tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28053211201268663832024-03-14T02:17:31.990-04:00A writer's dream continues....Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-15560034414379997812023-12-11T11:38:00.002-05:002023-12-11T11:38:51.507-05:00"Unanticipated Consequence - A Second Chance" RELEASED!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QZdzEbbbhF5C_gnoaJ4T15uAJra2uMqLLYtqL6aeZRk03FBnmwsSL-ct7Tc376Cd0oLI4Sb7a-cCYgaM1X69Avp-9ARq2e2YAnchX_i8heEInxA8qhsKiSwtviTDKcLnOPw8g6pYyCToKDcEB8D5WYffBIp69qoeQEM8T53XnJ-Ex2-IzhK5PMR8xzm7/s1350/Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QZdzEbbbhF5C_gnoaJ4T15uAJra2uMqLLYtqL6aeZRk03FBnmwsSL-ct7Tc376Cd0oLI4Sb7a-cCYgaM1X69Avp-9ARq2e2YAnchX_i8heEInxA8qhsKiSwtviTDKcLnOPw8g6pYyCToKDcEB8D5WYffBIp69qoeQEM8T53XnJ-Ex2-IzhK5PMR8xzm7/s320/Final.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, it was a job getting this book released - publisher had trouble with copies and formats and so it felt like it took forever. But finally - last week it was released. Now it looks like the format is still incorrect! ARGH!! Here's what I said before (I think) and related at the beginning of the novel... </p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">"<i style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Unanticipated
Consequence A Second Chance</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"> is an outgrowth of my well-received novella/eBook, <i>Broken Christmas Promise,</i> published at
the end of 2019.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Feedback from a production company stated
that the setup of the story was terrific but because it was written as a short
novella, it was lacking the </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">kind of “complex and layered romance that the modern market demands.”</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">Therefore, after rethinking what they had said, I had
to agree –I hadn’t told the entire story of Brett and Jenna’s love, heartbreak
and ending in the novella. I had written a simple love story, but theirs was
not so simple."</span></p></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">I'm thrilled it will be out in time for the holidays! <br />https://mybook.to/Unanticipated_Conseq</div><p style="text-align: justify;">Now, I working on an interesting take of a female pirate. When In Ireland I toured Grace O'Malley's castle outside of Westport including the remains of dungeons in the basement. I've never thought of writing this kind of story until when answering a question about what I was working on now, I told a Book Club group I was fooling around with a female pirate story. They became very excited and had many questions about where and when, etc. So here I am working on that manuscript and enjoying it. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm also starting my 3rd Oyster Point Mystery. Let's see what trouble Jack and Jamie can get into next.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm scheduled for hold another Book Club in April; these are so much fun! The August one was terrific as well. I can post that one if you'd like to see it. It's up on YouTube. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">On a very sad note, I lost a very dear friend of mine, We met the first year of college and were roommates after we graduated. It's hard to say goodbye to life-long friends. It was unexpected. She was on a trip to Greece, a trip of a lifetime as she called it, and suddenly died. I had lunch with her right before she left. We joked because I was flying west to Seattle and she was flying East. We couldn't wait to meet after our trips. I think I'm still in shock... can't really believe she's gone. Life is hard sometimes...</p><p>Well, that's about all I have to report at this point. Holidays are coming fast so I wish you peace and joy as you hopefully gather with family.</p><p>We'll talk next year.</p><p>Till - Judi</p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-25209127615420250272023-07-17T11:01:00.000-04:002023-07-17T11:01:48.658-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacZYH5btBRR9yUgl1QKE_rJ2kE5pfC_wOZ8xpAc24r2ZJZxDXxYn6z_KtGYjiQeW5KSSkP7Ho-hJPBjUZRwqwf5kXRBEKMRQ3G2C7nYMjUwSRTzuGB1Oh__KBVwsEgzAAYjxomZiDhd-TySsPFceQ814n3yG1K80S1Uy1Tof-foS33bSUXWtsEjDQ1SWV/s743/eight%20books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="743" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacZYH5btBRR9yUgl1QKE_rJ2kE5pfC_wOZ8xpAc24r2ZJZxDXxYn6z_KtGYjiQeW5KSSkP7Ho-hJPBjUZRwqwf5kXRBEKMRQ3G2C7nYMjUwSRTzuGB1Oh__KBVwsEgzAAYjxomZiDhd-TySsPFceQ814n3yG1K80S1Uy1Tof-foS33bSUXWtsEjDQ1SWV/w478-h347/eight%20books.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">Well, I'm back! I know, I know... I always say that! 😉 I've been very busy with a number of things. First, I'm a gardener and my back flower garden had been taken over by hordes of invading weeds. Then there was the invasion of the bunnies and the resident gopher. This last winter was a weird one with very cold days followed by very warm days and NO snow cover. I lost a lot of my favorite plants through the heaving process. So I decided to have some help in choosing the best flowers for my environment. I'm still waiting for the plan but am excited to have this done. My other gardens are doing so well... here's an example of my daylilies! I adore them. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjaMgzd5YUCRNG6IH0uk-MuMT5-HsDTDgF-pUdVIc3g7pO24iuTaEDhzOmTCp1Gb94bBNv8FOlcoJPeOod5TkAyixSGQekU0CwHO4C5EDSAtar64SGRMGpXZct4QzE40QpC0R1vJ_pgZaD9Koo2Kw3eT62tj1bj2KQSnCaM7gIlDiDst1Xkl622xJc0-M/s1280/Daylilies%20%233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjaMgzd5YUCRNG6IH0uk-MuMT5-HsDTDgF-pUdVIc3g7pO24iuTaEDhzOmTCp1Gb94bBNv8FOlcoJPeOod5TkAyixSGQekU0CwHO4C5EDSAtar64SGRMGpXZct4QzE40QpC0R1vJ_pgZaD9Koo2Kw3eT62tj1bj2KQSnCaM7gIlDiDst1Xkl622xJc0-M/w206-h155/Daylilies%20%233.JPG" width="206" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUfmXHAv_B6sAhBVtAQGA9QPtEAt3StLFLYx5RHlOfO2ZyVoxxigFnswj90hl0d6e9zNFnDbNhBBL-VaNMLKh4rArTy4rxHGXJNNsYaIns5xijAQ5iPQru95QQXZt1utyOCwvYzuHJwtAzmHzjzeclFhSFCKCnuF-2Y6U4VjHPqT7PFug3bH7GdKLrrnR/s1707/Daylilies%20%231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="1280" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUfmXHAv_B6sAhBVtAQGA9QPtEAt3StLFLYx5RHlOfO2ZyVoxxigFnswj90hl0d6e9zNFnDbNhBBL-VaNMLKh4rArTy4rxHGXJNNsYaIns5xijAQ5iPQru95QQXZt1utyOCwvYzuHJwtAzmHzjzeclFhSFCKCnuF-2Y6U4VjHPqT7PFug3bH7GdKLrrnR/w176-h234/Daylilies%20%231.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitkIz6lOSKUlKt8TCvJ-gAHKcNlQDrbyQlKGYyg6tM0FJlzFipu2zpJ9__xWLcy3hPMczxko6VWSOQO27Q9NR9nCquBi_AHA50-uq2TYPpJYamX2jqzKDVc7EjiUd7eWKvnWcWw3h49V36XDp4luREtdSYVcW1Hvy3OjbQ07hC4Ja0DE2hZhL3-zmQ5Xg/s1280/Daylilies%20%232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitkIz6lOSKUlKt8TCvJ-gAHKcNlQDrbyQlKGYyg6tM0FJlzFipu2zpJ9__xWLcy3hPMczxko6VWSOQO27Q9NR9nCquBi_AHA50-uq2TYPpJYamX2jqzKDVc7EjiUd7eWKvnWcWw3h49V36XDp4luREtdSYVcW1Hvy3OjbQ07hC4Ja0DE2hZhL3-zmQ5Xg/w236-h179/Daylilies%20%232.JPG" width="236" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, I have two WIPs (works-in-progress) going on -- the rewrite of "Broken Christmas Promise" which I'm adding, deleting, editing and revising!! I'm almost there... maybe another month or so. So watch for the full story of Jenna and Brett to appear. Not sure of a title yet, as always.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm also making so headway with the pirate story! Might finish that one and have it published by Christmas. A good stocking stuffer!!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm also in an art show this month...So I have been PRETTY busy!! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtagXzC9GXzzgWIQDHJJTrsBU0jxuJxPpPr9bJFEq2bb9djXPglHqSdw4C7AL4RDHGc5_tS5T813XJ8VJNshmnjTK79fJT-U9wSvwfT1k7Uz9ckN-AwhAkzR9CT-kUSHyKG2V_3GM8Mxqsxgka0TYJex--7q7D0rZohY4J_z-SSis9286QlT71ACeTD0Ld/s1280/Buoys%20of%20Summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtagXzC9GXzzgWIQDHJJTrsBU0jxuJxPpPr9bJFEq2bb9djXPglHqSdw4C7AL4RDHGc5_tS5T813XJ8VJNshmnjTK79fJT-U9wSvwfT1k7Uz9ckN-AwhAkzR9CT-kUSHyKG2V_3GM8Mxqsxgka0TYJex--7q7D0rZohY4J_z-SSis9286QlT71ACeTD0Ld/s320/Buoys%20of%20Summer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I can't believe that I have actually written eight books and have two in the works. Please let me know with a review if you enjoyed them!!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back to one of my tasks 😉😉</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Keep wring and enjoy the summer!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Judi</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></blockquote><p></p><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-578582971885569742023-04-23T14:09:00.000-04:002023-04-23T14:09:48.237-04:00WRITING IN THE MODERN AGE advice - shared with you<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiztgdO5nDQh4qfeFciPNNvMA-8rdBuP3kmPSme9mMZj6JIvT67dx5Uac5O0_s5L_cTPrTjLYjbKoGuDb9tGwk2o976vhPJzVEAruF45hVkUJXY0Ir-LJUXWICUczvxiDVesBucYJLKum5HtD87u4FIgIv9DoJ7Mz2WMan6XMe_PHRzuZ4dYglluvWx3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiztgdO5nDQh4qfeFciPNNvMA-8rdBuP3kmPSme9mMZj6JIvT67dx5Uac5O0_s5L_cTPrTjLYjbKoGuDb9tGwk2o976vhPJzVEAruF45hVkUJXY0Ir-LJUXWICUczvxiDVesBucYJLKum5HtD87u4FIgIv9DoJ7Mz2WMan6XMe_PHRzuZ4dYglluvWx3A=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">It's
been awhile so I'm going to try to catch you up on my activities! <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><u>First</u></b><b>, my ‘Romance Over 50’ - <i>One
Summer Night</i> - has done extremely well and feedback has been awesome.
