and hired a professional book cover designer (who’s also amazing) and I self-published my novel using Amazon’s publishing tools.   

For me, I decided I was too impatient to wait another few years for an agent to pick me, for that agent to send the manuscript around to publishing houses, for someone there to pick me, and then the whole process of turning that into a book. I didn’t want to wait that long after taking 8 years to write the book.  

And I love being an indie author.  

Some days are really hard as I wear all the hats and have the final say in all decisions but then again – I wear all the hats and have the final say in all decisions.  Meaning, I get to be in full control of my novel and how it looks online and out in the world.

I’m really glad that we, as writers, have options. So, if you are a writer what’s your opinion? Do you dream of having a publisher guide you along this journey or are you excited to try things out on your own, discover things, make mistakes and try again?

And I have a question for my readers – how do you find out about books? Especially indie books? Do you let the bookstores guide you or do you have a favorite resource for discovering your next great read?  Hit me up in the comments below (scroll down to where it says Leave a Reply) or email me here and let me know!

 

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How To Get Into The Head Of A Character

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I’m getting ready to start the 3rd round of revisions on this current WIP and with that comes some new characters (and revisiting old characters) and getting to do something I absolutely love – using my acting skills!

If you didn’t know, I have a BFA in Theatre Performance, and although I no longer do any acting, I still use the skills I learned when I create characters. To create a character I have to become the character. I have to get inside the character’s head and think about what they would do, how they would say things, and how they would act in certain situations. I need to make them as real as possible.

To start, I close my eyes and visualize what the person looks like. How are they dressed? What does their hair look like? Where are they? What are they doing? Then slowly, I become them. I picture myself wearing their clothes and doing what they are doing.  Seeing the world through their eyes. Then I start writing

 If I’m interviewing a brand new character then I write the questions as me, but I answer as them. If I’m revisiting an old character, I have them write a diary entry. I pick a time or place within my book and just let them tell me something.  If I’ve visualized them long enough it really does start to feel like someone else is writing. This is both very cool and a bit freaky.

For example, my new POV character, Gina, has a cousin named Libby, who is really upset in one part of my story, so when I did her diary entry she just dumped everything on to the page stream of consciousness style. But Gina’s twin brother, Carl, who is very smart and organized, wrote almost like a Twitter version of his day with times, dates, and complete sentences and proper grammar. Two very different characters with very distinct personalities. 

This feels like magic to me and reminds me of the absolute best part of my old acting life – becoming someone else to tell a story. When I can use my brain to create a person out of thin air, it’s literally awesome. 

What part of the writing process would you like to learn about next?  Would you like to know more about revision? Self-publishing? How I found my editor?  Seriously, let me know and I’ll add it to my list of topics I want to talk about over the next few months.

 

 

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Change Is Inevitable

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
It’s been a while since I’ve written, I know. This is for a few reasons — 1) I thought I might have overloaded you guys when I was re-launching The Art of Lying and 2) I needed a little break from writing myself.
 
But…I’ve taken a little break, watched Gilmore Girls again on Netflix (still debating on rewatching that awful new year again), and started rereading my 2nd novel with my editor’s notes. Originally this story was called Etta in the Outfield, but I’m thinking that might need to change.
 
Which brings me to the topic at hand – change. As I’ve been reading and discussing things with my editor (the lovely Sarah Fox) it’s become clear that I need to add some things to this poor little book. For one, I need to bring in another point of view character – my first main character, Etta’s, best friend Gina! I’m actually excited about this, but since Gina will have 50% of the story, I can’t just call the thing Etta without putting in Gina so the title will most likely need to change.
 
Another thing, I’m aging my characters up a bit. I had them as Freshmen in High School, but we decided it might be better if they were a bit older – Sophomores or Juniors (haven’t decided yet). Finally, I have some things to think about surrounding the end of my novel – but I’m not going to talk about that right now – I might spoil things for when the book comes out.
 
BUT all these changes and the fact that my main characters go through quite a few things themselves that will be changing them and their opinions and thoughts and ideas, I realized that change is inevitable in both life and fiction. It’s how we handle those changes that make the difference.
 
I could have read my editor’s notes and gotten really upset, thrown my laptop against the wall (I mean, my bank account wouldn’t have been happy), and yelled and screamed, cried for days, etc. I didn’t do this, I wrote out some of my feelings, talked to my editor, voiced my worries and fears, and decided that together we can make this next draft amazing!
 
What’s changing in your world? How are you dealing with things? Are you having a temper tantrum that a four-year-old would envy or are you pulling your big girl panties on and acting like a grown-up? Side note: I’m not always a grown-up in these situations, trust me. HA

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How I Use Pinterest To Help Me Write My Novels

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

My debut novel isn’t 100% ready to be published yet, but I have already started working on my 2nd novel.  Right now I’m still in the very beginning – or outline mode – but before I blink, I will quickly be descending into research, drafting, and revision modes so I already started a Pinterest board to help me.   

