7 September 2013

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Sally Gerard

This is the view from my “writing studio.” Although it is not so practical, it has produced much great writing. Where do you find inspiration to write? Is it a special spot outside? A room with windows and a desk? A coffee shop? corral

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5 September 2013

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Sally Gerard

Titles? I find it so difficult to come up with the perfect title for my novels. I wonder how other authors do this!

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3 September 2013

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Sally Gerard

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I think I’m going to write a song called, “I love this Barn.” Every morning when I get up in the dark to run with the stars, this barn rises out of the darkness to remind me of all the people who sacrificed to make this land what it is.

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30 August 2013

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Sally Gerard

Because I write best with a pen and paper, I can write pretty much anywhere. One of my favorite places to write is up in the barn loft. I feel surrounded by the land that I love and it inspires my writing and my characters. The plains are vast and strong, the grasses hunker down in drought and wait for rain and the people are quiet and resilient and full of joy. This is my barn.

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27 August 2013

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Sally Gerard

Confessions:
even in this day and age, I write better, more on my game, when I use paper and a pen. I have a particular soft covered writing notebook that I really like because of the feel and the line spacing–I keep several around and buy them whenever I see them. I have a hard time composing on a computer, instead, I have a great friend who I send the notebooks to and she types them up for me in Word and emails the file to me. It takes more time, but the writing is all the better for it. Who can explain these little idiosyncrasies? It is just like tucking my shoelaces into my shoes when I take them off; I just can’t not do it.
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26 August 2013

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Sally Gerard

I have felt fall in the air a couple of times in the last week or two. Even though it was 90 degrees plus yesterday, there is that particular smell in the early morning and late evening–it is crisp and cool and you aren’t sure exactly where it comes from, but it speaks of fall to your heart. Yellow leaves falling off of trees to settle on the ground and spend the winter turning into food for the soil, the first snowflakes teasing the winter to come, thoughts of crackling fires and hot cider–mmmm, fall is delicious.
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24 August 2013

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Sally Gerard

A quote from Elmore Leonard:“… The writer has to have patience, the perseverance to just sit there alone and grind It out. And if it’s not worth doing that, then he doesn’t want to write. …” (1982)

This is me right now, doing my best to “grind out” the next part of Isa Torunn’s story! And that in the midst of what we’re up to in the field! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DR6WI36

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19 August 2013

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Sally Gerard

In the midst of writing the next piece of Isa Torunn’s story. She is an amazing character with more strength of spirit than anyone I know. God gifted her with a love of horses and adventure, and those gifts have taken her further than she ever dreamed.
Read the first part of her story, Windows in the Loft. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DR6WI36
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16 August 2013

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Sally Gerard

I must confess—I am in love with the dash. When I write, I find myself drawn to the simplicity of the dash—it’s beauty and decorum. I had no idea that there are at least five different kinds of dashes, including a curly dash which I cannot find on my keyboard. When I was in the editing phase with Windows in the Loft, I had to remove some dashes—it was painful. How many dashes are there in my debut novel? You tell me. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DR6WI36

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12 August 2013

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Sally Gerard

I’ve spent the last few days traveling through Nebraska and Iowa and the scenery on the back roads was tremendous. Anyone who wonders how planets in science fiction can be so different must not have ever left their back yard. We drove through incredible rolling hills, valleys filled with thick fog and deep green fields of soybeans. Acres of corn in various states of growth and hershey crops–some clearly stressed by drought and some blessed with much rain. The people were so wonderful everywhere. We had homemade ice-cream at a farm show in Albert City, Iowa that was not only delicious but had been cranked by a hook-up with an antique tractor! Many horses from Haflingers to Belgians were showing off working antique farm machinery. The photo with this post is one of my favorite horses, Oreo-personality plus!
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