One reader wrote:<o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">“I
read your latest in one long sitting. Totally grabbed me! I love that you were
able to move into another genre for the Over 50 readers. As always blown away
by your writing: so fluid and the dialogue so realistic. Loved Jason.
Looking forward to more.”<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> https://mybook.to/OneSummerNight
<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a;">Next</span></u></b><b><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a;">, I was
invited to facilitated a book club last week using "She's Not
You" </span></b><b>my first novel.</b><b><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a;">https://mybook.to/Shes_Not_You</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">I made
it more about the writing process and everything that goes into writing a book –
learning to write well, taking classes, doing research and knowing your
genre. The questions from the group were
thoughtful and relevant to writing. We talked about where I find my ideas. I
mentioned that I was working on a fun story right now – about a woman pirate. They loved that idea so I guess I better put
some time and effort into that. They had questions about that era and where it
was set – great questions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><u>Then</u>,
my sequel to “<i>She’s Not You</i>” – “<i>Treat Me Nice</i>” – another Elvis title, has
also been well received. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 107%;">“</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%;">The author
certainly can capture your attention and keep your interest. Her words create a
visual image throughout as if you were really in the characters shoes. It’s the
second In the series and when your done you know you want more and you know
there will be more. Even if you haven’t
read her earlier book with these characters (She’s Not You) you can easily jump
into this one and connect . The authors plot creativity and ability to
translate into words amazes me. I couldn’t put the book down. If I didn’t need
sleep and a short respite for my eyes I probably would have finished it in one
day rather than 1 1/2. Can hardly wait to hear there will be another book from
this author soon.”</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">I have another book club coming up in August on the sequel so
excited about that.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><u>Finally</u>, my five pieces of writing advice can be found in the
Spring 2023 Writing in the Modern Age blog - </b><a href="https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/writmodage-advice-from-writers-ten-year-anniversary-multi-author-special-spring-event" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/writmodage-advice-from-writers-ten-year-anniversary-multi-author-special-spring-event</span></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">I kept it simple…</span></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b><b>1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Be dedicated to your writing,<br /> <o:p></o:p></b><b>2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Learn to write well,<br /><o:p></o:p></b><b>3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Work on the words that best tell your story
and make your characters come alive,<br /><o:p></o:p></b><b>4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Create interesting three- dimensional
characters, and<br /><o:p></o:p></b><b>5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Do your reseach!!</b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><br /> <o:p></o:p></b><b>Right now I have one full draft completed
which I put aside so that I’ll read it later with fresh eyes and I guess, I’ll
be writing about lady pirates. 😄</b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><b><br /> <o:p></o:p></b><b>Keep writing,<br /></b><b>Till, Judi</b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
</p></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">Links:</span><br /><a href="https://tinyurl.com/JudiGB" style="color: #24678d; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;">https://tinyurl.com/JudiGB</a><br /><a href="https://judigetchbrodman.wordpress.com/" style="color: #24678d; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">https://judigetchbrodman.wordpress.com/</a></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">An just an update on my #over50romance... it is doing great. </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-88650513023917120042023-02-05T12:18:00.001-05:002023-02-05T13:19:51.450-05:00top five pieces of advice (or tips) for a new writer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dn6I2iBASAR1gKFBDNBWkOLSEWFt7TNdFq4mO0Mo3a4FZ8s5KI1HLt51Yffyido8kb4B0Z316PGWGcZtUVlb5HlYd8yNcnsp3FUs6ZpFQa1vVMKZXovNvb_9amqJc5LGT0Qtxw7fPI7FpHkyua6r3ZiawZsju85JmLXH5z0XZj9HQXDV23IJyoiPeQ/s1632/B&W%20writing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1224" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dn6I2iBASAR1gKFBDNBWkOLSEWFt7TNdFq4mO0Mo3a4FZ8s5KI1HLt51Yffyido8kb4B0Z316PGWGcZtUVlb5HlYd8yNcnsp3FUs6ZpFQa1vVMKZXovNvb_9amqJc5LGT0Qtxw7fPI7FpHkyua6r3ZiawZsju85JmLXH5z0XZj9HQXDV23IJyoiPeQ/w300-h400/B&W%20writing.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I was asked to offer five pieces of advice for new or experienced writers which will be published on another blog. When I finished, I thought I might give this advice to my own readers so here we go..</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">First, you need to want
to write... to be dedicated to your writing. Writing is hard work;
good writing is almost impossible. It is time consuming and isolating.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Second, you need to
learn to write. What does that mean? Join writers group, listen to other
writers and learn from them, from their writing and from the constructive criticism
of your peers. I joined one early on and learned so much from them all. I will
be forever grateful to this group. I also took an encouraging creative writing
class. The professor encouraged me to continue my writing because I had,
as she called it, a unique voice and writing process.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Third, after I said all
that, anyone can write, string words together. You can sit down, write 50K
words and feel as though you have a book. Well, you don't, not one that a
publisher will touch. When I said above, "good writing is almost
impossible", I meant it. Good writing comes after many drafts, much
editing and many revisions. This is where your story comes alive... here you
polish it by working on words that best tell the story and fit the character, by
making dialogue meaningful (this is very important), removing errors and misspellings,
and by creating a story that will capture the reader. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Fourth, create
interesting, three-dimensional characters. I learned this from a workshop I
took given by a writer whose books I loved. No one wants to read a story with ‘flat’
characters. You, as the writer, need to know their backstories, what’s in their
‘bag of rocks’ that they carry with them, what their secrets are… what’s in
that box under their bed. You may not put all that information into the
manuscript, but you will use it as you write, trust me, and your characters
will come alive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Fifth, do your research!
If you are writing a time travel back to the 1800s, know what it was like to
live in that time.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">One of my favorite
books, <a href="https://mybook.to/Looking_Glass">“The Looking Glass Labyrinth”</a>, was a time travel back to 1804. As I
wrote, the story evolved into a mystery within a mystery with a beautifully
layered romance. I won’t say much more except that I spent hours and hours
doing my research on sea captains and their trade routes, on how women were educated
and treated culturally, the fashion and family dynamics. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The research fascinated me and although I
didn’t use it all, I felt I knew my characters well enough to tell this beautiful
story.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Remember, your readers are smart,
and if you make errors in history or anything else, they’ll notice, put the
book down and not trust your story telling ever again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">I could go on and on but I was asked for only five points. My advice to all, enjoy the process of
creating and writing! I’ve passed my love, my passion for writing, on to two of
our little ones, eleven and nine, who wrote every word of their first book, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPVXC64D?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860">Two Mice and a Train</a></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">, and I published it.
What a huge accomplishment for them!</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">May
their imagination fire many more. One of the keys to their writing was that
they are both avid readers and LOVE stories.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Therefore, I hope the advice
that I’ve learned along the way helps you to become a better writer.<o:p></o:p></span></p></h3><p></p><h3 style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Keep writing…<br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Till, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Judi</span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><p></p><div>So I hope this advice that I learned along the way will help you!</div><div><br /></div><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-57270684135709477282023-01-24T13:01:00.001-05:002023-01-25T13:43:16.658-05:00NEW RELEASE - "One Summer Night"<h3 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilm8-8-ICzFAZX1Czg7IAbPqiF6Dr9ABENHxikxlAdR2pqSlotG22SRHdFhuDZn1TseLLL7CngrfejO9oOQ_RMDQovFrUjDcwItSg0pTypaJzBWH90OdX_Irec3pNrKpcMgCQ0GZa5YDZeWDQvt2vl7iOFb1JxzaCif9eh10Eys-1cndVAXq4gFlIIcg/s2720/1674584644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="2720" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilm8-8-ICzFAZX1Czg7IAbPqiF6Dr9ABENHxikxlAdR2pqSlotG22SRHdFhuDZn1TseLLL7CngrfejO9oOQ_RMDQovFrUjDcwItSg0pTypaJzBWH90OdX_Irec3pNrKpcMgCQ0GZa5YDZeWDQvt2vl7iOFb1JxzaCif9eh10Eys-1cndVAXq4gFlIIcg/w571-h387/1674584644.jpg" width="571" /></a></div></div><br /> I'm so happy to have this book released! I LOVED writing it, something I never thought would happen. Why? First I don't write pure romances. If you've ever read any of my novels, they are mysteries with what I call a 'splash' of romance. So when my publisher said they were starting a new category of books, Romance Over 50, and asked if I would write one, I said yes, but wasn't really sure how it would turn out.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Young love is always written about... boy meets girl, falls in love with girl, loses girl for some reason and finds her again and wins her over in the end. It's a recipe, but in an older romance, I wasn't expecting all the complications that come into a life over fifty - divorce, a grown child, and in this case, a profession that's dependent on the MC being able to write about the feelings of new love, the depth of love that one can feel, of being in love... something she hadn't felt in years.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">My mysteries always require lots of research... a crime, a criminal, his mindset, how is he cornered and caught, how does the suspense rise, etc. but the over fifty romance had a different set of challenges, life challenges -- balancing a family, career, a know-it-all mother, a lost love, a cheating husband, the shame of his escapades and the feelings surrounding a divorce, the self isolation. I invested about six months writing it and when I finished, I really liked it. I was even happier when my publisher's editor said, "It is a good story and deserves a good readership." and he never remarks on the stories.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">I think the back cover says it all:</h3><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">One Summer Night Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A cheating husband, a contentious divorce, and
a hollow meaningless mausoleum of a house bring best-selling romance author
Isabella Randall to a cliff-side cottage in the quaint Cape Cod fishing village
where she had spent all her happy young summers with her grandparents.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since the divorce, her writing spigot had run
