The Moments in Your Life that Define You

I am not sure who authored this, but it really touched me.

There are moments in your life that make you and set the course of who you're going to be. Sometimes they're little, subtle moments. Sometimes, they're big moments you never saw coming. No one asks for their life to change, but it does. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are.

When was that moment for you? Who are you?

I LOVE My Characters

I'm finishing up my current novel, Shattered. I really thought I just had a few more pages to go. My goal was to have that last little bit complete by today. I haven't made it. But it's not because I haven't been writing. I've written a lot and written every day for the past month (well, except one day and I wrote 21 pages the next day, so I feel okay about that). No, it's because my characters changed the story.

Don't get me wrong. I think what they've done is a good thing. The story is "bigger", richer, has far more depth. But I want to be finished with this story. Not because I don't like it. No, I love it. I love my Navy SEALs. The guys are real for me. In fact, while this is Logan's story (Logan Kitchner, risk taker, has a need for speed, fearless, inflexible, The Chief, from Wyoming), during the past 50 pages or so, Quinn is really speaking to me (Lt. Quinn Pierce, loyal, honorable, The Warrior from Nashville). Quinn's the hero in my next book, Sabotaged, so I guess it's good that he's in the story more than ever.

It's always a thrill when the characters really start living. Of course, now I have to go back and do some serious edits, but that's okay. Now I know them and I know what they'd do in every situation. Some days I get so frustrated writing, but for the most part I love what I do. Besides that, there's never been a time (not for long anyway) when I didn't write. It's just part of who I am. But it's really nice when it flows really well.