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Day 29 –Name one thing in which you indulged as a treat to keep yourself motivated and writing that you wouldn’t otherwise have done.

Chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. Hot chocolate, candy, chocolate… everything chocolate. LOL I mean, I love chocolate, but I would not normally eat that much in one months time.

Day 30 –Share a link to either your NaNo profile or a location on the internet where your story can be found.  If someone offered to beta read for you,would you be willing to do the same for them during the subsequent editing process?

I will link to my profile, because I do not post my story online.  Here.

I am all about Beta readers, but I need to get through some of the editing before I would allow this. I have a few beta readers already, but am always looking for new viewpoints.

That’s all folks, this meme has come to an end, but it’s been fun!

Now I need to go link all the links to the original post so you can find them

If you want to see what I’m posting each day, go here.

Day 27 –What’s your word count now? Are you satisfied with your progress or panicked that you won’t have enough time to finish by November 30?

50,342 and I’m still going. I’m definitely happy and nope, no panicking because technically I have already won and that in itself is a relief.

Day 28 –Name one thing you shafted all month in favor of participating in NaNo.

Nope. I’m going to list two because they go together. Recreational Reading and trips to the library to get books. That is so changing. I wrote in the library but I didn’t get any books. I miss them

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Day 25 –What are the names of at least two of your main characters? How did you choose their names?

I thought we did this already. Carlyn is my main female character – I have changed her last name four times since starting, so I’m refraining until the end. There is a reason it matters.

Keith Wentworth is my main male character.

Day 26 –Was any research involved (historical or otherwise) in your NaNo prep?

Yes, always. Since I like to try to stay true to locations, I try to research and find out accurate information about the area. I needed to do some research on Atherton, California before I wrote this book. I also needed to visit some local places around me that are being used in the story as different places. I like to have something to go off so that I can feel what it’s like to be there.

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Day 23 –Do animals play any part in your story?  If so,how do they add to it?

No. Well, I mean there is reference to one, but no.

Day 24 –Is religion featured in your novel at all?  If so,which ones?  If it’s/they’re your own creations,describe it/them and how it/they play(s) a part in your characters’ lives.

A little. Not really. It’s a brief mention of church twice in the story. I try to stay away from details when it comes to that stuff, making my books appealing to all audiences. Neutrality people, neutrality. That’s what it’s called.

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Day 21 –With about 10 days left to this arguably traumatic experience,what are your plans and goals for your novel,should you successfully complete it?

Finish it, because 50,000 is not the end. Edit it and shop it around with the hopes of having it published.

Day 22 –If you’ve participated in or won NaNo before,what happened to your other novel efforts? Still in the revision process/querying publishers/scrapped it immediately/etc.

Most of them are in some stage of editing. One is finished and I am querying publishers.

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Day 19 –Which authors or books have inspired your own writing the most,and why?

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors of all time, mostly because she takes real life issues and weaves amazing stories around them. She has a beautiful storytelling “voice” and I’m always eager to turn the page and find out what’s next.

I cannot list a YA author that has influenced me, because there are far too many. I love Lauren Oliver, Denise Jaden, Elizabeth Scott, Lisa Schroeder… and on and on. If I didn’t mention you, its only because there is not enough time for me to keep listing.

Day 20 –If you could meet one fictional character from any book you’ve ever read,who would it be,and why?

Holden Caulfield. His misguided, exceptionally awful outlook on life and the things he’s seen, makes me want to befriend him. I want to be there for him, show him the brighter side of life, that things aren’t always so awful and show him things he doesn’t know. Plus, it’s my favorite book and he’s just a cool character.

I know that you were eager to accept our family’s invitation to Thanksgiving dinner when you found out that the famous Martha Stewart would be joining us. However, due to scheduling conflicts beyond her control, Ms. Stewart finds that she is unable to grace our table this year. With that in mind, there will be a few minor changes regarding the meal and decor, as outlined below. Please be aware of them, and adjust your appetite and dress appropriately.

Thank you

1) Our driveway will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After several trial runs and two visits from the fire department, it was decided that, no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

2) Once inside, please note that the entry space will not be decorated with swags of Indian corn and fall foliage. Instead, we included our dog in decorating by having him track in colorful autumn leaves from the back yard. The mud was his idea.

3) The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this is Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the paper SpongeBob dinner plates, the leftover Halloween napkins, and our plastic cup collection.

4) Our centerpiece will not be a tower of fresh fruit and flowers. Instead we will be proudly displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper and pine cones. The artist assures me it is a turkey, albeit one without wings, legs, or a beak.

5) We will be dining somewhat later than planned. However, our daughter will entertain you while you wait. I’m sure she will be happy to share every choice comment her mother made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims, stuffing choices, the turkey hotline, and, especially, her husband. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 7:00AM upon discovering that said husband had only remembered to pull the turkey from the freezer at 6:00 AM, and that the thing was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

6) As an accompaniment to our daughter’s recital of these events, I will play a recording of Native American tribal drumming. Curiously, the tribal drumming sounds a great deal like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, but that only enhances the holiday appropriateness. If our daughter should mention that we don’t own a recording of Native American tribal drumming, ignore her. She’s only nine; what does she know?

7) A dainty silver bell will not be rung to announce the start of our feast. We have chosen to keep our traditional method of assembling when the smoke alarm goes off.

8.) There will be no formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask all the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door. And I would like to take this opportunity to remind our younger diners that “passing the rolls” is neither a football play nor an excuse to bean your cousin in the head with bread.

9.) The turkey will not be carved at the table. I know you have seen the Norman Rockwell image of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. Such a scene may occur somewhere in America, but it won’t be happening at our dinner table. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in the kitchen at a private ceremony. I stress “private”, meaning do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me.

Do not send small, unsuspecting children, or older, helpful grandparents into the kitchen to check on my progress. I have a very large, very sharp knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win the battle. When I do, we will eat.

10) For the duration of the meal, we will refer to the gravy by its lesser-known name: Kraft Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or makeup of the Kraft Cheese Sauce, smile kindly and say that you know the answer, but it’s a secret that can’t be revealed to them until they are 18.

11) Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and dog tongue marks. You still have a choice: take it or leave it.

That concludes our list of alterations. Again, I apologize that Martha will not be joining us this year.

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Day 18 –Who is the antagonist in your novel?  What drives their actions?

The antagonist in my novel is the brother, Keith. The thing is, he isn’t actually a bad guy in fact, he never really comes across as a bad guy, only throws a lot of curves and problems at Carlyn. All things she handles beautifully of course in his eyes, meanwhile she is facing her own turmoil.

If we’re looking for bad guy antagonists, they would have to be the parents “sort of” and then her Grandmother.

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Day 17 –In what time period is your novel set?  Is it in this world or another?

The time period is modern day. It is in this world, because I’m not a Fantasy writer

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Day 16 –At around the half-way point,it bears mentioning that most of us wrimos have other obligations beside simply hitting that elusive word count.  What else do you have going on in your life (work,school,children,neurotic pets,etc.),and just how much are you shafting it to win NaNo?

Again, I mention I have five kids. So their daily life is pretty hectic which of course, rolls over to involve me. We are involved in a Fife & Drum Corps. so we have a lot of activities and practices through that. I have Thanksgiving in a couple days and today is Melissa’s 14th birthday. Lots of stuff surrounding all this.  I still do it though.  I love every single moment of it.