dry not allowing a single drop of love to flow into a new romance. Her agent
and publisher are pushing her to release a book in the coming year before her
readers move on. With deadlines looming, she imagines being back here in this
quiet writer’s haven; she can clear her mind, dig deep to find those romantic
feelings again and write. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet this so-called peaceful town causes her
summer to take one unexpected twist after another—a bike accident, a hospital
visit, her cheating ex pursuing her, and…him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Isabella never expected that in returning here, she would
come across a lost piece of her young life. She now stands on a precipice—does
she forget the past and take the leap with him or retreat back to her safe solitary
life? <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">So, now I'm returning to the full story of Jenna and Brett who I introduced to you in "Broken Christmas Promise" a few years ago. I received great feedback on the novella from the 2020
Book Pipeline Adaptation; they said they loved the premise but thought the novella didn't carry the story far enough or make it layered and complicated. So I've rewritten it and am now spending time revising and editing!</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">That's All I have time for today... keep writing,</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Till,<br />Judi<br /></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-76964498039498652692022-12-06T15:58:00.000-05:002022-12-06T15:58:36.046-05:00COVER REVEAL... ONE SUMMER NIGHT !<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQ5vkFMC26DdinyyOa5QKnS1s2DoYQ_3pzqPRwYZJ5tdyHgmECLgRnm1FLPtneXTi3XHpMGyoQM3Eb9IEyRoO9gIZX4GvzD0P-kLH2JFhXCAbIcmwz7gKMaw0HrzBcx1bbQTEzQRY0j3qErTir9QULzJGYXMHyM1R0nGWlHuakULbwv7XY1O4iwsgyQ/s1350/Final%2012-5-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQ5vkFMC26DdinyyOa5QKnS1s2DoYQ_3pzqPRwYZJ5tdyHgmECLgRnm1FLPtneXTi3XHpMGyoQM3Eb9IEyRoO9gIZX4GvzD0P-kLH2JFhXCAbIcmwz7gKMaw0HrzBcx1bbQTEzQRY0j3qErTir9QULzJGYXMHyM1R0nGWlHuakULbwv7XY1O4iwsgyQ/w266-h400/Final%2012-5-23.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">I know I haven't been on for awhile, but I've been so busy... everything at once but all good things so I can't complain.</h3><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-G86w8ms3Wl2YvlMOhoKnPjjQ8Mlm1aO6_fMRqqjKBmYGG5lE26xD7ioUqd3OfmKCJj0h6i3G8vJ_j7lnbOihXemRsWSgt0BaTDCCRFWjnVnL7U8oaJWSI-oz1A2bcoUS9wsl46r8Bp_8S0iBy_Dv4rERxGRI0MYaUnXJkWLoU4tE5jUKunMYvYndw/s2016/Wellfleet%20fall%202022%20%232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-G86w8ms3Wl2YvlMOhoKnPjjQ8Mlm1aO6_fMRqqjKBmYGG5lE26xD7ioUqd3OfmKCJj0h6i3G8vJ_j7lnbOihXemRsWSgt0BaTDCCRFWjnVnL7U8oaJWSI-oz1A2bcoUS9wsl46r8Bp_8S0iBy_Dv4rERxGRI0MYaUnXJkWLoU4tE5jUKunMYvYndw/s320/Wellfleet%20fall%202022%20%232.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">My computer came back all fixed... some part in the screen that caused me to be able to do nothing. But I used that time wisely while we were away - painting - pleine air. I loved spending quiet time painting out by the ocean! <br /></h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Anyway, I finished the "over-fifty" romance that my publisher wanted. It's in the editor's hands now and then the real work begins... we'll see what he has to say. I'm excited about having a new book ready to be released. As I said in the last blog, this was certainly a different kind of story for me but I found that having characters who were older, more mature made the plot thicker, more convoluted, more realistic. I actually enjoyed writing it. hmmmm... maybe I'll write another after I finish the one I'm writing?</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">So, I'll post when the book is released... hoping this month but we'll see.</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br />Happy holidays to all and to all a good night!! 😀</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Till, Judi</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /> </h3><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-67544565495824907982022-09-30T11:49:00.000-04:002022-09-30T11:49:14.215-04:00Over-Fifty Romance Next!!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeBiNljZAg1vjczP13H8luJjy7vCN3S26ph8a6RQsqaMxSPAsQuPS0sGlT4uJ47zqr_Lu1v8qKJtDcu4xWWfUvRexTCLUB-oE5Aoxv5ntT2pmjFWvScVdfHFm4wa-3v4tHoRu5ivSMW3AhW7faO3jJy4PEcCVwugoAwGt92hF1RfyKvTRx53ABQQCNQ/s800/pexels-photo-11729589.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeBiNljZAg1vjczP13H8luJjy7vCN3S26ph8a6RQsqaMxSPAsQuPS0sGlT4uJ47zqr_Lu1v8qKJtDcu4xWWfUvRexTCLUB-oE5Aoxv5ntT2pmjFWvScVdfHFm4wa-3v4tHoRu5ivSMW3AhW7faO3jJy4PEcCVwugoAwGt92hF1RfyKvTRx53ABQQCNQ/w291-h388/pexels-photo-11729589.jpeg" width="291" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">It's been awhile but I've not been laying off the writing! I'm working on the over-fifty romance... still. First, I've never written a pure romance story; I've always mixed it with a mystery so this is new for me. Then add the over-fifty part, and I have to incorporate divorces, older children, exs. etc. And then there's the angst about becoming involved with someone else since the heart has been hurt so badly. </h4><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">I was making good headway when my computer went down. It's still in the shop awaiting a part. Hopefully, all my files will be in tack. I do save files when I travel so I have most of my backups but still, hard to use my Surface without the files. But on I go!! I'm hoping to have my publisher release it for Christmas -- fingers crossed.</h4><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">I've been watching the coverage of the destruction in Florida. We have friends in Ft. Myers Beach... I hope their place has survived. IAN was a monster storm.</h4><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">I will continue to write, paint and weed my gardens as I send thoughts to those in Ian's path.</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">Till, Judi</h4><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><div><br /></div><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-58394193417233678422022-07-25T13:22:00.001-04:002022-07-25T13:22:39.360-04:00PICK UP YOUR COPY - New release!!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5Ur-UcVyet4JbwpwLkEGHC9otDzOL4D7qiODDyf2CxR2CDpHe4ldfNQwvRfhWZLq-D3hi6dqDSV4gvorNxedAiZkPRzqIrVoAVzHJ5apbq2ThHP-MzKaCdzhcU6HVVyc87-6t3aZX1V2V_Qk6UoSeBjPQuPYgUP_7U023e35UQ0nNp7fzsjOC0JuVg/s1954/1656252133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1495" data-original-width="1954" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5Ur-UcVyet4JbwpwLkEGHC9otDzOL4D7qiODDyf2CxR2CDpHe4ldfNQwvRfhWZLq-D3hi6dqDSV4gvorNxedAiZkPRzqIrVoAVzHJ5apbq2ThHP-MzKaCdzhcU6HVVyc87-6t3aZX1V2V_Qk6UoSeBjPQuPYgUP_7U023e35UQ0nNp7fzsjOC0JuVg/w400-h306/1656252133.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">My new novel, <i>Treat Me Nice</i>, has just been released! Can you believe it's my seventh novel? And to tell you the truth, it's still so very exciting. The reviews have been awesome. I think this novel filled in the characters of Jack and Jamie more and to make it even more interesting, I brought back Jack's old girlfriend Lizz and Jamie's old boyfriend Mike. Mike becomes an interesting character and will definitely show up in the next Oyster Point Mystery. I've found that character development goes hand-in-hand with plot. It becomes a balance between the two... coated with the setting. Anyway, if you're looking for a good romantic mystery, Treat Me Nice (another Elvis song title), could be a great beach read this summer. You can find it on Amazon: <a class="book-url" href="https://mybook.to/Treat-Me-Nice" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #cc1e4e; display: inline !important; font-family: "open sans", sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://mybook.to/Treat-Me-Nice</a>.</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br />On to my next project - publisher asked for "an over-fifty romance" so that's what I'm working on currently. I've never written one so this is a very interesting side-journey for me. A writer friend told me that she only writes over-fifty romances so obviously there's a market for them. I'm finding that you need to provide a lot of back story in this type of book. And how big a "bag of rocks" does the main character or the next semi-main character bring to the story? This allows you to develop the story... divorced, widowed, still married, children... etc. Anyway, a new journey for me and I'm enjoying it. I feel that I'm writing a script for a Hallmark movie!</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Once I've submitted the over-fifty manuscript, I'll return to the rewrite of <i>Broken Christmas Promise</i>. If you remember, I received great feedback on that one from producers, but their comment was that it was too short for today's romances... so I'm working on bringing in subplots and other characters.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">What have I learned so far on this writing journey? </h3><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">First, writing a piece that's good enough for a publisher/agent to accept is tough work. I've written and published a lot of technical papers but transitioning to creative writing is not easy. I have to continually remind myself not to write in passive voice. I taken creative writing classes, been part of excellent writers' groups, taken an on-line workshop with a well-known author I admired. Her class changed the way I write, develop characters and place them in a setting.</h3><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">The second thing I've learned is character development, plot and setting are equally important. Because I'm also a professional artists, I love painting pictures of the setting in words. But too much can make the reader restless to move on, so I try to mix description and dialogue as well.</h3></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Speaking of dialogue, again, too much or too mundane can cause the reader to skip lines or tire of the mundane. Dialogue needs to move the story forward not just fill up the page.</h3></blockquote><h3 style="text-align: left;"> </h3><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">I've also found out that I love writing time travel mysteries... actually I just love writing, creating characters that come to life on the pages, speak to you, make you cry when you place them in certain situations or make you smile, and nod knowing you've been there.</h3></blockquote><p> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">As I make progress through this "over-fifty" romance, I'll let you know how it's going.</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Best and keep writing, and write me with questions or comments. I enjoy hearing from you.</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Judi </h3><p></p><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-37439303153164416352022-06-11T16:07:00.001-04:002022-06-11T16:07:30.663-04:00A NEW RELEASE is COMING SOON!! <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmAyPOEoSrdWs0DzeJDmOOZpt2zLI1UEbsIey1I3vM0-nNi4vidXCKo7jb8YVxE2mH3IwBKSb7bskqc__xq4omD3bUXmYcx4X4OMfjjeBn7NP_tN7sgRtrrHGLMgiIgrk74MYdT0r5A5xUhy8vZ6WXZmGGZw3EdywX9VW26nwQXlO-A5LiRdfwBqM2Q/s960/Draft%20cropped.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmAyPOEoSrdWs0DzeJDmOOZpt2zLI1UEbsIey1I3vM0-nNi4vidXCKo7jb8YVxE2mH3IwBKSb7bskqc__xq4omD3bUXmYcx4X4OMfjjeBn7NP_tN7sgRtrrHGLMgiIgrk74MYdT0r5A5xUhy8vZ6WXZmGGZw3EdywX9VW26nwQXlO-A5LiRdfwBqM2Q/w640-h480/Draft%20cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Well, I know I've been gone for a bit :-) but I have a very good reason - I worked on finishing my latest book, the second Oyster Point Mystery, "<i>Treat Me Nice<b></b></i>".</b> I had written about two thirds of it and came to a halt not knowing where to go with it... so as I always do, I switched to writing "<i style="font-weight: bold;">Tales of the Silent<b></b></i>". That manuscript moved quickly - I loved the story, the characters and the location, my favorite spot, Chinon France. I also loved a time travel part which takes the main female character back to the 11th century. So before I knew it, my publisher accepted it, I worked with my editor and it was released last August! </h3><div><b><br /></b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>So then, </b><b>I still had "Treat Me Nice" sitting there, staring at me.
