http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/ No, it's not what you think . . . I've Faced my fears . . . I'm in my Forties, pushing Fifty . . . and having the time of my life. As a published novelist (Finally), I'm living a dream that began when I was a little girl. Thanks for stopping by. en-us 2009-09-21T14:25:27+00:00 Publishers Marketplace Judy Merrill Larsen hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00:00+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/images/PM_rssimg.gif http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/ http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/index.html#20090921102515 A few weeks ago, I was a couple of days away from going back to a WIP I'd set aside last April. Back then (last spring) I was going back to the drawing board and completely rewriting/revising a novel I thought I'd finished several times. I finished that rewrite at the end of June, took some time away from all writing (except thinking about it), then did another read-through and tweaked things here or there and sent it off to my agent. Then I skipped town for a week. Then I was ready to go ... Judy Merrill Larsen 2009-09-21T14:25:15+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/index.html#20090914111011 What's going on in society these days? I mean really. Look at Kanye West and Joe Wilson (two names that have probably never been uttered in the same sentence before!). When did rudeness become acceptable? Defensible? The status quo? When did apologizing become a sign of weakness or backing down? My mother taught me to be kind. Be responsible. And yes, to stand up for what I believe in but in a civilized manner. She taught me that the world doesn't revolve around me. I passed those lessons ... Judy Merrill Larsen 2009-09-14T15:10:11+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/index.html#20090527223148 Hello out there . . . anybody still reading this blog? Can't say that I'd blame you if you're not. I have all these good intentions . . . and I'm apparently busy paving a new road to hell with them. Anyway, my apologies for so few posts this spring. As I might have mentioned a few times, I'm in the midst of writing a book. Note that I left off the prefix "re-". That was on purpose. I've rewritten/revised/re-imagined this particular MS several times over the past two years. And in ... Judy Merrill Larsen 2009-05-28T02:31:48+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/index.html#20090408130247 I know I've been incommunicado for a few weeks now. But, like spring, I do believe I too am emerging from winter and hibernation, tossing off some covers and turning my face towards the sun. I've been doing lots of reading, a little traveling, and am in the process of wrapping my head around a new way of looking at things, particularly my WIP. I think one of my strengths as a writer is how I capture the quiet moments of my characters, their introspection, their "resting." And that's all ... Judy Merrill Larsen 2009-04-08T17:02:47+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/index.html#20090305121550 As a writer, I spend my days with words . . . trying to find the right ones, the best combinations, the perfect order. Do I say it this way or that way? It can seem like a never-ending puzzle. It can make me crazy. But when they all fall into place, when the words arrange themselves, magically it might seem, even lyrically, I remember why I love what I do. I need to remember the words of wisdom from E. B. White, one of my writing idols, who was advised as a young newspaper reporter ... Judy Merrill Larsen 2009-03-05T17:15:50+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/index.html#20080415215014 Remember guidance counselors back in high school? Remember being told there were certain skills we'd definitely want later and so we should take those classes now? Classes like typing and Spanish or French? Remember also thinking those same counselors were older than fossils and what did they know? Or perhaps that was just me. But here I sit, wishing I had learned to type. (Okay, yeah, so I do have my own system. Speedy, yes, but inaccurate as all get out. Not the most practical situation ... Judy Merrill Larsen 2008-04-16T01:50:14+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jmlarsen/index.html#20080331100904 Singing "Flew in from Richmond V-A American Connection" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC" (3 points to the first one to identify song AND album!), but those are the lyric that've been running through my brain since I arrived home yesterday afternoon. I'm planning a post about my fun in Charlottesville later this week, with pictures, but until then, you can read Therese's account here. I'll just mention, very quickly, the grapefruit martinis ... Judy Merrill Larsen 2008-03-31T14:09:04+00:00