The working title of my second novel is Leo’s Decision which is set in my hometown of St. Louis, it has ties to Cardinals Baseball as my lead’s father was a pro baseball player, and I want to feature some of my favorite things about St. Louis including the food on The Hill, an old Italian neighborhood I grew up near.  Now, I haven’t lived in MO since 2001, and although I have visited and did live there for 25 years, I don’t remember everything – especially street names or where certain counties are located within the city limit – so I use Pinterest to help me find maps, restaurant menus (so I can spell food correctly!), and other goodies.

Also, I’m not a huge baseball fan.  Okay, full disclosure – I understand baseball, even played one summer as a kid, but I’m not a sports fan – so I have also pinned a few things about baseball including lingo, the uniforms from the 1990s, and other research links to help me when I need to write about the sport.

My other favorite thing to do when starting a mood board for a new novel is cast my characters.  If you head over to Leo’s Decision on Pinterest you will see I’ve picked a few people to play the characters in my head….and yes, I choose Steve Carrell for my lead’s step-father and John Stamos as my lead’s father – they have the right looks and I can imagine those actors walking around playing out the scenes as I write them.

During the outlining phase, I like to use Pinterest for inspiration as I work out scenes, come up with my complex characters, and help me finalize a research plan.  Once I start writing, I use the images to help me with descriptions, help give my scenes a sense of place, and can sometimes help me with tricky dialogue.  And after the book is all edited and ready to go to a book cover designer, I can look through other YA book covers and add to my mood board so all of my vision is in one place to send on to the artist to create my cover.  Exciting!   If you’d like to see an example of that, check out The Art of Lying’s Pinterest mood board as I added a bunch of covers so I’ll be ready for that part with my debut novel.

Do you use Pinterest to help you with writing or your artistic endeavor?  I’d love to connect with you over there, send me a friend request, show me your favorite board, or share an image you think might help me with my novels!

What I’m Currently Reading

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson


Starting a writing career involves a lot of sitting down and well…writing, but one must also keep the well fully stocked with new images and new ideas.  I do this in a few ways – movies and TV shows (because I’m visual like that), listening to music (because music feeds my soul in a way that other things do not), and reading books.  Here are a few of the books I’ve either just finished or are currently reading in both the Fiction and Non-Fiction categories.  Note about the non-fiction though, these are writing related or personal development type books, not the non-fiction books my husband likes to read, which are usually about a founding father or a war of some sort.  

Fiction


I just finished two amazing books recently.  Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy and The Order of Omega by Kirsten Martin. Both are YA books but one is a coming of age story and the other is sci-fi/fantasy.  Julie Murphy’s book is becoming a movie soon (with NEW Dolly Parton music!!!) and Kirsten Martin’s book is the 2nd in a Trilogy called The Alpha Drive.  I actually just started the 3rd book (Restitution) the other night.  Dumplin’ was traditionally published, while The Alpha Drive trilogy is being self-published.  I follow both authors on various social media channels and, actually, Kristen’s YouTube channel has been an amazing help to me during my own writing and publishing journey over the last few months.  

Lately, I’ve been trying to read more indie published books, especially other YA (Young Adult) books but Dumplin’ caught my eye (and I believe was in a BookBub special) because of the mostly black cover. The only thing in the very middle is a plus-sized girl in a red dress and big blonde hair (this is small and in cartoon form) and I was like – who is this character?  Since the next step after finalizing revisions of my own novel is choosing and working with a cover designer, I’ve been paying more attention to covers.

I recommend both of these books – and I would highly recommend reading Dumplin’ before seeing the movie.  If you like sci-fi/fantasy books then The Alpha Drive is a fast-paced trilogy with a complex protagonist who is trying her hardest to save her friends and family from an evil organization.   I have quite the long list of To Be Read under this section – most are already on my Kindle, but if something pops up in my inbox (I get a lot of author’s newsletters) or in a BookBub special I’ll most likely add it to the pile.  

Non-Fiction


I just finished Prosperity for Writers (along with the workbook) by Honoree Corder and I’m currently knee deep in Write. Publish. Repeat by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant.  Prosperity for Writers was very eye-opening in terms of mindset, which I talked about a few weeks back, and how I view money and the process of making money, spending money, and the whole myth of the starving artist.  This tied in quite nicely with Write. Publish. Repeat as the authors of this book are also of the mindset that writers can make money, in fact, can make good money, as long as they are producing quality products (books) and lots of them.  I’m barely 1/3 of the way through and it can be quite overwhelming because they give you a ton of info so I put it down quite often and read other things and then come back to absorb some more.