I'd been away from it so long, I had to reread it. It was pretty good as far as I had gone, but where did I go from here? What I had forgotten was how dogged Jamie was... she would jump right in the middle of these cases and never look back... and so she led me through the rest of the book. I think </b><b>this new book</b><b> ups the relationship between Jack and Jamie as well as reintroducing Jamie's ex-boyfriend and Jack's ex-girlfriend. They are both a danger to the relationship that Jack and Jamie had so carefully built. I also brought in two FBI agents, Kat and Clyde, who played really well off of Jack and Jamie.</b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Finally after much editing, I turned it into my publisher, they accepted it and I'm waiting for the editor to return with the first pass comments. </b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>So in about another month to six weeks it should be out -- a great summer read!!</b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Now I'm returning to rewrite, well actually tell the entire story that I started in "<i style="font-weight: bold;">Broken Christmas Promise</i>", an eBook that the publisher asked me to write a few years ago right before Christmas. I actually received some great feedback on it which led me to the task at hand, writing Brett and Jenna's entire story. A screenwriter and producer read it and sent me the following feedback:<b><br /></b></h3><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><b>"BROKEN
CHRISTMAS PROMISE: The setup here is great – a woman running into an ex that
basically ghosted her in a high-pressure meeting puts these love interests on
interesting footing right from the start. But it doesn’t seem like this shorter
novella develops the concept far beyond that, nor does it seem to give us the
kind of complex and layered romance that the modern market demands."</b></span></i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></i></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I rewrote it, sent it to a friend who is also a published author, for a beta read. She provided some very good feedback and so I'm buried in thought and words and plots for this next book.</span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It never gets old and it's always exciting to create characters and places that readers love!</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So, that's what I've been up to besides living life and making memories! I hope you are too... life is short!</span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Till, <br /></span></h3><h3><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>Judi</i></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-47572173073939787642022-03-12T13:36:00.000-05:002022-03-12T13:36:03.022-05:00Memories and Forward Motion<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4Y_s6K0-VI-pubb0dgmWYHA9gSdcMeD8QwprsQIM-jVJVppABzUq5XeEYRex1R2FLOM98HrWKHJJmgPi62heYLMvqMjs4wYWn0EvQyAkGDxv35ckjcCkE7I-d0IlynX8zGwUqtI7_sj_r-yhHlUwsSkmtAi1AfkOBTLFlzjbA6Gt6qsluORZPFWcB4A=s458" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="458" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4Y_s6K0-VI-pubb0dgmWYHA9gSdcMeD8QwprsQIM-jVJVppABzUq5XeEYRex1R2FLOM98HrWKHJJmgPi62heYLMvqMjs4wYWn0EvQyAkGDxv35ckjcCkE7I-d0IlynX8zGwUqtI7_sj_r-yhHlUwsSkmtAi1AfkOBTLFlzjbA6Gt6qsluORZPFWcB4A=w400-h400" width="400" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Kwajalein, Marshall Islands by Judi Getch Brodman</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>I'm sitting by the ocean and always, always, I have flashbacks of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands where I lived and worked for awhile when I was younger. Something maybe about the color of the water, the sounds of the waves, the sunrises, the soft warm breezes. I've talked about my experience there a few times, but some days those memories are so vivid by the water. It was an experience of a lifetime -- flying to Roi-Namur to work every day, taking meals in the Officers' Club, a shark in the swimming pool, rock fish on the beach. Friday nights were party nights on my island. We could take boats out and deep sea fish. The guys were </b><b>always </b><b>jumping into the water and would come out with huge welts on their backs from the immense jellyfish. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Getting there was a long flight... into Hickham Air Force base in Hawaii and then on to <span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Johnston Island, then a secure U.S. military base, for refueling.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The island, a tiny speck in the Pacific, was
a landing strip with a few low lying metal barracks lining it, mounds of sand
here and there most likely housing missile sites and one or two palm trees
sweating it out on this desolate spot. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">As
I walked down the stairs from the plane, I remember thinking, </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">how does anyone live here? </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The sun was brutally hot and blindingly
bright.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The path to an air-conditioned
bunker was lined with armed soldiers who were there to ensure we walked to the cinder
block house and remained there while the plane was refueled.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I assume they thought we were going to make a
run for it?</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Even now, that thought makes
me laugh – I could run to the edge of the island, a half mile away, and then
what?</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I guess they were protecting the secrets we didn’t see as we landed.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> We boarded and were off to our final destination, Kwajalein, a tiny speck in the middle of nowhere.</span></b></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>Anyway, all these memories come flooding back at the oddest times... good memories!!</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">And when I'm not waxing over Kwaj, I'm now editing my second manuscript. If you read "Broken Christmas Promise", a short ebook on Amazon (</span><a href="http://mybook.to/B0826VPM11" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #184c6c; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">mybook.to/B0826VPM11</a>) and liked it, I think you'll enjoy the longer version of Jenna and Brett's rocky relationship. The short version received a high mark from a Screenplay Adaptation reviewer, who said he loved the setup but there needed to be more "</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>of a complex and layered romance that the modern market demands." </i>So I now have written the first draft of the larger version of that book.</span></span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>I also went back and worked on the second "Oyster Point Mystery." That one needs a second reading/editing by me and then I'll submit it to the Publisher. I'm so lucky they still believe in me and like my works! </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>So I'm hoping for two books to be published this year! That will make <u>eight </u>novels!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>So back to my editing.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Hope you are writing and working hard on your manuscripts and also enjoying life! More memories, I always say.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Till,</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Judi</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></b></span></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-78840837527811717522021-12-24T11:28:00.001-05:002021-12-24T11:28:48.476-05:00A Merry merry and a safe and healthy 2022!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFx7nfv1DesRN8waqW7zKdNFB-bhsA_oOu1W5knUprcz2CPClZZJ42v9DCOrvy0aF_d-koK0wo9XEVadH_jCA8huFo7pwOaY_0N-jIsRE2cEm33qbR0yMy7OjXrZET9rFIrcHLBjAGKlctsKxeN2PT2ajnTTn8diqWkVSCzgqP2akOa8gFXPqAfJc9vQ=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFx7nfv1DesRN8waqW7zKdNFB-bhsA_oOu1W5knUprcz2CPClZZJ42v9DCOrvy0aF_d-koK0wo9XEVadH_jCA8huFo7pwOaY_0N-jIsRE2cEm33qbR0yMy7OjXrZET9rFIrcHLBjAGKlctsKxeN2PT2ajnTTn8diqWkVSCzgqP2akOa8gFXPqAfJc9vQ=w396-h528" width="396" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Here I sit on the Eve trying to catch up on all the things I've missed this fall. You are most important to me. I'm sorry I've been away for so long but I had an accident and needed to recover. All is well now!! </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I want to introduce you to Harold, my elf. Harold has been with me since... hmmmm... many years ago when my mother bought three, one for myself and one for each of my two sisters. Somehow Christmas magic has kept him with me all these long years! Tomorrow he'll be gone. Santa will take him back to the North Pole tonight. I'll miss him but he always seems to be close at hand. I must say he has weathered these years far better than I have... LOL! He's like Peter Pan :-) </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>As for my writing, I had interest in my "Broken Christmas Promise" (<a href="http://mybook.to/B0826VPM11" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #184c6c; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">mybook.to/B0826VPM11</a>) from a Cinematic group. They said it just was too short with little tension past the beginning for a movie. So with my publisher's consent, I'm rewriting it into a full length book and enjoying the interplay between these two characters and a few new ones.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>"Tales of the Silent" (<a href="http://mybook.to/TalesoftheSilent" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #184c6c; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">mybook.to/TalesoftheSilent</a>)</b></span> <span style="font-size: medium;"><b>was well received when it was released in August. I plan a second "Dr. Amelia Davis" mystery. I'm almost done with the sequel to "She's Not You" (<a href="http://mybook.to/Shes_Not_You" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #184c6c; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">mybook.to/Shes_Not_You</a>)! </b></span><b style="font-size: large;">So it appears that 2022 will be a full year of writing for me. </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-size: large;">As I look back on 2021, I see loss in our family to Covid, disease onset to one of our little ones, accidents and recoveries, tears and smiles.... In spite of it all, I'm thankful for so many many things in my life.</b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>May you all have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and healthy 2022. I'll be back after the 1st!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Till, </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Judi </b></span></p><p></p><p><br /></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-86274684947135894032021-09-10T16:10:00.002-04:002021-09-10T18:20:01.252-04:00Updates on my newly published book and my next one!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-mQrc3oWrUqrKFf8U_I3k7KvJbnKfleWbNwXgh0_K6FxhGez-wKErXuxI7Yx96NzCdSUkNt2Pv6MSNWvnxSdSE9jYltONRYUwg-x19AUxBiFxBaZjvR7tTmXMVwkO4NC9bYFwz9hap56/s1350/Tales+of+the+Silent+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="900" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-mQrc3oWrUqrKFf8U_I3k7KvJbnKfleWbNwXgh0_K6FxhGez-wKErXuxI7Yx96NzCdSUkNt2Pv6MSNWvnxSdSE9jYltONRYUwg-x19AUxBiFxBaZjvR7tTmXMVwkO4NC9bYFwz9hap56/w189-h284/Tales+of+the+Silent+cover.jpg" width="189" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwTDJj-4tBwIzidOvMGhXhmPQP6ISKf5B2oV31H0aoyfg6aV9t3p7byqq44KPAIX92MMrBAfyQS1ApTfCr7VlfFGECP8o4DR9KzdQHC8iXkAHff-W23Y_D-KdZ3Qo9-i_1B1DMEAfR8ea/s1221/back+cover+of+Tales+of+the+Silent+%25232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="905" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwTDJj-4tBwIzidOvMGhXhmPQP6ISKf5B2oV31H0aoyfg6aV9t3p7byqq44KPAIX92MMrBAfyQS1ApTfCr7VlfFGECP8o4DR9KzdQHC8iXkAHff-W23Y_D-KdZ3Qo9-i_1B1DMEAfR8ea/w208-h280/back+cover+of+Tales+of+the+Silent+%25232.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"> I wanted to update you to what's happening with my newly released novel, <i>Tales of the Silent. </i>The reviews so far have been terrific: </h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">"Amazing story.
I could hear the characters throughout the whole process."</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">" My benchmark for
books (and I devour books) is a character that stays with me— and Amelia has
been with me all afternoon.<span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">"</span></span></h3><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">"</span></span>The visual translation from words to images - when I saw Judi Getch Brodman just released her latest book I couldn’t wait to read it.
The book kept my interest from first page to last. So much so I read it in 12
hours. It was like watching a Hallmark movie. The visualization was incredible.
The story concept and execution was so creative and I loved the little unexpected
details that were woven throughout the book. E.G brand names of clothing the
characters wore including colors and patterns. This just added to the readers
ability to visualize the setting and story line. Certainly
kept my interest and attention. I’m looking forward to reading The Looking
Glass Labyrinth which I just ordered. The author is not only a masterful writer
but also an extremely talented two dimensional and prolific artist.
Congratulations on a great book."</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">"I loved
this book - the characters, the setting all drew me in and kept me entertained
till the end! The characters talked to me the entire way and the beauty of the
French countryside made me feel like I was there. Can't wait for the next Dr.
Amelia Davis novel! Soon please!"</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I read <i>Tales
of the Silent</i> in two nights -- a page-turner, for sure. <span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">The setting was
exotic yet authentic; I could easily visualize the Chateau and the vineyards,
all the walls, etc. Great descriptions and the archaeology was a clever way to
have the reader envision everything. I found your dialogue fast-paced and true
to the characters. I was glad that you handled the translations so adeptly (my
French is a little rusty). I particularly like the development of the secondary
characters, especially Juliette. (I was quite partial to her.) Everything about
the book is a good read... Overall, CONGRATULATIONS on <i>Tales</i>,
I hope you'll think about a filmscript. I think it has
great potential for film."</span></span></h3><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif">These are a few comments that have been posted and I'm certainly extremely pleased with this feedback.</span></span></span></h3><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm back to writing my next "Oyster Point Mystery" dealing with an interesting cold case. Investigation of a case involving a young woman's body that had been uncovered leads Jamie to believe there is a serial killer on the loose. I've had to do a lot of research in different areas which I think you'll enjoy. Also where's the Jack and Jamie relationship going? You'll just have to wait.</span></span></span></h3><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif">I want to say a few words about the 20th anniversary of the Twin Towers... I lost a fellow consultant who was on-board American flight #11 which left from Boston headed for LA. We all travelled on these flights with clients on the west coast... but this day was certainly different. Please, never forget. I won't because she will always be the face of 9/11 for me. RIP all who lost their lives on that day... 💔</span></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif">Till,</span></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Judi</h3><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-14151217294974679352021-08-20T11:45:00.000-04:002021-08-20T11:45:20.989-04:00<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb2JmtuzQ7I_gDtpM4huLjLXoWHvAeuy4CsWqsYnWzmYvkk_17ZnnmkWX9irkPRrUm1KDfl6tYNU0qR6tWnc1tgflr1L5PP-xioqlM2zPC-ETy9nBHqWhrj3_fuOKSTIqmk7SNLXkPekp/s2048/3D+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1388" data-original-width="2048" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb2JmtuzQ7I_gDtpM4huLjLXoWHvAeuy4CsWqsYnWzmYvkk_17ZnnmkWX9irkPRrUm1KDfl6tYNU0qR6tWnc1tgflr1L5PP-xioqlM2zPC-ETy9nBHqWhrj3_fuOKSTIqmk7SNLXkPekp/w665-h452/3D+photo.jpg" width="665" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">So Exciting - "Tales of the Silent" was released this week!!! Available on Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CRH7GJ6/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" shape="rect" style="background-color: white; color: blue; cursor: pointer; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CRH7GJ6/</a></h3></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">I received terrific prerelease reviews - "A very well written and compelling story," "Very intriguing." "An amazing story" </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">H</span></span>oping to continue with Amelia in the next book... she's such an interesting character and of course, who could resist Étienne!! I'll give you a tease:</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiEur21b7KskfnB9ps6n3K0KaUqu0aERN2-IPIxlQ6UseqZq_X6z8mQwaAB7j_R5bC5CCQYyiNAjuVQihndcTPR4-iAi5aOHvsRLgsJxPj3eBngfkDHbUMTfxDHC1_0_AbS0MrQ1aIYy_/s1221/back+cover+of+Tales+of+the+Silent+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="905" height="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiEur21b7KskfnB9ps6n3K0KaUqu0aERN2-IPIxlQ6UseqZq_X6z8mQwaAB7j_R5bC5CCQYyiNAjuVQihndcTPR4-iAi5aOHvsRLgsJxPj3eBngfkDHbUMTfxDHC1_0_AbS0MrQ1aIYy_/w427-h576/back+cover+of+Tales+of+the+Silent+%25232.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">I'm now in the marketing/promotion mode which is taxing... I'd rather be writing and finishing the sequel to "She's Not You" with Jack and Jamie, but soon. I'm waiting for a call from one of the Morning Shows to talk about my book and background... LOL!!!</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Alright, enough of that. I also had a first since the last time I wrote. I was asked to be a "beta reader" for another author. I've read other pieces by friends who are authors, but this was different. I filled four plus pages with comments and editing corrections. My editor said about my manuscript that it was WELL written. I found that not all authors release edited and well written pieces out of their control. I always try to make my manuscript the best, the very best that I can. If it isn't, why would anyone publish it??? So lessons learned all, edit and reread and edit until you're so sick of the story that you can't tell if it's good or bad anymore. Then send it off.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Well, I'll having a book signing the first Friday night in October... I hope. With this virus, no one can make definite plans!</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Please stay safe, write and make wonderful memories... I am!!</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Till,<br />Judi</h3><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-85639115911939454872021-07-02T14:11:00.000-04:002021-07-02T14:11:11.758-04:00Awaiting acceptance of my new novel!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKDkuk9_TbZaPqZ294OyRkI-l96V4IKKFSV6a4K_a_fzPE4kZ5j27zc9miOSIxmVh3Qhvhs3UxwbAlmy1Yx3T_sLG7dmqoDtj0TMDBZardkn3yJqqJuDfY5rCPTb1Qvoek7eSzjxDLWzy/s1034/Chateau+de+Marcay.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="742" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKDkuk9_TbZaPqZ294OyRkI-l96V4IKKFSV6a4K_a_fzPE4kZ5j27zc9miOSIxmVh3Qhvhs3UxwbAlmy1Yx3T_sLG7dmqoDtj0TMDBZardkn3yJqqJuDfY5rCPTb1Qvoek7eSzjxDLWzy/s600/Chateau+de+Marcay.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Judi</td></tr></tbody></table><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I've finally found some time to write my blog! I've just submitted my sixth novel - can you believe it? And one I really enjoyed writing. I started it around the beginning of December last year after "Til Death Do We Part" was published (which by the way has received awesome reviews). </b></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><b><br /></b></span><span><b> As I've often said here, I usually have at least two manuscripts going at the same time because when one bogs down, I switch to the other. But with this current manuscript, the words just kept coming until I typed "The End" or actually, "To Be Continued." The MC (main character) has so much more she can do that I hope this will be the first of the Dr. Amelia Davis Novels.
In this one, I again return to France (remember "Dark Secrets" was set in Paris) to a lovely little village, Chinon, that I fell in love with years ago while staying at Le Château de Marçay. I wanted to stay forever and write in their turret. Funny how events or places stay with you... sometimes unthought-of for years and then, out they pop. </b></span><b>This was one of them, the perfect setting with pieces and parts to inspire my story. </b></span></h2><div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Now that "Tales of the Silent" is complete or complete until I hear from the editor, I'm going to return to my half-written "Oyster Point Mystery" to which time has produced a solution to my "bog down". Jamie and Jack are another set of characters who provide enough material to write many mysteries with them as the MCs.