I consider my writing a career, a new career sure (and very young) but I am trying to think of this like a business and myself a businesswoman.  This is not easy for me, it doesn’t come naturally so reading these books are helpful, but they are also filled with new decisions, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. I’ll be honest, I get burnt out or down on myself so I like having a few different books in slightly different categories to bounce around in. So, in that vein, I also have quite a big To Be Read pile under this category as I have books about publishing, marketing, and some health&wellness type self-help books too.

Do any of these sound interesting to you?  What have you been reading lately?  Do you use an eReader or tablet to read on or do you like what I call Dead Tree Books? (I call them that because I personally detest the REAL book label – I read a real book, even if it wasn’t printed on paper and I’m currently writing a real book even if my readers read it on an eDevice of some sort – a small pet peeve of mine!)  Do you like self-help type non-fiction or more of the civil war/Benjamin Franklin biopics type non-fiction? Let me know what you’re currently reading and give me some ideas for my ever-growing reading list.  Thanks!

Creating a 3-Act Structure with Tarot Cards

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I’m back for part two of my writing exercises using the Tarot for Writers book and my tarot cards.  Last week I created a new character, named Leo, and this week I’m using an exercise on page 72 about creating a three-act structure with two plot points.  I did not pull a card for the climax (seen in the book example) because I’m not actually writing this whole book.  Have a look-see at what cards I pulled and what I came up with for my beginning, middle, and end.   At the end of this post, I’ll tell you my thoughts going forward and what I’m going to write based off this reading for you guys! 



Act I – King of Swords
Leo, under the thumb of his father – a former MLB player, has played baseball his entire life from little league on through High School.  It is just expected that he will either go pro or play during college.  His father left baseball because of an injury and then became a professional agent.  He is powerful, successful, and charming.  Women love him, men want to be him – he never married Leo’s mother, but they co-parent as a team fairly well.  Leo’s father has high expectations of him and demands perfection above all else.  Leo must be the best! 

Plot Point 1 – The Moon
Leo, unhappy with the choices his Dad has made for him, has a dream one night while camping with his buddies.  He wakes up and walks under the full moon to the nearby lake where a young woman sits on a rock.  They have an amazing conversation about life, love, and the journey one must take for themselves when starting college. 

Act II – Nine of Cups
A college orientation party finds Leo in new surroundings.  Here no one cares about his Dad or sports at all really, but higher pursuits – science, literature, religion.  Leo must stand on his own two feet, as it were.  He wants to enjoy his time away from family and old friends, especially as he pursues this new life, but he’s finding it hard to figure out exactly where he stands and what he stands for.  He can’t seem to make up his mind about a major and starts having panic attacks that cause him to break down, sometimes going through a major depression for days/weeks at a time.

Plot Point 2 – The Sun
Leo is having trouble making new friends and starts to wonder if he somehow screwed up his entire life by walking away from his Dad’s plans.  He decides to take a long walk one beautiful Sunday to a public park that’s close to campus, to get away from his troubles.  He sees a group of guys playing ball for fun – no jerseys, no real official teams, no coaches.  Just a group, playing with a ball and a bat, having fun.  He asks if he can join them, which they immediately welcome and he plays for hours.  Sweating from the hot sun, he grabs a water and starts talking to one of the young men who goes to his school.  During their conversation, he realizes what he wants to study and finds a hobby that he’s good at and can enjoy for life.  He and his new friend walk back to campus together. 

Act III – The Hanged Man
After his day of fun, Leo chooses a major, settles into college life and meets the young woman from camp at a dance.  She’s the daughter of the Dean and just graduated from college the year before. She’s only a few years older, very taken with our Leo and they start dating.  Leo finally feels like himself.  He feels confident and has the courage to call his father, who he hasn’t spoken to in months and they start hashing things out on their way to redemption and a better, more grown-up relationship.   Leo feels like he’s on the right path – he has a handle on his shiny object syndrome, knowing that he can read and study anything without losing focus and he has matured into a bright young adult. 



Here’s what I’m thinking – I love the scene where he’s camping and meets the young lady by the lake so I think I will write that scene (2-3 thousand words) and post on the blog in a few weeks – I will get this one done quicker than my last tarot short story, I promise.  Does that sound like a good deal?  Or…if you guys like another scene more, comment and I’ll decide in a few days (maybe…Mon or Tues next week).  Thanks!

What do you think?  Would you read this book? Does it sound interesting?  What kinds of things do you see in these cards – seriously, give me your ideas, I might incorporate them.  I enjoy these exercises, but I’m not sure if I would use tarot cards to plot out a full book – but who knows.  I’m working on a novella right now that I plan on giving away for free when I get my newsletter ready so maybe I’ll pull a few cards if I have issues or run into plot problems.

Have you ever used the tarot cards for creative inspiration? Show me – I’m always trying to think of fun, new ways to use my cards.