That said, if I'm honest, I love all of my characters... even the bad ones because they provide me an interesting way of showing my dark side... LOL. For the most part, they all have history and character flaws, etc. that feed their stories. </span></b></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Happy 4th of July for my American readers and for my Canadian fans, hope you had a wonderful "Canada Day"!</b></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Till, <br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Judi</b></span></h2>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-31669929165102594722021-05-15T15:15:00.000-04:002021-05-15T15:15:14.471-04:00Could it possibly be Spring? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoSfbfoHufUsiQttF9twC559OoTEM_vTB6h51dLqMKBaoCxhXfbeN8ccez4MCdFpJg2MLCu_i6nh7Ungy-T6cn_goR7tJfaYR8jbP3DDUKgkowHFsR2_v7qiWJcEwASdrdD6aOWWhu5G5/s640/May+%25236.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoSfbfoHufUsiQttF9twC559OoTEM_vTB6h51dLqMKBaoCxhXfbeN8ccez4MCdFpJg2MLCu_i6nh7Ungy-T6cn_goR7tJfaYR8jbP3DDUKgkowHFsR2_v7qiWJcEwASdrdD6aOWWhu5G5/w509-h382/May+%25236.jpeg" width="509" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">How can it be spring already? But look at the photo above -- I took it on my morning walk. You can see the faint remnants of snow on the ski trails and the plowed corn fields. But what you can't experience is the smell... whoa... of the manure spread on the field yesterday. Yup, it sure is spring.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Finally, we seem to be emerging from the pandemic with everyone receiving a vaccine - cases have slowed and death counts are lessening. I mourn those we have lost to it... it is unforgiving. </h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">I've tried to be productive during these 18 months, but it wasn't easy. I had "Till Death Do We Part" published last November and concentrated on another totally new manuscript which moved so quickly that I'm now in my own final editing! I had planned on returning to my half finished new Oyster Point Mystery when I hit a stopping point, but that stop weirdly never happened and I'm now hoping for a summer release for this new book. Then I'll return to Jack and Jamie... this new story is full of twists, turns and a reemergence of a haunting history for both of them.</h3><p></p><p></p><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">I still haven't a title for this new book. Some times I have a title before I even begin to write but not this time. Oh well, it'll come to me. I like the story... a strong woman who leaves one bad situation and ends up in a very different confusing situation. I can't really tell you much more but I loved writing it and hope you'll love reading it. The main characters can go on to other books.</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"> I'll make this a short blog because I really need to return to my editing. Life has been busy but good busy for a change. </h3><p></p><p></p><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Keep on writing and keep a lookout for one or maybe two of my new books this year.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Till,<br />Judi<br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><br /></div><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-41895735421445355482021-02-26T14:44:00.000-05:002021-02-26T14:44:39.485-05:00Are the dark clouds lifting...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqioQe1jeSv1T3cCFqDPVaY5ljbEkeQ8ZS376bUJbCXXoVRvb7LtO0O0d0pnN_X4Pm9vQgEREQB4GHRQ5TeYhS2u6Ki51iUnVIrB0O0e62QJ0Es3-xDdbSEJJNDkIulQl8uQqn8HcSEG9w/s1588/IMG_6359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="1588" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqioQe1jeSv1T3cCFqDPVaY5ljbEkeQ8ZS376bUJbCXXoVRvb7LtO0O0d0pnN_X4Pm9vQgEREQB4GHRQ5TeYhS2u6Ki51iUnVIrB0O0e62QJ0Es3-xDdbSEJJNDkIulQl8uQqn8HcSEG9w/w400-h300/IMG_6359.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo copyrighted Judi Getch Brodman</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I've been away for awhile, I know. In the last blog I wrote about <i>bittersweet </i>times. Well, this last month has definitely been filled with <i>bittersweet </i>moments and memories for me.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">It actually started a few months ago... my cousin's wife died, a woman who loved life, who had plans for the future, and who we all loved... and then cancer hit. They tried everything and finally the end came, him sitting with her wiping away her tears, both knowing it was too soon, too young, too much of life yet to live. He mourns her greatly as do we all.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">And then In January a call came from my high school best friend's husband - she's bad, he says. I knew it was coming but not this soon... too soon for him, her children... too soon for me. And with this damn COVID, no way to say goodbye. We met freshman year and never looked back. Sometimes life became busy, we would lose touch but caught up at Christmas at least. We did everything together as young girls... walking home from a school that was in another town until the bus or my boyfriend came by and picked us up, laughing and never at a loss for words. We double dated, movies, dances, proms. It's so hard to look at those photos of us, so young, so much in love with our boyfriends, so inseparable... so happy. The next day he called, this time to tell me she was gone. I couldn't even go to her funeral... my heart broke.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">And then three weeks ago, emails from my cousin that said he had contracted COVID and didn't know if he was going to make it... "pray for me." And so he struggled in the hospital for less than a week, oxygen, ICU, and finally when they wanted to put him on a respirator, he said no. And in days he was gone.<br /></h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">I'm so angry at this virus that has robbed us all of so many, has taken wonderful memories and holidays from us, not allowed us to morn as we want and need to, after it steals our loved ones from us.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">I'm sorry that this post has been sad, but it has been cathartic for me to share in writing losses that have happened. As I made it to this point, tears flowed. But sometimes that's necessary, isn't it. Writing is <u>always</u> therapeutic for me. And I know that many of you are suffering the same or worse losses during this time. My love and prayers to all.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">And speaking of therapeutic, I've buried myself in my writing and have almost finished the first draft of my next novel. The story took on a life of its own and kept building and building until I'm almost to the end. During the day I write and in the early morning hours, I lie there listening to the characters tell me where today will take them, as always. I'm also making headway on the next "Oyster Point Mystery"; it has Jack and Jamie returning from "She's Not You". Jamie's working two cold cases this time that appear to be leading her into more dire situations. Also, ghosts from both their pasts reappear. Will these ghosts fracture Jack and Jamie's relationship? I guess we'll have to wait and see.</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Thank you for listening to me as I poured out my heart. Let's make COVID a positive influence for us - keep writing! Write your memoir, a family member's biography or fiction, novels, short stories, or poems... just use this time to write and to provide you with some peace. I pray that these dark COVID clouds are slowly lifting but until they are gone, stay safe and well...</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Till, Judi</h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-40325092166686932882021-01-07T10:43:00.001-05:002021-01-13T11:45:55.885-05:00Bittersweet...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt2aF-rNY3X618QiYpSttPriIxZzFB0UAHPZCyUiCnZ_DCQGchdAHWBeqs0AB2YTS5lDXQA9Gos_iBCCGzNxjXFDmJaSpIoa5lYuhvFzzVkqa2KMNy7YJbgHtDX7XZKz8RyxSgNanBdAa/s2048/Wellfleet+off+the+wharf+2015.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1506" data-original-width="2048" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidt2aF-rNY3X618QiYpSttPriIxZzFB0UAHPZCyUiCnZ_DCQGchdAHWBeqs0AB2YTS5lDXQA9Gos_iBCCGzNxjXFDmJaSpIoa5lYuhvFzzVkqa2KMNy7YJbgHtDX7XZKz8RyxSgNanBdAa/w466-h343/Wellfleet+off+the+wharf+2015.JPG" width="466" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Walking today, I noticed the bare
stark trees, the low sun, barren gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s January and I guess I always feel this way after the holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this year, maybe it’s a bit stronger
because of the isolation we have all been feeling for so many months. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love the holidays but this year they were -- how can I say it -- empty? Drained of emotions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
chose to all celebrate separately because of COVID, meeting on Zoom to toast and gather – not
the same as you all know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Now, t</span>his season
with its cold starkness after the December holidays, makes me think of all the
bittersweet moments that I’ve had, the ones that feed my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many say that authors don’t or shouldn’t rely
on personal experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that’s so,
what do we use to write those devastating scenes in our stories, the ones that are
happy, overwhelmingly sad, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweet</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Bittersweet</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">… a single
powerful word that says so much – <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">“a
combination of both bitter and sweet, or an emotional feeling that’s a mixture
of both happy and sad.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If
you think about it, those <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweet</i>
moments probably began when you were little – the first day of school as you
watch your mother walk away. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You‘re
excited but frightened at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You want her to stay, make it safe for you. She feels it even more than
you do but you won’t know that until many years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The death of a pet that you’ve had all your
young life, your very first experience with death. High school graduation with
everyone and everything you’re comfortable with being left behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re excited to start college, but you dread
making new friends, meeting new teachers and taking your studies to a whole new
level – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweet</i>. “First loves” – powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some end because long distance relationships during
college are hard to maintain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others
endure fractured throughout college like mine did… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweet</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First jobs, more
loves and broken engagements all contain <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweet</i>
memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your wedding day when you’re
father isn’t there to walk you down the aisle, so you choose to walk alone… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweet</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The birth of a child when his father is away
serving his country… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweet</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could go on and on but I think you know
what I mean by now.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This sentence that I found somewhere,
I can’t remember where, conveyed the message so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“N<span style="color: #333333;">o longer filled
with magic, the room would be haunted by <span class="Emphasis1"><b><i>bittersweet</i></b></span> memories.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not knowing the back story, we wonder what
happy and sad things occurred in that room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I associate that line with my youth… the dining room in the home where I
grew up, where we spent holiday dinners together, candles burning brightly on
the table, the smell of roast turkey and fresh pies filling the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then, my father dies in that room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Bittersweet....</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That’s an example of how one sentence can evoke powerful memories and why, when an
author uses their personal experiences. it touches something in his or her readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A reader once wrote to me that they had cried as they
read about the death of Jamie’s parents in “She’s Not You.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wanted to know how I could write such a painful
powerful scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him because I
experienced it when I was young – the rage, anger and sorrow when my own father
died. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew exactly how Jamie
felt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you haven’t experienced it, how
can you truthfully write about it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure
you can put thoughts down on a page but they just lay there emotionless. They evoke
nothing; they aren’t from the depth of you, from that sad or angry spot, that
broken heart. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Another author
said, “If you base your writings on your own experiences, you’ll be a one book
author.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I just had </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">my fifth
novel </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">published</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">, ‘Til Death Do We Part, and I’m working on two more.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">So I guess I’ve disproved that theory for
myself at least.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">And as Mark Twain
wrote,</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> “Experience of life (not of books) is the only
capital usable in such a book as you have attempted; one can make no judicious
use of this capital while it is new.”</span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="background: white;">- letter to Bruce Weston Munro, 21 Oct 1881
(Karanovich collection)<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So I
wish you all a kinder, gentler 2021.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make
it productive and “pick at those scabs” as the leader of writing group used to
say… and so I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I have many….<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Till,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .25in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.25in 6pt 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Judi</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-65668673972690494272020-12-18T15:15:00.002-05:002020-12-18T15:15:53.500-05:00HAPPY HOLIDAYS!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGb1jvBAtBqvGQRxZwyaTxrPROyM71l9TWpLJPotRso8hPFVwWJcOcydh9rCDO-XrMLqFvw5LSI228-jAgTA1yndeKqTVMpz-TZ8AdzI-_JcH3r7sF6hp031Z0fw7QVV1WkGG8gL4Xmst/s934/Christmas+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="934" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGb1jvBAtBqvGQRxZwyaTxrPROyM71l9TWpLJPotRso8hPFVwWJcOcydh9rCDO-XrMLqFvw5LSI228-jAgTA1yndeKqTVMpz-TZ8AdzI-_JcH3r7sF6hp031Z0fw7QVV1WkGG8gL4Xmst/w464-h162/Christmas+collage.jpg" width="464" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: justify;"> First, let me wish you all a wonderful holiday season. I know it's going to be different, but we have to do this to make it through safely to the other side. I had an empty table at Thanksgiving and it will be the same for Christmas... as much as I'll miss the total chaos of the day; everyone understands and we all agree that staying within our home group is the right thing to do. So please stay safe and well through these holidays.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Next is the excitement of my new book! It has been well received and that pleases me immensely. As a writer, you are so close to your story and characters that you're sure what you are releasing on to the readers. When "Dark Secrets" first came out, I wasn't sure how the story would be received. I had struggled with how to create a story around the inherited apartment. Yet, lo and behold, the reviewers loved it for many different reasons - setting, characters, plot and surprise and suspense, and my usual twists and turns :-) So writers are never a good judge of their own work. I function well in a writers group because I can see what to improve in some one else's writing, but definitely not in my own :-) </h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">And my new time travel manuscript seems to be working well so far... again partially based in France's Loire Valley and Boston. I find that changing settings in the story makes my writing and character building better strangely. Not sure if any of you find that? But I'm still struggling with the next Oyster Point Mystery - I have a story but not sure yet how to solve the problem I've created. But my two main characters, Jack and Jamie, are just as dynamic as ever and now we have the two "old" loves from the first mystery, She's Not You, appearing to stir up a little friction.</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">So, once I made it through the initial stages of this COVID isolation, I had many many hours that I used for writing which I love. </h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">Still keeping up with my walking and have had many too many Zoom meeting for different Committees I'm on. Maybe it's that I'm on too many committees... maybe?</h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">I built a gloopy wonky gingerbread house which was so much fun and so frustrating :-) Many years ago I built one from scratch and this year I thought, why not use the kit!! Should be easier, right? Wrong... LOL!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div></div></h3><p></p><h3>I had it all together when first one wall fell, then a second and one side of the roof and finally the entire house was flat on the table. </h3><div><br /></div><h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT8igEkcF8O-AZ-yAbaNmxJP4noMTmtUEBQNq7LxXQwfjTBjh6BovCZNDO0k-NrvzgJD6_0xb398sudMDa0NXeLBUD5qx5IbyOsY1B8B8PuPj8sVLq6QxJUbmwTCjnpxQJPYVySkW3PU9/s1280/Gingerbread+house+12+17+20+collapse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGT8igEkcF8O-AZ-yAbaNmxJP4noMTmtUEBQNq7LxXQwfjTBjh6BovCZNDO0k-NrvzgJD6_0xb398sudMDa0NXeLBUD5qx5IbyOsY1B8B8PuPj8sVLq6QxJUbmwTCjnpxQJPYVySkW3PU9/s320/Gingerbread+house+12+17+20+collapse.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">But I persisted and made it whole again. </div></h3><h3><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoDMDQ5NywInbnNPXYaiiAWU59jmregfo42MQOuSN1Ogd3B4zCuIUzyOTuj9uu3QABRed5r7lplDUyEfKrOk6vAM2K992BX2oQcVnD_6hqcpGY1DPv1dX2p5_kZjC5F-SWDbkcZ0h6AmR/s1280/Gingerbread+house+12+18+20+finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoDMDQ5NywInbnNPXYaiiAWU59jmregfo42MQOuSN1Ogd3B4zCuIUzyOTuj9uu3QABRed5r7lplDUyEfKrOk6vAM2K992BX2oQcVnD_6hqcpGY1DPv1dX2p5_kZjC5F-SWDbkcZ0h6AmR/s320/Gingerbread+house+12+18+20+finished.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />So stay safe and well during these times when it's easy to let down your guard. And enjoy your holidays doing fun things! </div></h3><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Till 2021<br />Judi<br /><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><br /></div><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-20575240138703678292020-11-27T16:46:00.002-05:002020-12-26T15:32:13.062-05:00A new book just released!!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxuPQHH9P9m2z_rx-fXS6XSitTNqOLL0k3gpT0omNuX5TO6EWYilwrZAvwj-zoev89W3T2FwgdwSvuZ033eizMzinc08kgmOk84hsnQTWpOObfvsHvI-IGZzos1pCPt9WiOjNd0fl3Z2h/s1390/Composite.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1390" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxuPQHH9P9m2z_rx-fXS6XSitTNqOLL0k3gpT0omNuX5TO6EWYilwrZAvwj-zoev89W3T2FwgdwSvuZ033eizMzinc08kgmOk84hsnQTWpOObfvsHvI-IGZzos1pCPt9WiOjNd0fl3Z2h/w540-h356/Composite.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Well, it's been a while for sure since I've written here. BUT, look what has just been released... my fifth novel, 'Til Death Do We Part. It's up on Amazon today - <a href="mybook.to/Til_Death">order here!</a></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The last few weeks have had me working with the publisher choosing the cover and then conversing with the editor. Not much to correct but each time that I receive the manuscript back, I have to read it all again and make sure I didn't miss something. Eventually, I receive the final copy to proof and once I approve it, off it goes. So all in all, it's been a very busy 4-6 weeks, but very productive as well.</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">This novel is set in Maine and Boston. The back blurb says: <br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">"In “Till Death
Do We Part”, Judi Getch Brodman knits together a young woman, a murder, an
unanticipated love, abduction, and the twists and turns that her readers have
come to expect. </span><br /></h2><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The
flaming red haired tomboy on the swing with the big smile returns years
later to a quiet snow covered village in Maine where she hopes for nothing more
than a final Christmas in the old family vacation home. Yet somehow Elle Harrington, now a forensic
consultant, becomes obsessed with solving the 1800’s murder of a woman found
buried under the old oak tree outside the house when she was a child. But how does she piece together long
forgotten history and hearsay, a forbidden love affair, and the contents of a
locket that she found wrapped around the woman’s bones? And enter another complication – a handsome
Boston architect who causes Elle to reassess her life while putting her in danger."</span></h2><div style="text-align: left;"></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As I write, I never know where the characters are going... they just take me along and I'm their scribe. I'm busy working on two more manuscripts - one's a time travel which I love to write and many of my readers love those as well. This one takes place in France as my main character Amelia, a writer, winds up trying to solve a mystery while she's there to write her next novel. As usual, there are plenty twists and turns. I'm loving this one and hoping it might be out in spring, if I use my "pandemic time" wisely. The second is another in the Oyster Point Mystery series with the same characters everyone loved in "She's Not You" - Jamie and Jack.</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">My American readers had a very different Thanksgiving Day. Our table which is usually filled with thirteen, this year had only two of us. I feel the rest of the holidays might be the same this year, but we are willing to sacrifice in the hopes that next year will be twice as good. We Zoomed and toasted and cheered so the day wasn't a complete loss.</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I hope that you are being safe during this time as we await a vaccine. Only a few more months... we CAN DO IT!!</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In case I'm not back till the beginning of next year, have wonderfully safe holidays and let's kick 2020 right out the door on December 31st!! </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Till,<br /></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Judi</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-62906980306492029172020-10-10T13:36:00.001-04:002020-10-10T13:41:20.842-04:00Are we out of this yet?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXx5JEXRn03hyxia-IsT5S4gIu6u1_l9bMRiptVEyfUGMuWtCgy4xNYQ7-Qg4Lk1Bkcd6BCuyHgtk-VeBlG9MghlFDf-ycsznTArruIL5JQCo3okHew0bjyCdb9GSvm-D0Ez9LJ7VyAf0k/s2048/120096948_3727824447262149_6310539120995522655_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXx5JEXRn03hyxia-IsT5S4gIu6u1_l9bMRiptVEyfUGMuWtCgy4xNYQ7-Qg4Lk1Bkcd6BCuyHgtk-VeBlG9MghlFDf-ycsznTArruIL5JQCo3okHew0bjyCdb9GSvm-D0Ez9LJ7VyAf0k/w332-h443/120096948_3727824447262149_6310539120995522655_o.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">So here we are still in this Pandemic. Better... not really? Closer to a vaccine or a treatment... I sure hope so. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I know I've been missing for a bit, but with good reason - just submitted my next book to the publisher! Fingers crossed for this one. I've been so lucky having all my books published! This one ended up being a bit of a struggle mainly because I was trying to write it in the swelling tide of the pandemic. It was hard to focus on anything. And my story came in bits and pieces and then one morning I woke up with a solution and the rest came a bit easier.</p><p style="text-align: left;">And I'm the one who doesn't submit a manuscript until I've edited and edited and reread and done a final check of it. Well, I submitted it yesterday and am hoping for a positive response. </p><p style="text-align: left;">In the meantime, I've started another story and am working on the next mystery in the Oyster Point Mystery Series, speaking of which... I did a fantastic Book Club Zoom with a group of readers in August. It was so much fun and they had such wonderful questions. I may try to post pieces of it if I can. They loved the book (She's Not You), couldn't put it down which was what I had hoped would happen. They also loved the fact that I had nested stories with twists and turns that kept them guessing. I think all my books are written that way. I want my audience interested and guessing as they read and then, bam, not what they expected. So far it's worked great. It's harder for me to weave the stories together and play with the twists, but much more interesting for the reader. Actually more interesting for me as well :-) </p><p style="text-align: left;">So that's pretty much my writing update. My garden has struggled to thrive with the drought we've been having. But I've planted more perennials to fill in a few holes. Next year, I'll probably have more holes from plants that won't make it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Stay safe all of you and enjoy the waning sweet autumn weather.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Till,</p><p style="text-align: left;">Judi</p><p></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-32565171206337397822020-08-09T12:45:00.000-04:002020-08-09T12:45:28.940-04:00AND continuing in survival mode....<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuAiM6jgeVw7oOP7PVy8new8b3ASFYfkvxp1p020bMNuSySZaSUEvlf6W86L6MQlUQ8Qisg6eEjIXKT6pxbowOEzFwmdfOJrXBR4EUM4De9xn1HdtY9CgRGAJwmMwpEOZNuk4JbrHTR3F/s2016/Hydranga.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuAiM6jgeVw7oOP7PVy8new8b3ASFYfkvxp1p020bMNuSySZaSUEvlf6W86L6MQlUQ8Qisg6eEjIXKT6pxbowOEzFwmdfOJrXBR4EUM4De9xn1HdtY9CgRGAJwmMwpEOZNuk4JbrHTR3F/w512-h384/Hydranga.JPG" width="512" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Well, here we are still trying to stay safe and healthy. My salvation so far has been my walking, which I do every day religiously, my gardening, which I can only do on cooler less humid days, and my writing, which I can thankfully do every day!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>So the result so far? My walking is giving me energy, strength, thinking time and helping me to lose a few inches. So that's a positive. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>As for the gardening, we're in the middle of a drought here so the other day when I tried to attach my hose to water the back flower gardens, the faucet didn't work. It worked a few days ago, but today? Not so much. Now if you're thinking this is not a big problem, you'd be wrong. The plumber came and said "it's most likely the valve's sticking." Okay, I think, can you unstick it. Where is the valve? Ah... now that's the problem. Inside my downstairs family room wall where there is no access. And at this point, I'm not about to have the wall come down, but I'm also not happy about this since I have large flower gardens that are drooping and drying up from lack of water. Well, I can only watch these poor plants suffer for so long, so like the sorcerer's apprentice I begin to carry jugs of water from the upstairs sink. You're laughing I know, but I'm praying for a few drops of rain, asking if the non-existent clouds can be seeded? They used to talk about that. In the meantime, I continue my trek with the water attempting to save what I can.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Lastly, my writing. Now that has turned out to be my salvation. I think I said the last time that in the early stages of this pandemic, it was hard for me to concentrate on anything, but slowly, as I developed my pandemic rhythm, my words started to flow... unlike my back faucet. Two days ago, I finished the draft of my next novel, about 73,000 words! So that's a great accomplishment, but now the real work begins. I'm finding that my female character, Elle, needs a little more development, more backstory as they call it. I feel the male character, Gabriel, might be more robust, but still needs some backstory as well. The setting? I think that's okay. Most important are the two houses involved and the old cemetery. Although, they did take a side trip which ended up being pretty entertaining. And the goal, I think it is well understood by them and me. As with all or most of my manuscripts, this one began with a newspaper article about a strange occurrence, a body from the 1800's being uncovered in a very strange way. This event becomes front and center now that Elle is preparing to sell the house. So... if you wait until around October, it should be out. When I finish my revision, it goes to my publisher where they edit more if needed and then it's proofed and published. Once that novel is out, I'll go back to work on my next Oyster Point mystery which is maybe a third complete already. Everyone loved those two character, Jack and Jamie, so much, as did I, that they have to continue their attempts at solving "cold cases". So, on the writing front, I'm feeling good.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I </b></span><b style="font-family: arial;">hope you are stay well, safe and sane during this time. Chronicle your feelings in a journal. Some day in the future, people might want to read our stories!</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Till, </b><b style="font-family: arial;">Judi</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p>Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-40006624347198245422020-06-23T15:03:00.001-04:002020-06-23T15:03:35.887-04:00AND still in survival mode.... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© photo by Judi Getch Brodman</td></tr>
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Will life ever return to normal I ask myself every day. I now understand how much we have taken for granted - the hugs from family and friends, visits with grandparents and the older generation, meeting friends for coffee and a chat, eating out, the kid's sports, even work... I miss all that and more. </h4>
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My professional life has sometimes taken me on very solitary journeys - I built software and computer systems and then went on to manage a very large department, but even then, I couldn't socialize with my workers. And being a writer? Talk about a solitary profession. Saving grace is that I have my characters to talk with :-) </h4>
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I read an editorial today in a writing magazine which expressed beautifully how the editor felt... that her emotional swings were "seismic" over things like no toilet paper in the store or photos of people flaunting being out and about disregarding medical advice. I know how she feels... going out for groceries is a big deal now - I take my mask and gloves, my list and enter the closed foreign environment. I clean the carriage handle and begin my adventure following the arrows, making sure to stop or turn if someone passes, hating the feel of the mask over my face and mouth fogging up my glasses, knowing I have to do this now. I make my shopping venture quick, precise, and once every two weeks if I can. I've taken to rationing how much news I watch, the stories of loved ones dying without the touch of a family member's hand; a new baby entering the world without Dad there to hold him/her moments after they begin their journey through life; Dad not being able to hug his wife and tell her how beautifully she did during the birth and how much he loves her; grandparents and soldiers being taken from us just because they are living in a place that their family thought was safe for them - the agony on the faces and in the voices of those family members; the protests that we all hope will bring real change not just die away... I agree that all of these stories are important and need to be told, but some days, I'm overwhelmed by the shear volume of them all. And then, family and friends are going through their own tough days on top of all this and all I can do is support them long distance.</h4>
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But in spite of all that I have said, I take solace in walks, in gardening, and of course in my writing and painting. It gives me joy to think that maybe when someone reads one of my books, it will take them away for a few hours from the pressures and sorrows of today's world. My paintings seem to reflect the solitude that we all feel...</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© painting by Judi Getch Brodman "Freedom"</td></tr>
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But we know that these days will pass; eventually we'll laugh and love again... it's only a matter of time, but until then, stay safe, stay well, and keep writing. </h4>
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Till,<br />Judi</h4>
Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-43969122063953064392020-05-12T14:45:00.000-04:002020-05-12T14:45:17.973-04:00Still in Survival Mode...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Although we are still in a "shelter-in-place", I feel so much safer here in my home - maybe a false sense, but reality to me. I can roam around without thinking that I have to wash my hands constantly, although I do clean surfaces and doorknobs, etc quite a bit. But I can work outside in my garden which still needs a lot of wedding. And in spite of all this sickness and death that COVID-19 has brought upon us, spring has still arrived. To tell you the truth, I think this is one of the prettiest springs I've seen here or maybe it seems that way because I appreciate it so much more this year.</h3>
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I've been writing - or trying to since I've returned. I had wanted my latest manuscript to be finished and into the publisher by the end of this month, but not to be. At first, the words and the story came slowly, but this last week, I hit my stride. The characters are truly unveiling the mystery in this book. Even I was surprised. So I'm hoping for June.</h3>
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In the meantime, I was asked to read my children's book, Fiona the Lighthouse Firefly, on video so that it can be shared with children at home. I'm thrilled and did a trial video on my iPhone, but most of the clips are too long to send to the tech team. So, back to the drawing board - I might try recording it on my Surface Pro and see if I can zip the files. The path is never easy, is it. But I'm thrilled to do it. I love that story and love more the reason behind it. You can find it on Amazon : <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fiona-Lighthouse-Judi-Getch-Brodman/dp/1518721621">https://www.amazon.com/Fiona-Lighthouse-Judi-Getch-Brodman/dp/1518721621</a></h3>
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In addition, I'm building a new website for my Gallery. The old one used virb, but they seemed to have gone underground so I'm trying WIX. Again, a task taking much time away from my writing. Not easy, but I'm getting a good look to the site.</h3>
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Other than that, I have nothing to do. I'm glad that I'm busy now because it keeps me from hearing the news playing constantly in my head. It's also nice to be transported to a story that has wonderful characters building, a romance brewing, and a mystery evolving that even I find intriguing. </h3>
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Stay safe, busy and well. And keep writing. I'll be back with more about my next two novels :-) Stay tuned!</h3>
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Till,<br />Judi</h3>
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Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-7539008775485861352020-03-24T15:34:00.000-04:002020-04-13T11:06:29.789-04:00Survival Mode March 2020...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, our world sure has changed quickly, hasn't it? No school, distance learning, colleges closed, restaurants closed, stores closed... on and on. </h3>
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Believe it or not I had to travel this weekend and chose to drive, not fly... a long trip. The first thing we noticed was that traffic was light -- until we reached the dreaded Georgia/South Carolina border where we lost a lane. Traffic continued heavy - stop and go for miles. I have no idea why a highway that transports so many people from the North to the South and back again is a two lane highway! Well, a topic for another blog.</h3>
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As we crawled along, I noticed that the majority of cars and mobile homes were from Canada - Quebec and Ontario. They must have listened to the Prime Minister's speech days earlier urging Canadians to come home. </h3>
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<br />There are many times when I'm on the road that i'm irritated at the trailer trucks clogging up the lanes. But listen to me now, NEVER again. These gals and guys are the backbone of our country keeping our economy rolling. As I drove along, I felt like buying each and every one of them a coffee and a meal if there were any restaurants open. Thank you road warriors!!</h3>
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When we stopped for gas, we noticed all the restaurants that we trusted to have clean restrooms were "drive-up" only which meant everyone traveling had to stop at rest areas or the gas station markets. Even pumping gas, we wore gloves and disposed of them before reentering the car and then sanitized our hands. </h3>
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I had packed lots of snacks, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and hard boiled eggs so we were never hungry and never stopped, except for my Dunkin' coffee -- even the virus couldn't keep me from my coffee. :-) </h3>
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Then we had to stop for the night. We picked a decent hotel and when checking in, I asked for a room that hadn't been booked for a few days knowing the virus supposedly didn't live on anything past 72 hours. She didn't really have that information so gave us a top floor room all the way at the end of the corridor. </h3>
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Once in the room, out came my Clorox spray bottle and I cleaned every surface that we would touch. A friend had advised this and I'm so glad she did. Maybe it was a false sense of hope that I had destroyed the virus that had lived in that room but I felt better and that's all that counted I guess. She also suggested that I take my own sheet to throw over the bed, which I did, but then added my own pillow cases as well. We slept on top of the bed with towels over us. I know, it sounds absurd now that I write about it, but it felt necessary at the time. Is it over the top panic? Most likely but who's going to be the one to take that chance... not me.</h3>
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We needed to eat and Outback took takeout orders over the phone and delivered. We had a great picnic. </h3>
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The next day at breakfast, I conducted an unscientific study about why more men come down with the virus than women. Before I selected tongs, I picked up a napkin and then used them. The same was true when I used the coffee pump and creamer, but I watched the men just handle everything, no napkin, bare handed. When we sat down, my husband said, "You just saw why the study was right. Men touch everything without a thought." </h3>
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We powered on for the rest of the day stopping to switch drivers, to use the restrooms and to pick up a Dunkin'. The rest areas became less populated as we moved up the east coast. Truckers had special areas reserved for them at the back. </h3>
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When we returned home, I immediately threw everything into the washing machine, left our jackets in the garage where they still sit, and showered. </h3>
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As I said in the beginning, our world sure has changed quickly. I'm glad to be home writing again. There are many stories in that trip back as well as the days leading up to it, but I had to tell this one. I'm sure that each of you have stories that should be written about these times. When we emerge from these days and we will, we can look back and make a judgment as to whether we were smart, took unnecessary risks, or overdid everything.</h3>
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Stay safe and be well,<br />Till,<br />Judi</h3>
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Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805321120126866383.post-4117531199273753862020-02-24T15:20:00.000-05:002020-02-24T15:20:07.575-05:00Up for "Reader's Choice Award!<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <b>2020 Reader’s Choice Awards contest - </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm very excited because my mystery book, "She's Not You", was just nominated for the 2020 Readers Choice Awards contest by TCK Publishing! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please vote for it under the "Mystery" category, Page 10, at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.tckpublishing.com/2020-readers-choice-voting-page/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.tckpublishing.com/2020-readers-choice-voting-page/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the same book that came in as a quarter finalist in the Screencraft Cinamatic Book Contest determined by a panel selected to read and judge the books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />This new contest is determined by the number of votes the book gets.-- not exactly the same but it would be nice if you all went out there and voted like crazy. If you haven't read "She's Not You" - you should. The reviews have been awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's my latest news. Will be back soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Till,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Judi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.tckpublishing.com/2020-readers-choice-voting-page/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></a></span></div>
Judi Getchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09683309555327711803noreply@blogger.com0